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3.5 

The Thin Man

By Dashiell Hammett
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

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.

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136 Reviews

3.5
“Growing up one of my mother's favorite movies was the Thin Man. I can see why they would want to make this book into a classic movie. This book is a 1930s detective murder mystery, filled with great characters, humor and perfect vibes. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys film noirs, classic movies, Agatha Christie or just a light read with intrigue.”
“This may be the rare exception of a movie being better than a book. Certainly I’m a fan of Powell and Loy (who wouldn’t be?), and this is the first Hammett I’ve read, so it’s possible that I simply haven’t immersed myself. However, the book seems more convoluted in its mystery telling than the film, plus the characters in the book are significantly more ‘hard-boiled’ I guess you’d say. Certainly, the writing suffers from a 1930s zeitgeist in its treatment of race, class, etc. But the film is from the same era and doesn’t lean quite as hard in my estimation. Regardless, if you’re a fan of either, you should enjoy the other version to some degree.”
“had its fair share of issues but interesting characters and good banter”

About Dashiell Hammett

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.

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