Wayzata Review

Wayzata     

Author: Ted Korsmo

Publisher: John Edward Korsmo II

American release date: July 31, 2014

Format/Genre/Length: E-book/PI mystery/187 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Once a policeman in LA, Carroll LaRue left Tinseltown behind for the Midwest. Now he’s a PI in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis. It’s the 1930’s. War is looming, but life goes on as well as it can. And LaRue has a new client.

He’s driven to the house by the chauffeur, a chatty young guy by the name of Jules, where he meets Samantha (Sam) Fortescue, wife of wealthy Leslie Fortescue. The house is definitely easy on the eyes, though the wife has seen better days. Sam shows LaRue a photo of a pretty young thing, a redhead named Mavis Madder—she wants her followed. But she isn’t exactly forthcoming on the real reason she wants the girl followed, so LaRue walks out—and she follows, begging him to stay.

Finally, she admits the truth—Mavis is or was her husband’s mistress. LaRue decides he’s interested and agrees to take the case. Little does he know what he’s getting into.

Wayzata is a PI novel very much in the style of Raymond Chandler, and Carroll LaRue could be a distant cousin to Philip Marlowe. He’s a wisecracking, fly-by-the-seat-of-his pants kind of guy with a weakness for the bottle and sexy dames like Mavis. The big difference is he’s not in LA, he’s in Wayzata, MN. There are only two PIs in town, and the other one, Marion Hules, was once LaRue’s partner.

The cast of characters is worthy of Chandler, including the young smartass chauffeur, the aggrieved wife, the beautiful mistress waiting her turn to become the next Mrs. Fortescue, the ex-partner, the shady gunsmith whose work is strictly off the record.

This is one case that will keep you guessing, and to say I didn’t see the ending coming is no exaggeration. I love the writing style, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

If you enjoy detective stories, and especially if you’re a fan of Raymond Chandler, this is a must-read book.

The HIgh Window Review

The High Window   

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988 (rerelease)

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/272 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Marlowe goes to Pasadena to meet a client about a job. First he has to get past the secretary. Miss Davis is a rather meek soul, who asks for his references, and once they check out, she takes him to see the client—Mrs. Elizabeth Murdock. Mrs. Murdock is a large, hard woman with an unpleasant attitude, one that isn’t above haggling Marlowe about what his expenses consist of. The situation is this—something of value has been stolen from her, and she suspects the culprit to be her daughter-in-law, the item in question being a very rare and valuable coin known as a Brasher Doubloon.

Synopsis:

Mrs. Murdock didn’t know the coin was missing until she received a suspicious phone call from a dealer named Morningstar making inquiries as to whether the coin was for sale. The thing is that any reputable dealer would know the coin isn’t for sale, per the stipulations of the late Mr. Murdock’s will. Then she checked and found out the coin was missing. She figures it was an inside job, as those are the only people who would have access to it. Mrs. Murdock wants the coin back, but she doesn’t know where her son’s wife went—plus she wants a divorce arranged. Marlowe agrees to take the case, and is handed back to the secretary to get his retainer—along with a little information, some voluntary, some not so. He learns that Linda Murdock, formerly Linda Conquest, once roomed with another girl named Lois Magic. And he learns that the secretary, Merle, has quite a thing, in her own quiet way, for Mrs. Murdock’s son, which includes keeping his monogrammed handkerchief in a drawer, as well as a small caliber pistol.

As Marlowe leaves the Murdock residence, he notices a sand-colored coupe that seems to be following him. But he could be wrong about that.

Marlowe returns to his office, and while he’s thinking about the case, he receives a visitor—Mr. Leslie Murdock, the son. He’s trying to find out why Marlowe’s been hired, but the PI is too cagey to divulge that bit of information. Murdock reveals more than he learns—namely, that he still loves his wife, and that he is into a guy named Morny for some big money, maybe twelve grand.  Marlowe sends him on his way, and calls up Morningstar, making an appointment to see him at his office at 3 o’clock.

He can’t find Lois Magic in the phone book, so he uses a connection to learn what he can about Morny. Turns out he married Lois Magic. Small world indeed. He gets an address and heads over there, but the hired help say she isn’t at home. Well, there’s more than one way to do things, so Marlowe does it his way, and finds out from the chauffeur that Mrs. Morny is indeed at home, in the backyard, along with Mr. Vannier.

