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24th out of 308 books
—
203 voters
Trouble is My Business
In the four long stories in this collection, Marlowe is hired to protect a rich old guy from a gold digger, runs afoul of crooked politicos, gets a line on some stolen jewels with a reward attached, and stumbles across a murder victim who may have been an extortionist.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
August 12th 1988
by Vintage
(first published 1950)
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I think a review of the book would be pointless. Just know that this is one of the true headwaters of the River Noir.
Anyone who reads Chandler would be well served to get a copy containing Chandler's own introduction (written around 1950) where he looks back at the pulps - which he refers to in the past tense even though they had about 10 more years left in them fighting for rack space -and discusses the transformation of the genre from the mostly British in style iterations to the fully Ameri...more
Anyone who reads Chandler would be well served to get a copy containing Chandler's own introduction (written around 1950) where he looks back at the pulps - which he refers to in the past tense even though they had about 10 more years left in them fighting for rack space -and discusses the transformation of the genre from the mostly British in style iterations to the fully Ameri...more
chosen as extra credit for class. I wanted to continue reading Chandler, might even become a completest!
I think these are some of the earlier stories which Chandler sort of made his name with before he came out with the limpid and inexhaustible "Big Sleep"...they are all Philip Marlowe stories and they sort of have that almost-there quality which you can see in some writer's early work...they have a style, a vision, but it's not quite realized yet. For some reason I take a lot of solace in read...more
I think these are some of the earlier stories which Chandler sort of made his name with before he came out with the limpid and inexhaustible "Big Sleep"...they are all Philip Marlowe stories and they sort of have that almost-there quality which you can see in some writer's early work...they have a style, a vision, but it's not quite realized yet. For some reason I take a lot of solace in read...more
My edition is twelve stories. The first eight stories do not involve Philip Marlowe, though characters and plots from the stories ended up in several Marlowe novels. They are full of alcohol and cigarettes, murder, guns, and betrayal. The last four were Marlowe stories and, if the first were good reads, the Marlowe stories are completely satisfying. Marlowe is just a bit tougher, a bit quicker with his tongue, a bit luckier with the ladies.
"You are not being impertinent, I hope."
"Hope is what...more
"You are not being impertinent, I hope."
"Hope is what...more
TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS. (various; this ed. 2006). Raymond Chandler. ****.
This is a collection of twelve short stories by Chandler that had previously been published in either “Black Mask” or “Dime Detective” between 1936 and 1939. They all involve the adventures of various private eyes, not all of whom are Philip Marlowe. While researching his stories on the internet, I was surprised at how many of these stories later became incorporated in one form or another into his novels. While he was doing...more
This is a collection of twelve short stories by Chandler that had previously been published in either “Black Mask” or “Dime Detective” between 1936 and 1939. They all involve the adventures of various private eyes, not all of whom are Philip Marlowe. While researching his stories on the internet, I was surprised at how many of these stories later became incorporated in one form or another into his novels. While he was doing...more
Ένας Raymond Chandler στα καλύτερά του. Trouble is my business. Η ιστορία γράφεται τον Αύγουστο του 1939 και δημοσιεύεται στο Dime Detective. Είναι το δεύτερο περιοδικό με το οποίο συνεργάζεται στενά ο Chandler μετά το Black Mask. Τον ίδιο χρόνο εκδίδεται το πρώτο του βιβλίο “The Big Sleep” και ο Ray κατακτά την αιωνιότητα.
