Happy 100th, Mr. Spillane!
Hard Case Crime is beginning the year-long celebration of what would have been Mickey Spillane’s 100th birthday by publishing (for the first time anywhere) his last completed novel, The Last Stand.
They were kind enough to provide me with an advance reading copy, so here are my thoughts on it. Neither of the stories in the book feature Mike Hammer, so if you are looking for a new “lost” Hammer novel, you will be disappointed. That will probably be your only disappointment with the book, however.
Additionally, the volume includes a never-before-published early Mickey Spillane novella, “A Bullet for Satisfaction.” This is the first story in the book. It’s a taut story, albeit a violent one. Rod Dexter is a police detective who, while investigating the murder of a local politician, stumbles into a conspiracy by the Syndicate to take over the mid-sized town he works and lives in. Fired for essentially being too close to exposing too many bigwigs, he refuses to let go of the case.It’s a lot grittier than most of the stuff I read, but it is definitely the work of someone who knows what he is doing. The prose is spare – not a single word that isn’t needed – and the tension is kept high. And while the violence seems excessive to me, it is my understanding that this was appropriate for the time was written, and takes place, in.
The title story, “The Last Stand” follows. When you read it, you will need to bear in mind that it was written way before political correctness existed. This may mean you find it offensive in terms of stereotyping. If you can put that aside (I found it hard to, until one of the Native Americans in the story started making fun of the stereotypes), it’s a good story. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say I hope that you can, becaause this is one of the best stories i’ve read in a long time. Funny, scary, tense, complicated, and with utterly memorable characters, this is one that will stay with e for a while. Mr. Spillane may have aged, but it’s clear he was still at the peak of his abilities when he penned this one.
During the year-long celebration, MWA Grandmaster Max Allan Collins’ completion of the first Mike Hammer novel (begun in 1945, but set aside for later work), Killing Town, will be published by Hard Case Crime. So will his the first paperback publication of the Spillane started/Collins finished The Will to Kill. Additionally, Hard Case Crime will publish a new Mike Hammer graphic novel/comic book called Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: The Night I Died.
So, if you are a Mickey Spillane fan, this will be an excellent year, with lots of things coming your way.
Not Just Another Grouchy Grammarian 