“There's probably not much to be said that hasn't already. Though part of me couldn't shake the image of Steve Martin shaving his tongue in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, this was a wonderful noir crime story. I haven't read much (if any) crime, but I can't imagine it getting better than this. Chandler has perfected a uniquely melodramatic delivery that can't help but seem gritty and real. I confess I was 2/3 through and thought the crime was solved...yet was riveted through to the final sentence.
Thing: on page 250, Chandler references The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer (one of my ancestors). A drunken Roger Wade says to Marlowe: "Ever read The Golden Bough? No, too long for you. Shorter version though. Ought to read it. Proves our sexual habits are pure conventions like—wearing a black tie with a dinner jacket...."”
