The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

After reading a Raymond Chandler novel I wanted more noir. Grabbed this graphic novel and was pleasantly surprised. I liked the art. There are no spectacular or breath taking panels, but I enjoyed their fluidity. It's perfect. I guess that's called graphic narrative (?). Well, it was great. I loved character design!! I also enjoyed the overall feeling of the story. The art is really atmospheric, in a realistic rather than supernatural way. It submerges you into darkness. Into the minds of, perhaps stereotypical, noir characters. People with secrets and trauma. People with no ethics who do whatever they need to do to achieve their objectives. 

The highlight for me, though, was the writing. Loved it. It isn't Chandler, mind you, but it has its own charm and doesn't disappoint. A nice narrative, a gripping story, and some awesome literary references, including a cameo by a famous crime noir author. 

The story has a murder. Yes. But the crime isn't necessarily the focus of the story. I'd say the protagonist's downfall (partly because of the crime) was centre stage.

The High Window by Raymond Chandler

This is the third and last novel in this compilation by Everymans Library. After three novels of his I have to say that Chandler is my favourite writer out of the three crime noir authors published by Everyman’s: Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler. 

The High Window is gripping. Not only with an excellent plot and an astonishing protagonist, but with a great atmosphere (noir is all about atmosphere). I loved the descriptions of people and places. The kind of descriptions you never get tired of. That submerge you into the detective’s world and make you think you are in the 1940’s. So vivid are the descriptions that I could smell the tobacco the characters smoke. Great characters also. After Marlowe, the protagonist, I liked Mrs Murdock, an old woman, rich and annoying manipulator. The kind of person you’d want to strangle but someone who you also kind of like because of how well she is written.

Contact by Carl Sagan

First read of 2023! 

A science fiction classic about a female physicist who devotes her life to searching for extraterrestrial life. I loved the story. Particularly, religious and philosophical discussions on the implications of first contact. On knowing that we are not alone in the universe. This is a novel of scientific and philosophical concepts, not strong on character development though the protagonist grabbed my attention because of her genius, strength and spirit to keep seeking for extraterrestrial life. She isn't an empty lifeform though but we get glimpses of the relationship with her family, especially her mother and of how a female physicist was treated in the 1980s.