The life of Raymond Chandler has long been obscured by secrets and half-truths as deceptive as anything in his novelThe Long Goodbye. Now, drawing on new interviews, previously unpublished letters, and archives, Tom Williams casts a new light on this mysterious writer, a man troubled by loneliness and desertion. It was only during middle age, after his alcoholism wrecked a lucrative career as an oilman, that Chandler seriously turned to crime fiction. And his legacy—the lonely, ambiguous world of Philip Marlowe—endures, compelling generations of crime writers. In this long-awaited biography, Tom Williams shadows one of the true literary giants of the twentieth century and considers how crime writing was raised to the level of art.
"Outstanding. . . . Williams writes sensitively about the Cissy relationship and delves illuminatingly into the composition of Chandler's masterpieces. . . . Thanks to his biography Chandler himself is a less mysterious something than he was." —Sunday Times
Precise, kindly, and necessary. —Scotlandon Sunday
A clear-eyed, compassionate biography. —
Kirkus Reviews Meticulously annotated and researched, and written with a tangible fondness, it’s hard not to appreciate Williams’s efforts. —Publishers Weekly
"A fresh and entertaining recounting." —Mystery Scene
"[An] excellent new biography . . . A Mysterious Something in the Lightargues Chandler’s case beautifully. It is well researched, but because it is so well written it should be of interest to scholars and mystery fans alike." —Washington Independent Review of Books
"Williams provides details about Chandler's family background, education, business efforts, and friendships, and shows us how elements of each are expressed in his stories."l£&
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