Playback (A Philip Marlowe Novel)

Too bad he only wrote 7 books. All of them are excellent. The plotting is smooth, no need to insert contrivances to move the stories along. The characterizations are crisp, but still revealing. The mysteries are interesting and human.

Playback has a fairly straightforward plot compared to other Phillip Marlowe novels. When the big mystery about Betty Mayfield is revealed at the end, I thought, "So that's it?" But the point of this novel isn't necessarily to rack up the tough guys and body-counts requisite for pulp detective fiction. Chandler always opted for a little more realism in Phillip Marlowe -- so maybe "hard-boiled" works on the reader as well as the time, place, and characters. Take it or leave it. Even though the Phillip Marlowe of Playback is still the same Phillip Marlowe of The Big Sleep, we see how he has changed over time. He is still tough with human weakness underneath, he still sticks to his principles and tries not to bend the law too much, he still looks for the driving force behind the superficial crimes sometimes against his better judgment, given how violent those superficial crimes sometimes are. But he is just a little more jaded, exhausted, and reflective of his life behind and his life ahead -- but, being Phillip Marlowe, not in a maudlin sort of way: he does what he does and will keep doing it; he is a man that knows full well the life he has chosen for himself. He just thinks about it a little more.The setting of Playback reflects this unsettledness. It takes place mostly in Esmeralda, which is apparently a stand-in for La Jolla. Most of the novel finds Marlowe away from the comforts -- or at least certainties -- of his office and chessmen. Like a college student the week after midterms who last looked at his watch two, maybe three days ago, and finding he has too few changes of clothes and not finding his toothbrush, and not entirely sure where he is, Marlowe in Esmeralda (though better prepared and more sober) is out of his Los Angeles element stepping gingerly on uncertain footing. This tension created by Chandler is unlike that in any previous Phillip Marlowe novel, and is one of the great things about this book. It even reminded me a little of how James Bond evolves as a person in the Ian Fleming novels -- a really golden element of the novels absent from the celluloid Bond. But Marlowe is much more of a rock than Bond. The more Marlowe changes, the more Marlowe stays the same -- and we see that here as he muscles through the uncertainties of times, places, and persons of Playback.

The delivery was on time, the book was in good condition and there is no writer like Raymond Chandler

Although it's not rated as one of Chandler's best, I must disagree. It's obvious the novel was Chandler's own take on the world as he knew it personified through his mainstay alter ego, Philip Marlowe. I also thought the added soliloquy per the eighty-year-old Mr. Clarendon was spot-on Raymond Chandler's own voice. A bit of plot manipulation, perhaps, or editorializing, but damn good nonetheless.

Interesting book from the Chandler cannon of Philip Marlowe, being the second to last -- or rather the last one published -- and maybe the one least parented and cared for by Chandler and his editors.I was intrigued as to exactly where this book was going after the first thirty pages and was pretty much left in the exact state until the very end. While this one may fall in the lesser attempts, I'd still say that the dialogue was as good as some of the earlier novels and even has a comedic ring to it that's reminiscent of The Big Lebowski in certain ways.Yes, I just said that. The Big Lebowski.I was happy to finally see Marlowe disrobe a few girls and spend the night. Back then, bedroom drama wasn't very mainstream but Chandler did his best to adjust with changing times. Usually his books are a study of whatever Police Department he's involved with during the case. This one takes place in La Jolla, but only touches on the local constabulary towards the very end.Playback actually reads like it might have been meant to be a love story more than a deep-thought sluether. I recently read that it was originally a stage play that Warner Brothers gave the thumbs down to, and is still one of the last books yet to be filmed.I read this one twice as Chandler is pretty deceptive and hides much in the sub-plots, but this one is pretty straight forward. Any chance where I can imagine Humphrey Bogart in my mind for a few hundred page is alright by me.

I am a huge fan of Chandler's - I like his snappy dialogue, Marlowe's internal monologue, the scintilating women and the tough-guy swagger of his characters. _Playback_, Chandler's last novel, has these elements, but it read as if he was phoning the story in.Marlowe is hired to simply tail a young lady and report to his employer (an attorney) her whereabouts and goings on. Things, of course, quickly become complicated when first Marlowe finds he is not the only one following her, and shortly after, when one of the men she is seen with turns up dead. Marlowe not only wants to find out why the woman is so important, but also how to clear her name.The questions Chandler raises: what is so special about this woman? Who is hiring him (through the attorney) to follow her? Whats up with the other detectives? are all undermined by the silliness of the answers to these questions. What was most puzzling - and disappointing - was the conclusion to Marlowe's story as well.Even with my disgruntled reaction to the end of the story, Chandler at his worst is far and away better than many other writers, for which I give the story 3 stars. Not his best work, but a worthwhile read nonetheless.

The last Marlowe story takes place between L.A. and San Diego, and Marlowe is at his hard boiled best. This time the ladies notice, and Marlowe manages to find the time to solve the case and explore what it all means. Includes a great ending.

I was going to visit La Jolla where Raymond Chandler lived so I wanted to read this, his last Philip Marlow, mystery, which is set in that city which he calls Esmoralda. It is not his best book but it was fun to read it as a period piece featuring a hard boiled detective from another era.

Sein letzter großer Roman spielt in La Jolla, das er Esmeralda nennt. Chandler hat dort die letzten Jahre verbracht. Die Schilderung der gesellschaftlichen Verhältnisse in diesem Ort der Reichen und Schönen ist das Besondere in diesem typischen Chandler. Ansonsten perfekt in Sprache Rhythmus und Figuren. Der Plot ist nicht zu kompliziert, was andere Rezensenten bemängeln. Aber bei Chandler geht es eben nicht um den Plot, sondern um alles andere.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, what a great writer Chandler was.

Awesome read . This guy has some really good books . have read many and enjoyed them all . recommend

This is a good book. The writing style is as enjoyable as the plot. The snappy dialogue and visual imagery make for an almost cinematic experience. Reflecting the social situation of the period it was written in, some modern readers may find some aspects jarring, but it takes only a minor effort to suspend such concerns. The many TV and film derivations make the setting seem at once familiar but this is the source and still shows the originality and skill that made it popular in the first place and demonstrates why all of Raymond Chandler's novels have had many screen adaptations.Just as with P.G. Wodehouse in a Raymond Chandler the writing is deceptively simple and effortlessly enjoyable by dint of consummate ability with words. Just the right ones, in exactly the right order. For instance - 'she gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket' or 'the furniture had had a great deal of expense spared on it'. Cops, blondes, guns and murders, California in the 40s and an anti-hero in the shape of Philip Marlowe. I hope this reads like a 5 star recommendation - because that is what it is.

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