The Goodbye Coast: A Philip Marlowe Novel
- Downloads：8208
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-21 11:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joe Ide
- ISBN：1668607514
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Raymond Chandler's iconic detective， Philip Marlowe， gets a dramatic and colorful reinvention at the hands of award-winning novelist Joe Ide
The seductive and relentless figure of Raymond Chandler’s detective， Philip Marlowe， is vividly re-imagined in present-day Los Angeles。 Here is a city of scheming Malibu actresses， ruthless gang members， virulent inequality， and washed-out police。 Acclaimed and award-winning novelist Joe Ide imagines a Marlowe very much of our time: he’s a quiet， lonely， and remarkably capable and confident private detective， though he lives beneath the shadow of his father， a once-decorated LAPD homicide detective， famous throughout the city， who’s given in to drink after the death of Marlowe’s mother。
Marlowe， against his better judgement， accepts two missing person cases， the first a daughter of a faded， tyrannical Hollywood starlet， and the second， a British child stolen from his mother by his father。 At the center of COAST is Marlowe’s troubled and confounding relationship with his father， a son who despises yet respects his dad， and a dad who’s unable to hide his bitter disappointment with his grown boy。 Together， they will realize that one of their clients may be responsible for murder of her own husband， a washed-up director in debt to Albanian and Russian gangsters， and that the client’s trouble-making daughter may not be what she seems。
Steeped in the richly detailed ethnic neighborhoods of modern LA， Ide’s COAST is a bold recreation that is viciously funny， ingeniously plotted， and surprisingly tender。
The seductive and relentless figure of Raymond Chandler’s detective， Philip Marlowe， is vividly re-imagined in present-day Los Angeles。 Here is a city of scheming Malibu actresses， ruthless gang members， virulent inequality， and washed-out police。 Acclaimed and award-winning novelist Joe Ide imagines a Marlowe very much of our time: he’s a quiet， lonely， and remarkably capable and confident private detective， though he lives beneath the shadow of his father， a once-decorated LAPD homicide detective， famous throughout the city， who’s given in to drink after the death of Marlowe’s mother。
Marlowe， against his better judgement， accepts two missing person cases， the first a daughter of a faded， tyrannical Hollywood starlet， and the second， a British child stolen from his mother by his father。 At the center of COAST is Marlowe’s troubled and confounding relationship with his father， a son who despises yet respects his dad， and a dad who’s unable to hide his bitter disappointment with his grown boy。 Together， they will realize that one of their clients may be responsible for murder of her own husband， a washed-up director in debt to Albanian and Russian gangsters， and that the client’s trouble-making daughter may not be what she seems。
Steeped in the richly detailed ethnic neighborhoods of modern LA， Ide’s COAST is a bold recreation that is viciously funny， ingeniously plotted， and surprisingly tender。
Reviews
Patrick SG
，
Marlowe and L。A。This author is new to me， but I hope he continues this modern revival of Philip Marlowe。 It’s not the same as Chandler’s Marlowe， but it’s drawn from the same cloth and paints pictures of modern L。A。 that ring true。 Vivid characters are developed in frequent flashbacks that sketch out their stories， but can seem a little confusing at times。
Cheri
，
A slow read。 I kept pushing through not wanting to give up。
Benjamin
，
Extinguished。
Mike
，
I'm a huge fan of Joe Ide's IQ series， and am eagerly awaiting the next installment of that series。 It's my favorite ongoing detective novel series by a long shot， and all the comparisons to Walter Moseley are very well earned。 If the protagonist of The Goodbye Coast had any other name but Philip Marlowe， I'd be raving about this novel。 It's smart， funny， filled with superb action scenes and brilliant and witty banter。 Joe Ide's books are ebulliently written， and sometimes overstuffed in a way t I'm a huge fan of Joe Ide's IQ series， and am eagerly awaiting the next installment of that series。 It's my favorite ongoing detective novel series by a long shot， and all the comparisons to Walter Moseley are very well earned。 If the protagonist of The Goodbye Coast had any other name but Philip Marlowe， I'd be raving about this novel。 It's smart， funny， filled with superb action scenes and brilliant and witty banter。 Joe Ide's books are ebulliently written， and sometimes overstuffed in a way that adds to the chaos and joy of reading them; not unlike an overfull suitcase that somehow turns into a literary mechanical bull。 I feel like Ide so thoroughly reinvents Marlowe， and in doing so leaves no trace of Chandler in the trappings or the prose or the language， that this novel misses the mark as a Philip Marlowe novel。 It's still one million times better than the boring ass， stiffly written book that Benjamin Black turned out a few years ago， and it's a fun read once you say to yourself: this is a book about someone who has the same name as a Raymond Chandler character， but no relation。 That book is a 5 star read。 。。。more
