The Black-eyed Blonde (2014) by Benjamin Black (John Banville)
Genre: krimi; Species: California noir; Genus: Marlowe.
Good Reads meta-data is 289 pages rated 3.53 by 4,484 litizens.
Verdict: Pitch perfect.
Tagline: Better Chandler than Chandler.
During a SoCal summer heatwave, Phillip Marlowe’s office just got hotter still when Clare Cavendish entered. It was lust at first sight for the tough guy who turned to putty.
This homage picks up Marlowe after The Long Goodbye (1953) and spins a plot out of the stuff that nightmares are made of. It is quite a ride.
The femme fatale is on song. Marlowe’s only friend is more a frenemy. A clue for those with a long memory: Jim Bouton.
However, I did find the persistent and mechanical descriptions of everyone’s clothing tiresome, repetitive, and pointless. Take that.
I have commented on this book before and I cannot add anything more. However, I did entertain myself by reading the one measly star reviews on Good Reads. These raters must have a lot to compensate for given how idiotic their comments are. ‘He doesn’t drink enough to be Marlowe.’ ‘He’s too tall to be Marlowe.’ ‘He’s not bitter enough to be Marlowe.’ And so on. Others offered such insights as ‘I hate the 1950s.’ Take that! Or, ‘I dislike noir fiction.’ What a waste of pixels.