The Big Sleep cover

The Big Sleep

Philip Marlowe • Book 1

by Raymond Chandler

Narrated by Scott Brick

4.10 ABR Score (170.4K ratings)
★ 3.94 Goodreads (169.7K) ★ 4.44 Audible (649)
6h 33m Released 2020 Mystery

Why Listen to This Audiobook?

Scott Brick reads Chandler's prose like a man who knows the plot doesn't matter — and he's right.

  • Great if you want: sharp, cynical atmosphere over tidy mystery solving
  • Listening experience: dense and stylized — more mood than plot, all the way through
  • Narration: Brick's dry baritone is perfectly calibrated for Marlowe's exhausted cool
  • Skip if: unresolved threads and deliberate ambiguity frustrate you

Listen to The Big Sleep on Audible →

About This Audiobook

Private detective Philip Marlowe enters the shadowy world of 1940s Los Angeles when wealthy General Sternwood hires him to deal with a gambling debt involving his youngest daughter. What begins as a straightforward case of extortion quickly spirals into something far more sinister, drawing Marlowe deeper into the Sternwood family's web of secrets. As bodies start turning up and missing persons cases intertwine, the cynical detective must navigate through layers of deception, corruption, and danger that reach from the city's seedy underworld to its most exclusive neighborhoods.

Scott Brick's masterful narration brings Raymond Chandler's iconic prose to vivid life, capturing both Marlowe's world-weary wit and the atmospheric tension of classic noir. Brick's performance perfectly balances the detective's sardonic observations with the mounting suspense, allowing Chandler's memorable dialogue and rich descriptive passages to flow naturally. His pacing draws listeners into the labyrinthine plot while maintaining the story's brooding mood. The audio format enhances the intimate, first-person storytelling style, making listeners feel like confidants to Marlowe's internal monologue as he unravels one of literature's most complex mysteries.