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A review by holtfan
Return of the Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
3.0
I haven't been able to track down a copy of The Thin Man movie so I decided to assuage my sudden obsession with Nick and Nora by listening to Return of the Thin Man. It isn't really a sequel so much as the rough screen play for the second and third Thin Man movies. Before each story there is an essay of sorts about the movie production and the difficulties between the movie studios and Dashiell Hammet. While this made a wonderful audio book, this separation of story and essay was hard to picture, since it felt repetitive and jarring sometimes.
I really enjoyed the first of the two screen plays (After the Thin Man). It involves Nora's relatives and gives a fascinating glimpse into their relationship. It lacked some of the darker elements of The Thin Man and replaced it with more humor. I didn't care as much for Another Thin Man. While Baby Nickey had great promise and the story occasionally felt charming, the overall presentation felt less pulled together and it had more gruesome elements.
Throughout, I often struggled with remembering who was who as a host of young men dot the pages only to fade into obscurity and then come bursting forth as relevant to later plot points.
Overall, though, engaging and satisfying enough to fill my cravings for more of this delightful detective duo. I wish there were more. (But from the way Hammett behaved towards his characters and in his personal life, it probably is a good thing there were not.)
I really enjoyed the first of the two screen plays (After the Thin Man). It involves Nora's relatives and gives a fascinating glimpse into their relationship. It lacked some of the darker elements of The Thin Man and replaced it with more humor. I didn't care as much for Another Thin Man. While Baby Nickey had great promise and the story occasionally felt charming, the overall presentation felt less pulled together and it had more gruesome elements.
Throughout, I often struggled with remembering who was who as a host of young men dot the pages only to fade into obscurity and then come bursting forth as relevant to later plot points.
Overall, though, engaging and satisfying enough to fill my cravings for more of this delightful detective duo. I wish there were more. (But from the way Hammett behaved towards his characters and in his personal life, it probably is a good thing there were not.)