Geiger, owner of a rare books store in Hollywood, is trying to blackmail him over recent scandalous indiscretions by his daughter Carmen that he has evidence of. Here, you meet General Sternwood, an old and obviously dying man…with black eyes from which all fire had died long ago, who wants to hire you. Greystone Mansion XIV by Aventine-Images on DeviantArt the butler opened a door for me and stood aside… Then more trees and beyond everything the solid, uneven, comfortable line of the foothills. There were French doors at the back of the hall…īeyond them a wide sweep of emerald grass to a white garage…Beyond them a large greenhouse with a domed roof. The main hallway of the Sternwood place was two stories high…A free staircase, tile-paved, rose to a gallery… Marlowe’s descriptions of the property are ridiculously spot-on… This is widely believed to be based on Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, a 55-room, 46,000 square-foot Tudor Revival mansion built in 1928 by oil tycoon Edward L. Specifically, you’ve been called to the palatial estate of one General Sternwood, a rich oil baron with two wild daughters, Carmen and Vivian.

I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them.

It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. So take it away – and let’s see what still remains of your 1930s noir-soaked Los Angeles… Oh, sure, you use fake street names and addresses, but your descriptions are so vivid and precise that if one were take the time to look, one could tell exactly what you’re referring to and retrace your steps.īut sorry, Marlowe – I’m hogging the floor and I know how much you like to talk. The best part of your hard-boiled adventures? The Los Angeles locations you refer to are all real. The year is 1939, the city is Los Angeles, and you’re about to embark on one of the most famous murder mysteries in history: The Big Sleep. Scouting LA is paused for the moment, but that doesn't mean the fun has ended! Follow all my latest scouting posts from the West Coast at: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok.

In the deep movie location