For the Love of Raymond

 

Raymond Charles Chandler was born on this day in 1888. He wrote Noir crime full of deadly blondes, mean crooks, hot guns and velvet LA nights, and they are Brilliant. If you haven't read a Raymond Chandler novel before, go out and find one, preferably Farewell my Lovely. No really, I insist, I'll even lend you mine.

Here are a few quotes to whet your appetite:

'It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window.'
Farewell my Lovely

'I needed a drink. I needed a lot of life insurance. I needed a vacation. I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat. a hat, and a gun.'
 Farewell my Lovely

'She kind of held the purse so I could see how empty it was. Then she straightened the bills out on the desk and put one on top of the other and pushed them across. Very slowly, very sadly, as if she were drowning a favorite kitten.'
The Little Sister

'You can have a hangover from things other than alcohol. I had one from women. Women made me sick.'
The Big Sleep

'The minutes went by on tipetoe, with their fingers to their lips.'
The Lady in the Lake

Goodnight,

Jessica xxx

Ok, just one more:

'There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks.'
Trouble is my Business

For more on Raymond Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe, click here.