Classic whodunit chosen as Denver's One Book

'The Thin Man' full of murder, mayhem and wit

By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 10, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Poll

This year's One Book, One Denver selection is "The Thin Man" by Dashiel Hammett. Are you going to read it?

Photo by Matt Mcclain / The Rocky

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper unveils Dashiell Hammett's classic detective novel The Thin Man as the title for this year's One Book, One Denver program at the central branch of the Denver Public Library.

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Take a corpse growing colder by the minute, a cast of skittish characters and a detective as interested in investigating where his next cocktail is coming from as any crime and you have a lively - if potentially controversial - focus for this year's One Book, One Denver.

Dashiell Hammett's classic novel, The Thin Man, is this year's pick for the community reading program. Mayor John Hickenlooper announced the choice Tuesday at the central branch of the Denver Public Library.

The title is a break from the past four picks, he noted, in that it's written by an author who is deceased. "In the fifth year, we thought we could take a little more freedom, be a little more adventurous. It's a lighter read, though it's got a lot of depth to it."

Hammett is often heralded as the father of the hard-boiled detective novel. He wrote scores of short stories, a novella and five novels, including the highly acclaimed The Maltese Falcon, which later became a movie staring Humphrey Bogart.

The Thin Man has been lauded for its spare realism and wit. Although written in 1934, the story "holds up beautifully well," said the mayor.

The story begins when former private detective Nick Charles is approached by Dorothy Wynant, the 20-year-old daughter of one of his past clients, the eccentric inventor Clyde Wynant. Dorothy hopes Nick can help her locate her father, who has disappeared.

Soon after, Clyde Wynant's secretary is found murdered - and the intrigue begins. Did the inventor kill her, as police suspect? Or could it have been any number of others in the Wynant family?

Through it all, the suave, wise-cracking Nick and his beautiful heiress wife, Nora, flirt with each other and trade sardonic quips, while drinking enough cocktails to drown Manhattan. The dashing couple was the subject of only one Hammett book, but inspired the popular series of Thin Man movies featuring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Hickenlooper acknowledged that drinking is prevalent in the story, quipping that at the city's final celebration for the book, there probably won't "be as much drinking as there is in this entire book."

The drinking is a potential sticking point, because One Book choices are vetted according to their appropriateness for high school students, who are often assigned the chosen title. The mayor has declined to choose Plainsong, a popular novel by Colorado author Kent Haruf, for the program, citing his concern about one vivid sex scene in the book.

Asked about possible objections to The Thin Man, he said, "We're not holding it up as any kind of model. That was not part of the process in choosing this book. . . . I'm sure it will be part of discussions on it, and that's not necessarily a bad thing."

If nothing else, the characters' astronomic cocktail count is sure to get book club members talking. And the city also is betting participants will be drawn to a host of events, including a film series of murder mysteries such as L.A. Confidential, Chinatown, and, of course, The Thin Man.

One Book, One Denver was begun in 2004 to promote community dialogue and literacy. Past titles, in order, have been: Peace Like A River, by Leif Enger; Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros; The Milagro Beanfield War, by John Nichols; and Articles of War, by Nick Arvin.

About the author

* Starting out: Samuel Dashiell Hammett was born May 27, 1894, and grew up in Philadelphia and Baltimore. He dropped out of school in his teens to help support his family. He was hired by the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1915. He served stateside during World War I. Contracting tuberculosis during the war, he struggled with fragile health the rest of his life.

*Writing: After the war, Hammett worked off and on as a detective for Pinkerton but grew disillusioned and quit to write fiction. His most productive period was between 1922 and 1931, when he wrote most of his stories and all of his novels except The Thin Man, which arrived in 1934. His writing faded after age 40.

*Patriot days: Hammett enlisted as a private in the Army in World War II at age 48, serving in the Aleutian Islands for three years. In the '50s, he was brought in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and blacklisted.

*Personal: Married and divorced once, he had a long relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman, whom he met in 1930. Though they never married, their friendship lasted until Hammett's death.

*Death: Broke and largely forgotten at age 67, Hammett died Jan. 10, 1961, after years of high living and heavy drinking.

*His work: Hammett is known for a spare writing style and tough, realistic, often morally flawed characters. His best known novels are The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. He also wrote a comic strip, Secret Agent X-9, and an original radio series, The Fat Man, and worked on film scripts.

*One Book events: Include a film series of murder mysteries, dramatic radio tapings and discussion groups. For a full listing, go to denvergov.org/one book

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Comments

September 10, 2008

9:04 a.m.

Suggest removal

blacksho89 writes:

Excellent choice!

As for the alcohol, well, it was acceptable in that time period. That is not an endorsement.

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