The Thin Man

The Thin Man is a mystery novel by Dashiell Hammett, first published in a condensed version in Redbook magazine in 1933 and then as a book in 1934. It was Hammett’s sixth novel and the only one to feature Nick and Nora Charles. The book’s popularity led to a radio series and six films that continued the adventures of the couple. The novel follows retired private detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife, Nora, as they are drawn into the world of crime when one of Nick’s previous clients, Clyde Wynant, disappears. Instead of finding him, they find murder victims who appear to have been killed by Wynant. Nick isn’t convinced, however. Nick and Nora eat, drink, and detect their way through Prohibition-era New York to solve the mystery of Wynant’s disappearance.

This guide refers to the 1992 First Vintage Crime/Black Lizard edition.

Content Warning: This text deals with violent crime and features outdated language, stereotypes, and assumptions about gender and mental health. It also references drug addiction and suicide.

Plot Summary

Nick Charles, a 41-year-old ex-detective who narrates the novel, waits at a New York City speakeasy for his wife, Nora, to finish Christmas shopping. A young woman introduces herself as Dorothy Wynant, the daughter of one of Nick’s previous clients, an inventor named Clyde Wynant. She hasn’t had contact with her father for years and wants to find him. Nick suggests that she talk to Herbert Macaulay, Wynant’s lawyer. The next day, Macaulay arranges a meeting with Nick, asking why both Dorothy and Wynant’s ex-wife, Mimi Jorgensen, have been looking for Wynant. Nick says he doesn’t know.

On the following day, Mimi finds Wynant’s secretary and mistress, Julia Wolf, shot dead in her apartment. The police start looking for Wynant because they think he might have been involved in the murder. Nick tells Nora that Wynant is tall and thin and that Nick helped him after he received death threats from a man named Victor Rosewater, who said Wynant stole his inventions. Dorothy comes to a cocktail party that Nick and Nora host and begins to cry about her father. Nick takes a call from someone who says he has a proposition for him but hangs up (apparently in distress) before giving the details.

On Christmas Eve, Dorothy arrives drunk at Nick and Nora’s apartment. Evidently upset, she brandishes a gun and passes out. Nick takes the gun. On Christmas morning, the three have breakfast when Mimi arrives with her new husband, Chris Jorgensen. Mimi tries to get Nick to help her find Wynant, but Nick declines. She tells Nick the police are looking for a gangster named Morelli, who they think was Julia’s lover. The Jorgensens ask Nick and Nora to dinner the next night.

That night, Shep Morelli forces his way into their hotel room to tell Nick he is innocent. The police knock on the door and scare Morelli into shooting. Nick knocks over Nora, who is in the way of the bullet, and tackles Morelli. The police subdue Morelli. When Nora wakes up, she’s upset she didn’t get to see Nick in action, a comment that impresses the policeman in charge, John Guild. Nick was grazed by the shot. The police search the house and find Dorothy’s gun.

The next day, the newspapers contain inflated reports of Nick’s gunshot wound. Dorothy arrives, badly beaten by Mimi and wanting to help nurse Nick in exchange for a place to stay. Nick gets a telegram from Wynant saying he wants Nick to investigate Julia’s murder. Nick and Nora go to the Jorgensens’ for dinner, and Mimi tries to get information out of Nick. She gets irritated when he says Dorothy is staying in their hotel room.

Later, Guild tells Nick that Dorothy’s gun was rusted and useless, so it could not have been the murder weapon. He also says Macaulay told them that Wynant was leaving town for a project and wanted no one to know where he was, including Julia, though he would occasionally meet her to get money. The total amount was $28,500, but the last $5,000 is missing. There was no sign of robbery, as Julia still wore her engagement ring. Mimi called Julia at 2:30 pm to ask her to meet and found Julia’s body around 3:20 pm. They know about Morelli being her lover from a police informant, Arthur Nunheim. Macaulay shows Nick a letter from Wynant saying he wants Nick to take the case. It suggests Nick look into Rosewater. Guild calls to say Wynant tried to die by suicide in Pennsylvania.

