Mystery & Thriller· United States
The Big Sleep
by Raymond ChandlerAggregate Editorial Score58/100
★Edgar Award
Published 1939229 pagesEnglish
Buy on Amazon → About This Book
Published in 1939, The Big Sleep established Raymond Chandler as one of the defining voices in mystery & thriller. Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy, ailing general to handle a blackmailer and uncovers a web of murder, pornography, and corruption in Los Angeles. Chandler's debut novel introduced one of literature's greatest protagonists and defined the hard-boiled detective genre. Themes of corruption, Los Angeles, detective run through the work. The book has received recognition from Edgar Award 1939.
Book Details
About the Category
🔍 Mystery & Thriller
Suspenseful fiction built around crime, detection, and hidden truths.
Explore all Mystery & Thriller books →Country of Origin
🇺🇸 United States
This book is part of United States's rich literary tradition.
Explore books from United States →Awards & Recognition
Edgar Award
winner · genre
193942
What to Read Next
fantasy
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke· 2020
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score94/100
literary-fiction
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James· 2015
★Booker Prize
Editorial Score89/100
literary-fiction
The Glorious Heresies
Lisa McInerney· 2015
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score89/100
mystery-thriller
The Luminaries
Eleanor Catton· 2013
★Booker Prize
Editorial Score87/100
literary-fiction
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen· 2016
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score81/100
literary-fiction
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Lionel Shriver· 2005
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score81/100









