comment on setting

The book is set in Southern California and though there are few details on which to hang a date it seems likely that the story occurs around the time of the writing - the early 1950s. There are ample descriptions of buildings and places and Marlowe talks of the fact that the telephone is a fairly new fangled gadget that still intimidates some people. His own office is a bit on the shabby side and he often opens the windows in an effort to do away with the stale air, both at his home and his