It's an excellent noir/hard boiled that pays homage to Chandler even if it find a different way.
I enjoyed it but I missed some aspects of the original stories.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Absolute quality.
This book is beautifully written in the style of the original great Marlowe books, by the master of detective stories Chandler, with a real feel for time and place. Superb characterisation throughout in a very clever descriptive intelligent mystery. I have read a few Marlowe reworked but this is easily the best.
Hopefully more will follow.
Completely recommended.

Requested in error. I have already read and provided feedback, including Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Great bookxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It’s been a long time since I’ve read original Raymond Chandler’s books and don’t remember much detail from them. However, I really enjoyed several Denise Mina’s books, so decided to try this latest one. Whilst I liked the nostalgic backdrop and witty writing style, the storyline failed to grip and intrigue me. So, The Second Murder wasn’t quite my cup of tea.

I was so impressed by The Second Murderer by Denise Mina. I always enjoy her books, and am a fan of the original Philip Marlowe books by Raymond Chandler (but haven’t read any of the other authors works of Marlowe). It is a big change in the previous books of Denise I have read in the past; but from the first paragraph I was hooked, immediately transported back into the life of Philip Marlowe in 1940’s Los Angeles, which was as hot as this book!
Marlowe is on the trail of Chrissie Montgomery, an heiress to a fortune, he does not know who poses a threat and is yet unsure who to trust. Will Marlowe be able to find Chrissie and determine who poses a danger?
I hope, that Mina will, like Sophie Hannah has with the Poirot books, continue with a series of Marlowe books (alongside her own writings of course).
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved the other two books I have read by Denise Mina so I was very intrigued by this one and the build up of suspense and tension in this book is incredible, it kept me hooked.

This was an enjoyable book with a well known character resurrected with a different author giving him different qualities. While I am not sure I will read the series overall this was a nice read.

I love Denise Mena and she is my favourite authors normally set in Glasgow. However, this was very different but I absolutely loved every minute of this story. A murder mystery set in rhe 1940s this book is exceptionally well written and u was successful in from the beginning. Highly recommended xx

I have never read a Philip Marlowe book but I have read and enjoyed Mina's books so I was keen to give this a go. I thought this was an okay read, without knowing much about the original series, I feel like Mina has captured the character and the atmosphere well. We follow Marlowe as he tries to track down a woman who does not want to be found.
I quite enjoyed the plot, there was enough within it to keep my interest and I felt the settings described were evocative. The characters were probably my favourite aspect of this book, there was a mixture of likeable characters and unlikeable characters who are there for a reason.
Everything about this was an okay read, I probably would not read another Marlowe book. Maybe some things are better left alone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy.

Denise Mina is the latest writer to resurrect Raymond Chandler's iconic Philip Marlowe PI, and she certainly does a terrific job in getting under the skin of Marlowe in a sweltering Los Angeles in California in this twisty story that takes him into the exclusive rarefied air of the super wealthy to the other end of the scale to the dangerously edgy, impoverished areas of Skid Row. It begins with Marlowe going over the murder of Pasco Pete, and the public arrest of Black Jack Beau by the over promoted, incompetent Lieutenant Moochie Ruud. Something about it has him feeling uneasy, something is not right, but then he gets an odd phone call, asking for his presence, but giving him no details whatsoever. He finally agrees to the meeting when he learns that it is at the home of the super rich Montgomery family, a place hardly anyone gets to see.

It doesn't take long for Marlowe to become aware of the toxic atmosphere at the house, where he learns from Anneliese Lyle and the dying Chadwick that his 22 year old daughter and heiress, Chrissie, has gone missing. Having lived a sheltered life, there is the worry that she is vulnerable, with her wealth making her an obvious target for the unscrupulous. Marlowe has concerns about taking on the case, ending up taking cash for expenses only, in addition, another PI, Anne Riordan, has been hired as well. Thanks to Jimmy Donoghue and a certain Manny Perez, the meanest of drunks, Marlowe locates Chrissie, where she is living, working under another name, following her to the Brody Hotel, where she ends up in a room where a man gets shot dead.

This is not to be the only death in a case where little and no-one is as they first appear, in this story of art, class divisions, the problems of growing up in excessively wealthy families, power, abuse, and nefarious agendas. This is a brilliant outing for Marlowe from Mina, intelligent, she creates and develops some great female characters, good and bad, and a moral, compassionate Marlowe, a man of integrity coming face to face with the darker underbelly of the city, where justice can be a mere pipe dream. This is a gripping, well plotted and entertaining read, and I hope there are other outings for Marlowe coming from Mina. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

It's mid-September, a heatwave has descended on the parched hills of LA and Private Detective Philip Marlowe is called to the Montgomery estate, an almost mythic place sitting high on top of Beverly Hills. Wealthy twenty-two-year-old Chrissie Montgomery, set to inherit an enormous fortune, is missing.

So Philip Marlowe is alive and well. This book feels just like the Raymond Chandler novels I read in my youth. It’s different, fun and so well-written that I found it a joy to read. It takes us back to Hollywood of the 30’s and 40’s brilliantly. The descriptions suit the mood of the time. There are twists aplenty too. Great read.

I'm familiar with the famous character of Philip Marlowe, through the silver screen, but this is the first time, I've read a novel based around the character. Re-created a gritty and dark 1940s LA, compared to the glamorous side that is generally associated with the city, Mina's Marlowe is in a familiar setting and this character has the tone and language that I recognise from the movies.
All of the essential elements are present:
- a host of suspicious characters
- the numerous blondes (the women that Marlowe talks of trying to save)
- secrets and betrayals
- complex plot
And this complex plot, is at the heart of the novel as Marlowe is hired by an ultra-rich patriarch, to find a missing family member.
The Second Murderer is a short but fast-paced tale that navigates through a series of troublesome events but this time around, Marlowe may have met his match in the PI Anne Riordan. A welcome change from the older stories.

Didn't realise, on request, that I have already read this title. I thought is was the second book and while I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time around, I'm disappointed that I've already read it. A gripping tale of noir that I highly recommend