The Thin Man The Thin Man The Thin Man (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in the December 1933 issue of "Redbook". It appeared in book form the following month. Hammett never wrote a sequel but the book became the basis for a successful six-part film series, which also began in 1934 with "The Thin Man" and starred William Powell and Myrna Loy. "The Thin Man" television series aired on NBC from 1957-59, and starred Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk . In 1999, Knopf published a collection of Hammett's early works, including an early draft of "The Thin Man".
The Thin Man Hammett's papers in 2011, together with instructions by Hammett for incorporation of additional elements written by screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, were edited by Hammett's biographer Richard Layman in collaboration with Hammett's granddaughter Julie M. Rivett and published as novellas in "Return of the Thin Man" in 2012. The story is set in New York City in December 1932, in the last days of Prohibition. The main characters are a former private detective, Nick Charles and Nora his clever young wife. Nick, son of a Greek immigrant, has given up his career since marrying Nora, a wealthy socialite and