Alan Taylor
，
“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean， who is neither tarnished nor afraid。”Raymond Chandler’s work is very important to me。 THE LITTLE SISTER， Chandler’s fifth Philip Marlowe novel， was my introduction to crime fiction and I then went back and read them all in order from THE BIG SLEEP to PLAYBACK。 I regularly re-read them， a leather-bound copy of the Penguin paperback of THE BIG SLEEP being a particularly valued possession。 My eldest son is named Philip， largely due to “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean， who is neither tarnished nor afraid。”Raymond Chandler’s work is very important to me。 THE LITTLE SISTER， Chandler’s fifth Philip Marlowe novel， was my introduction to crime fiction and I then went back and read them all in order from THE BIG SLEEP to PLAYBACK。 I regularly re-read them， a leather-bound copy of the Penguin paperback of THE BIG SLEEP being a particularly valued possession。 My eldest son is named Philip， largely due to the quotation above from Chandler’s essay THE SIMPLE ART OF MURDER。 I have a lot invested in Philip Marlowe and so， despite having enjoyed Joe Ide’s IQ novels， approached his ‘modernisation’ of Marlowe with no little trepidation。Ide’s Marlowe is an unlicensed PI in 21st Century Los Angeles and， from the first few pages， it is evident that this is a very different Marlowe。 Ide utilises a third person narration rather than Chandler’s first person; Marlowe， a loner in the original books， has a strained relationship with his father， a functioning alcoholic police officer。 The plot of THE GOODBYE COAST is fast moving and gripping as Marlowe works two cases， searching for the missing teenage stepdaughter of a faded Hollywood actress while also trying to help an Englishwoman whose estranged husband has taken their son to the United States without agreement。 In both cases he is aided， at times hindered， by his father。 Marlowe himself is quick-witted， witty and likeable。 He is intelligent and principled， although not infallible; his mistakes often lead him into unexpected， frequently funny， situations。 The City of Los Angeles， very much changed from the 1940s， is as much a character in the story as Chandler’s LA was。 Marlowe’s local knowledge and his ability to interact across various ethnic neighbourhoods help to propel the story forward。 The characters are all well drawn and the dialogue is excellent。 The fading star， Kendra， and her daughter， Cody， are both superbly， annoyingly selfish and self-centred， and the relationship between the latter and Marlowe’s father is sitcom worthy。Coming to the novel I was concerned that Ide’s Philip Marlowe would not be Chandler’s Marlowe， and he’s not， and he’s not my Marlowe， but I am not sure that really matters。 Ide has created a detective for the 2020s， ‘an honourable man’ who shares the spirit of his predecessor and embodies the qualities and character Chandler would demand of his hero。 THE GOODBYE COAST is a very entertaining modern detective story in its own right and that Joe Ide’s Philip Marlowe shares traits with the original is a bonus。 。。。more
John McCue
，
This story is all “California”。 All of the characters are self-absorbed idiots who stumble through life creating mayhem and destroying innocent lives！
Diana Bustamante
，
Marlowe reimagined
Kath
，
I am a big fan of this author's IQ series so， although really knowing nothing about Marlowe and Chandler， I thought I'd give this a whirl。 And， on the whole， I really enjoyed it。 I did however take quite a while to really get into the writing style and the characters but， once I was over that particular hill， it was all plain sailing。。。 First we see a glimpse into Marlowe's past， how he got to where he is when the book starts proper。 A PI who still lives in the shadow of his infamous homicide de I am a big fan of this author's IQ series so， although really knowing nothing about Marlowe and Chandler， I thought I'd give this a whirl。 And， on the whole， I really enjoyed it。 I did however take quite a while to really get into the writing style and the characters but， once I was over that particular hill， it was all plain sailing。。。 First we see a glimpse into Marlowe's past， how he got to where he is when the book starts proper。 A PI who still lives in the shadow of his infamous homicide detective father， Emmet， although he has now fallen from grace a bit， and gone downhill， since the death of his wife， Marlowe's mother。Usually a one case man， Marlowe bucks his trend by accepting two case。 Both missing persons。 The first is the step-daughter of a once famous actress who has gone off the rails since the death of her father。 The second is a young boy who has been snatched from his English mother and whisked away to the US。 This one is a bit more time sensitive as Ren， the mother， only has limited time and resources。。。