Marlowe runs into the sand-colored coupe and its driver again, and confronts him. The guy breaks down and admits he’s been following Marlowe. His name is Phillips and he’s also a PI, working a case. Maybe they can work it together, since the cases seem to be related. He makes a time for Marlowe to come over to his place, and just for insurance, he gives him a key, in case he arrives first.

Marlowe shows up, but it’s too late for Phillips.

And he’s only the first stiff.

Fake coins, missing wives, cheating wives, terrified secretaries, and a body count that just won’t quit. All in the job description for Phillip Marlowe.

Commentary:

The High Window is the third book in the Philip Marlowe series. I liked it as much as I did the others. Chandler has a way with words that is truly unique, and he paints a vivid picture of the times and the people, drawing memorable characters. I like that Marlowe has layers, and we see more and more of those layers as time goes on. In this story, he’s a real gentleman. We already knew he was honest. The story has all the ingredients of a good mystery—dead bodies, people with secrets, lies, and mysteries. I look forward to reading the next book.

Murder, My Sweet Review

Murder, My Sweet   

Director/Studio/Author: Edward Dmytryk/RKO Radio Pictures/John Paxton

American release date: July 6, 2004 (original theatrical release 1944)

Format, Genre and length: DVD/Film Noir/95 minutes

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: NR

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Philip Marlowe’s in a bit of a bind; his eyes are bandaged and he’s being grilled by the police, who insist they tell him what they want to know. When Randall comes in, Marlowe (Dick Powell) agrees to talk, and begins to spin his tale.

Synopsis:

It all begins when a big lunk named Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) drops into Marlowe’s office. He wants to find a gal he used to go with eight years ago—before he was sent away to prison—and he wants Marlowe’s help. Marlowe ends up accompanying him to a joint called Florian’s. But no one there knows or has heard of Velma, and Moose getting rough doesn’t help anything.

Marlowe agrees to help Moose. Although he’s big and prone to using his fists, he’s also naïve, and a bit slow. Marlowe traces the previous owner of the bar and finds his widow listed in the phone book, so he pays her a visit and plies her with booze. For a drink, she’s ready to tell what she knows. She acts cagey about Velma, and he catches her in a lie, taking a photo of the missing Velma with him.

Back at his office, he has another visitor—a well-dressed foppish gentleman who desires to avail himself of Marlowe’s services, but he isn’t as forthcoming about details as Marlowe would like. He finally gets the man, Lindsey Marriott (Douglas Walton), to admit that there’s a jade necklace involved that he’s paying to retrieve for a lady. Marlowe accompanies him to a deserted spot, off the beaten path. He goes to investigate, sees nothing, but when he returns to the car, he’s hit with a blackjack. When he awakens, it’s to find a flashlight held by a woman shining in his face. She drops it and runs. Then he discovers the dead body in the car and calls the cops.

A third visitor to his office (the elevator operator quips that he’s becoming successful) turns out to be the mysterious lady, one Ann Grayle (Ann Shirley). And the jade necklace belongs to her stepmother, Helen (Claire Trevor). There is obviously no love lost between stepmother and stepdaughter, and the flaxen blonde Helen isn’t slow in showing her attraction to Marlowe.

While following the case, Marlowe becomes involved with a psychic, drugs, a scam, a kidnapping, and more pain than should be given to one man in one lifetime. Will he survive long enough to figure out what’s going on, and who did it?

Commentary:

Murder, My Sweet is based on the novel Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler, that I recently reviewed. It’s pretty much the same story, although some things have been changed and condensed, probably in the interest of time. In the book, Ann was Ann Riordan and not Grayle, therefore not related, but this way does make sense.

One huge change, though, had to do with the things I pointed out in my other review, the un-pc things. The black bar was that no longer. The smelly Indian working for Amthor wasn’t, and Amthor himself became white. The ship that figured in the book is completely gone. The circumstances of Marlowe being in the doctor’s place have slightly changed. But if you haven’t read the book, of course you won’t notice.

