How does Chandler characterise Joe Brody in "The Big Sleep?"

... How does Chandler characterise Joe Brody? * The characterisation of Joe Brody is initiated very early on in the novel. Inevitably, since Joe does not actually appear until page 78, this characterisation begins with what is said about Brody by other characters in the novel and the narrator. It should be noted however that character's testimonies are to be recognised as being of varying levels of reliability. On page 16 of the novel, Marlowe is being briefed by General Sternwood with regards to his assignment as a private detective investigating an alleged blackmailer. As he is giving some background information, Sternwood refers to an earlier incident in which he paid Joe Brody $5,000 'to let my daughter alone.' This immediately creates the impression that Brody is a rather unscrupulous person, accepting money to end his own involvement with a young woman. It also suggests that he possibly inhabits a lurid world

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