In the forward to one of the books Chandler is quoted as saying that he kept writing these LA noir stories because they had never been perfected. They are very much books of their time, and sometimes dizzying in their sudden changes of direction. Chandler goes to great pains to make sure each tale is fully resolved and there are times when you think things must be done, when a knew wrinkle appears or Marlowe announces some observation of his that throws what seems to be a tidy ending into disarray. They are all more complicated than they perhaps should be. These are detective stories, taking place from the late 1930s into the 1950s in southern California. One thing I did set out to do this past year was read all of the Philip Marlowe detective noir novels by Raymond Chandler, and I can report success on that front. And it is a Friday, which Google analytics tells me is my worst day for traffic, so I might as well schedule a post about books! Still, I can highlight some parts of my reading experience in 2023.
