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The Mike Hammer Collection, Volume 2: One Lonely Night, The Big Kill, Kiss Me Deadly

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Great reading
The Private Eye version of a Time Capsule
Mike Hammer -- named appropriately
Lord Breadalbane's Opinion
Tough guys and curvy dames

The Mike Hammer Collection, Volume 2: One Lonely Night, The Big Kill, Kiss Me Deadly
Mickey Spillane
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Mike Hammer Collection Volume 1
Something's Down There: A Novel
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Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America)
Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)

ASIN: 0451204255
Release Date: 2001-09-05

Book Description

"There's a kind of power about Mickey Spillane that no other writer can imitate." (The New York Times)

Apparently. With his trend-setting Mike Hammer detective novels, Mickey Spillane shot to superstardom as one of the most notorious bestselling sensations in publishing history. This powerhouse collection includes three of the master's long-out-of-print greatest novels-together for the first time in one explosive volume:
The Big Kill
One Lonely Night
Kiss Me, Deadly

Includes a special introduction by Shamus and Edgar Award-winner Lawrence Block.

Customer Reviews:

Great reading.......2007-06-08

Fine writing by a fine author. Pictures appeared in my mind with his use of words and always enjoyed each story. No one else like Spillane - not ever.

The Private Eye version of a Time Capsule.......2007-05-10

These Mickey Spillane novels that feature Mike Hammer are incredible. Spillane was immensely popular in the late 40s and early 50s. He wrote incredibly straightforward pulp novels of the sort that have been parodied endlessly in various media since, to the point that going back and reading the original invites laughs when they weren't intended.

The main character, Mike Hammer, is of course the private eye who's the toughest guy in New York City. He has his vices: he smokes constantly, drinks pretty much every chapter, and chases girls constantly. The women, especially, seem badly overdone. Each book he falls for at least three, and of course there's his secretary, Velda, who he claims to be in love with (though of course out of sight, out of mind definitely applies here). Velda never seems to get jealous when she figures out that he's been with another woman, at least not really, and none of the rest of them appear to think he should be monogamous either. They seem to understand that the book is for men, so they should let him chase as many girls as he can catch. He can catch a lot.

Some of the dialog is so overwritten and purple it's beyond parody, and often it's unintentionally funny. Some of the characters are a bit much too: Pat Chambers, his cop friend, never does anything beyond provide information and tell Mike to stay out of trouble, which Mike of course ignores. Mike is insanely tough: beat him up, shoot at him (or shoot him), whatever, he keeps trying to kill you until he succeeds.

One fascinating thing about the series, having read both volumes of the collection, is that Hammer almost never has a real client. Instead, he gets involved in these killings through being what amounts to a knight errant, wandering around and rescuing women. Of course the girl gets killed in the early going of the book, and of course Mike swears revenge, and of course he exacts it by the end of the book. Figuring out who the bad guy is by the end of the book is hard, though it's often another beautiful woman somewhere in the plot; if it isn't, it's some nefarious crime boss or something.

Everything is so dated it's funny. One of the books in this collection features bad guys who Mike invariably refers to as "Commies" as if he intends that as an insult. There's no pretense that someone should have the right to belong to a political party or anything like that: as far as Mike Hammer (and presumably Mickey Spillane too) is concerned, "Commies" deserve a firing squad.

I like dated things, things that are old and make you think about the past. Cultural references (the "Commies" mentioned above) are fascinating to me. I wonder what Hammett (who was a Marxist) thought of the book, if he read it. These books can be a bit hard to read (the characters are very cardboard, and the dialog is often way overdone) but they're interesting for what they are, and worth delving into.

Mike Hammer -- named appropriately.......2007-05-07

I read these books shortly after they were published originally. I was a teenager who fantisized myself as Mike Hammer and his conquests - both with the ladies and in giving the bad guys their due. Spillane introduced me to the wonderful world of paperback novels that have kept me a voracious reader of them to this day. A few years later, I marveled at the exploits of 007, first in the books by Ian Fleming and then the movies so ably done by Broccoli and Saltzman - not to mention Sean Connery (the only real James Bond). Mickey has now gone on to his reward and I would say to him "job well done, Mick."

Lord Breadalbane's Opinion.......2005-09-30

Nice format and great introduction but numerous typos and some dialogue was nonsensical to the point that I am tempted to go to local library and borrow a copy of Kiss Me, Deadly to compare text. Quality control obviously poor.

