The Thin Man

By: Dashiell Hammett

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The Thin Man introduces Nick and Nora Charles, New York's coolest crime-solving couple. Nick retired from detecting after his wife inherited a tidy sum, but six years later a pretty blonde spies him at a speakeasy and asks for his help finding her father, an eccentric inventor who was once Nick's client.

Nick can no more resist the case than a morning cocktail or a good fight, and soon he and Nora are caught in a complicated web of confused identities and cold-blooded murder.

©1934 Alfred A. Knopf. Copyright renewed 1961, 1962 by Dashiell Hammett. All rights reserved. (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Enjoyed

Great book always enjoyed the movies and the book was a bit different as they usually are but was just as enjoyable would recommend to anybody who like a good detective story.

Old fashioned who dun it

in my mind not Hammett's best, but enjoyable. Not as big a fan of the protagonist as in his other stories. The narrator was adequate.

Nick & Nora you have to love them.

The narration is amazing. The story with it's twists and turns are perfection overall.

Always stick with a classic.

Don't be fooled by imitations; Dashiell Hammett is the Real McCoy when it comes to pulp fiction. He was a private dick who saw it all before he wrote about it, and it sure reads as good as it lives.

Hammett’s finest

Truly the best iteration of the best author to come out of the pulps era! Great story, great voice acting, great production values! 👍👍

Fun mystery

Former detective Nick Charles is visiting a speakeasy with his socialite wife, Nora, when a friend from his past stops by the table. Nick has known Dorothy Wynant since she was a teenager. Now the young woman is asking Nick for his help. Her father, Inventor Clyde Wynant, hasn't been seen in years. Dorothy is trying to locate him. Nick steers her toward Clyde's attorney. The next day Nick learns that Clyde's secretary, Julia Wolfe, has been murdered. Nick and Nora are quickly dragged into the murder investigation.

This was a fun mystery with lots of suspects. Nick and Nora are a hard-drinking, wise-cracking duo that I loved. The audiobook narration by William Dufris was fast-paced and matched the tempo of the story.

More “noir” than the movie…great book with a less-great narrator

If you’ve seen Wm Powell and the adorable Myrna Loy in the film version of this title, be advised that you get a lot less of her, and he is a darker character, yet still charming— just not as twinkling a personality. An insane and worrisome amount of alcohol consumption (mostly by Nick), which made me (a cocktail fan and regular alcohol consumer) squirm. This narrator has read loads of books over a big and successful career, but I felt he failed to capture the 1920s feel of the writing here, and it got on my nerves. I had to sort of re-narrate it in my mind as I went along. Might not bug others as much as it did me— but I dislike Elliott Gould’s readings of Raymond Chandler for the same reason.

Well done. Compelling listening

Would you listen to The Thin Man again? Why?

I wish there were more stories available from this author.

Would you be willing to try another book from Dashiell Hammett? Why or why not?

Absolutely yes

Which character ??? as performed by William Dufris ??? was your favorite?

All. He is very good at playing multiple characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

not really

Classic worth reading

While tame and dated, The Thin Man is a classic worth reading. It offers a glimpse into New York elite life of the time. The story and mystery hold up today. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the outcome. And the characters themselves, although somewhat one-dimensional, held some interest. It may have been light in clues to help identify the killer, The ending detailed explanation of what had happened. was tedious and uninspired.

The audio performance was decent although some character voices were stereotypical and labored.

Just an enjoyable "read"

This is a fun novel, and William Dufris is the PERFECT man to read this. He captures the sarcasm and personality of the first person narrative beautifully! I highly recommend this book! Also, if you've seen the movie, they had made some changes, so there are still some surprises in store!