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Title: Black Alley by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0-525-94229-7 Publisher: Dutton Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The times have changed, but Hammer remains the same.
Comment: I was wondering when Spillane was going to bring Mike back, and then I saw it on the shelf at my local bookstore, just calling out at me. I picked it up and didn't even read the flap I knew it would be good. Well let me tell you I was not disappointed, as soon as I opened the cover I started reading, and could not put it down. I had to force myself to go to work, and eat. I love the way Spillane gave the new book, present surroundings, but he left Mike behind in the times. I mean really could you see Mike at a desk in front of a computer . No, not in a million years. If I was to write a mysery I would want it to be like Spillane's Mike Hammer Books. Cause as they say he not only always gets his man, and he does so cool and smooth. That's it in a nutshell, why I like Mike Hammer, his style, and finess. I wanna be like Mike
Rating: 2
Summary: Mike and Velda Become Closer in a Lousy Plot
Comment: This story has so many flaws, it's not worth listing them all. If you like your hard-boiled characters turning sensitive and up-scale, you may like this book. But Mike Hammer it isn't! The name's the same, but almost all of the details have changed for the worse.
Mike awakes from a coma to find he is recovering from a life-threatening wound. In a crazy and improbable tale, a surgeon turned drunk has picked him up and saved his life. The book's title refers to the temptation to take the black alley towards death. His recovery is cut short when an old army pal calls him back to his death bed, where Mike learns about a missing $89 billion that his friend has hidden. The search for the money is complicated by Mike's finally proposing to Velda, and her accepting.
To me, the whole injury recovery, the missing $89 billion, and the way Mike lives are all very dissatisfying.
What I loved about the book was the way that Mike keeps to his idealism when it comes to his love for Velda. No modern monkeyshines for him! That aspect of the book was the only one that rang true for me.
If you love Mike Hammer, you may want to skip this book. You won't feel the same about the character or the series if you read this book. If you have never read Mike Hammer, this book may seem a little less bad to you.
If you do decide to read the book, I suggest that you think about where you can uphold your standards in ways that will make your life and the lives of those around you better.
Be yourself . . . in a helpful way!
Rating: 4
Summary: The Grandmaster Says Good-Bye
Comment: Black Alley is the latest and possibly last book in the Mike Hammer series, featuring the toughest private eye in the business.
Hammer is out to avenge the death of an old war-buddy, who was murdered during a mysterious burglary. His vendetta is complicated by several events: He catches a bullet during a mafia gang shootout, which renders him weak and vulnerable througout the book; his dying friend reveals the approximate location of a 89 billion dollar stash that he has stolen and hidden from the mob, who - of course - want to get their money back; and last, but not least, Velda, Hammer's beautiful secretary, is adamant in her desire to finally walk him down the aisle.
Black Alley is somewhat different from the previous Hammer-novels. The crime noir atmosphere is missing for the most part; Hammer has definitely arrived at modernity. This becomes apparent when the hero muses about and decries corporate America, aluminum beer cans, and the future of warfare, which he believes to bring about "ugly, destructive death" due to the use of chemical and biological weapons. Moreover, some humor is added, in the form of Miller Lite Beer, which is consumed in considerable quantities throughout the book (Spillane appeared in TV ads for Miller Lite in the 70s).
It is obvious that Hammer is nearing retirement. Having just recovered from an almost fatal gunshot wound, he is feeble throughout the book. And he does something he has never done before: When he has finally cornered the villain, he does not finish him off with a bullet in his guts, but turns him over to the cops. However, don't be fooled by Mike's ostensible softness - he is still dangerous, and the turks who are trying to take his place still get their feathers ruffled.
Black Alley is not one of Spillane's strongest books. At times, the plot is somewhat predictable; the characters are rather transparent; and the final solution lacks the shocking explosion of the other Hammer novels. On the other hand, perhaps Spillane didn't even attempt to create an ending like that - for a good-bye to his fans the book's ending is definitely better suited, and as a good-bye Black Alley seems to be intended, after all.
Despite its not-so-great plot and characters, the book is still a gem. Spillane's style is still unmatched by any author in the genre. He still makes you not want to put the book down before you've arrived at the last page. In case this is really his last Hammer novel, I would like to extend a sincere "thank you" to him. What he has written is not just "good garbage", as he once described his novels in a reply to his numerous critics, but literature that will stand the test of time. Let's all have a Miller Lite now. Cheers!!
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Title: The Snake by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0451137159 Publisher: New Amer Library (Mm) Pub. Date: 01 November, 1964 List Price(USD): $3.95 |
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Title: The Killing Man by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0451167848 Publisher: New Amer Library Pub. Date: 01 October, 1990 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: The Mike Hammer Collection Volume 2 by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0451204255 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: 05 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Body Lovers by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0451137418 Publisher: New Amer Library (Mm) Pub. Date: 01 August, 1991 List Price(USD): $4.50 |
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Title: The Girl Hunters by Mickey Spillane ISBN: 0451093526 Publisher: Signet Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1980 List Price(USD): $2.50 |
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