Tough guys and curvy dames.......2005-09-23

Spillane's books can be found at used bookstores or online for cheap, but buy these new collections and see how fast you can read three books at a time. I tore through these yarns fast and can't wait for the third set. Spillane does more for me than Chandlier or Hammett, though I love their books too, but the Mike Hammer stories are cool, tough, brutal, sexy, post-war stories with all the right slang.

Mike Hammer is brutal, sure. Maybe even cruel. But he is an avenging angel, always seeking revenge for a friend, sometimes for a stranger, but always to set things right. Or at least as close to right as he can make it with his fists and his slabside .45.

Average customer rating:

yuck!
Everthing you need in a good suspense!
I LIKE THE FUNNY STUFF BETTER
Too many loose ends leftover at the end of the book
I loved it!

Night Kills
Charlotte Hughes
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380792206
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Book Description

From award-winning author Charlotte Hughes, a classic tale of romantic suspense finally available again.

In a small town, everybody knows everybody...
The local good-time girl has just been brutally murdered, shattering the tranquillity of Lee Cates's sleepy Southern hometown. Everyone in Comfrey is relieved when an outsider who'd spent that fatal night with the victim is arrested--until it begins to look like maybe he's not guilty.
Rashly probing into the murder, the blindly loyal Lee learns that not everybody loved the fast-living woman--though too many men had. Then one night Lee's business is vandalized, and more mysterious events ensue. And Lee realizes--maybe too late--that in a community this small, one sister's secrets may lead to the other's death...

Customer Reviews:

yuck!.......2006-04-12

Charlotte Hughes has some writing talent, but the plot and characters she created for this book have no redeeming qualities. If you're looking for shock or disgust, have at it, but don't expect to feel any sympathy or empathy. The characters just aren't worth it.

Everthing you need in a good suspense!.......2005-03-06

Charlotte Hughes has great talent in writing a well developed plot and great characters. This book has tons of twists and turns and will have you guessing till the very end. I hated to see the book end! You will not be disappointed in this thriller!

I LIKE THE FUNNY STUFF BETTER.......2005-02-10

Not to be rude, because I really enjoy Ms. Hughes humorous books, but I just did not see where this book would scare anyone. And, the heroine was so unlikable that I actually would not have minded if someone did get her. Half way through this book I remembered the reason I did not care for Ms. Hughes other book, Valley of the Shadows; the heroine in that book was also a big mouthed, selfish, rude, smart mouthed, self centered b_t_h. I actually felt sorry in the end for the two men who got stuck with these two heffers.

Too many loose ends leftover at the end of the book.......1999-05-31

I enjoyed the plot line and the mystery kept my attention. But I was very disappointed at the end when I felt like I was left holding the bag. Two people were implicated in the death of the sister and (give me a break) their involment was never explained but left for us to figure out. Instead we were handed a sugar coated fairy tale ending.

Who cares who did it as long as the love interest survives?

This is my first book by Ms. Hughes. I might give her a second look. But I didn't like the way this one ended.

I loved it!.......1999-02-18

Okay, so it was stupid that the "supposed killer" is chaperoning a high school dance, but I loved it anyways!! Ms. Hughes, give me more!

Nursing home fire kills 62 in Russia; Night watchman ignored 2 alarms.(World Wire): An article from: Winnipeg Free Press

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Nursing home fire kills 62 in Russia; Night watchman ignored 2 alarms.(World Wire): An article from: Winnipeg Free Press
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000OT7PQO
Release Date: 2007-03-21

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on March 21, 2007. The length of the article is 458 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Nursing home fire kills 62 in Russia; Night watchman ignored 2 alarms.(World Wire)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 21, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: a9

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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A Good Night To Kill
Lillian O' Donnell
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P8L970

Woman set fire to kill family, police say.(Crime)(Crime: Officials aren't sure if she meant to kill herself as well; all escape the late-night blaze unhurt.): ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Average customer rating:

Woman set fire to kill family, police say.(Crime)(Crime: Officials aren't sure if she meant to kill herself as well; all escape the late-night blaze unhurt.): ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Manufacturer: The Register Guard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008FXZ8Q
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on January 11, 2003. The length of the article is 583 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Woman set fire to kill family, police say.(Crime)(Crime: Officials aren't sure if she meant to kill herself as well; all escape the late-night blaze unhurt.)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: January 11, 2003
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: B1

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Night Kills
Edward Gorman
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345345924
Release Date: 1990-10-13

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Night Kills
William P. Bussey
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1410756025

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A Good Night to Kill
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Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
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