Dorothy’s brother, Gilbert Wynant, is waiting in Nick and Nora’s hotel room. Nick tells him about Wynant’s suicide attempt and realizes Chris Jorgensen looks like Rosewater. Nick and Nora visit Studsy Burke, a colleague of Morelli’s. Studsy says Morelli couldn’t have killed Julia as he was at the speakeasy the entire time. When they get home, they learn the suicide victim wasn’t Wynant. Nick sees Guild and mentions Jorgensen looks like Rosewater. Nick asks about Wynant’s workshop, and Guild says they haven’t looked into it. They go to see Nunheim and ask about Julia. Nunheim escapes out a window. When Guild calls to tell the police, he gets confirmation that Jorgensen is Rosewater.

Gilbert and Mimi want to see Nick again, so Nick goes to their apartment. Mimi asks what would happen if she were found concealing evidence but then denies having any when Nick tells her Jorgensen is actually Rosewater. Nick assumes she was keeping something for blackmail. Gilbert tells Nick a letter arrived for Jorgensen from his other wife, which confirms he’s Rosewater. Guild tells Nick that Nunheim has been gunned down.

Nick, Nora, and Dorothy go to Studsy’s, where Morelli apologizes for shooting Nick. Morelli says he’s known Julia since they were kids. After she got out of jail, she got a job with Wynant, thinking she could rob him, but ended up not needing to since he started taking care of her. They take Dorothy home and find the police with Mimi. Nick tells her to be honest. She says she took a distinctive watch chain from Julia’s hand that was Wynant’s.

Nick asks if the workshop has been searched. Guild says no and that Nunheim was hanging around Julia’s apartment at the time of the murder. When Nick goes to leave, Dorothy reveals that Gilbert saw their father and was told who the killer is. Mimi flies into a rage, and Nora and Nick subdue her. Back at their apartment, Dorothy can’t tell them anything further, and Nick declares he wants to go back to San Francisco.

Macaulay says Guild is starting to suspect Nick and that he is going to tell the police he saw Wynant in a cab near Julia’s apartment right after the murder. Wynant called Macaulay that morning, wanting a meeting with the three of them. He tells Nora that Nick saved his life during the war, but Nick plays it off. Guild tells Nick that Rosewater/Jorgensen married Mimi and spent all her money knowing she was Wynant’s ex-wife and that he may not be divorced from his previous wife. Also, Julia’s old boyfriend was about to get out of jail, which is where her ring came from and why she was quitting her job. It leaves jealousy as a motive for Wynant killing her. A police officer brings in a badly beaten Gilbert. Gilbert had let himself into Julia’s apartment with a key and was beaten up while resisting arrest. Gilbert says he got a letter from Wynant with the key, asking him to retrieve and burn a letter in a specific book. A search turns up no book or paper.

Nick stresses again that the police should search Wynant’s workshop. Nick takes Gilbert home. Mimi says they just missed Wynant. He gave her a stack of bonds and a check for $10,000. Nick calls Macaulay, who says he had another letter from Wynant saying he gave Mimi the bonds and money. Nick calls Guild and tells him Wynant was just at Mimi's. Guild arrives and reveals that a decomposed body was found in pieces in the workshop. From the clothes, they think he was a large man who walked with a cane and had the initials D.W.Q. Nick says it’s Wynant. He tells Mimi that if she goes along with being paid to say Wynant is alive, Macaulay controls the fortune, whereas if Wynant is dead, the estate comes to her children and thus her. She turns to Macaulay and calls him a “son of a bitch” (192). When Macaulay moves to escape, Nick knocks him out.

Nick gets home and tells Nora that Macaulay lost a lot of money because of bad investments, so he teamed up with Julia to embezzle from Wynant. When Wynant discovered it, Macaulay killed him. Macaulay buried him with the wrong clothes to mislead the police. Macaulay was afraid Julia would reveal their plot, so he killed her. Nunheim saw him and tried to blackmail him. Macaulay forged letters to point fingers at Wynant. Mimi didn’t use the evidence of the watch chain Macaulay planted because she hoped to blackmail Wynant (thinking he was still alive). Macaulay finally told Mimi he would split the estate with her if she said she saw Wynant. Mimi agreed until Nick revealed Macaulay tricked her. Nora asks what will happen to everyone, and Nick says they’ll just go on being themselves, which Nora finds “pretty unsatisfactory” (201).