The plot is a bit thin compared to the true classics. It involves Marlowe being hired to tail a young woman and becoming intrigued (and annoyed) by the continuous untruths he is fed by all concerned. It gets a bit tangled but, in truth, nothing much happens other than Marlowe being caught in small-town politics and low-level corruption, so the depth and richness of the plots and background of the great novels isn’t really there.
Marlowe’s voice is also a little below par. Those brilliant, original and witty similes don’t appear much, the hard-boiled wisecracks seem just a bit forced, and so on. However, it’s still a good read, with a decent Police Captain being a memorable minor character.
At his best, Chandler was a great writer – and I do not use the word “great” lightly. Playback is not Chandler at his best, but even a weaker book by him is better than most others in the genre.
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