Στο διήγημα όπως εκδόθηκε το 1939 ο ντετέκτιβ είναι ο Τζον Ντάλμας. Στην επανέκδοσή του το 1950 στη συλλογή “The simple act of murder”, πρωταγωνιστής είναι πια ο θρυλικός Φίλι...more
Στο διήγημα όπως εκδόθηκε το 1939 ο ντετέκτιβ είναι ο Τζον Ντάλμας. Στην επανέκδοσή του το 1950 στη συλλογή “The simple act of murder”, πρωταγωνιστής είναι πια ο θρυλικός Φίλι...more
Somehow I'd never read this collection of novellas, each of which features Chandler's greatest character, Philip Marlowe. Although some of them seem early (they might all be pre-The Big Sleep, the first Marlowe novel, for all I know), they are all extremely pleasant to read. You can see from these how Chandler re-used scenes, descriptions, and characters from his early work in his later stuff; the novella "Finger Man" has an extended casino sequence that was later re-worked for a key scene in Th...more
A collection of five short stories. The hard-boiled detective in all those is not Chandler's usual hero Philip Marlowe, but a rather similar guy named John Dalmas. He is at least equally entertaining and the stories' pace gets you along very easily. I Bought this book for a mere two euros in a second hand bookshop and it has been my fatihful companion on many bus and train rides afterwards, often making me regret that I had already arrived.
The witty dialogue is like one would expect from the gen...more
The witty dialogue is like one would expect from the gen...more
In "Trouble is my business," you'll meet the king of all private detectives: Philip Marlowe.
Marlowe is the avenging, hard-headed angel of justice, who never misses a wise crack or the opportunity to duck a revolver barrel.
Raymond Chandler is a master of thick description, painting the settings of these four "Long, short stories" with a patina of the street: Whether a dry heat that causes meek wives to caress the knife handle, or a fog hanging over the end of Puget Sound into which old, surly m...more
Marlowe is the avenging, hard-headed angel of justice, who never misses a wise crack or the opportunity to duck a revolver barrel.
Raymond Chandler is a master of thick description, painting the settings of these four "Long, short stories" with a patina of the street: Whether a dry heat that causes meek wives to caress the knife handle, or a fog hanging over the end of Puget Sound into which old, surly m...more
Trouble Is My Business: four short stories, all pure Raymond Chandler. Unlike
The Simple Art of Murder
this collection feels right. Like an editor picked the best of Chandler's earlier work to showcase in this reissue. The stories are Philip Marlowe doing what he does best – stumbling through hard cases and somehow coming out scathed but alive. In one he even makes a buck or two – which is something that always drives me crazy, as Marlowe never seems to be able to collect a fee for all his hard...more
I wasn't planning on reading this book, as it seemed to consist of stories that Chandler worked on before his style culminated into the genius that is now known. But having read all of his Marlowe books earlier in the year and starting to miss the wise cracks, the simmering similes and the rest. I dug into Trouble is My Business with nothing more than a desire to reconnect with Marlowe for a short while. In this it delivers, albeit not as effectively as the novels but this should be expected. Du...more
Hard-boiled, noirish, pulpy. Written by a veritable master. Genre fiction from its own era, with no excuses, no frills, and no dopey modern additions or execution. No cuteness. These stories haven't aged much at all, and the dialogue is fantastic. The characters are brilliant. The pacing is blistering and heady. Marlowe is an excellent protagonist, though truly flawed.
After reading this collection, I get the sense that Bukowski almost certainly cribbed from Chandler to write Pulp, which isn't a...more
After reading this collection, I get the sense that Bukowski almost certainly cribbed from Chandler to write Pulp, which isn't a...more
Feb 20, 2013
Ann Koo
added it
As a collection of four short stories involving Chandler's private eye, Philip Marlowe, each tale is like a pearl on a string. Not only are they beautifully succinct, sharp with the detail, and thick with intrigue - carried wonderfully by Marlowe's voice - but they flow into each other. Marlowe's adventures in each story has weight and names that do show up down the line. This is a brilliant move for four separate stories, as I found Marlowe's world-weariness palpable by the last one, "Red Wind....more
This collects four novellas featuring the iconic noir detective Philip Marlowe. I enjoyed the length of these episodes, as they made for quick reads. However, often it seemed like it featured the same amount of twists and turns as the longer Marlowe adventures I read, causing the plot to seem rushed and more convoluted. Generally these collections featured a more rough and tumble Marlowe, who either killed or personally witnessed a lot more killings than in novels. He also got punched out a lot...more
The noir fiction of Raymond Chandler explores the underbelly of American society but also the opportunism and greed that fuel the American dream. The psychological heft of these stories is considerable precisely because they involve characters angling for position in a world that has no answers for them. A world of infinite promise that is threatened by the very nature of the people who inhabit it. Philip Marlowe is an iconic character who sees the world for what it is: by turns pristine and hop...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. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge".
