The Search Ends in a New Assignment

The Big Sleep

The investigation’s discoveries close several immediate cases but transform the Regan inquiry into a knowingly impossible promise.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Job Apparently Finished A Job Apparently Finished from "The Big Sleep". A Job Apparently Finished The visible assignment ends Norris tells Philip Marlowe that the General considers the Geiger matter complete.

A Job Apparently Finished from "The Big Sleep". A Job Apparently Finished The visible assignment ends Norris tells Philip Marlowe that the General considers the Geiger matter complete.

A Job Apparently Finished The visible assignment ends Norris tells Philip Marlowe that the General considers the Geiger matter complete. Marlowe returns the notes and plans to destroy the photographs. A false conclusion The immediate blackmail threat has receded, but the central disappearance remains. Marlowe’s sense of unfinished work outlasts the household’s official closure.

Gregory’s Warning Gregory’s Warning from "The Big Sleep". Gregory’s Warning A limit proposed Captain Gregory tells Philip Marlowe to leave the Sternwoods alone if he truly wants to help them.

Gregory’s Warning from "The Big Sleep". Gregory’s Warning A limit proposed Captain Gregory tells Philip Marlowe to leave the Sternwoods alone if he truly wants to help them.

Gregory’s Warning A limit proposed Captain Gregory tells Philip Marlowe to leave the Sternwoods alone if he truly wants to help them. Marlowe says he will not search for Regan. A promise soon tested Gregory understands that Marlowe’s answer may not be final. Marlowe returns home unable to sleep, sensing that the Captain knows more than he admits.

The Sleepless Hunch The Sleepless Hunch from "The Big Sleep". The Sleepless Hunch An unresolved suspicion Philip Marlowe lies awake replaying the events at Realito and decides that Captain Gregory knows something.

The Sleepless Hunch from "The Big Sleep". The Sleepless Hunch An unresolved suspicion Philip Marlowe lies awake replaying the events at Realito and decides that Captain Gregory knows something.

The Sleepless Hunch An unresolved suspicion Philip Marlowe lies awake replaying the events at Realito and decides that Captain Gregory knows something. The apparent end of the case cannot quiet his mind. A return to the family When Norris calls, Marlowe agrees to see the General again. The decision renews the investigation before he has a clear theory or a safe path forward.

The General’s New Terms The General’s New Terms from "The Big Sleep". The General’s New Terms A clarified purpose General Guy Sternwood explains that he wants only direct assurance that Terence Regan is safe.

The General’s New Terms from "The Big Sleep". The General’s New Terms A clarified purpose General Guy Sternwood explains that he wants only direct assurance that Terence Regan is safe.

The General’s New Terms A clarified purpose General Guy Sternwood explains that he wants only direct assurance that Terence Regan is safe. He offers a new payment and releases Marlowe from any duty to bring Regan home. The mystery persists The request restores the search under a more humane description. Marlowe accepts without telling the General that the answer is already known.

The Big Sleep Ending The Big Sleep Ending from "The Big Sleep". The Big Sleep Ending The detective leaves Philip Marlowe leaves the Sternwood estate and thinks about Terence Regan’s body in the sump.

The Big Sleep Ending from "The Big Sleep". The Big Sleep Ending The detective leaves Philip Marlowe leaves the Sternwood estate and thinks about Terence Regan’s body in the sump.

The Big Sleep Ending The detective leaves Philip Marlowe leaves the Sternwood estate and thinks about Terence Regan’s body in the sump. He understands that he has become part of the family’s concealed reality. A promise without a search The General is left waiting for news Marlowe cannot truthfully deliver. Death, rather than investigation, closes the novel’s central mystery.

after the two public murder cases close

after the Realito shooting

the afternoon before the final interview

the final morning

the final paragraph