And so begins a rather interesting and convoluted set of cases。 Which meander around and about each other as the book progresses。 We witness the young educating the old， and vice versa， with often hilarious results。 At times it's almost a farce in some of the antics and the characters are in danger of becoming stereotypes or caricatures。 But that line， although skirted， is never crossed。 Marlowe。。。 I am still not sure about him。 There's definitely something endearing about him but I am not sure it's enough to actually like him。 I do admire him， that goes without saying but he does make some rather dubious decisions。 Which I guess makes for an interesting life。There's definitely a lot going on in this book so I would recommend you dedicate chunks of reading time to it rather than a page here and there。 That might just have been a me thing as already mentioned I did struggle initially。 That said， once it all clicked， it was a downhill race to the end of the book and a few shocks as it was all resolved。Hopefully this is the start of a new series as I think Marlowe and me have unfinished business。。。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Larry
，
Others have written Philip Marlowe novels besides Raymond Chandler。 Robert B。 Parker wrote two that were more Spenser than Marlowe， Benjamin Black wrote carried on Marlowe's original saga with the approval of the Chandlers， and Lawrence Osborne wrote an interesting novel about Philip Marlowe imagining him in his 70s。 And now Joe Ide has written a novel that is unlike the others， but that is true to the essence of Marlowe and his California， even though it is set in the present day and Marlowe is Others have written Philip Marlowe novels besides Raymond Chandler。 Robert B。 Parker wrote two that were more Spenser than Marlowe， Benjamin Black wrote carried on Marlowe's original saga with the approval of the Chandlers， and Lawrence Osborne wrote an interesting novel about Philip Marlowe imagining him in his 70s。 And now Joe Ide has written a novel that is unlike the others， but that is true to the essence of Marlowe and his California， even though it is set in the present day and Marlowe is a young man， the son of a cop。 It is quite good， very clever， and puts Marlowe's skills to good use。 。。。more
Nate
，
As someone unfamiliar with Philip Marlowe （beyond the name recognition） I was nervous starting a book that was not The Big Sleep。 But Joe Ide kept me at the edge of my seat。 Thrilling action scenes dot the pages of this story。 The descriptions of Los Angeles are so real life you can see them。 I lived in LA for 13 months and it made me remember so much from that time。 I look forward to meeting the original Marlowe but I am so excited that I started with this one。 Can’t wait to read more Joe Ide a As someone unfamiliar with Philip Marlowe （beyond the name recognition） I was nervous starting a book that was not The Big Sleep。 But Joe Ide kept me at the edge of my seat。 Thrilling action scenes dot the pages of this story。 The descriptions of Los Angeles are so real life you can see them。 I lived in LA for 13 months and it made me remember so much from that time。 I look forward to meeting the original Marlowe but I am so excited that I started with this one。 Can’t wait to read more Joe Ide as well。 。。。more
Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller
，
If you’re a fan of hard-boiled mysteries， you’ve no doubt heard of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe， a tough guy PI on the streets of LA in the ’30s and ’40s。 That was then。 This is now。 Joe Ide has revamped Marlowe for the 2020s。 He is still smart， wise and witty， and very much of a loner。Marlowe always dreamed of being a cop like his father。 He even attended the police academy and graduated， but lost his job in well under a year， a failure his dad won’t let him forget。 The relationship betwee If you’re a fan of hard-boiled mysteries， you’ve no doubt heard of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe， a tough guy PI on the streets of LA in the ’30s and ’40s。 That was then。 This is now。 Joe Ide has revamped Marlowe for the 2020s。 He is still smart， wise and witty， and very much of a loner。Marlowe always dreamed of being a cop like his father。 He even attended the police academy and graduated， but lost his job in well under a year， a failure his dad won’t let him forget。 The relationship between father and son blows hot and cold。 Despite conflicted emotions， Marlowe looks out for Emmet， especially since his mother died and Emmet began drinking heavily， which earned himself a suspension from the LAPD。Still， Emmet has connections， some of whom toss PI jobs Marlowe’s way every now and then。 In reality， some are jobs that are not particularly welcome --- like the two missing people he’s been hired to find。 First， fading movie star Kendra James wants her daughter， Cody， brought home。 She doesn’t like the optics of having a runaway kid on the loose， so she demands Marlowe find her and drag her back to their Malibu mansion。