Book of the Month, May, 2021 Trouble is my Business By Raymond Chandler

I had a business school Professor, Frank Cespedes, who said that the best way to keep learning as you go through life is to read one good fiction book a month. I really like the insight but lately my own mix has not had as much good fiction so I am looking to rebalance. Trouble is My Business is a collection of short stories by one of my all-time favorite authors, Raymond Chandler. Chandler is a detective novel writer who created the character, Phillip Marlowe as his lead. Marlowe is hard bitten on the outside, but a warrior for the truth in complicated situations on the inside , tough and selfless in pursuing the right thing. He also has a incredibly dry wit that I enjoy to the point of laughing out loud while I read. Chandler is an amazing writer and boosted the detective genre with his smooth prose - his books are really hard to put down. Coming back to Chandler after many years, now as an LA resident has been splendid as all his work in centered in LA and his descriptive references of the city mean all the more to me- especially his eye for the landscape! I highly recommend Trouble is My Business as a Chandler starter as the short stories are a faster way to see how much you enjoy his writing but he has several novels that are truly amazing, with Farewell My Lovely my all-time favorite. He is a great summer read (especially in an actual paperback book - the way it was meant to be read!!) not only fun because the action moves quickly, but also because he has such insight into human nature and motivations.

Enjoy!