My Gun is Quick (Mike Hammer #2) by Micky Spillane

The second Mike Hammer novel by Mickey Spillane was first published in 1950, nearly three years after the first, "I, the Jury".

The story begins late at night with Hammer dead tired and deciding to stop in at a diner where he meets a red-headed prostitute. She is hassled by a man she seems to know and fear, but Hammer comes to her rescue as Hammer often does, using his fists swiftly and effectively. He takes pity on the girl and gives her some money to get a real job and escape her life of prostitution. The next day she is found dead, the victim of an apparent hit-and-run accident. Mike is suspicious though, thinking she was more likely murdered and so he decides to hunt down who might be behind it.

This novel is similar in many ways to his first novel, and it is clear that it just isn’t safe to become Mike Hammer’s friend. Hammer himself even points this out in the book. Other than the recurring characters of his secretary, Velda, and Hammer’s best friend and NYPD homicide detective Pat Chambers, all others need to watch their backs. The case spirals into something much bigger than the potential murder of a prostitute, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Spillane really puts the “hard” in “hard-boiled”.

Another good one from Mickey Spillane.