Marlowe would rather turn the gig down but figures he can at least charge triple his usual rates。 But when he discovers who Cody has involved herself with， triple fees may not be enough。 The privileged teenager turns out to be nothing but trouble。 He knows that because he already has found her。 For the time being， he has stashed her at his dad’s house while he figures out whether or not to return her to Kendra。 What’s really going on here？Meanwhile， a bereft mother named Ren Stewart shows up at Marlowe’s door， pleading with him to find her son， Jeremy。 Ren’s ex-husband stole him away from their London home。 All she knows is that he brought Jeremy to LA。 Again， Marlowe promises nothing， at least at first。 But then he starts having feelings for Ren， which leads him to make rash assurances and take dangerous chances。Both cases head down dark， perilous roads to destinations unknown。 Eventually， Cody involves herself in Ren’s problem， and what was once a good plan blows up like a nuclear plant leak。 Disasters seem to follow the self-centered teenager everywhere。 Or does she cause them？ However it goes， the girl can only be described as an entitled rich brat who wants what she wants。 Sure， she has a moment or two in which a glimmer of humanity shows itself。 But is it genuine？Philip Marlowe knows LA inside and out。 Marlowe and LA are interlinked like two lovers who have had a falling-out but keep coming back to each other。 Uncomfortable with meaningless small talk， Marlowe rambles on about interesting historical facts and area trivia， making THE GOODBYE COAST far more than an edge-of-your-seat mystery。Joe Ide enriches the story with anecdotal tidbits about places like Hollywoodland， famous stars who were on the set of various movies， the glitz and glamour of Malibu， and the down and dirty back alleys of the ghetto。 He sics lethally nasty goons on Marlowe’s trail， sets loose some seriously bad Armenian mafia guys， and tosses into the mix at least one LA street gang on the trail of some big bucks， making for some thrilling action。 Then he hits the reader with a twist that no one sees coming。This is one gritty-to-the-core novel， as clever as a Sherlock Holmes tale， and a rollercoaster thrill ride the entire way through。Reviewed by Kate Ayers 。。。more
Elaine Tomasso
，
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy of The Goodbye Coast， a novel featuring a current day version of Chandler’s LA based PI， Philip Marlowe。Film star Kendra James’s husband， Terry， was recently murdered and she wants Marlowe to work for her， not to solve Terry’s murder but to find his 17 year daughter， Cody， who has disappeared。 At the same time he is approached by Ren Stewart， an English academic， who is looking for her young son kidnapped by her ex-husb I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy of The Goodbye Coast， a novel featuring a current day version of Chandler’s LA based PI， Philip Marlowe。Film star Kendra James’s husband， Terry， was recently murdered and she wants Marlowe to work for her， not to solve Terry’s murder but to find his 17 year daughter， Cody， who has disappeared。 At the same time he is approached by Ren Stewart， an English academic， who is looking for her young son kidnapped by her ex-husband。I thoroughly enjoyed The Goodbye Coast， which is a hugely entertaining read with lots of action， a complex plot and some funny lines。 It is told mostly from Marlowe’s point of view with Cody and Ren taking a turn when necessary。I have not read any of Raymond Chandler’s novels， so I have nothing to compare this to and will review it on its merits。 I like it。 For all the violence it is a surprisingly light and bright novel that has a feel good factor and I think that this is down to the characterisation。 Marlowe is a smart detective with his own moral code。 He’s in favour of justice but doesn’t strictly follow the letter of the law， tough but fair。 He’s likeable enough but doesn’t give much away。 It’s his father， Emmett， who steals the show。 He’s an alcoholic on leave from his job as a homicide detective with LAPD and shows himself as both tough and vulnerable while getting into sticky situations and running his amusing mouth。 I’ll leave Cody and Ren for the reader to investigate as both have hidden depths。The plot is clever。 There is misdirection and double cross upon double cross as the good guys tangle with violent， sociopathic gangbangers and that raises the tension exponentially。 It never seems to stop with development upon development and multiple twists。 The biggest twists of all are the solutions- I would never have guessed them。 One is logical， the other takes a bit of swallowing， but the nerve and ingenuity of it more than make up for any lack of credibility。I have rated The Goodbye Coast at 4* because， while it is a good read that I do not hesitate to recommend， it falls a bit flat in the middle。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Entertaining reimaging of the Phillip Marlowe character set in modern day Los Angeles。 Marlowe solves the murder of a has-been movie director who was stealing money from the Russian mob and reunites a kidnapped boy with his mother。 Non-stop action and many funny moments。
