Poodle Springs

Detective Philip Marlowe's seventh caper takes place in Poodle Springs (read: Palm Springs) and in L.A., where a gambler has been framed for murder. ``Sustaining tensions, writing in tune with the period and delivering a knockout finale, Parker does nobly by the great Chandler,'' determined PW. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Chandler died in 1959, leaving behind the opening chapters of this Philip Marlowe private investigator novel set in the 1950s, which Parker has completed. Here, Marlowe has a rich wife (shades of Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles) and has moved from Los Angeles to the big-buck community of Poodle Springs, where he is hired by the area crime boss to track down a missing local who has run out on a gambling debt. The plot evolves with murder, blackmail, and a little bigamy for good measure. Though there's more talk than action, and Marlowe's usual hard edges are rounded off a bit, there is still deep intrigue and lots of snappy dialogue. Completing a story started by another is difficult, especially when it involves an estalished character, but Parker has done an impressive job in adapting to Chandler's style and sense of humor. All one can say when reading this is, ``Marlowe, it's good to have you back.'' Literary Guild alternate; Doubleday Book Club featured alternate; Mystery Guild main selection.-- Michael Rogers, ``Library Journal'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.