"The Big Sleep" is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1939. The novel is a classic work of hardboiled detective fiction and features the iconic private investigator Philip Marlowe.
The plot of the novel centers around a wealthy elderly man named General Sternwood, who hires Marlowe to investigate a blackmailer who is threatening his family. As Marlowe delves deeper into the case, he becomes enmeshed in a web of deceit and corruption involving pornography, gambling, and murder.
"The Big Sleep" is known for its complex and multi-layered plot, as well as Chandler's sharp and witty prose. It has been widely read and adapted for film and television, and is considered a classic of the detective genre.