Faith
，
Philip Marlowe wasn’t cut out to be a cop， as his father Emmet predicted。 Now， he is 10 years into his career as a private investigator， and Emmet is on leave for drinking on the job after the death of his wife。 Marlowe has a new case looking for the 17 year old stepdaughter of the famous actress Kendra James。 Cody went missing after her father was murdered on the beach in front of his house。 Marlowe’s search involves him with a client who hates him on sight， warring siblings and various mobster Philip Marlowe wasn’t cut out to be a cop， as his father Emmet predicted。 Now， he is 10 years into his career as a private investigator， and Emmet is on leave for drinking on the job after the death of his wife。 Marlowe has a new case looking for the 17 year old stepdaughter of the famous actress Kendra James。 Cody went missing after her father was murdered on the beach in front of his house。 Marlowe’s search involves him with a client who hates him on sight， warring siblings and various mobsters。 He also takes on a second case trying to reunite a mother with her son who was taken to LA by her ex husband。 The cases aren’t related， but Marlowe manages to put the mother in danger anyway。 This is the second time I’ve read a Philip Marlowe homage and I enjoyed both books。 The first was “Only to Sleep” by Lawrence Osborne。 It isn’t really necessary to have read any of Raymond Chandler’s books before reading this book， although I have read a few。 I just treated Marlowe as an entirely new character set in the present day rather than in the decades in which the Marlowe books were originally set。 There were a lot of characters to keep straight in this book， particularly the mobsters。 I was listening to the audiobook and I might have had an easier job keeping track of their names if I could have seen them。 Other than that， I really don’t have any complaints about this book。 The author knows the movie business well so the details felt realistic。 The plot was intriguing and the characters were interesting。 The female characters were particularly sharp and acerbic。 The dialog was amusing and snappy and the ending was satisfying。 I would say that I hope the author writes another Marlowe book， but that is what I said after I read the author’s first IQ book。 Unfortunately， that first book was the only one in the series that I really liked and the books kept getting worse and worse。 So maybe this book should be his first and last Marlowe book。 4。5 stars 。。。more
Ron McLeod
，
Boffo！Great piece of work from world famous Joe Ide。 Rich prose， great story line， plenty of relevant details and great ending。 Looking forward to the next one
Dominic Myers
，
Don’t bother。。it’s not Marlowe， and definitely not Chandler。Apparently， I need to use at least 19 words to review this。。 Well， I’ve used them， but they’re wasted。 Don’t。
Alex Jones
，
4/5 Excellent。Having never read Raymond Chandler， but a big fan of Joe Ide I read this ARC of Goodby Coast with intrigue。A reimagining for 2022 of a character set in the 50s。 All I can say is that the protagonist is 100% Joe Ide’s Philip Marlowe。A Slick， fast paced caper， full of humour and loud and vibrant characters， it jumps off the pages as the Isiah Quintabe books do。There’s a real atmosphere to the book， the gritty and downtown feel is there， and in Marlowe， Ide has a new character to shap 4/5 Excellent。Having never read Raymond Chandler， but a big fan of Joe Ide I read this ARC of Goodby Coast with intrigue。A reimagining for 2022 of a character set in the 50s。 All I can say is that the protagonist is 100% Joe Ide’s Philip Marlowe。A Slick， fast paced caper， full of humour and loud and vibrant characters， it jumps off the pages as the Isiah Quintabe books do。There’s a real atmosphere to the book， the gritty and downtown feel is there， and in Marlowe， Ide has a new character to shape and craft，It’s a fine work， I hope there is more 。。。more
Dan
，
You can jump ahead 100 pages in the story and not seem to miss a thing。The narrative jumps around so much it is hard to grab a hold of it。
Becky
，
I loved Joe Ide's IQ series。 The main characters are likeable， usually decent people。 Those who were screw-ups seem to be growing up。 Not so in The Goodbye Coast。 Only two of the characters were even tolerable; and in main character Marlowe's case， only barely。 From the beginning of the book， you get his huge class-resentment -- all while he is wearing hand-sewn suits， driving a pricey car and eating every night from good restaurants。 So it is OK to have THAT much， but not enough to be rich？ Why I loved Joe Ide's IQ series。 The main characters are likeable， usually decent people。 Those who were screw-ups seem to be growing up。 Not so in The Goodbye Coast。 Only two of the characters were even tolerable; and in main character Marlowe's case， only barely。 From the beginning of the book， you get his huge class-resentment -- all while he is wearing hand-sewn suits， driving a pricey car and eating every night from good restaurants。 So it is OK to have THAT much， but not enough to be rich？ Why didn't he donate *that* money to his poor neighbors？ Then there was all of the celebrity bashing， one after another。 Neither of those two things added to the story。 Politics don't belong in novels， Joe Ide。 Marlowe's dad is a complete bozo。 He's on disability leave for YEARS for alcoholism？ And Cody？！ What a worthless POS from the beginning。 The story was too complicated and， by the end， surreal。 I won't read another in this series but absolutely will read more of the IQ series。 。。。more
