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The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Raymond Chandler's incomparable private eye is back, pulled by a seductive young heiress into the most difficult and dangerous case of his career
"It was one of those summer Tuesday afternoons when you begin to wonder if the earth has stopped revolving. The telephone on my desk had the look of something that knows it's being watched. Traffic trickled by in the street below, and there were a few pedestrians, too, men in hats going nowhere."
So begins The Black-Eyed Blonde, a new novel featuring Philip Marlowe—yes, that Philip Marlowe. Channeling Raymond Chandler, Benjamin Black has brought Marlowe back to life for a new adventure on the mean streets of Bay City, California. It is the early 1950s, Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: young, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover, a man named Nico Peterson. Marlowe sets off on his search, but almost immediately discovers that Peterson's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest families and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.
Only Benjamin Black, a modern master of the genre, could write a new Philip Marlowe novel that has all the panache and charm of the originals while delivering a story that is as sharp and fresh as today's best crime fiction.
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"Dennis Boutsikaris narrates with marvelous aplomb. He nails the cool but inviting tone, the clipped tempo, the razor and the velvet of such a tale. He differentiates between characters without overacting, and does a more than passable female – shades of Lauren Bacall, in fact. This is a perfect weekend listen."
— AudioFile Magazine
Quotes
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“The Black-Eyed Blonde could be passed off as a newly discovered Chandler manuscript found in some dusty La Jolla closet…Terrific fun.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Boutsikaris does a standout job of bringing Black's characters to life. Thug or cop, heiress or moll, he gives them all distinct voices that fit well with the book's Chandleresque prose and dialogue.
— Publisher's Weekly -
Black's dialogue is spot-on, as is David Boutsikaris' perfectly paced performance.
— BookPage -
An ear treat that's solidly constructed, highly entertaining, and unquestionably Chandleresque.
— Mystery Scene -
“[Benjamin Black] does an uncannily good job of filling Marlowe’s legendary gumshoes…First-rate noir.”
— New York Times -
“Pitch-perfect…Black nails Chandler’s creative and memorable similes and metaphors…While the mystery is well plotted, Black elevates it beyond mere thoughtful homage with a plausible injection of emotion in his wounded lead.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“What fun to be back in 1950s Los Angeles with Philip Marlowe as imagined by Benjamin Black, aka acclaimed Irish author John Banville. Dennis Boutsikaris narrates with marvelous aplomb. He nails the cool but inviting tone, the clipped tempo, the razor and the velvet of such a tale.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week, March 2014
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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An NPR bestseller
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A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller
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Selected for the March 2014 Indie Next List
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A New York Times Editor’s Choice
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An AudioFile Editors’ Pick, April 2014
The Black-Eyed Blonde Listener Reviews
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" This is the biggest disappointment of the year and its already December. Famous John Banville under the alias of Benjamin Black gets into the shoes of Raymond Chandler. What can go wrong? I am not an English literature scholar, so I cannot precisely define what went wrong, but as a Chandler’s fan, I know something did. Probably all elements are on the spot, there is Marlowe’s sarcasm, complicated investigation conducted on behalf of a mysterious beauty, all the cliches of the noir crime story set in LA are there, even very long elaboration of why the gimlet is the best cocktail of all times, but something is not working, it feels fake, it lacks the atmosphere of the original works and gets at times simply boring (!). Maybe it works as a nice literary exercise for an author, but definitely not as a great reading for the readers. I had high hopes after reading Anthony's Horowitz "sequels" to Conan Doyle's works, hoping this book will be equally succesful and engaging, but the hopes were nof fulfilled. "
— Wojciech W., 12/16/2022
About Benjamin Black
Benjamin Black is the pen name of the Man Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville.
About Dennis Boutsikaris
Dennis Boutsikaris is a two-time OBIE award winner. He has received five Audie Awards and seven Golden Earphone Awards for his work in over 100 audiobooks and was voted one of the Best Voices of the Year by AudioFile magazine. He has appeared in numerous Broadway, television, and film roles. He played Mozart on Broadway in Amadeus and has appeared on television shows including Shameless, The Good Wife, House M.D., Grey’s Anatomy, ER, and Law & Order.