This book is a pretty quality read. I liked it a lot better than Dashiell Hammett's stories. I think Raymond Chandler is the best writer that I've read in this genre. The book is often, funny, inventive and keeps you guessing.

The Lady in the Lake is one of Chandler's best. Philip Marlowe finds a body--but whose body is it? Laced with Chandler's wry commentary on everything from rich dames to down and out war veterans, this book is an absolute delight from the first page to the last. Classic Chandler. Sharp, funny, full of surprising twists, and always the most original prose around. Highest recommendation for an American "noir" novel.

Perhaps this bad review is because this was my first
Raymond Chandler book and I wasn't impressed. The
Lady in the Lake, well, the title pretty much sums up
the plotline, which has Marlowe leaving Los Angeles
looking for a missing woman.

Perhaps in the 1950's when this book was written, he
said something profound but in 2008, this book was
pretty bland. It should have been a classic whodunit
but the problem was that the book was almost straight
dialogue, which is fine if you are an actor trying
to read a screenplay but if you are a reader that enjoys
good books, you are going to want a book that has at least
some compelling details, which I didn't get with this book.

I don't know what the other reviewers were thinking but
Marlowe as a detective was under-developed in this novel.
The book focused so much on trying to solve the case that
I never really got to know him and the book moves so slow
that by pg. 200, I didn't really care.

I'm giving the author two stars for effort but I can't
recommend this one.

A 2007 summer reading list mini review.

I recently read a book celebrating the 100th birthday of Raymond Chandler. In the book, many current detective writers tell Phillip Marlowe stories and then explain the effect that Marlowe and Chandler had on their careers. The praise was glowing, and I picked up Lady in the Lake, to see if it was warranted. After the first chapter, I had an inkling the praise was justified. After the second, I knew.

The story of a Marlowe trailing an executives missing wife is excellent, but it is Chandler's use of language in dialogue that is amazing. The following exchange happens late in the book when a desk clerk uses the word whom and the crusty cop with Chandler is taken aback:

Degarmo spun on his heel and looked at me wonderingly. 'Did he say, "whom"?'
'Yeah, but don't hit him' I said. There is such a word.'
Degarmo licked his lips. ' I knew there was,' he said ' I often wondered where they kept it. ...'

The wise cracking atmosphere through the maze of dead bodies and corrupt officials is why I like Marlowe so much. And while there have been so many imitators through the years, I am amazed how fresh and innovative Chandler seems in comparison. Chandler and Marlowe are definitely worthy of all the acclaim.

Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's classic noir hard-boiled private detective forever literarily associated with Los Angeles and its means streets gets a little off-track when he goes to the mountains in search of the inevitable exotic/diabolical 'missing woman' (as here, usually with a hidden past). Sure there is plenty of sparse but functional dialogue, physical action and a couple of plot twists, particularly around the identity of the various `dames' of the piece that caught me off guard but the plot line lost energy as it gathered steam trying to get up those mountain passes. Give me those background oil derricks churning out the wealth while looking for Rusty Regan in Big Sleep or the run down stucco flats in pursue of Moose's Velma in Farewell, My Lovely any day. Still, as always with Chandler you get high literature in a plebian package. Read on.

Raymond Chandler has always been known for his eloquent prose, and the masterful way he creates his settings, but many hard-core mystery fans have not loved the fact that he can sometimes sacrifice the disciplined, mathematical puzzle for creating an experience. Not so in "The Lady in the Lake", which offers a vivid portrayal of Marlowe, gritty depiction of 1940's southern California, and a riveting mystery that buttons up neatly at the climax. This book is a fabulous guide to another reality which will provide hours of entertainment.