Prefaced by the famous Atlantic Monthly essay of the same name, in which he argues the virtues of the hard-boiled detective novel, this coll...
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Jan 30, 2012
Jack
rated it: 
Eighty years later, Raymond Chandler is still one of the Masters of Crime Novels and the "hard-boiled detective" genre. This book is a series of short stories, written in the 1930's and 40's, prefaced by an essay he wrote on writing crime fiction and gives the book its title.
I've always been a fan of Chandler's "Phillip Marlowe" and of Dashiell Hammet's "Thin Man." I grew up reading these novels that were in my great grandfather's bookcase. He was an educato More...
I've always been a fan of Chandler's "Phillip Marlowe" and of Dashiell Hammet's "Thin Man." I grew up reading these novels that were in my great grandfather's bookcase. He was an educato More...
Jan 09, 2012
Paul
rated it: 
by Raymond Chandler, published in 1934.
If you are at all familiar with 1930's hard-boiled crime fiction, then you are acquainted with Raymond Chandler’s work already. If you are like me then you are not - at least not really.
This, “The Simple Art Of Murder”, is my first attempt at reading Raymond Chandler and I feel a mixed bag of emotions about it. It is an essay her wrote as well as short pieces of fiction. On the one side I was pretty entertained, and on another I felt lik More...
If you are at all familiar with 1930's hard-boiled crime fiction, then you are acquainted with Raymond Chandler’s work already. If you are like me then you are not - at least not really.
This, “The Simple Art Of Murder”, is my first attempt at reading Raymond Chandler and I feel a mixed bag of emotions about it. It is an essay her wrote as well as short pieces of fiction. On the one side I was pretty entertained, and on another I felt lik More...
Nov 01, 2011
Erik
rated it:
In this essay & collection of shorts, it turns out the simple art of murder is not so simple after all.
Actually it is. But someone had to say that. The title was just begging for it.
I enjoyed the essay, which was Chandler's take on the detective formula and the current (in his time) glut of detective fiction, mostly because I agreed with him about Agatha Christie's books. They're entertaining, no doubt, but as logic puzzles, they fail. They cheat; Agatha's Poirot and his " More...
Actually it is. But someone had to say that. The title was just begging for it.
I enjoyed the essay, which was Chandler's take on the detective formula and the current (in his time) glut of detective fiction, mostly because I agreed with him about Agatha Christie's books. They're entertaining, no doubt, but as logic puzzles, they fail. They cheat; Agatha's Poirot and his " More...
Oct 30, 2010
Mike
rated it: 
"Raymond" and "Chandler". When taken separately these words have a myriad of uses and meanings, but when taken together in the strict ordering "Raymond Chandler" they only mean one thing: excellence in storytelling.
If you like any of his work whether in film or written form, then pick this up and get your little heart going pit-a-pat. Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but the man was a master of detective fiction, a craftsman who created characters More...
If you like any of his work whether in film or written form, then pick this up and get your little heart going pit-a-pat. Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but the man was a master of detective fiction, a craftsman who created characters More...
Dec 08, 2009
Mike
rated it:
This collection of short stories by Raymond Chandler is accompanied with an essay by the same on how murder mysteries should be put together. He felt that murders should take place in the everyday settings where people tend to die, and be performed by persons whose reason might resolve them to kill. He lived in an era prior to ours and its fashionable gangsterism; back then it was impolite to speak frankly of death – low class — yet by inserting death into an otherwise typical middle-class setti
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Feb 07, 2011
J.
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An excerpt from the short story "I'll Be Waiting".....
At one o'clock in the morning, Carl, the night porter, turned down the last of three table lamps in the main lobby of the Windermere Hotel. The blue carpet darkened a shade or two and the walls drew back into remoteness. The chairs filled with shadowy loungers. In the corners were memories like cobwebs.
Tony Reseck yawned. He put his head on one side and listened to the frail, twittery music from the radio More...
At one o'clock in the morning, Carl, the night porter, turned down the last of three table lamps in the main lobby of the Windermere Hotel. The blue carpet darkened a shade or two and the walls drew back into remoteness. The chairs filled with shadowy loungers. In the corners were memories like cobwebs.
Tony Reseck yawned. He put his head on one side and listened to the frail, twittery music from the radio More...
May 18, 2009
Lisa
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The book begins with Chandler's Atlantic Monthly essay about detective novels which is followed by eight short stories. In the essay, he discussed the difficulty in creating a good detective story given that they tend to be about murder and given that there are so many such stories out there. They have to draw you in to an unfortunate situation and offer enough facts without error to keep you interested. He discussed Hammett as the master of this because of the style he introduced and his carefu
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Apr 21, 2010
Eric
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This book starts with an essay that is simultaneously a viable piece of literary criticism and a hatchet job on Agatha Christey/Angela Lansbury-style detective stories. It is an excellent essay, simultaneously literate and market-aware.
