Nobody writes like Chandler. The writing is so good you stop caring about the plot – you read on because each sentence is a little gem, with a hundred gleaming facets. Of course, the plot is fantastic too (if you like that kind of thing). If you’ve never read any Chandler, this is a great place to start – The Big Sleep was now-iconic detective Philip Marlowe’s first outing, and the original noir. –Steph, The Book Grocer

Best-known as the creator of the original private eye, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago in 1888 and died in 1959. Many of his books have been adapted for the screen, and he is widely regarded as one of the very greatest writers of detective fiction.