Day 24: Favorite Author

Real answer: Dorothy Dunnett, or John Banville, but I've used them way too much already, so let's look elsewhere.


Raymond Chandler. Allow me to explain. This is the guy who kicked off my love of noir, and it was because his writing was far from dry, or even spare. Philip Marlowe, as it turns out, is a tough guy, but he's also very sensitive, and his motives aren't always clear. He makes Sam Spade look like a not-too-interesting cartoon cutout.
Here are some choice Philip Marlowe quotes (from the LA Times Magazine):

"I like smooth shiny girls, hardboiled and loaded with sin."
"It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window."
"The minutes went by on tiptoe, with their fingers on their lips."
"I don't mind your ritzing me or drinking your lunch out of a Scotch bottle. I don't mind your showing me your legs. They're very swell legs and it's a pleasure to make their acquaintance. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings."

Tell me that's not awesome.