Although characters and stories like Sam Spade and The Maltese Falcon are famous the world over, Dashiel Hammett wrote only five full-length novels in his career. Now two new stories have been discovered in his papers.

Following the enormous success of 'The Thin Man' movie in 1934, Hammett wrote two novellas starring the same retired private investigator Nick Charles and his former debutante wife Nora. Written with classic, barbed Hammett dialogue, these two novellas have finally come to light. Together they make The Return of the Thin Man, the first new Dashiell Hammett book in nearly half a century.

Dashiell Hammett died in 1961. His influence inspired writers as diverse as Raymond Chandler and William Burroughs and changed the face of crime writing forever.