Only to Sleep
Published on 6. September 2018
256 pages
978-1-4735-4837-4 (ISBN)
Description
Wealthy dead American. Beautiful young widow. This case has PI Philip Marlowe's name written all over it. Is it enough to bring him back for one last adventure?
The year is 1988. The place, Baja California. Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is living out his retirement sipping margaritas and playing cards when in saunter two men dressed like undertakers with a case that has his name written all over it.
His mission is to investigate Donald Zinn - supposedly drowned off his yacht, leaving a much younger and now very rich wife. Marlowe's speciality. But is Zinn actually alive? And are the pair living off the spoils?
'Osborne and Chandler are a perfect match' William Boyd
Discover the rest of the inimitable Philip Marlowe series - nine classic Chandler adventures, from The Big Sleep to The Long Goodbye, available now in paperback and ebook from Penguin Books.
The year is 1988. The place, Baja California. Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is living out his retirement sipping margaritas and playing cards when in saunter two men dressed like undertakers with a case that has his name written all over it.
His mission is to investigate Donald Zinn - supposedly drowned off his yacht, leaving a much younger and now very rich wife. Marlowe's speciality. But is Zinn actually alive? And are the pair living off the spoils?
'Osborne and Chandler are a perfect match' William Boyd
Discover the rest of the inimitable Philip Marlowe series - nine classic Chandler adventures, from The Big Sleep to The Long Goodbye, available now in paperback and ebook from Penguin Books.
Reviews / Votes
A highly distinctive writer who quickly becomes addictive... I loved it -- John Gray * New Statesman, **Books of the Year** * Splendid * Mail on Sunday * A brilliant Raymond Chandler continuation novel with an ageing Philip Marlowe. Osborne and Chandler are a perfect match -- William Boyd * Guardian * It's a joy to see Philip Marlowe lured back for one last job by the gleefully unsentimental Lawrence Osborne... If you like noir, pour yourself something cool and enjoy one final dark night of the soul -- Joseph Knox, author of Sirens The decayed grandeur of the setting, the mystery of an alluring femme fatale, an old man's tussle with his conscience and his ageing body, and a healthy number of spectacular set-pieces work a subtle magic... both a convincing Marlowe and a seedily satisfying thriller -- Andrew Holgate * Sunday Times * This is the best Marlowe novel I have read apart from the master's own works... it's the only one I can imagine Chandler liking -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Telegraph, **Books of the Year** * Osborne succeeds brilliantly... captures the dreamlike quality of the original Marlowe novels -- Bruce deSilva * Daily Mail * Superb... Osborne's dialogue and description echo Chandler's wit and world-weariness with uncanny skill -- Mark Sanderson * Evening Standard * An exhilarating talent...one of our finest writers -- Francesca Angelini * Sunday Times * Lawrence Osborne, an accomplished writer of fiction and nonfiction, has been asked to imagine a new case for Philip Marlow and -- have a smell from the barrel, all you gunsels and able grables -- it crackles...brisk and disarming -- Laura Lipman * New York Times Book Review *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Random House (Digital)
File size
2,14 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4735-4837-4 (9781473548374)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Lawrence Osborne is a critically acclaimed novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is the author of eight novels, including Ballad of a Small Player, Beautiful Animals and The Forgiven. His non-fiction ranges from memoir through travelogue to essays, including Bangkok Days, The Naked Tourist and The Wet and the Dry. His novels have been chosen as Books of the Year by the Guardian, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph, the New Statesman, the Daily Mail, The Economist, the New Yorker and the New York Times. The Forgiven was made into a film in 2022 starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes and Ballad of a Small Player starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton was released on Netflix in 2025.
