The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett -- a review by Elleanore G. Vance

 

 

 Dashiell Hammett is probably best remembered for being the writer of The Maltese Falcon. Rightfully so. But today i want to talk to you about a piece that has now been largely lost to the sands of time, but was the basis for one of the first ever film franchises: The Thin Man. Originally printed in December 1933 by RedBook magazine, Alfred Knopf put it into book form the following new year. Later that same year we had The Thin Man movie, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick Charles is a retired detective of Greek descent, who had the luck to marry a beautiful, witty, and wealthy heiress: Nora. It's Christmas time and the pair arrive in New York where they will stay until after the new year, to avoid Nora's family. Inside a speakeasy, Nick is found by a Miss Dorothy Wynant, who is searching for her missing father, Clyde. At every turn, Nick insists that he's retired. He gives good advice to the others involved, all while Nora urges him to take the case. She wants to see a real life detective at work. Nick and Nora carouse all over the speakeasies of New York, sometimes with young Dorothy in tow; Not Working On The Wynant Disappearance, which in short order turns into the Julia Wolf murder. Detective John Guild heads the investigation, though he is, by definition of his role, hopelessly inept. Rounding out our cast we have Mimi Jorgensen-a Mommy Dearest style evil bitch, Gilbert Wynant-a young detective wannabe, and Herbert Macauley- Clyde Wynant's attorney. This is a fast-paced holiday homicide that is a perfect addition to any winter reading list. There are so many things I absolutely love about The Thin Man, and Nick and Nora. The six Thin man movies are played in a near constant rotation, and as far as further adventures of the Charles', that is all we have. All six movies give us the same three familiar faces: William Powell, Myrna Loy, and a white wire fox terrier as Asta. Hammett wrote the screen plays for After the Thin Man and Another Thin Man, but this was his final novel. For me, it is a Christmas Eve tradition to curl up with the Charles' for a dose of Christmas Murder Mystery, But it's a good read on any long winter night.

5/5