The Lady in the Lake, Raymond Chandler, 1943
My favorite quote: “He was quite easy to hate,” she said emptily. “And poisonously easy to love. Women — even decent women — make such ghastly mistakes about men.”
Notable characters: Philip Marlowe; the best PI ever; Derace Kingsley, the wealthy businessman who hires him; Crystal Kingsley, Derace Kingley’s wife; Chris Lavery, the playboy
Most memorable scene: The discovery of the lady in the lake, which was surprisingly gruesome
Greatest strengths: The plot. It’s sharp, intricate, and unpredictable. That said, Raymond Chandler’s prose seriously sparkles — not that I need to tell anyone that. There’s a reason he’s such a big deal
Standout achievements: I chose plot (and the prose itself) as The Lady in the Lake’s greatest strength but the characters here are just as strong. You don’t often see that. Usually, authors excel at one or the other. Some are more plot-driven, others more character-oriented. Both are valid, but it’s rare that an author comes along that excels at, well, everything — but Raymond Chandler does
Fun Facts: The making of the 1947 film, The Lady in the Lake, was actor Robert Montgomery’s (who played Phillip Marlowe) idea. He knew a good thing when he saw it!
Other media: A 1947 film, several radio adaptations — all of which are titled The Lady in the Lake (sometimes they change the names, but when it comes to Raymond Chandler, they wisely tend to leave them alone)
What it taught me: Raymond Chandler has a unique way with words. One of the techniques he uses that stood out to me is a kind of merging of the senses — comparing sounds to something touchable, for example. The Lady in the Lake is full of new ways of experiencing things — that’s the best way I can sum it up
How it inspired me: This was my first Raymond Chandler novel and I only recently read it (I know, right? What have I been doing all these years?) and it only took a few pages before I realized I’d fallen head-over-heels in love with the voice and tone of this book. I knew I wanted to read the rest in the series before I’d finished the first chapter. I’ve already bought the next several books for my Raymond Chandler collection
Additional thoughts: It was depressing to learn that Raymond Chandler only wrote seven full novels in his lifetime. This means I’m just going to have to read them over and over which, in this case, won’t be a chore. Seriously, guys, this is good stuff
Hit or miss: Hit it. Hard
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Alistair Cross 