Characters and Plots in the Fiction of Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler was a pioneer of what came to be known as hard-boiled mystery-detective fiction. His Philip Marlowe is America's tough, realistic equivalent to Victorian England's more refined Sherlock Holmes. This reference work includes hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for Chandler's individual novels and short stories, his characters, family members and professional acquaintances. Entries for fiction provide plot synopses, identification of characters and brief critical commentaries. Longer entries cite numerous critical works for further reading.