nicanical
The stories aren't bad, but they don't linger in the brain after reading either. Except Pearls are a Nuisance—Walter is amusing, and there's a nice twist. And maybe Spanish Blood, with its memorable ending.
Unlike the similar collection, Trouble is my Business, none of the stories here feature Philip Marlowe. All the protags still get up to sleuthing, but there's variety in their backgrounds. For example, the previously-mentioned Walter is a dandy playing an amateur detective, while Delaguerra in Spanish Blood is a police lieutenant. Unfortunately, the other main characters are forgettable, never developing beyond the basic brooding, hardboiled archetype.
The stories also vary in perspective and tone and other matters of prose. Some are written in the third-person for instance, and Pearls is playful in tone. Also, compared to Chandler's novels, the lyrical similes are few, descriptions and scene-setting are short, and aggressive brevity gives these stories a quick but tiring pace.
The stories aren't bad, but they don't linger in the brain after reading either. Except Pearls are a Nuisance—Walter is amusing, and there's a nice twist. And maybe Spanish Blood, with its memorable ending.
Unlike the similar collection, Trouble is my Business, none of the stories here feature Philip Marlowe. All the protags still get up to sleuthing, but there's variety in their backgrounds. For example, the previously-mentioned Walter is a dandy playing an amateur detective, while Delaguerra in Spanish Blood is a police lieutenant. Unfortunately, the other main characters are forgettable, never developing beyond the basic brooding, hardboiled archetype.
The stories also vary in perspective and tone and other matters of prose. Some are written in the third-person for instance, and Pearls is playful in tone. Also, compared to Chandler's novels, the lyrical similes are few, descriptions and scene-setting are short, and aggressive brevity gives these stories a quick but tiring pace.