Sheldon
，
Joe IDE is a super mystery writer。 His Philip Marlowe takeoff was good but not Marlowe。 So would I suggest the novel。 Sure， if you like reading about screwed up families。 You will find this book meaningful。 For me， it went on too long and was too distorted。
Dave
，
The Goodbye CoastIde’s The Goodbye Coast is the latest of the pastiches and fanfics by major authors paying tribute to Chandler’s legendary Philip Marlowe。 Ide takes it one twist further than most though and instead of filling in the gaps or planting a geriatric Marlowe in Baja， resets the whole thing by placing it in present-day Los Angeles。 You still get the office in Hollywood and familiar streets， but it has very little of that Chandleresque prose with its endless similes and the whole feel The Goodbye CoastIde’s The Goodbye Coast is the latest of the pastiches and fanfics by major authors paying tribute to Chandler’s legendary Philip Marlowe。 Ide takes it one twist further than most though and instead of filling in the gaps or planting a geriatric Marlowe in Baja， resets the whole thing by placing it in present-day Los Angeles。 You still get the office in Hollywood and familiar streets， but it has very little of that Chandleresque prose with its endless similes and the whole feel and sense of place is completely different。 It’s not Chandler and it’s not Marlowe as we know him from Chandler’s seven novels。 Rather， it’s a present-day private eye with the same name and a bit of the same surliness。 If you are looking for a taste of what you are familiar with， you’ve come to the wrong place。That being said， Ide’s Marlowe is not without his charms and you get a story of celebrity excess and murder and runaways that is quite absorbing from the exchanges between Marlowe’s cantankerous father Emmett and Cody， the spoiled teenage runaway whose life just might be in danger to Marlowe’s attitudes about the pampered rich。 。。。more
Susan Sherman
，
fun， fast paced and glib dialog。 There are a lot of characters to keep track of as they scheme against each other in LA。
David
，
Well， color me tres decu （sorry， can't figure out how to do accents and circumflex）。 That's Google Translate French for "very disappointed" -- I'm only pretending to be fluent in French， the way Joe Ide is pretending to be fluent in Raymond Chandler。 Yuk！ After a rave review from the Wall Street Journal and a very promising first few pages in The Goodbye Coast I thought I'd found a gem -- a new Philip Marlowe tale。 Alas， further examination found only ersatz costume jewelry。 The book is larded Well， color me tres decu （sorry， can't figure out how to do accents and circumflex）。 That's Google Translate French for "very disappointed" -- I'm only pretending to be fluent in French， the way Joe Ide is pretending to be fluent in Raymond Chandler。 Yuk！ After a rave review from the Wall Street Journal and a very promising first few pages in The Goodbye Coast I thought I'd found a gem -- a new Philip Marlowe tale。 Alas， further examination found only ersatz costume jewelry。 The book is larded with tangled family relationships more reminiscent of Ross Macdonald than Chandler。 There's also an unrelated subplot intended （apparently） only to give Ide's Marlowe a love interest， perhaps for subsequent installments。Instead of character development， what we're given about Ide's new Marlowe is a slew of flashbacks from his "formative years，" a troubled relationship with his father， and a long list of his possessions -- his handmade suit， his 1928 Patek Philippe Tiffany rectangular watch， his Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 115-proof bourbon， his picnic-table-with-benches in place of a dining room table。 I'm not arguing with the author's use of such details; it's just that he never gives us much else about what makes Marlowe tick。 This poor 21st Century reincarnation just seems to stumble along into one scrape after another -- pitfalls Chandler's Marlowe was smart enough not to get into or to get out of without relying on miracles the way Ide's Marlowe does。Chandler sometimes was faulted for not having the clearest of plots， but Ide isn't a wizard， either， at least not here。 Too many characters， too many narrative voices， too many tangents and digressions。 And NONE of the sparking use of language that makes Chandler so delightful！There's much more I could say， but I don't care enough。 Just put me down as "not a fan。" 。。。more
David
，
