I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane

“I want you to hear every word I say. I want you to tell it to everyone you know. And when you tell it, tell it strong, because I mean every word of it. There are ten thousand mugs that hate me and you know it. They hate me because if they mess with me I shoot their damn heads off. I’ve done it and I’ll do it again.”

Mike Hammer, hard-hitting, tough-talking private eye has been around the block a few times and has earned a certain reputation.  A reputation for taking care of business using lethal force if needed.  When his best friend is found dead, the same best friend who had literally given an arm for him during the war, Hammer is out for blood, and a promise to kill the bastard that did it.

About time I started the Mike Hammer series by Mickey Spillane.  I’ve sort of been avoiding it because I have an awful lot of series going right now and, as usual, I was worried I would start this one and get drawn into a bunch more must-reads. But I am also reading a collection of short stories right now and the next one happens to be one of the Mickey Spillane/Max Alan Collins stories that is continuing the Mike Hammer series.  And I wanted to be sure I had read the first Hammer book in case it was in any way an origin story.

It wasn’t.  Not really.  Mike Hammer is introduced in mid-career with many a case behind him already.  I understand there is a chronology to the books and short stories but I’m not sure at this point if any of them really need to be read in order. Nevertheless, I’m glad to have finally gotten to this classic of the hard-boiled genre.  Besides Hammer, himself, we also get to meet the ongoing characters of his secretary Velda and his friend Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD.  The story itself was nicely absorbing, filled with the expected violent action and dangerous dames.  I figured out the culprit fairly early on but not necessarily the how and the why.

So, here I  am, with a newly stoked need to read another 20-plus novels.  Bummer.