The Fourth One

It's been awhile, but I am still here.

Welcome to Finals Week at my school. Half days until Thursday and all I have to do is grade. In honor of not having to write lesson plans this past weekend, I opted instead to read a book. My books-to-read list is ridiculously long, as is my books-I'm-currently-reading list. In spite of these two glaring facts, I still decided that instead of reading one of those books, I would read a new one: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.

I am, admittedly, a fan of the Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. When I found out they were based on a book, I knew I would have to read it. The Thin Man marks my first foray into the world of mystery noir and I found I liked it very much. Having seen the movies and already fallen in love with the characters, I'm not sure much could have dissuaded me from enjoying the book.

If you have seen The Thin Man (1934), then you know "whodunnit" along with all the characters and the roles they play. As with most books-turned-movies, the plot in the book is a little more complex and the minor characters a little more well-rounded. I very much enjoy the sarcasm employed by the most of the characters and the detached, nonchalant attitude Nick Charles seems to have toward whoever he is dealing with:

"I won't believe it." She stood up working her fingers together. "I won't. I won't." Her face was sick with fear, her voice strained, unreal as a ventriloquist's. "I won't believe it."

"That'll help a lot," I said. (95)

Aside from this, however, I did find myself a bit disappointed. Most of the charm from the movies comes not from the cases being investigated, but from the interaction between the Charles'. This interaction is played perfectly by Powell and Loy. What Hammett writes in his story only serves to whet the appetite of the reader.

Over all, I liked it. It was quick and easy and fun and it made me thirsty for more, which is why I am currently looking at a copy of one of Dashiell Hammett's other well-known stories, The Maltese Falcon.

Favorite quotation from The Thin Man, courtesy of Guild and Gilbert:

"Did that bum smack you just to be doing something?"

"No, no, it was my fault. I- I did resist."

"Oh, well," Guild said, "nobody likes to be arrested, I guess." (173)