The Lady in the Lake

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Summary: Raymond Chandler's style & Lady in the Lake
Review: "And who was in charge?" Raymond Chandler is the one in charge and he is also perhaps one of the best known and widely read American mystery writers of this 20th century. In the novel Lady in the Lake Chandler uses the hard-boiled detective genre to expand and progress the plot of the story. The use of exploiting the evil corruption of Southern California, which includes Los Angeles and San Bernadino, and surrounding areas show how everything is not what it seems. Though he practiced in a popular genre and was once dismissed as a serious writer, his works are now receiving the attention of scholars. Chandler is now recognized as a major mid-century American novelist and as an author with a deliberate approach toward the creation of fictions that present a significant criticism of American life.

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Summary: convoluted mystery unraveled by Philip Marlowe ... again!
Review: 'The Lady in the Lake' by Raymond Chandler is one of those mystery novels you either love or hate: a murder mystery becomes more and more twisted as a super sleuth, in this case Chandler's Philip Marlowe character, almost magically answers all questions to the amazement of the reader. Regardless, this novel is certainly well-written ... complete with crackling dialogue and interesting characters.

The story is very complicated. Yes, a corpse of a young woman is found in a lake. But there are actually multiple interwoven murders involved, tainted with adultery, drug usage, and greed. Philipe Marlowe is hired not to solve any murder but to actually find the missing wife of a rich businessman. He certainly gets knee-deep into problems and, of course in the end, gets out unscathed.

Bottom line: a tightly written mystery that almost defies belief. Great reading enjoyment.

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Summary: Written in a somewhat dry and dated manner.
Review: A Raymond Chandler whodunit, written in first person point of view, of tough guy detective Philip Marlowe. Lady in the Lake is notable for its sophisticated characterization and dialogue. It paints a portrait of the seedy, corrupt underbelly of Los Angeles society and is full of puns and humbling frankness. Marlowe is searching for a missing wife and discovers a different woman's corpse in a mountain lake. From there the waters get deeper. The book has interesting surprises, troublesome cops and Los Angeles lowlifes who crawl out from bungalows to blink at the sun. "Police business is a hell of a problem. It's a good deal like politics. It asks for the highest type of men, and there's nothing in it to attract the highest type of men. So we have to work with what we get - and we get things like this." Captain Webber to Marlowe, Chapter 27, Page 186, from Lady in the Lake.

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Summary: Murder in the mountains and a lady in the lake...
Review: Another noir classic by the master, in this episode detective Philip Marlowe finds crime as deadly in a lakeside resort as it is on the mean streets of the city of angels, and the body count mounts as the suspense builds and the plot twists. The character development is impeccable, the dialogue lively and bright and suitably sarcastic, and the plotting as convoluted as any Chandler classic would be likely to be.

The mountaintop setting for much of the story lends itself to some poetic prose from the sensitive tough-guy with an eye for beauty and an ear for simile. The narrative flows easily as Marlowe unwinds the mystery to it's inevitable conclusion, observing, lamenting, and condemning the corruption and injustice of the American social structure while withholding judgement from even the most vicious and violent, in his typically refreshing blend of cynicism and naivete.

The writing is spare and straightforward, but it's an illusion, an act of synergy, for the totality of effect is magnified beyond the sum total of the parts, proving that in literature as in art, less is more.

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Summary: tough guy detective on a mission where nothing is as it seem
Review: Chandler brings back our detective Philip Marlowe from "The Big Sleep." In this adventure is trying to solve the case of a missing wife. The case leeds our tough guy detective to the mountains where he is supposed to find the alleged corps, but insteads finds the corps of some other woman. Marlowe then must search the city harder to find clues. He uses every snitch and low life he can. When Marlowe gets closer to solving the case he shakes the witts of crooked cops and low life scum. " Police business is a hell of a problem. It's a good deal like politics...So we have to work with what we get-and we get things like this" Captian Webber to Marlowe, ch.27,page186.

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Summary: A Good Summer Read
Review: Chandler takes us through Marlowe to the edge where good and evil become relative prospects. Marlowe goes beyond his usual urban stomping grounds in this work to the summer-time get-away stops of his era. Filled with twists and turns as well as the gritty dialog that you expect from Chandler ... The Lady in the Lake ... is a good read that delivers what it promises.

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Summary: A superior work of detective fiction.
Review: Chandler's Philip Marlowe is the prototype for all the hard-boiled private eyes who have come down the literary pike after him. Marlowe is never fully dressed unless he has a cigarette dangling from his lip. Always ready with cynical quips, he consumes distilled spirits the way the rest of us take in oxygen. And when it comes to solving a case, Marlowe never bends the rules. No, he ignores the rules completely.
The Lady in the Lake starts off with Marlowe being hired by a business executive, who wants to locate his missing wife. She's described as being quite a handful. Young, blond and two times a maniac.....klepto and nympho. Within about two days, Marlowe runs across two dead bodies and finds that a death ruled a suicide 18 months before is really a covered up murder. The plot contains many unexpected twists and turns that serve to keep the reader interested and very curious about what is going to happen next. If I have any criticism of this book at all, its that a couple of the many plot devices seem a bit contrived.
In describing people, places and things, Chandler does not spare the adjectives. His remarkable prose provides very vivid images of what is happening and thereby allows the reader to be transported right into the narrative.
So, do yourself a favor and read The Lady in the Lake. You'll find out why Raymond Chandler's stellar reputation is so richly deserved.

Rating:
Summary: A superior work of detective fiction.
Review: Chandler's Philip Marlowe is the prototype for all the hard-boiled private eyes who have come down the literary pike after him. Marlowe is never fully dressed unless he has a cigarette dangling from his lip. Always ready with cynical quips, he consumes distilled spirits the way the rest of us take in oxygen. And when it comes to solving a case, Marlowe never bends the rules. No, he ignores the rules completely.
The Lady in the Lake starts off with Marlowe being hired by a business executive, who wants to locate his missing wife. She's described as being quite a handful. Young, blond and two times a maniac.....klepto and nympho. Within about two days, Marlowe runs across two dead bodies and finds that a death ruled a suicide 18 months before is really a covered up murder. The plot contains many unexpected twists and turns that serve to keep the reader interested and very curious about what is going to happen next. If I have any criticism of this book at all, its that a couple of the many plot devices seem a bit contrived.
In describing people, places and things, Chandler does not spare the adjectives. His remarkable prose provides very vivid images of what is happening and thereby allows the reader to be transported right into the narrative.
So, do yourself a favor and read The Lady in the Lake. You'll find out why Raymond Chandler's stellar reputation is so richly deserved.

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Summary: Vivid story telling
Review: Culled from an older short story, the book is one of his best. I enjoyed it more than any other Marlow story.

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Summary: FAB-U-LOUS!
Review: From the first page to the last, The Lady In The Lake is a masterwork of American literature. Some may think that's impossible, seeing as how it'a a *gasp* detective novel! Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise. Like another great that transcended the genre, Dashiell Hammett, Chandler hooks the reader with stunning dialogue, amazing plot twists, and unforgettable characters. The book is clever and works on many levels; as a mystery and also as a complexity of many symbolisms.

Anyone who hasn't read this book, for the love of Steve, don't read the reviews on the next page! Another reviewer gave away the ending. It's been mentioned by someone else already, but just to be on the safe side, I'm mentioning it again. I know that it would've tempted me to drown them in Raymond Chandler's lake if I'd read that person's review before buying the book.

I recommend this book highly, not just as a detective novel, but as an example of the possibilities which the English language holds.