The Little Sister (Raymond Chandler)

[**] ISBN: 0375415025

I read this while writing a first-person novel set in the same time period and setting, early 1950s Hollywood. It was a great help for kickstarting that process, and there is some genuinely inspired prose in this book, but I ultimately found the story lacking. The connections between characters and the leads the detective follows were a bit too tenuous. Marlowe's observations of other characters is very penetrating, but he came across as a bit too morose and unmotivated. But that may have been part of the point of the book.

This is not considered one of Chandler's strongest stories by many critics. I can't recommend it, but I liked it enough that I will definitely read some more of his work. I may even pick up a copy of this omnibus volume, in order to have it on hand for future reference.