If this doesn't leave you panting for more, then I really do feel sorry for you and...more
If this doesn't leave you panting for more, then I really do feel sorry for you and...more
Any fan of the genre has to read all of Raymond Chandler. Chandler's writing is easily parodied, but that has something to do with his distinctive style. There are novelists who. like Elvis impersonators, have made a career of trying to write like him. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Parker.)
For fans, this is a must-read. For non-fans, this is a good starting point. In this collection, you get four long short stories, and each one is excellent. Each story has enough for a full Marlowe novel, and you g...more
For fans, this is a must-read. For non-fans, this is a good starting point. In this collection, you get four long short stories, and each one is excellent. Each story has enough for a full Marlowe novel, and you g...more
Chandler was never a bad writer, even if this collection doesn't contain his best efforts. It's worth reading for the introductory essay alone, whose 10 short pages contain more wisdom about literature than most scholars' life work. As for the stories, "Trouble is my Business" and "Finger Man" rely too heavily on the sort of breathless, last-page revelations for which Chandler would later criticize Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Goldfish" is a minor masterpiece that showcases nearl...more
4 short novellas in this Chandler collection. One of my favorite opening paragraphs ever written!... from Red Wind...
" 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. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glas...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. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glas...more
I didn't realize when I first picked it up that this book is four short stories, but it is. Much like the other Marlowe books, this one's stories loosely follow each other (relationship with the cops change, he mentions an older case, one character returns). The difference here is that Chandler gave Marlowe an end. He wrote him, essentially, riding off into a smoggy sunset, and I personally feel that it was a fitting end. So wait until you've read the rest of the Marlowe series, and then pick th...more
A collection of four short stories (which I love by the way) I just couldn't get into these except maybe one. This was due probably more my lack of concentration rather than the story or writing because Chandler's as good as ever. I shouldn't read when I have other stuff on my mind so I'm putting this aside to read again another time.
One story did stand out more than the other three but all in all, Chandler's at his noir best with the bad women being really bad and same with the men. They all s...more
One story did stand out more than the other three but all in all, Chandler's at his noir best with the bad women being really bad and same with the men. They all s...more
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The collection of short stories that I read with the title, Trouble is my business included the title story, red wind, I'll be waiting, goldfish and guns at Cyrano's. The hero in Trouble is my business was definitely one of the harder Chandler heroes, less prone to drink and without the weaknesses of some of his others. He treats his employer with contempt and manages to sort his way through murder after murder. Red wind, saw the same protagonist, John Dalmas, but softer with a more lyrical firs...more
Raymond Chandler is often at his best in short fiction and Philip Marlowe shines as the ideal of the private investigator or in some ways, investigative journalist. A fantastic book for fans of noir fiction and the title makes a great one-liner for every day interactions with cops, thugs, lawyers and anti-social elements even now.
Trouble is a great business--you always stay employed. Unless you get terminated from your job, but then you don't really have to go job hunting either. Either way, yo...more
Trouble is a great business--you always stay employed. Unless you get terminated from your job, but then you don't really have to go job hunting either. Either way, yo...more
"The bottle was still half full. I shook it gently, stuffed it in my overcoat pocket, put my hat somewhere on my head and left. I made the elevator without hitting the walls on either side of the corridor, floated downstairs, strolled out into the lobby.
