The Big SleepThe Big Sleep
Score Classic
What it's about
Philip Marlowe, a Los Angeles private detective, is hired by a dying millionaire, General Sternwood, to deal with someone blackmailing his wild younger daughter, Carmen. Soon Marlowe is caught up in pornography, gambling, missing husbands and murder, with the general's cool older daughter, Vivian, always in the way.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best novels and Le Monde's list of the books of the century. It set the style for hardboiled detective fiction, and its wisecracks are famous.
You'll love it if you liked
The Maltese Falcon
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The ClosersGood to know
The plot is famously tangled; even Chandler reportedly couldn't say who killed one character. There's period homophobia and sexism. The 1946 film stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
By the numbers
- Readers31 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller42 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #118 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #320 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1034 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Raymond Chandler
If you like this, read next
The Godfather
The Pillars of the Earth
In Cold Blood
Rebecca
Crime and Punishment
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Quick answers
Is The Big Sleep worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best novels and Le Monde's list of the books of the century. It ranks #1,034 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Big Sleep about?
Philip Marlowe, a Los Angeles private detective, is hired by a dying millionaire, General Sternwood, to deal with someone blackmailing his wild younger daughter, Carmen. Soon Marlowe is caught up in pornography, gambling, missing husbands and murder, with the general's cool older daughter, Vivian, always in the way.
How long does it take to read The Big Sleep?
About 6 hours (251 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Big Sleep?
If you liked it, try The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie or The Closers by Michael Connelly.