Good Storytelling that I've Recently Encountered

For me, good story telling is essential for a good reading experience. If a novel is lacking a good story teller  I will proceed to completely lose my focus, leave the world within the book and enter my own imaginative universe within seconds. So clearly books lacking good storytellers have been struggles for me in the past. Because of my short attention span, I have a personal bias towards mystery genre's when it comes to reading. The general format for good murder novels are all the same: the characters are introduced, a question or thesis is presented which remains throughout the story, along the way small clues and pieces are introduced which represent a large and dramatic build-up to an eventual, mind-blowing finish. Now, how do you lose focus when your brain is constantly being stimulated by things like small clues and knowing that there is an eventual prize of an unexpected and fantastic ending coming your way? Personally, I never do. With that said, I would like to introduce a classic within the mystery genre, The Big Sleep written by the great Raymond Chandler. Chandler's books still continue to stir our minds and entangle us within our detective alter ego's, The Big Sleep being one of his most acclaimed stories. And although the book consisted of a lot of dialogue, Chandler's ability to tell the story from detective Phillip Marlowe's point of view is rather refreshing and inviting. I felt as though I was sitting next to a camp fire at night listening to Uncle Bob's intriguing, old voice as I was reading this story.
"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. 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. I was neat, clean, shaved, and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars." 


"I went quickly away from her down the room and out and down the tiled staircase to the front hall. I didn't see anybody when I left. I found my hat alone this time. Outside, the bright gardens had a haunted look, as though small wild eyes were watching me from behind the bushes, as though the sunshine itself had a mysterious something in its light. I got into my car and drove off down the hill. What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a high hill? You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that. Oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell." 


Here are two passages from the beginning and end of the novel. You can tell by Chandler's careful attention to detail and context that he has the traits of a good story teller. Notice he mentions things like date and time as well as what he is wearing; the more detail, the better in any mystery. He is also very thoughtful and contemplative as you can see towards the end of that second passage, questioning the significance of death. Chandler's The Big Sleep and all his other works are all great reads. I suggest them to any mature reader, especially someone looking for a good old-fashioned mystery or simply just a story with a good narrator.