Crime fiction master Raymond Chandler’s third novel featuring Philip Marlowe, the “quintessential urban private eye” (Los Angeles Times). A wealthy Pasadena widow with a mean streak, a missing daughter-in-law with a past, and a gold coin worth a small fortune—the elements don’t quite add up until Marlowe discovers evidence of murder, rape, blackmail, and the worst kind of human exploitation. … kind of human exploitation.
“Raymond Chandler is a star of the first magnitude.” Erle Stanley Gardner
“Raymond Chandler has given us a detective who is hard-boiled enough to be convincing . . . and that is no mean achievement.” —The New York Times
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The High Window, Raymond Chandler, 1942
My favorite quote: “The moonlight was cold and clear, like the justice we dream of but don’t find.”
Notable characters: Philip Marlowe, the world’s favorite wise-cracking PI; Elizabeth Bright Murdock, the wealthy widow who hires him to locate a very valuable missing coin; Leslie Murdock, her irritating negative-Nelly son
Most memorable scene: Not that this book lacks action or exciting moments, but what really stands out to me about this one is Chandler’s character descriptions. Seriously. He has a way of bringing them to life like no other
Greatest strengths: Pacing
Standout achievements: I think I’m developing a bit of a man-crush on Philip Marlowe. You heard me
Fun Facts: The script of the 1942 film was rewritten to include the character Mike Shayne. I don’t know why
Other media: There have been two film adaptations of this novel made. The first, a 1942 film titled Time to Kill, and The Brasher Doubloon in 1947
What it taught me: What a Fatima is. And a Brasher Doubloon. Also, a lot of 1940s slang terms, which, although frequently very politically incorrect, is interesting in a historical context
How it inspired me: His descriptions of sun-baked Los Angeles of days long gone makes me want to travel back to the 1940s and take a trip there. On paper, of course. I can’t actually travel back in time. But if I could, I would totally want to meet Philip Marlowe. Except he isn’t real. Neither is time travel, though, so, yeah …
Additional thoughts: Even though this is only the second book I’ve read featuring Philip Marlowe, I’m already depressed to be that much closer to the end of the series. I’m kinda crossing my fingers that the rest of them will inexplicably suck, thus sparing me the inevitable book/series hangover. I don’t think that’s going to happen though …
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
The High Window encapsulates what Chandler does best — Marlowe walks into a situation where the rich people do what they do, and get away with it, mostly. Marlowe resolves a thing that needs resolving, but it’s a personal loss for him too. The truly guilty go unpunished, is somewhat inconvenienced. Some of the worst reap the fruits of their crime, but some do not.
All in prose as beautiful as one could as for.
Classic in every way. Read it, if you have nit yet done so.
Classic
“The High Window” doesn’t have the sparkling prose of the first two Philip Marlowe books, but the mystery is immaculate. A mess of characters, each with his or her own angle, and they all seem to know what’s going on better than the detective, who is clueless until the very end. The tough-guy panache of “The Big Sleep” isn’t present in this one – it’s light on action – but the confusing case propels the story, providing a satisfying experience from start to finish. There’s a reason Raymond Chandler is so popular.
Raymond Chandler’s Marlowe stories are among the earliest and best hard boiled, smart-ass detective noir stories. The murders usually happen “off screen” which allows the reader to maintain a little emotional distance. No one is ever a match for Marlowe – he is the prototypical hard scramble knight in shining armor. He is always a little tougher, a little smarter and usually a lot more noble than everyone else. The mystery was twisty enough – I did not figure it out. I had to wait for Marlowe to explain everything at the end. My only real complaint has to do with social norms in the book. I felt there was an ugly whiff of racism and I was not particularly happy about his depiction of women either. It did not ruin the book but it hurt it a bit. If I could, I would probably give it 3.5 stars instead of 4.
Raymond Chandler was a great master of the detective story genre, and his books read as well today as when they were first published. I had somehow overlooked this title, and was delighted to re-immerse myself in Chandler’s gritty characters and noir atmosphere. A great read.
OK
Thought it was good. It was a bit confusing aft the end.
A Raymond Chandler detective novel. Very good but not his best. However worth a read for Chandler fans.
Classic noir from one of the best.
Not Chandler’s greatest–but then, lesser Chandler is generally superior to the best many other authors have to offer.
This is my favorite Philip Marlowe work from Chandler. An engaging story with economical yet vibrant prose.
It’s a toss up. Either The High Window or The Big Sleep is my favorite Chandler story. Either way, they’re both great reads.