This is an interesting look at the various iterations of plot development that an author can go through before creating a final major work. Killer in the Rain is a series of stories that Chandler "cannibalised" in his other novels, and refused to publish again during his lifetime, probably because they contain massive spoilers! I'm glad they were re-released posthumously, they are good stories in their own right. I'd advise not actually reading them unless you've already read the novels though, as those have superior plot and character development. It would be a shame to ruin the endings! All these stories have been sourced from delightfully trashy pulp fiction mystery magazines of the 30's (and 40's?) and it's great they've been salvaged for modern audiences.