All in all, I think it was an enjoyable film, maybe not quite up to snuff with the Big Sleep, except in one regard. The casting of Philip Marlowe. Having seen both films and read both books, I have to say that Dick Powell’s performance was closer to the mark as regards the character that Chandler depicted than Bogart’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bogart. But Powell has it pretty dead-on with how I saw Marlowe, and while I was skeptical before I watched it, afterward I was a firm believer in Powell’s ability to act. I hadn’t seen him in anything before, so I had no preconceived notions, but I understand most of his roles were lightweight compared to this one. I hope he did more Marlowe films after this; he deserved it.

You might recognize the guy who played Moose if you ever watched Gilligan’s Island, and a lot of other old TV shows. He was type cast as the big, dumb heavy, but in real life, he was very intelligent and a witty conversationalist.

As with a lot of films, the romantic element was played up more than in the book, leaving Marlowe and Ann kissing in the back of a taxi. Not a bad ending, but I seriously doubt she appears in any of the other books. Guess I’ll find out.

A good film and a good way to spend an evening. I definitely recommend watching this if you enjoy film noir.

Farewell, My Lovely Review

Farewell, My Lovely  

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988 (rerelease)

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/292 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

While working a job that never pans out, PI Philip Marlowe is drawn against his will into a bar called Florian’s by a very huge man. Moose Malloy has just spent eight years doing time, and he’s looking for his girl Velma. Well, it has been eight years, and the bar’s changed hands since then. The new owners and employees know nothing of any Velma, but Moose gets mad and someone gets dead, and Marlowe finds himself in the middle of something he never bargained for.

Synopsis:

Being a good PI, Marlowe calls the police, and the case goes to a fellow named Nulty, who tries to inveigle Marlowe into helping him solve it. Marlowe says he’ll let him know if he thinks of anything, then decides to follow up on the Velma angle. He goes into a hotel near the bar, asking about the previous owner, and learns where the man’s widow still resides. So Marlowe decides to pay her a visit.

Mrs. Florian is a house-bound soul with a fondness for alcohol. It isn’t hard to pry information out of her, armed with a bottle and a willingness to suffer being her drinking companion in order to get her to talk. The widow plays coy, but when she learns Moose is on the loose, she grows pale. Velma is dead, she says, so no use looking for her. Marlowe informs Nulty and goes back to his office.

There he receives a phone call about a job, although the caller is being very vague and mysterious about what he’s to be doing for his money. Money is money, so Marlowe gets the address and agrees to meet the client that night.  His name is Lindsay Marriott and he lives in the better part of time. He wants Marlowe to go with him while he does something, but he isn’t to be seen or do anything. Marlowe doesn’t like that and makes no bones about it, and then he lays down his rules. It seems that Marriott is paying to retrieve some stolen jewelry—very valuable jade, to be exact. It was taken from a lady, and the thieves are holding it for ransom.

Marlowe agrees to the job, for a hundred dollars, and instructions are received, along with directions. However, nothing is simple, and Marlowe gets sapped. By the time he wakes up, there’s a strange girl there by the name of Anne Riordan, and Lindsay Marriott is deceased. Marlowe checks the man’s pockets and finds something interesting—marihuana cigarettes in a cheap case. However, by the time the police arrive, those are no longer there.

Turns out Anne’s father was once police chief of Bay City, so she can’t help but be nosy about what she’s stumbled across. Marlowe finds her attractive in a more than pretty face kind of way. She returns the cigarettes she stole to him, and he makes an interesting discovery—hidden inside are the business cards of a local psychic, Jules Amthor. So Marlowe sets off to investigate.

A dead man, an escaped convict, a missing girl, graft in high polices, a crooked doctor, gambling—all these things and more lie in wait for Philip Marlowe. The question is, has he bitten off more than he can chew, and are there people who are determined that he not find out the truth, no matter how they have to silence him?

Commentary:

Farewell, My Lovely is the sequel to The Big Sleep. It’s another great read from Raymond Chandler. I’m really enjoying Marlowe’s adventures. He’s not a super hero, he’s just an ordinary guy, doing his job, and as such he’s not beyond getting hurt—and he does, because he keeps sticking his nose where it isn’t wanted.

