Tanner Bolt Character Analysis in Gone Girl

Nick’s lawyer. Tanner Bolt is a cheesy but well-known criminal lawyer who has made a career of getting guilty men—often men who have killed their wives—acquitted of their crimes. Tanner has a healthy sense of humor about how strange and psychotic Nick’s case is, and yet wields his expertise almost like a weapon as he helps his new client wade through the endless gauntlet of media appearances, public opinion, police investigations, and—in the midst of it all—finding evidence to support Nick’s argument that Amy has “kidnapped” herself and is framing Nick for her murder as vengeance for his affair with Andie.

Tanner Bolt Character Timeline in Gone Girl

The timeline below shows where the character Tanner Bolt appears in Gone Girl. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Nick picks up the phone and finally calls a lawyer. He phones a man named Tanner Bolt—a somewhat cheesy but effective criminal lawyer whose nickname is the “Hubby Hawk.” He’s known... (full context)

Nick arrives on the twenty-sixth floor of a large midtown high-rise—Tanner Bolt’s office. Nick “pre-hate[s]” Tanner Bolt due to his sleazy reputation, but is surprised to... (full context)

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Tanner Bolt finally calls Nick into his stately office for a meeting. He gets down to... (full context)

Tanner asks Nick to make a list of “all the nice things” he’s done for Amy... (full context)

Nick calls Tanner to tell him seven unbelievable words: “I think my wife is framing me.” Tanner doesn’t... (full context)

...asks Nick if he’s been to Hannibal lately—he deflects the question, insisting Boney talk to Tanner Bold. Boney is bemused by Nick’s choice of a lawyer—Tanner, she remarks, is “the guy... (full context)

An hour later, Tanner arrives at Go’s house. He, Nick, and Go all settle down together at the kitchen... (full context)

Nick continues explaining each of Amy’s twisting, rhyming clues, laying out for Tanner the diabolical intent behind each one. He admits that he was sidelined by the warm,... (full context)

As Tanner looks at all the steps of the treasure hunt, he points out that there are... (full context)

Tanner, Nick, and Go search every nook and cranny of Bill’s house, but don’t turn up... (full context)

As Tanner goes over the many ways in which the cops could see any admissions about the... (full context)

...and once the door is shut, they immediately begin asking him why he would hire Tanner Bolt—a lawyer for guilty people. They are sad, distressed, and clearly strung out. Marybeth demands... (full context)

...kill his wife after all. His mood is shattered, though, when the doorbell rings and Tanner and Go arrive—Tanner is furious, and warns Nick to never do something like that again.... (full context)

Tanner is able to admit, though, that conditions are good for Nick—at least for the moment—and... (full context)

Tanner warns Nick, however, that he’ll need to use the Schieber interview to come clean about... (full context)

That evening, Nick, Go, and Tanner drive together to a fancy hotel in St. Louis—the spot where the interview will take... (full context)

The next day—the day of the interview—Nick, Go, Tanner, and Betsy hole up in the penthouse and continue prepping Nick. At 5:00 p.m., Tanner... (full context)

Nick, Tanner, Go, Sharon, and the rest of the people gathered in the suite watch Andie’s press... (full context)

Boney and Tanner spar about Boney’s decision to allow Andie to give a press conference, and then Boney... (full context)

An hour later, Nick and Tanner are at the police station, heading into a conference room with Boney and Gilpin. Boney... (full context)

...might kill me”—Nick says snidely that it’s a “convenient” note for Amy to end on. Tanner hushes Nick and asks the detectives where the diary was found. When they tell him... (full context)

...she would have committed to this rather than just divorced him—she’d want him to suffer. Tanner backs Nick up, but every time the two of them offer the detectives evidence of... (full context)

...nothing but waiting around for the police to get enough evidence to arrest him—an event Tanner has warned him is coming down the pike sooner rather than later. Go walks into... (full context)

One afternoon, after going out for groceries, Nick comes home to find Tanner, Boney, and Gilpin in the living room. On the coffee table is a plastic evidence... (full context)

...police are turning into a product as they make their case against “Nick Dunne, Killer.” Tanner’s team of detectives has been unable to track Amy down, and though Nick has made... (full context)

Tanner and Betsy arrive with Go, and Nick senses the “bizarre” nature of their reunion—they are... (full context)

After Amy goes to sleep, Nick calls Tanner and desperately relays the details of Amy’s deception—and the new threats she’s made. Tanner warns... (full context)