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

a great listen on every level!

story, characters and storytelling stand the test of time. very much enjoyed this iconic book.

pleasantly surprised

I was really surprised at how well the story and dialogue holds up. The themes work well for a modern audience, as well.

Great performances take me back to old movies

This would definitely be better as a movie (which I know it is) or a play. I suspect the visual aspect would add to the experience. All in all, I enjoyed it though! The performance was on point for the era.

Reader made this hard to like

Love the Thin Man! Have seen all the movies, & read all the books. I was so looking forward to listening . . . But the narration fell so short of my expectations, listening at all wasn’t a good experience. I only continued because the writing is so good

The Thin Man is straight ahead prose

Sparse, humorous and timeless story-telling from a master. The charactërs unfold the plot and leave me wanting more, right up to the end.

Not as expected

The detail and the "wanderings" throughout became so much that I lost track of the main story. The narrator was ok for the men, but he needs to work on his female voices. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book for enjoyable listening.

Fun listen and intriguing mystery

I enjoyed the characters and the mystery, which kept me guessing right to the end. The narration was excellent, and the different voices - especially Nick's - fit the characters well.

Superb and Awesome!!!!

I love 💕 everything about detectives and mysteries. Also, the authors who had the minds to come up with the plots, scenes, clues, victims, and the criminals to the crimes.

Hard for narrator to equal William Powell

The story demonstrates how difficult it is to be in the middle of uncertainty. The reader isn’t very good at voicing the various characters but the story triumphs despite the presentation.

A fun read!

This book made me smile. The witty banter and 80 year old slang was fun to read. The mystery is often referred to as hard-boiled. By modern standards it isn't at all. But it is the perfect, old-fashioned detective story. I could see the fashion, smell the cigarette smoke and taste the gin. I liked Nick and Nora Charles well enough that I wished for sequels to this wonderful book. Unfortunately there aren't any.