One thing to keep in mind when you read this is that it’s a product of its times, much as Huckleberry Finn. Some of the terms used would be considered racist now, but they weren’t then, so you have to realize that and either not be offended, or not read the book. Those don’t detract from the enjoyment of the story.

Chandler has a definite way with words that I enjoy. For example, in talking about Marlowe’s first sight of Moose Malloy: “He was looking up at the dusty windows with a sort of ecstatic fixity of expression, like a hunky immigrant catching his first sight of the Statue of Liberty.”   His description of scenery is also unique, pure Marlowe:  “I got down to Montemar Vista as the light began to fade, but there was still a fine sparkle on the water and the surf was breaking far out in long smooth curves.”

This story has a lot of twists and turns, and I didn’t see the ending coming until it was on top of me. Raymond Chandler set the bar for detective stories, and he set it pretty damn high. I recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries and detectives, and to those who haven’t put your toe in the water, try it, you’ll like it.

The Big Sleep Review

The Big Sleep  

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/139 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

A referral from an associate in the DA’s office garners private investigator Philip Marlowe a job with the very wealthy General Sternwood. The General is elderly and infirm, living in a huge house with a discreet butler and two daughters—both born late in his life, and both rather wild girls. Where Carmen is ditzy and prone to flirtatiousness, Vivian is more self-assured and wears an air of self-possession, despite the fact that her husband, Rusty Regan, has disappeared without a word. However, that is not why the General has summoned Marlowe. There seems to be a small matter of blackmail…

Synopsis:

General Sternwood has received some promissory notes purporting to have been signed by Carmen; a card with the name Arthur Geiger, purveyor of rare books, is enclosed. Marlowe suspects it’s an attempt to claim blackmail money, especially after he learns that the general was hit up for hush money a few months previously by a guy named Joe Brody, who wanted it in order to stop seeing Carmen. Since the General won’t ask Carmen directly, Marlowe agrees to check things out. Before he can even get out of the house, Vivian Regan requests his presence in her room, and attempts to grill him over what he’s doing for her father. But Marlowe is keeping a tight lip; he’s not one to spill the beans about his clients, even if she is the client’s daughter.

Affecting a cover as a man knowledgeable about rare books, Marlowe goes to Geiger’s book store but apparently the worthy gentleman is not on the premises, and the gal he’s hired to take care of things doesn’t know as much about rare books as perhaps she should. When she hands a wrapped parcel to a mysterious visitor in exchange for an unspecified amount of cash, Marlowe suspects there is more here than meets the eye. So he takes his leave and follows the man, giving him a distinct case of the heebie-jeebies. The nervous Nate ditches the package, and Marlowe retrieves it.

Having gotten a description of Geiger from a girl in a bookstore across the street, Marlowe cases Geiger’s place until he appears, and tails him to his house on Laverne Terrace. Night slips in as Marlowe bides his time. A sudden flash from Geiger’s home, followed by a scream and three shots, draws him in, where he discovers a naked Carmen Sternwood, and a dead Arthur Geiger. Being a discreet kind of guy, he returns the stoned heiress—properly dressed—to the bosom of her loving family, and returns to the scene of the crime, only to discover that the body is gone!

A dead chauffeur, a lending library of pornography, gambling debts, scandal and more strew Marlowe’s path as he seeks the answers to questions which only lead to more questions. Why does everyone think he’s searching for Rusty Regan? Marlowe will stop at nothing to get at the truth, including putting his own life in peril.

Commentary:

This is my first Raymond Chandler novel, his first Philip Marlowe, and it’s a great introduction to the PI, as well as a wonderful addition to the genre. Although written a long time ago, it definitely withstands the test of time, and is just as fascinating for modern readers as any contemporary novel. Chandler has a definite way with descriptions that give you instant pictures of what he’s talking about. For example, this description of the Sternwood home:

Over the entrance doors, which would have let in a troop of Indian elephants, there was a broad stained-glass panel showing a knight in dark armor rescuing a lady who was tied to a tree and didn’t have any clothes on but some very long and convenient hair.

Marlowe is a cynical observer of the human condition, and he isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Or to take a chance, even if it means putting his life on the line or getting physical. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to reading the next one, Farewell My Lovely. I recently watched the film, The Big Sleep, which I shall review separately, and compare the book to the movie.