Phillip Marlowe, a private investigator, first sees Terry Lennox outside a club. Terry is very drunk and falls from his car. Marlowe picks him up and helps him get home. He similarly rescues Terry again when he's drunk on a street and attracting the attention of a cop. The two spend a few evenings together drinking gimlets until the day Terry arrives at Marlowe's apartment asking for a ride to the airport in Tijuana. Marlowe obliges and is soon questioned by the police for his involvement in helping Terry escape after killing his wife, Sylvia. Marlowe refuses to answer questions, which earns him several nights in jail until the police have word of Terry's suicide in Mexico and a signed confession. Marlowe thinks it's too convenient but can't prove anything.
He's approached by a book publisher.....