Hawkins, the house dick, was leaning on the ned of the desk again, staring at the Ali Baba oil jar. The same clerk was nuzzling at the same itsy-bitsy mustache. I smiled at him. He smiled back. Hawkins smiled at me. I smiled back. Everybody was s...more
Hawkins, the house dick, was leaning on the ned of the desk again, staring at the Ali Baba oil jar. The same clerk was nuzzling at the same itsy-bitsy mustache. I smiled at him. He smiled back. Hawkins smiled at me. I smiled back. Everybody was s...more
#54 - 2010.
Having suffered through City of Dragons, I realized I'd never really read any of the prototypical genre she was attempting to emulate. My random selections of Raymond Chandler from the library yielded a book of short stories and a novel. Beginning with this book of short stories, I discovered that Chandler is an author I am enjoying. These pithy stories are exactly what you would expect from the creator of Philip Marlowe, except that they show the quintessential hard-boiled detective...more
Having suffered through City of Dragons, I realized I'd never really read any of the prototypical genre she was attempting to emulate. My random selections of Raymond Chandler from the library yielded a book of short stories and a novel. Beginning with this book of short stories, I discovered that Chandler is an author I am enjoying. These pithy stories are exactly what you would expect from the creator of Philip Marlowe, except that they show the quintessential hard-boiled detective...more
I'd never actually read any Chandler and when I came across this collection of some of his Phillip Marlowe stories, it seemed like a good introduction. The stories are fun, with the strong noir flavor I'd expected. And now It's a Raymond Chandler Evening is an even better song for me.
I really enjoyed this. It's really a treat to drink from THE source of classic detective pulp fiction. I haven't read Dashiel Hammett, but if he's as essential as Chandler claims in his forward, their work must be the pinnacle of the genre.
This is not my first detective novel. I took a circuitous route to Chandler starting with several of John Schwartzwelder's spoofs of the genre, and from there went to Jonathan Lethem's Gun, With Occasional Music and and an anonymous pulp tome. All are excelle...more
This is not my first detective novel. I took a circuitous route to Chandler starting with several of John Schwartzwelder's spoofs of the genre, and from there went to Jonathan Lethem's Gun, With Occasional Music and and an anonymous pulp tome. All are excelle...more
Only a four star rating. This is not my favorite Chandler book, though one every Philip Marlowe completist really out to read. Newcomers to Chandler may want to start with his novels.
What makes this short story collection interesting is the evolution of both the character, Philip Marlowe, and of Chandler's own writng style. We begin with a hardboiled detective story that is far too heavy-handed with the hardboiled at the expense of the detecting, but end with something closer to the brisk, smarm...more
What makes this short story collection interesting is the evolution of both the character, Philip Marlowe, and of Chandler's own writng style. We begin with a hardboiled detective story that is far too heavy-handed with the hardboiled at the expense of the detecting, but end with something closer to the brisk, smarm...more
You can't go far wrong with Chandler. After reading he was a favorite of Haruki Murakami, I picked up Chandler and went on a Chandler reading marathon. Many of the shorter stories in Trouble is My Business were later incorporated into full length books... so a few of them are redundant. But they are still good reads. Hence only four stars.
It's hard to review a book this original. Raymond Chandler essentially invented the hardboiled detective novel and since then his characters, his language, and his style have been so thoroughly subsumed into our culture that it is difficult, if not impossible to approach them with a fresh perspective. The influence of Chandler's writing is so pervasive that it is sometimes hard to see. In books, in movies, and in TV, in tribute as well as in parody, the cynical detective in his smoky office look...more
A couple of the stories laid a little flat for me, and by the twelfth and final I was getting a little tired of the formula. However, Chandler showed here that he was often at his best when penning a short work. Anyone who loves mysteries owes it to him or herself to read from this volume, I think. Give it a shot!
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| How Many Versions/Editions? | 1 | 8 | Oct 23, 2012 12:41pm |
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.
In 1932, at age forty-four, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In...more
More about Raymond Chandler...
In 1932, at age forty-four, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In...more
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“Some days I feel like playing it smooth. Some days I feel like playing it like a waffle iron.”
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