The Black-Eyed Blonde

A Novel

By: John Banville, Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in The Black-Eyed Blonde—also published as Marlowe as by John Banville—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective.

"Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."
—Stephen King

"It was one of those summer Tuesday afternoons when you begin to wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."

The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.

Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.

“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”
—The Washington Post

OK but

but it is too young and cute to call it Marlow. Why not create a new detective? The writing is pretty good.

Marlowe Lives!

Dennis Boutsikaris performs Marlowe's first person narrative well. For a good part of the book, I felt I was spending time with an old friend. To be clear, the author does not write like Raymond Chandler, but Marlowe behaves about as you'd expect. The problem with the book is that there is a lot of buildup for a climax that doesn't work. Longtime fans familiar with characters from other Chandler novels are likely to be bothered by it as well, but I won't spoil the ending. This is a book that was pleasant, until it wasn't. The problem is, it could have been so much more!

Close Your Eyes and Marlowe Is (almost) Back

Don't don't be put off by the Chandler fanatics who claim that this is ersatz Chandler and nitpick the tortured metaphors that just keep coming like the gimlets in one of Marlowe's favorite dives.

The convoluted story and Marlowe philosophy are spot on.

Unfortunately, the narrator/actor is wrong for the character. He certainly speaks well; he just doesn't speak like Philip Marlowe. Elliott Gould owns that voice. He understands that Marlowe has seen too many fat cats get away with corruption, and too many nice girls rubbed out for being at the wrong place and the wrong time. He's smoked too many cigarettes, been sucker-punched too many times; and spent too many nights at the station. This author doesn't sound world-weary; he sounds like he's just come back from "senior year abroad" and is eager to tell you about his adventures.

best Chandler reboot

I've read every Chandler story and novel several times, and looked into every Chandler reboot I could find. This one hits all the right notes. Someone complained about the narrator, but I thought it was just fine. Not a Humphrey Bogart imitation, but a good straightforward read of a well-wrought book.

Great book!!

Loved the book, the narration and story line from start to finish. I wish there was a second book!!