"She was a small, neat, rather prissy-looking girl with primly smooth brown hair and rimless glasses. She had no make-up, no lipstick and no jewelry. The rimless glasses gave her that librarian's look." But, Marlowe, you surely must know what she would look like without the glasses, wearing her hair loose and a little make-up and jewelry. Beware! A femme fatale in hiding. This has always remained my very favorite Raymond Chandler novel.

And as far as The Little Sister goes, there is more than just one femme fatale. And maybe, according to Raymond Chandler, Hollywood itself is the ultimate femme fatale. Having his face rubbed in Hollywood culture (or anti-culture), Philip Marlowe turns existential. I urge you to read for yourself to see if the concluding chapter amounts to a happy ending. Hint: the novel does not have a Hollywood ending.