The Black-Eyed Blonde

A Philip Marlowe Novel

By: John Banville, Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in The Black-Eyed Blonde—also published as Marlowe as by John Banville—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective.

"Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."
—Stephen King

"It was one of those summer Tuesday afternoons when you begin to wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."

The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.

Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.

“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”
—The Washington Post

©2014 John Banville (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Dennis Boutsikaris narrates with marvelous aplomb.... [he] nails the cool but inviting tone, the clipped tempo, the razor and the velvet of such a tale. He differentiates between characters without overacting, and does a more than passable female - shades of Lauren Bacall, in fact. This is a perfect weekend listen." (AudioFile)

“A first-rate noir…. [Benjamin Black] does an uncannily good job of filling Marlowe's legendary gumshoes…. It's remarkable how fresh this book feels while still hewing close to the material on which it's based…. Mr. Black has…hit a bull's-eye.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“[Black] has revived Chandler's legendary PI Philip Marlowe in a new adventure…. A perfume heiress hires the shamus to investigate the disappearance of her lover, and the mystery soon opens up under him like a sinkhole…. Black manages to nail not only Marlowe's voice, but his soul.” —Entertainment Weekly

Marlowe Lives!

Dennis Boutsikaris performs Marlowe's first person narrative well. For a good part of the book, I felt I was spending time with an old friend. To be clear, the author does not write like Raymond Chandler, but Marlowe behaves about as you'd expect. The problem with the book is that there is a lot of buildup for a climax that doesn't work. Longtime fans familiar with characters from other Chandler novels are likely to be bothered by it as well, but I won't spoil the ending. This is a book that was pleasant, until it wasn't. The problem is, it could have been so much more!

Close Your Eyes and Marlowe Is (almost) Back

Don't don't be put off by the Chandler fanatics who claim that this is ersatz Chandler and nitpick the tortured metaphors that just keep coming like the gimlets in one of Marlowe's favorite dives.

The convoluted story and Marlowe philosophy are spot on.

Unfortunately, the narrator/actor is wrong for the character. He certainly speaks well; he just doesn't speak like Philip Marlowe. Elliott Gould owns that voice. He understands that Marlowe has seen too many fat cats get away with corruption, and too many nice girls rubbed out for being at the wrong place and the wrong time. He's smoked too many cigarettes, been sucker-punched too many times; and spent too many nights at the station. This author doesn't sound world-weary; he sounds like he's just come back from "senior year abroad" and is eager to tell you about his adventures.

best Chandler reboot

I've read every Chandler story and novel several times, and looked into every Chandler reboot I could find. This one hits all the right notes. Someone complained about the narrator, but I thought it was just fine. Not a Humphrey Bogart imitation, but a good straightforward read of a well-wrought book.

Great book!!

Loved the book, the narration and story line from start to finish. I wish there was a second book!!

Really enjoyed this listen

My book club reads books made into movies, otherwise I might not have selected this one. Glad I did. I really appreciated the descriptions and analogies. Put me right into the plot. I slowed the narration to .8 and it felt “more Marlowe.”

Enjoyable Marlowe tale

No one can do Philip Marlowe like Raymond Chandler but Banville does a credible job. His Marlowe is a bit more flawed and tolerant than the one from the books. He's more vulnerable to being seduced but still a knight in sour armor. I like it better than the Liam Nelson movie that inspired me to check it out. I recommend the audiobook version over the written one.

The worst narration I've ever encountered

Where does The Black-Eyed Blonde rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The performance is essentially at the core of an audio book. This is an embarrassing moment in the usually stellar record of audible.com. If you want the the experience of a guy reading the phone book, then this is your book, with the pacing and the inflection of just such an endeavor. This is the only review I've written in some measure of haste- hoping to protect other unsuspecting listeners.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Primarily, it was the lack of timing. The words were read in a hurried manner lacking any depth or expression. By far, the most disappointing reader I've encountered at Audible.

Any additional comments?

Avoid this title.

R. Chandler revisited

Excellent narration.

Author captured the essence of Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe without the period accuracy. Chandler captured the time perfectly by having written in it. Author was unable to recreate the casual bigotries of the time that makes Chandler so accurate by not having lived it. Nonetheless, if he writes a follow up Marlowe I’ll happily buy it. Listened straight through in a day.

Outstanding.

A great storyline, with fleshed out characters and enough wisecracks to remind you it’s Marlowe!
Dennis Boutsikaris is spot-on in his snarkiness(!), pacing & delivery.
He needs to continue his Marlowe, even if it means retreading some early books...
Masterful.

So so.

I liked the narrator. The story is a little boring. I am a fan of the series. I thought the author, wanting to stay in the same vane as the original author, was too cautious.