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The Black Eyed Blonde cover art

The Black Eyed Blonde

By: Benjamin Black
Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
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Summary

In this gripping and deeply evocative crime novel, Benjamin Black returns us to the dark, mesmerising world of Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye and his detective Philip Marlowe; one of the most iconic and enduringly popular detectives in crime fiction.

Now a major film, Marlowe, starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.

It is the early 1950s. In Los Angeles, Private Detective Philip Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and business is a little slow. Then a new client arrives: young, beautiful, and expensively dressed, Clare Cavendish wants Marlowe to find her former lover.

Soon Marlowe will find himself not only under the spell of the Black-Eyed Blonde; but tangling with one of Bay City’s richest families – and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune...

©2014 Benjamin Black (P)2014 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

"Banville lets us know from the very start of The Black-Eyed Blonde that we are in the safest of hands here... Banville has largely perfected Chandler's much-mimicked, seldom-bettered knack for similes and one-liners... An exceptionally effective act of literary ventriloquism and entirely irresistible." (Observer)

"Clever bird, this Banville, I thought to myself, tilting my fedora back. He’s got Marlowe back on his feet all right. I shook out a cigarette, poured another whiskey and read to the end. The Black-Eyed Blonde is an open-and-shut case." (Financial Times)

"Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling, because this is a beautifully rendered hardboiled novel that echoes Chandler's melancholy at perfect pitch." (Stephen King)

What listeners say about The Black Eyed Blonde

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Wonderful

Very evocative , of a time ,place and style. Perfect escape from today . Wonderful that Raymond Chandlers characters have more stories to inhabit .

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Vintage Marlowe

Would you listen to The Black Eyed Blonde again? Why?

Yes, There were so many really good lines in the story, the author has produced this book with the dedication of a master craftsman.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The world weary private detective Marlowe who just doesn't seen to fit into the life he lives, yet can't (or won't because he's a stubborn cuss) change the path he's be set on.

What about Dennis Boutsikaris’s performance did you like?

Absolutely nailed the character to a 'T' I really hope he continues with this.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It surprised me how the author kept a lid on the plot until the final few pages. Bravo I didn't guess who did it!

Any additional comments?

Let me know when the next book is out.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Love the voice on this reading

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

It's a great bedtime listen but the story, while well told, will appeal only to those who are raymond carver fans since banville (the pen behind benjamin black) is really entering into the mindset of the time…so dont expect a Benjamin Black novel!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It's the voice which I love and the fun one liners which capture the genre

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3 people found this helpful