The High Window
First published 1942 · English · 382 pages
- Novels
- Mystery and crime
- Thriller and suspense
- Biography and memoir
Philip Marlowe is hired by a domineering Pasadena widow to recover a rare and valuable gold coin, which she believes her daughter-in-law has stolen. The routine job soon links to a murder, a blackmail scheme and the widow's timid secretary, whom Marlowe feels protective toward. Set among the faded wealth and shady corners of Los Angeles, it is a darker, more psychological entry in the series, with strong portraits of people trapped by family and money.
Quotes
She had a lot of face and chin. She had pewter-colored hair set in a ruthless permanent, a hard beak, and large moist eyes with the sympathetic expression of wet stones.
He didn't curl his lip because it had been curled when he came in.
A check girl in peach-bloom Chinese pajamas came over to take my hat and disapprove of my clothes. She had eyes like strange sins.