Chapter Detailed Synopsis and Commentary of The Big Sleep - Study Guide by Raymond Chandler

Cronjager is also there, and Marlowe is in trouble for not informing the police about Geiger's corpse, which inadvertently led to the death of Brody. The men go over what is known so far. Marlowe holds back on the fact that Carmen visited Brody's apartment, and Mars visited Geiger's house. Marlowe doesn't think Brody killed Taylor - he was just in it for the racket. Marlowe shows the pornographic book, but threatening to blow the lid on the fact that the cops probably knew about the racket, persuades them to keep the blackmail angle under wraps for the sake of the General. Again, Regan is mentioned, the D.A. supposing that the General wanted to find out if he was involved in the blackmail.

Marlowe goes back to his apartment building. After sending a threatening heavy, Mars telephones and tells Marlowe to leave him out of it. Marlowe says he already has. Marlowe then phones the Sternwoods and leaves a message for Vivian to say that everything is sorted out. The next morning a hushed-up version of events appears in the paper - with no mention of the Sternwoods, Ohls or Marlowe. Cronjager gets all the credit, and Taylor is written off as a suicide. Marlowe pays a visit to Captain Gregory at the Missing Person's Bureau. Gregory has surmised Regan has run off with Mars' wife, and that he'll turn up sooner or later - it isn't a high priority case. He has also discounted the idea that Mars might have bumped Regan off for fooling around with his wife. As Marlowe leaves he notices a grey Plymouth sedan tailing him.

Back at the office, the butler Norris phones saying the matter is closed, Marlowe is to destroy the photos, and he will be sent a cheque for five hundred dollars. Rather than let the matter rest, Marlowe goes to see Mars at his casino in Las Olindas. Mars denies he has killed Regan (despite seeming very relaxed about the fact that he has been cuckolded by him), but admits he knew about Geiger's racket. (Perhaps those cypress trees were a clue to this fact). Mars tells Geiger that Vivian is trouble, and doesn't know anything about Marlowe being followed. Marlowe goes into the Casino, where Vivian is at the roulette wheel. The table can't cover her sixteen thousand dollar bet. She makes a fuss and Mars agrees to cover the bet for a final spin. Vivian wins and goes to cash her winnings. Marlowe has gone to wait outside, where he sees a man attempt to hold up Vivian. He goes to the rescue, and as her escort is drunk, agrees to drive her home. Marlowe puts it to Vivian that Mars has something on her, and that the hold-up with the money was staged. The pair kiss, but then the moment is broken when Marlowe again enquires about Mars.

After taking Regan home, Marlowe goes back to his apartment, where he finds Carmen naked in his bed. She comes on to him, but he rejects her, which she takes very badly. The next morning, Marlowe again sees the grey Plymouth. He confronts the driver - Harry Jones - who comes up to Marlowe's office. Jones claims to have information, via Agnes, as to the whereabouts of Mars' wife Mona. He also believes that Mars killed Regan. Jones wants two hundred dollars for the information. Marlowe agrees to pay, and will meet Jones later with the money, when Jones will take Marlowe to Agnes. When Marlowe goes to meet Jones he finds that Mars' hitman Lash Canino has got their first. Canino is clearly a nasty piece of work - even by his bosses' standards. As Marlowe later observes, he would "beat my teeth out and then kick me in the stomach for mumbling." Marlowe eavesdrops on the conversation. Canino threatens the location of Agnes out of Jones, and then makes him down a poisoned drink. Marlowe discovers the address given by Jones was a false one, but Agnes rings the office, and agrees to meet Marlowe.

Marlowe is told that Mona is in a house by "a small garage and paint-shop" out past Realito. Marlowe drives to investigate, where "fate stage-managed the whole thing" as he gets two blowouts near the garage. Taking one of the two guns from a hidden compartment in his car, he goes into the garage where he is met by Canino. Marlowe is beaten unconscious, and tied up in the house behind the garage. When he comes-to Mona Mars is there. She tells him that Eddie Mars didn't kill Regan, but she is being hidden there so that the cops don't think he did. She takes pity on Marlowe, kisses him, and frees him. Marlowe goes back to his car, gets the other gun, and attracts Canino's reaction (he has returned to the house) by starting Canino's car. Canino shoots at the car, and then comes out of the house where Marlowe shoots him dead.