This is followed by four long short stories. And here's the thing, they don't all have the same main character and they aren't all in the first person. We all love Phil, but it's nice to see Chandler using other characters. Most interesting in th More...
This is followed by four long short stories. And here's the thing, they don't all have the same main character and they aren't all in the first person. We all love Phil, but it's nice to see Chandler using other characters. Most interesting in th More...
Feb 24, 2010
Josh
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I'll admit that I tend to buy books I'm pretty sure I'll like. The Simple Art of Murder was not one of those books. It was one I bought pretty impulsively. I've never made it through a "Mystery/Thriller" before so I thought I'd try a classic of the genre. Admittedly, I didn't have high hopes from the beginning, but Chandler spins several great stories in this anthology. He has a very realistic, and much of the time minimalistic, style to his writing, which suits this genre. He le
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May 07, 2011
Dave
rated it:
Raymond chandler as you know is a master of the detective crime novel. This collection of shorts is no exception. However it is the collection nature which mars the books' magic- only reason it isn't 5 stars.
a few stories are stand outs (Nevada Gas, Pearls Are a Nuisance,Spanish Blood,The King in Yellow,Guns at Cyrano's) a few characters don't work. Chandler is Philip Marlowe, speaking in another voice just isn't the same believability, its as if these detectives are sketches of who is to More...
a few stories are stand outs (Nevada Gas, Pearls Are a Nuisance,Spanish Blood,The King in Yellow,Guns at Cyrano's) a few characters don't work. Chandler is Philip Marlowe, speaking in another voice just isn't the same believability, its as if these detectives are sketches of who is to More...
Feb 02, 2010
Libby
rated it:
The only Raymond Chandler I'd read before this book was his inexplicably famous "The Big Sleep," which I thought was a load of toss. Fortunately, apart from the essay that gives this collection its name, some of this book isn't as awful as "The Big Sleep," though some of it is. High body counts and silly contrivances abound.
Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder" ought to be called, "why my mystery stories are better than everyone else's, especi More...
Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder" ought to be called, "why my mystery stories are better than everyone else's, especi More...
Sep 08, 2008
Tim
rated it: 
This isn't a bad collection of hard-boiled short stories but it's not a terribly interesting one either. While each tale stars a different protagonist, none of them Chandler's signature Philip Marlowe, they all might as well be the same character. Street smart, sharp tongued, tougher than anyone else in the room, yet all possessing a heart of gold beneath their hard-boiled exterior. The other characters who appear in these shorts are similarly stock, and the narratives themselves pretty formu
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Aug 29, 2010
Brett
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Chandler's opening essay defending the merits of detective fiction is alright but pretty much boils down to the simple thesis that you need to be a student of human nature to write real crime stories. A truism, but no revelation. The rest of the stories are taken from the pulp magazines he used to write for and are excellent, but not quite as immaculate as his novels. Now that I think I've read all of Chandler that's in print I gotta say this guy may be my favorite author of all time.
Nov 06, 2010
Nikki
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I enjoyed this, particularly the essay: Chandler doesn't really spare anyone, but I rather like that.
On the other hand, I didn't feel blown away by the prose, in this one. Maybe it's that the short stories aren't Chandler's form, maybe it's just that I'm bundled up in the cognitive cotton wool of a cold and the cough suppressants. There's just something same-y about them, and the freshness and sharpness of the prose from, say, The Big Sleep, doesn't seem quite as much in evidence.
On the other hand, I didn't feel blown away by the prose, in this one. Maybe it's that the short stories aren't Chandler's form, maybe it's just that I'm bundled up in the cognitive cotton wool of a cold and the cough suppressants. There's just something same-y about them, and the freshness and sharpness of the prose from, say, The Big Sleep, doesn't seem quite as much in evidence.
Feb 17, 2011
Joe
rated it:
This is the bigger, better Chandler short story collection. Not only does it contain more stories than Trouble is My Business, the contents reflect an author who is starting to come into his writing style. Readers of his novels will find a Philip Marlowe far more in keeping with the one they know and expect. While much of the content is good, Chandler is clearly better at writing novels. For anyone but a true fan I recommend sticking to the novels.
The title derives from an essay More...
The title derives from an essay More...
Oct 09, 2009
N.