I like this story。 It has complicated interactions between characters。 That is how it is like Chandler's books。 This detective like Marlowe in some ways but a very different person in others。 I liked the story without it having to be a 'reimagining。' I will read more in the series。 I like this story。 It has complicated interactions between characters。 That is how it is like Chandler's books。 This detective like Marlowe in some ways but a very different person in others。 I liked the story without it having to be a 'reimagining。' I will read more in the series。 。。。more
William Dury
，
Well， a good mixed bag。 Terrible title， “Marlowe” not even close to Marlowe， and “Marlowe” has a dad。 Um， “Fraser”？ His prose style isn’t close to Chandler， but that’s way beyond likely anyway， and he does get off some good zingers。 One of the main characters is a knock off of the psycho sister from “The Big Sleep” she’s really， really good。 For fans of “The Big Sleep” to look behind the curtain of that psychotic sphinx is a real treat。 He retreads Chandler’s “rich people are evil” plotting to n Well， a good mixed bag。 Terrible title， “Marlowe” not even close to Marlowe， and “Marlowe” has a dad。 Um， “Fraser”？ His prose style isn’t close to Chandler， but that’s way beyond likely anyway， and he does get off some good zingers。 One of the main characters is a knock off of the psycho sister from “The Big Sleep” she’s really， really good。 For fans of “The Big Sleep” to look behind the curtain of that psychotic sphinx is a real treat。 He retreads Chandler’s “rich people are evil” plotting to no great use， but he is much better at plot mechanism than Chandler ever was。 Mr。 Ide is very， very talented at moving the story forward and leaving engaging crumbs along the way for his reader。 This is the third or fourth Chandler knock off that I’ve read and is by far the best。 （Just as I find Mr。 Ide’s I。Q。 the best Holmes knock off I have come across）。 Analysis of Mr。 Ide’s love-hate relationship with Los Angeles is best left to the experts。 。。。more
Susan Tunis
，
I must admit that I am more familiar with Mr。 Ide's Isaiah Quintabe than Philip Marlowe。 Given Ide's take on Marlowe， it seems that IQ owes a debt to his literary progenitor。 Is it terrible then， that I would have really preferred another IQ mystery to this one？ Marlowe's okay， but pretty much everyone else in this novel is a real challenge to like。 I can empathize with some of them， but not like。 This book is doing double duty as a mystery and an origin story， not always gracefully。 The back st I must admit that I am more familiar with Mr。 Ide's Isaiah Quintabe than Philip Marlowe。 Given Ide's take on Marlowe， it seems that IQ owes a debt to his literary progenitor。 Is it terrible then， that I would have really preferred another IQ mystery to this one？ Marlowe's okay， but pretty much everyone else in this novel is a real challenge to like。 I can empathize with some of them， but not like。 This book is doing double duty as a mystery and an origin story， not always gracefully。 The back stories meant to illuminate Marlowe's character sometimes felt wedged in。 With all this work to establish character， I wonder if we'll be seeing more of this contemporary Marlowe？ I feel that I should read the classic novels for more insight into the character， the series， and Mr。 Ide's take on them。 Joe Ide is a gifted novelist， so by no means is this an unpleasant read。 And the mystery is suitably complex。I don't want to be one of those readers that seeks to pidgeon-hole an author and only wants to read more of the same thing from them。 I can understand wanting to take a creative break from an ongoing series。 I'd just have preferred a completely original creation。 。。。more
Kate Ayers
，
I'd give it more than four stars but there were SO many characters to keep straight。 I loved the writing。 The story was very engaging， with a modern day Philip Marlowe taking on two missing persons cases。 Unrelated at first， the cases become intertwined。 A nasty， drunken fading starlet hires Marlowe to bring her daughter Cody back home， although she doesn't seem to have much affection for her。 So when he finds her， he stashes her with his dad， an LAPD cop currently on suspension until he dries o I'd give it more than four stars but there were SO many characters to keep straight。 I loved the writing。 The story was very engaging， with a modern day Philip Marlowe taking on two missing persons cases。 Unrelated at first， the cases become intertwined。 A nasty， drunken fading starlet hires Marlowe to bring her daughter Cody back home， although she doesn't seem to have much affection for her。 So when he finds her， he stashes her with his dad， an LAPD cop currently on suspension until he dries out。 Meanwhile， a mother desperate to find her son stolen by her ex-husband hires Marlowe。 He reluctantly promises to try but no more。 Then everything explodes。 Cody wreaks havoc。 She's entitled， spoiled and maybe without conscience。 At the least， she cares only about herself。 Thus， she endangers everyone who tries to help her。 The resolution is surprising。 Didn't see that coming。 。。。more
Luanne Ollivier
，
