Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Big Sleep | 1939 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 2 | Farewell, My Lovely | 1940 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 3 | The High Window | 1942 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 4 | The Lady in the Lake | 1943 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 5 | The Little Sister | 1949 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 6 | The Long Goodbye | 1953 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 7 | Playback | 1958 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 8 | Poodle Springs | 1989 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 9 | Perchance to Dream | 1991 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 10 | The Black-Eyed Blonde / Marlowe | 2014 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 11 | Only to Sleep | 2018 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 12 | The Goodbye Coast | 2022 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
| 13 | The Second Murderer | 2023 | Raymond Chandler | Buy |
Philip Marlowe is one of crime fiction’s most famous characters, a private detective created by Raymond Chandler in 1939. The original seven novels, from The Big Sleep through Playback, follow Marlowe through the streets of Los Angeles as he takes on cases that expose the corruption beneath the city’s sunny surface. The Long Goodbye (1953) is often considered the finest book in the series.
After Chandler’s death, authorized authors have continued the character. Poodle Springs (1989) was completed by Robert B. Parker from Chandler’s notes, while newer entries like The Black-Eyed Blonde (2014), Only to Sleep (2018), The Goodbye Coast (2022), and The Second Murderer (2023) keep Marlowe alive for new generations of readers.