# Max Thaler — Red Harvest character guide > Max Thaler in Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Whisper, Thaler, alias Whisper, Max, VI Whisper, The Maxwell, Whisper call **First appearance:** 0001-red-harvest ## Snapshot Known as Whisper, he is Personville's most feared bootlegger and gunman, a soft-spoken power whose name alone makes hardened men reach for their coats. ## Who they are Whisper runs liquor, muscle, and favors through Personville's underworld, and his rivalry with the police chief Noonan and the Starkey crowd keeps the city's violence simmering. He is suspected of killing Dinah Brand, who double-crossed him, and the narrator deliberately feeds that suspicion to the police to keep the factions at each other's throats. His quiet menace and long reach make him the pivot on which much of the town's bloodshed turns. ## Relationships ### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/characters/the_narrator) _professional_ Max Thaler, a local businessman and minor political figure, interacts with the Narrator as a source of information and a cautious ally. ### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/characters/the_narrator) _professional_ Max Thaler, a local businessman and minor political figure, interacts with the Narrator as a source of information and a cautious ally. ## In the story ### [I: A Woman in Green and a Man in Gray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/i-a-woman-in-green-and-a-man-in-gray) Identified as a key figure in the town's underworld; glimpsed in a car outside the narrator's hotel. ### [II: The Czar of Poisonville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/ii-the-czar-of-poisonville) Spotted entering Donald Willsson's house, prompting the narrator to postpone his visit. ### [III: Dinah Brand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/iii-dinah-brand) Referred to as 'Whisper,' he is Dinah Brand's current man and a gambler. He is suspected of making a threatening phone call to Mrs. Willsson in a hoarse whisper. ### [IV: Hurricane Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/iv-hurricane-street) Referred to as Whisper; Dinah insists he did not kill Donald Willsson, citing his usual methods and weapon caliber. ### [VI: Whisper's Joint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/vi-whisper-s-joint) Barricaded in his joint with supporters; shares his account of Donald Willsson's murder and orchestrates a getaway. ### [VIII: A Tip on Kid Cooper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/viii-a-tip-on-kid-cooper) Whisper warns the narrator to leave town but gives a tip on the Kid Cooper fight. ### [IX: A Black Knife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/ix-a-black-knife) Mentioned as the source of the rumor; the Narrator looks for him at the fight but does not see him. ### [X: Crime Wanted—Male or Female](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/x-crime-wanted-male-or-female) Confronts Dinah about the fight, accuses her of selling him out, and warns the narrator to leave. ### [XI: The Swell Spoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xi-the-swell-spoon) Revealed as the killer of Tim Noonan; Dinah describes his alibi and his relationship with Myrtle Jennison. ### [XIII: —$200.10—](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xiii-200-10) Thaler orchestrates the ambush, confronts the narrator about Noonan's accusations, and is eventually captured. ### [XIV: Max](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xiv-max) Captured and refuses to talk; later escapes during a jailbreak. ### [XV: Cedar Hill Inn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xv-cedar-hill-inn) Target of the police raid; believed to be hiding at Cedar Hill Inn. ### [XVII: Reno](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xvii-reno) Referred to as a dangerous figure; the narrator admits framing him for a murder he did not commit. ### [XVIII: Painter Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xviii-painter-street) Mentioned as staying at Willsson's; Dinah fears him and the narrator considers turning him over to Noonan. ### [XIX: The Peace Conference](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xix-the-peace-conference) Attends the conference, listens coldly, and walks out after the Narrator reveals Jerry's betrayal. ### [XX: Laudanum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xx-laudanum) Identified as the killer of Noonan, and is now being hunted by Pete the Finn and Reno Starkey. ### [Wanted](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xxiv-wanted) Revealed to have been killed by Dan Rolff; his death is kept secret to manipulate his mob. ### [XXVI: Blackmail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xxvi-blackmail) Reported dead; the narrator theorizes Dan Rolff killed him with the ice pick. ### [XXVII: Warehouses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/chapters/xxvii-warehouses) Found dead, killed by Reno Starkey; his body is placed on a cot. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/characters/max_thaler - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/red_harvest_se/characters