Racketeer Eddie Mars’s “best boy,” Lash Canino is a lethal hired assassin. He kills the grifter Harry Jones, who’d been snooping into Mars’s business, by lacing his whiskey with cyanide. Canino also keeps Mars’s wife Mona in hiding, to keep up the pretense that she ran away with the missing Rusty Regan. When private detective Philip Marlowe finds Mona’s hiding place, he has to kill Canino to protect himself and Mona, who helps Marlowe to escape.
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Lash Canino Character Timeline in The Big Sleep
The timeline below shows where the character Lash Canino appears in The Big Sleep. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 25
...tells Marlowe he noticed Rusty wasn’t around, and then noticed that Mars’s tough guy Lash Canino, who usually keeps his distance, was in town. Jones told this to Joe Brody, who...
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Chapter 26
...nasty building.” Marlowe finds the office on the fourth floor, and hears Jones’s voice identify Canino, with whom he is talking. Marlowe hears Canino respond menacingly.
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...stalks through the adjoining rooms to peer through a door into the room Jones and Canino are in. From his hiding place, the detective hears Canino telling Jones that “Eddie don’t...
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Jones gives Canino a weak excuse for why Agnes wants to talk to Marlowe, which doesn’t go down...
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Canino pours a couple of drinks for him and Jones. There is a sound of choking...
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...cyanide. Marlowe picks up the phone and finds the number for the address Jones gave Canino. The person who answers believes Marlowe’s pretense that he is a cop, and confirms there...
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...office when the phone rings. It’s Agnes. Marlowe tells her that Jones ran off when Canino started looking for him, though Agnes doesn’t believe Marlowe. Nevertheless, she wants the money and...
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Chapter 27
...what happened to Jones. Marlowe repeats the story that Jones ran for it, scared of Canino.
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Agnes recounts seeing Mona Mars driving with Canino in the car a couple weeks ago. Agnes was with Joe Brody at the time,...
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...town. Marlowe says he is a stranger in this town, and didn’t pull the heist. Canino tells Art to back off. Marlowe gets his first glance at Canino.
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Art sets off to sort out Marlowe’s tires. Canino pours himself and Marlowe a drink as they wait for Art. Marlowe sniffs the glass...
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...Unable to move his arms, Marlowe can’t reach his gun or protect his face from Canino’s punch. Marlowe falls unconscious from the second punch.
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Chapter 28
The woman explains that Canino looked through his pockets and found his wallet. In response to Marlowe’s question, she confirms...
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Mona becomes angry, repeating that Eddie is not a killer. Marlowe says Eddie orders Canino to kill, and that the detective has seen Canino kill. Wanting to fill the silence,...
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...She cuts the ropes holding Marlowe down, but doesn’t have the key for his handcuffs. Canino does. Mona explains she didn’t think Eddie was a killer. She collapses into a chair.
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...to convince “Silver-Wig” to go with him, but she won’t. The detective warns Mona that Canino might kill her, but she says she’s still his boss’s wife. Marlowe says Canino could...
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Chapter 29
Marlowe doesn’t run into Canino or Art as he goes back to his car in the pouring rain. He thinks...
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...gets his hidden gun out, and has to quickly hide to avoid the headlights of Canino’s returning car.
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...round as he can reach it, and walks back toward the house. He climbs into Canino’s empty car and turns the ignition, the motor sounding through the night. Marlowe then gets...
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Canino opens one of the house’s windows and fires three gun shots into the driver’s seat....
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The front door opens, and Mona steps out, with Canino holding a gun to her back. Mona screams and says she can see Marlowe behind...
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Marlowe gets up and calls Canino, who faces him. Marlowe shoots him four times and Canino falls to the ground, dead....
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Chapter 30
...Gregory at the Missing Persons Bureau. The cop has heard all about Marlowe’s encounter with Canino. The Captain asks who told Marlowe where Mona was hiding, and Marlowe tells him about...
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...Mona to the police the previous night, but Eddie had said he hadn’t realized that Canino was a killer, and claimed he hadn’t heard about Geiger’s racket.
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...the private detective “played it smart” by telling the police everything about his encounter with Canino. Marlowe explains he and Mona had filed statements and the police let Mona go.
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...had taken them to Jones’s office to show them the body, and they had found Canino’s print to verify Marlowe’s version of events. Later, Eddie Mars had also gone to Wilde’s...
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Chapter 32
...sitting room, led by the maid Mathilda. Mrs. Regan calls him a “brute” for killing Canino and terrifying Carmen into a fit. Marlowe asks how Carmen is doing, and Mrs. Regan...
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...as Eddie will want to kill him. Marlowe isn’t scared—he already killed Eddie’s “best boy” (Canino). Marlowe leaves.
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