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.
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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.
29. Nick Dunne, Seven Days Gone (1)
...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...
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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...
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Tanner Bolt finally calls Nick into his stately office for a meeting. He gets down to...
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Tanner asks Nick to make a list of “all the nice things” he’s done for Amy...
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33. Nick Dunne, Seven Days Gone (3)
Nick calls Tanner to tell him seven unbelievable words: “I think my wife is framing me.” Tanner doesn’t...
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35. Nick Dunne, Eight Days Gone (1)
...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...
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An hour later, Tanner arrives at Go’s house. He, Nick, and Go all settle down together at the kitchen...
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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,...
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As Tanner looks at all the steps of the treasure hunt, he points out that there are...
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37. Nick Dunne, Eight Days Gone (2)
Tanner, Nick, and Go search every nook and cranny of Bill’s house, but don’t turn up...
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As Tanner goes over the many ways in which the cops could see any admissions about the...
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...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...
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41. Nick Dunne, Nine Days Gone
...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....
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Tanner is able to admit, though, that conditions are good for Nick—at least for the moment—and...
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Tanner warns Nick, however, that he’ll need to use the Schieber interview to come clean about...
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That evening, Nick, Go, and Tanner drive together to a fancy hotel in St. Louis—the spot where the interview will take...
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43. Nick Dunne, Ten Days Gone (1)
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...
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45. Nick Dunne, Ten Days Gone (2)
Nick, Tanner, Go, Sharon, and the rest of the people gathered in the suite watch Andie’s press...
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Boney and Tanner spar about Boney’s decision to allow Andie to give a press conference, and then Boney...
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An hour later, Nick and Tanner are at the police station, heading into a conference room with Boney and Gilpin. Boney...
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47. Nick Dunne, Ten Days Gone (3)
...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...
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...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...
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49. Nick Dunne, Fourteen Days Gone
...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...
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51. Nick Dunne, Thirty-Three Days Gone
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...
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53. Nick Dunne, Forty Days Gone
...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...
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55. Nick Dunne, The Night of the Return (1)
Tanner and Betsy arrive with Go, and Nick senses the “bizarre” nature of their reunion—they are...
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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...
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