Read-along – Thin Man (3 of 3)

Chapters 25-31 – and After the Thin Man

“. . . it’s all pretty unsatisfactory.”

We’ve finished reading The Thin Man! What did you think of the denouement? Share a comment below to tell us how you found it.

Here are my thoughts on the final section:

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If you’re not quite ready to leave The Thin Man behind, unfortunately Hammett didn’t write any more novels, but he did work on the screenplays of two film sequels and there were three more after that. If you want to know what happened next to Nick and Nora, here are summaries of the five film sequels, courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes.

After the Thin Man (1936)

Recently returned home from vacation, private detective Nick Charles and his socialite wife, Nora, are back on the case when Nora’s cousin, Selma (Elissa Landi), reports her husband Robert (Alan Marshal) missing. As the duo search for the disreputable Robert, Selma’s friend David Graham (James Stewart), who secretly pines for her, aids the investigation. When the three begin to unravel Robert’s secret life, the missing persons case turns into one of murder.

Another Thin Man (1939)

Retired detective Nick Charles and his wife, Nora, accept an invitation to visit family friend Col. Burr MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith) at his Long Island, N.Y., estate. Soon after arriving with their new son, Nick Jr., and family dog Asta in tow, MacFay is murdered, and the Charles family must unravel a mystery that may implicate the most unlikely of suspects.

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

In San Francisco, retired Detective Nick Charles and his attractive wife, Nora, learn from police Lt. Abrams of the murder of a race jockey, but Nick refuses to get involved. Approached later by athletics commission head Major Jason Scully and reporter Paul Clarke (Barry Nelson), Nick still declines to investigate. When another reporter is murdered and Paul is arrested, Nick gives way to Nora’s plea and, with their fox terrier Asta, sets out to solve the murders.

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

Famous retired detective Nick Charles takes his wife, Nora, and their dog, Asta, to visit Nick’s parents in their small, quiet town. Determined that Nick’s father respect Nick’s profession, Nora urges him to find a crime to investigate, unaware that Nick’s presence has already frightened spy Edgar Draque (Leon Ames) into action. After Nora buys a painting for Nick’s birthday and the artist is murdered, Nick discovers that the murder is connected to espionage.

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Tommy Drake (Philip Reed), a musician aboard a gambling ship, is shot and killed while trying to break into a safe. Later, amateur sleuths Nick and Norah receive a visit from Phil Brant, Drake’s former boss and the the main suspect in his murder. After they give Brant up to the authorities, they start digging around for clues. The pair question Brant’s wife and one of Drake’s musician colleagues until they start to piece together the intricate puzzle.

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On a completely separate note, I was delighted to be a guest on the excellent Minor Books podcast recently.

You can listen our discussion here. I spoke to Nikhil Krishnan and Raph Cormack about Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima (which I wrote about in August) and That Smell by Sonallah Ibrahim.

Penguin Modern Classics | 128 pages | translated by Geraldine Harcourt

New Directions | 120 pages | translated by Robyn Cresswell

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And finally, if you’re in the UK and you enjoyed the Christmas Quiz I shared recently, just a reminder that I’ve written another quiz in a similar style that will be in the Sunday Telegraph this weekend. Here’s a clue about the Christmassy theme:

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I hope you enjoyed reading The Thin Man. If you would like to join our next read-along, we’re going to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy in 2025, starting in January.

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All the posts related to our The Thin Man read-along are collected here.