The Thin Man

Dashiell Hammett

Jan 2011 · Sold by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

About this eBook

Dashiell Hammett's classic The Thin Man introduced the world to Nick and Nora Charles, further made famous by the popular Thin Man films. With a new introduction by Denise Mina.

Nick Charles seems to find trouble wherever he goes. He thinks his sleuthing days are behind him when Julia Wolf, a former acquaintance, turns up dead. Nick—thanks to some persuasion from his enchanting wife, Nora—finds himself falling back into old habits and making a few polite inquiries. The prime suspect, Julia’s lover and boss Clyde Miller Wynant, has vanished without a trace. Everyone is after him, but Nick is not so sure Wynant is the culprit. And when another dubious figure bursts into their bedroom, waving a loaded handgun, it seems Nick and Nora’s adventure is only just beginning. 

Nick and Nora Charles are among Dashiell Hammett’s most alluring creations: a rich, glamourous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners.

Ratings and reviews

My first-ever reading of this particular Dashiell Hammett mystery, and I must say, it was an entertaining trip. I've been a fan of the film classic series The Thin Man, starring Myrna Loy and William Powell, and re-watch the first film at least once a year. The way Loy and Powell bring to life the witty banter and playful love between Nick and Nora is a constant joy. Now that I've read the book, I immediately watched the film again. I'll forgive Hollywood the need to set up the back-story about oddball inventor, Wynant, because in the book he appears not at all and is only described and "seen" through the eyes of the rest of the characters. However, I really didn't like the portrayal of Dorothy, nor the addition of an unnecessary fiancé. In the book, Dorothy and her mother Mimi are both tiresomely repetitive in their boozy-floozy ways and the reader is constantly reminded that Mimi is manipulative and that Dorothy fluctuates between fearful of her mother, dismissive of her own loose behavior, and drunkenly apologetic to Nick and Nora. Despite their unlikable qualities, the characters are definitely a contrast affording the reader a clear view of Nick Charles as he casually gathers up loose threads to weave the mystery together. I'll not spoil the plot for you unfortunates who have yet to read this worthwhile slim volume and get to know these colorful characters for yourself. This is a fast read and, as I've said, quite entertaining. The Thin Man is a seminal example of the mystery genre, and is a classic for good reason. I'll end by saying that I didn't find it as gripping as The Maltese Falcon, but I'll always have a soft spot for Nick and Nora.

Nick and Nora are quite enjoyable, and the dialogue is fun, but the story is choppy at best.

About the author

Dashiell Samuel Hammett was born in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. He grew up in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Hammett left school at the age of fourteen and held several kinds of jobs thereafter—messenger boy, newsboy, clerk, operator, and stevedore, finally becoming an operative for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency. Sleuthing suited young Hammett, but World War I intervened, interrupting his work and injuring his health. When Sergeant Hammett was discharged from the last of several hospitals, he resumed detective work. He soon turned to writing, and in the late 1920s Hammett became the unquestioned master of detective-story fiction in America. In The Maltese Falcon (1930) he first introduced his famous private eye, Sam Spade. The Thin Man (1932) offered another immortal sleuth, Nick Charles. Red Harvest (1929), The Dain Curse (1929), and The Glass Key (1931) are among his most successful novels. During World War II, Hammett again served as sergeant in the Army, this time for more than two years, most of which he spent in the Aleutians. Hammett’s later life was marked in part by ill health, alcoholism, a period of imprisonment related to his alleged membership in the Communist Party, and by his long-time companion, the author Lillian Hellman, with whom he had a very volatile relationship. His attempt at autobiographical fiction survives in the story “Tulip,” which is contained in the posthumous collection The Big Knockover (1966, edited by Lillian Hellman). Another volume of his stories, The Continental Op (1974, edited by Stephen Marcus), introduced the final Hammett character: the “Op,” a nameless detective (or “operative”) who displays little of his personality, making him a classic tough guy in the hard-boiled mold—a bit like Hammett himself.