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Unlike many, I was absolutely delighted by the title essay of this collection; unfortunately, thus far the rest of the stories have yet to follow suit, and it is ironic that I could identify the murderer immediately after their initial appearance in "Spanish Blood" after the entire previous essay was spent railing against the formulaic. This is, I suppose, simply a good example of how an author's prejudices can shoot holes in their talent. Most of the other stories fell into the same c
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Jun 14, 2010
Patrick
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You remember all those Jimi Hendrix albums that came out after he was dead. You know the ones - outtakes, b-sides, and bootlegs Hendrix would never have let on an album if he'd been alive. Well, yeah. that's what The Simple Art of Murder feels like. Stuff Raymond Chandler wrote, but wasn't his best shit, and really he'd probably just like to pretend didn't exist.
Aug 17, 2011
The Mystery Writer's Mystery Writer begins this collection of noir stories with an essay on the craft of writing murder. Even if you aren't an aspiring writer it is worth a read because it is such a fascinating look into the man and his process. And need I say that the short stories that follow are to die for? -- Aimee F.
Dec 02, 2009
Carole
rated it:
I wanted to pick up a Raymond Chandler book because I love those Film Noir detective movies, but I'd never read any of the source material. This was a great introduction.
It's a collection of short stories. For me, all the men were Humphrey Bogart and all the women were Lauren Bacall. This was a great book.
It's a collection of short stories. For me, all the men were Humphrey Bogart and all the women were Lauren Bacall. This was a great book.
Mar 17, 2008
tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE
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Chandler's in my top 3 or 4 crime fiction authors. Who the other 2 or 3 are will become obvious as I continue thru the mysteries that I've read (not that I expect anyone to care!). This is a collection of short stories & I prefer novels - hence the "3". Chandler's one of the few mystery writers to really impress me w/ his prose, w/ his turns of phrase. Sometimes the writing jogs my mind much more than pulp usually does. The writing gets outside of clichés w/ stunning placement of
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Aug 15, 2008
Becca
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This collection was pretty darn good. The title essay was alright, not very profound and mostly just a rant about how crappy most mystery writers are. The stories themselves were pretty good, less contemplative and faster paced then Chandler's books with more action and violence. It's hard to write a good short mystery without it turning into a crime story, but Chandler manages this without trouble. The writing is always high quality, but sometimes these stories felt repetitive- a few too many h
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Feb 09, 2010
Colleen
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I picked this up for a trip to Los Angeles. I didn't like it as much as Chandler's novels, but I enjoyed reading about a hunting cabin in Toluca Lake just before visiting a friend's townhouse there.
Jan 17, 2008
Kirt
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The book opens with an essay from which the book derives its title, and the essay is not very good, being too cynical and alternately self-depreciating and egotistical to be very useful or interesting.
However, the actual stories are brilliant. They're as twisty and polished as his novels, unlike most of his other short stories I've read (which are usually not as twisty or as polished), but in a shorter, easier-to-digest form. The only disadvantage (if you can call it that) is they're More...
However, the actual stories are brilliant. They're as twisty and polished as his novels, unlike most of his other short stories I've read (which are usually not as twisty or as polished), but in a shorter, easier-to-digest form. The only disadvantage (if you can call it that) is they're More...
Jul 31, 2007
Steve
rated it:
Most of Chandler's famous essay is a clinical and well planned consideration of the mystery genre. Blah blah blah.
Now skip to the final two pages where he transcends the limits of the genre, gives a soul and a cause to the hard-boiled hero, ratchets up the heat and spontaneously catches fire as he rips off his famous passage that defined noir, starting with:
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid...." More...
Now skip to the final two pages where he transcends the limits of the genre, gives a soul and a cause to the hard-boiled hero, ratchets up the heat and spontaneously catches fire as he rips off his famous passage that defined noir, starting with:
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid...." More...
Nov 13, 2010
Aletha
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And he starts by dissecting the Corpses of Books by past Mystery Writers! What makes a mystery book factual, readable, gripping, ....in the simple act of murder, is what I intend to find out....
And I did- an excellent book of short murder stories. Although they are not always under the category of Murder, as some deal with the gangster element that was quite common way back in the 60s. But he is a master story teller and yes its not just a whodunnit, but the hows and whys are what gets you More...
And I did- an excellent book of short murder stories. Although they are not always under the category of Murder, as some deal with the gangster element that was quite common way back in the 60s. But he is a master story teller and yes its not just a whodunnit, but the hows and whys are what gets you More...
Jul 30, 2011
Benjamin
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I like the essay, but I was really only into two of the short stories. His writing style is impressive as always.
Jul 18, 2011
I loved this book which is about the author's craft, and has a lot to say about mystery writing in general.
Feb 15, 2011
Gretchen
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Wonderful collection. Most are extrapolated on and expanded in his full lenght fiction. Truly enjoyable.
Jun 25, 2010
Lord
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Most of the stories are only OK, but there are a couple that are effin brilliant, quintessential noir magic.