A Philip Marlow novel？ You caught my attention Joe Ide！ Ide puts his own spin on this iconic character， setting his tale in current day， in his new novel - The Goodbye Coast。 Marlowe is an unlicensed private investigator in Las Angeles， often taking cases from a crusty old investigator。 He often gets help from his Dad Emmet - currently on leave from the LAPD。Now， I must admit， I went in with pre-conceived notions as to what this Marlow would be like - his thoughts and actions， who the other play A Philip Marlow novel？ You caught my attention Joe Ide！ Ide puts his own spin on this iconic character， setting his tale in current day， in his new novel - The Goodbye Coast。 Marlowe is an unlicensed private investigator in Las Angeles， often taking cases from a crusty old investigator。 He often gets help from his Dad Emmet - currently on leave from the LAPD。Now， I must admit， I went in with pre-conceived notions as to what this Marlow would be like - his thoughts and actions， who the other players would be and what the crime might entail。 And I discarded them quickly。 This Marlowe isn't what I expected - but I very much liked Ide's reinvention。Marlowe has two cases on his plate - a missing wealthy teenager and a mother desperate to find her missing child。 Enter the femmes fatale。 Again， happily not what I was expecting - these two will give Marlow a run for his money。 Bring in Russian and Armenian gangs and the action ramps up。I loved Marlowe's wry internal thoughts and observations。 And his wishful thinking on the romance front。 The dialogue is short and snappy， suiting the character and the overall tone of the book。 It's often quite humorous as well。 The setting of Los Angeles is portrayed in all it's glitz and grime。 Marlowe and Emmet have a complicated relationship and Ide explores the father and son relationship with a keen eye。This reader quite enjoyed this homage to Chandler and other 'classic' crime novels。 Here's hoping that it's not too long of a wait for the next Marlow case。 。。。more
Paromjit
，
Joe Ide has moved on from his IQ series， now resurrecting Chandler's PI Philip Marlowe for our contemporary times in Los Angeles。 Woven into the novel is the troubled relationship that veers continually from anger to love and support that Marlowe has with his father， Emmet， a LAPD legend on leave due to his drinking， trying to drown his loneliness and grief at the loss of his beloved wife， Addie。 Philip here is a quiet， alone， and understated figure， well dressed， unhappy at the levels of extrem Joe Ide has moved on from his IQ series， now resurrecting Chandler's PI Philip Marlowe for our contemporary times in Los Angeles。 Woven into the novel is the troubled relationship that veers continually from anger to love and support that Marlowe has with his father， Emmet， a LAPD legend on leave due to his drinking， trying to drown his loneliness and grief at the loss of his beloved wife， Addie。 Philip here is a quiet， alone， and understated figure， well dressed， unhappy at the levels of extreme inequalities of a city plagued by corruption， violence and brutality， and ruthless gangs。 There is the glamour of Hollywood， beneath the movie business lustre lies a pit of darkness， full to the brim of a multitude of sins。 A reluctant Marlowe finds himself meeting a scheming film star， a woman he is not impressed by， Kendra James， whose husband， 43 year old Terry， was murdered outside her Malibu home。However， James does not want him to look into the murder， she wants him to locate Terry's teenage daughter， Cody， who has gone missing。 Marlowe finds himself taking on another missing person case， this time a 7 year old boy， Jeremy， abducted by his father in England。 His British mother， Ren Stewart， an academic and writer， is both desperate and distraught， and willing to do whatever it takes to find her son， such as following the slimmest of leads that end up putting her life in danger。 It doesn't take Marlowe long to find Cody， a horror of a girl， unscrupulous， without a conscience， an entitled and privileged teenager who believes the world owes her a living。 Believing her life may be in danger， he takes her to stay with Emmet to protect her， as he finds himself plunged into the criminal underbelly of LA， that includes Armenian gangsters and the Russian Mob。 Ide's Philip Marlowe is not Chandler's Marlowe， but he captures his spirit for our modern times， I had to admire his and Emmet's capacity to put up with the ungrateful， odious sociopath that is Cody， Emmet seeking to assuage his inner emptiness by looking for redeeming features in her that are simply not there。 Marlowe finds himself having feelings for Ren that are doomed， she only has space in her for her son， her only interest in him is the possibility of him find him。 This is a dark and intense crime read， packed with eminently unlikeable characters， self serving and greedy， with ultra dysfunctional families， where betrayal is the norm。 We have an engaging and tenacious Marlowe who finds himself constantly in danger as he endeavours to resolve his challenging cases。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
David C Ward
，