The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - 3 stars (Steeplechase, BWF)

[Joy D]

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - 3* - My Review

Published in 1933, this murder mystery is set in New York in 1932 near the end of Prohibition. It features married couple Nick and Nora Charles. Nick is a former detective and Nora is a socialite. They are approached by the daughter of a former client named Wynant (who is missing). Nick and Nora initially decline to get involved but when Wynant’s secretary is murdered, they reconsider. It is a traditional “whodunnit.” It contains the required long list of suspects and red herrings. It is filled with hard drinking and witty banter. Nick and Nora are great characters, and I can see why it was made into a film. There is a rather long digression in the middle that has little to do with the story. It also includes an info dump of the resolution, where Nick explains everything. My main takeaway is that there was LOTS of drinking – it’s amazing that the main character could stay sober long enough to solve the mystery!

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "detective" x143:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT April BWF Extra T - fits letter, not tag

[Theresa]

It's one of the aspects of the film too - all that drinking and Nick is frequently obviously drunk. That level of 'acceptable' drinking continued into the 1980s.

I read all of Dashiell Hammett in my mid-20s, and enjoyed them but often found them a bit dry (reading not lack of alcohol of course!) and very hardcore detective/procedural which at the time I really didn't care for that much. I often think I should reread a couple to see how I react to them now.

[Joy D]

I do wonder, too, if Hammett was poking fun at the fact that Prohibition did not stop anyone from drinking.

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "I do wonder, too, if Hammett was poking fun at the fact that Prohibition did not stop anyone from drinking."

I nearly wrote that in my comment! Making it forbidden increased drinking....

[Booknblues]

I have never read anything by Hammet, but was always curious after reading Lillian Hellman's Pentimento ages ago.

It is one of those books I remember long after reading it.

[Sue]

I read this one for Historical Mystery in January. I agree that there was a large digression in the middle that led nowhere.