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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Murder and some violence in the noir detective tradition
Language
Some
Hard-boiled adult language; some racist period characterizations
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content in the 1943 register
Substance Use
Some
Pervasive social drinking throughout; this is Philip Marlowe's world
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
Low psychological intensity for the reader; Marlowe carries the weight so you don't have to
What this book is about
The fourth Philip Marlowe novel sends the detective from Beverly Hills to the San Bernardino mountains to find a missing woman — and discovers a second, darker case along the way. Chandler's prose is at its most assured here; the Southern California setting is rendered with his characteristic irony and precision. Some racist period language in the hard-boiled tradition. Drinking is pervasive in the noir setting. A classic of American crime fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Racist period language and characterizations
Reader Verification
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