After being shortlisted in the Penguin design award I chose to revamp the back cover, removing the busy pattern which drew the eye away from the text and replace it with a far more balanced and easier to read design. I left a band of pattern where the bellyband would rest  if the book were in stores.

The front cover alone is minimal and rather cryptic, fitting for the mystery genre, it is only when we see the full design (bellyband included) do we see the full story. A five chambered revolver cylinder, each chamber emptying as the belly band descends. The relevance to the 5 chambered weapon does not become fully apparent to the reader until near the climax of the story. The only revolver mentioned in the book with 5 chambers is owned by Carmen Sternwood, who is the murderer of Rusty and also a central role to the plot.
A relover chamber emptying creates a connection to death an obvious theme in the book. The cover could also be seen as a foreshadowing to the final confrontation  between Carmen and Marlowe.