Week 13 Reading Notes: Part A - The Big Sleep

I have never been much of a reader so I am not sure if the vivid and articulate descriptions of every little detail is common or if it is just a part of what makes reading Raymond Chandler's writing so special.

I think my notes here entail chapters 8 - 11ish...

Marlowe has discovered Geiger's dead body in his Geiger's home with a naked (with the exception of a pair of jade earrings) Carmen Sternwood sitting on a chair in from of Geiger seemingly unconscious or possibly deep in thought... definitely in a different state of mind. 

At one point Carmen actually giggles and Marlowe has to slap her in the face to get her to snap out of it (unsuccessfully as she giggled again when he showed her Geiger's dead body, she thought he was "cute"). He is able to get her into her car. He took her home and dropped her off in the care of the butler and the maid. 

Marlowe goes back to Geiger's house where he discovers Geiger's body is no longer there. Everything else was exactly as it had been before. It was clearly not the police, but who?

The next morning Bernie Ohls from the DA's office checks in with Marlowe on his developments with General Sternwood. Aparently Ohls sent Marlowe the lead for the Sternwood case. Really though, he was asking Marlowe to join him to a crime scene involving Owen Taylor, the Sternwood's chauffeur. Throughout the trip to the crime scene, Ohls seems to be probing Marlowe for information on the Sternwood case he is working on. -- really pressing Marlowe in Regan, the missing son-in-law.

Marlowe is dropped off and heads back to Geiger's bookstore. Business seems normal... /marlowe tries to get the blonde at the counter to give him some information ,but she insists Geiger is out of town and wouldn't be back until the following day. When he leaves, he sees a truck across the alley with boxes in it and pays a kid to tail the truck. 

Marlowe had a client waiting for him. while it never specifically states her name until the end of the chapter), it is Vivian Sternwood. She is still trying to get information on what her father has Marlowe working on... seemingly hoping he is looking for her missing husband. 

She passes Marlowe an envelope with her name and address typed on it. inside, a photo of Carmen in her jade earrings. She told him the blackmail (a woman had called) amount was $5000 by end of day.  Vivian does not know exactly what the blackmail in regarding but knows it involves something criminal. She believed Carmen was home all night. Through the conversation she states she could borrow the $5000 from Eddie Mars...