Delicious! ( )

Excellent writing but the 1940s racism is quite jarring! ( )

The story is good but the racism is hard to get through ( )

March 2018 reread: 4.5* this time around (rather than the 5* I gave it before)

The story makes a lot more sense in the book than the 1945 Dick Powell film adaptation (called "Murder, My Sweet") (the surprise of which I think is the reason I rated it higher last time). ( )

Having been written in 1940, you might expect this to be outdated. Apart from some terms that are used (and the attitudes of some characters), it instead feels almost contemporary.
The female characters are written wonderfully. They are so much more than weak chattels or "romantic interests", instead being the complex, important characters they deserve to be.
The pages are peppered with the most wonderful and creative descriptive phrases, but sparingly enough to constantly surprise. I really love the author's style.
The plot is complicated enough it made my head tangled trying to keep track of the threads at times, but it all comes together, and is certainly not boring. ( )