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Mike Hammer #7
The Girl Hunters
In this book Hammer's secretary, Velda, has been missing for seven years, but she's still alive if Hammer can reach in time.
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
9 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Spillane
316 books447 followersMickey Spillane was one of the world's most popular mystery writers. His specialty was tight-fisted, sadistic revenge stories, often featuring his alcoholic gumshoe Mike Hammer and a cast of evildoers who launder money or spout the Communist Party line.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 15, 2022
Mike Hammer #7 finds Mike as a drunken bum, picked up by the cops for sleeping it off in a gutter. It is seven years since #6 was set, and ten years since #6 was published, so if you were an avid reader back in the day, you would have been hanging out for this fix!
Why is Mike a drunken bum, and why is old friend Captain Pat Chambers now despise him? We are told the story as the book progresses - all to do with the lovely Velda, Mike's secretary / associate investigator. It is said that Mike sent her out on a case that was too hot, and she was killed as a consequence. So Pat, who was in love with Velda (the way most men who come into contact with her are) can't forgive Mike, as Mike can't forgive himself.
But things change when Pat drags Mike in because a dying man will only talk to Hammer. The lab says the bullet that is killing the man was fired by the same gun that killed a senator, so Pat needs to know who shot the man, and why. In classic Hammer style, Mike speaks to the man but won't share the knowledge. Then he goes neck deep in the story when he learns that Velda is not only still alive, but there is more to her background than he thought!
There is of course another hot dame, assassins, a plot for world power (!), and history dragged up from the war. There is a very underpowered Mike Hammer (seven years of boozing has left him far from peak physical form), but there are some old friends who are pleased to see him getting back on the straight and narrow - well as straight and narrow as Hammer gets.
There are no surprises in terms of what you get with a Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer novel. They are a reliable fix of fairly easy reading, a plot that rolls out, some tough-guy action, bullets and beatings, hot broads who fall for Hammer, and lots of working outside the law.
Like the other Mike Hammer books, this one is a solid 3 stars.
Why is Mike a drunken bum, and why is old friend Captain Pat Chambers now despise him? We are told the story as the book progresses - all to do with the lovely Velda, Mike's secretary / associate investigator. It is said that Mike sent her out on a case that was too hot, and she was killed as a consequence. So Pat, who was in love with Velda (the way most men who come into contact with her are) can't forgive Mike, as Mike can't forgive himself.
But things change when Pat drags Mike in because a dying man will only talk to Hammer. The lab says the bullet that is killing the man was fired by the same gun that killed a senator, so Pat needs to know who shot the man, and why. In classic Hammer style, Mike speaks to the man but won't share the knowledge. Then he goes neck deep in the story when he learns that Velda is not only still alive, but there is more to her background than he thought!
There is of course another hot dame, assassins, a plot for world power (!), and history dragged up from the war. There is a very underpowered Mike Hammer (seven years of boozing has left him far from peak physical form), but there are some old friends who are pleased to see him getting back on the straight and narrow - well as straight and narrow as Hammer gets.
There are no surprises in terms of what you get with a Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer novel. They are a reliable fix of fairly easy reading, a plot that rolls out, some tough-guy action, bullets and beatings, hot broads who fall for Hammer, and lots of working outside the law.
Like the other Mike Hammer books, this one is a solid 3 stars.
September 9, 2012
Around the time I entered my thirties, I had a sudden memory blindside me as if I were deliberatley speeding through red lights and only briefly realized what I was doing and should slow down, ease the pace a bit. For whatever reason, men's adventure novels were part of that memory.
There was this old bookstore about three blocks from where I lived as a kid and I used to hide there whenever we were playing block-tag or assorted versions of this game. Needless to say, I was never found and usually came back well after the game was over. I would always start my perusing in the science fiction section, followed by horror, and then hit the "literary" section. But for some reason, I never gave much time to the men's adventure series. Maybe the reason was obvious: I was a little kid. But I do remember looking at all the covers to these books: they usually came in one of two depictions. 1) The villian or hero blasting it out with either each other, or other parties; or 2) the cover was adorned with a scantily clad bombshell alluring enough to make my prepubscent mind scrambled for the next few hours or so. I loved these covers, but I knew that if my mother was ever to catch me with these books I would have some explaining to do. So, I never read them. Then, I turned 30. I had already earned an MA in literature, and had already read a great portion of the canon (another rant I could go on for hours) but had never allowed myself to escape into this genre of stroytelling.
So, now, every yard sale and used bookstore I pass, I make it a point to pick up at least one or two titles that I know will serve no other purpose than to help me flashback to my younger years, and yearn for all those lost days I could have been reading this pulp.
And I have to say, thanks Mickey. Your stories are outlandish, you seem to see women only as sexual objects, and your hero-the incomparbale Mike Hammer-is really a wolf in sheepskin, but I love the two or three hours of escape that you constantly give me.
Oh, the magical world of storytelling...
There was this old bookstore about three blocks from where I lived as a kid and I used to hide there whenever we were playing block-tag or assorted versions of this game. Needless to say, I was never found and usually came back well after the game was over. I would always start my perusing in the science fiction section, followed by horror, and then hit the "literary" section. But for some reason, I never gave much time to the men's adventure series. Maybe the reason was obvious: I was a little kid. But I do remember looking at all the covers to these books: they usually came in one of two depictions. 1) The villian or hero blasting it out with either each other, or other parties; or 2) the cover was adorned with a scantily clad bombshell alluring enough to make my prepubscent mind scrambled for the next few hours or so. I loved these covers, but I knew that if my mother was ever to catch me with these books I would have some explaining to do. So, I never read them. Then, I turned 30. I had already earned an MA in literature, and had already read a great portion of the canon (another rant I could go on for hours) but had never allowed myself to escape into this genre of stroytelling.
So, now, every yard sale and used bookstore I pass, I make it a point to pick up at least one or two titles that I know will serve no other purpose than to help me flashback to my younger years, and yearn for all those lost days I could have been reading this pulp.
And I have to say, thanks Mickey. Your stories are outlandish, you seem to see women only as sexual objects, and your hero-the incomparbale Mike Hammer-is really a wolf in sheepskin, but I love the two or three hours of escape that you constantly give me.
Oh, the magical world of storytelling...
March 27, 2018
Hammer is in the gutter - struggling to cope with the loss of Velda, presumed dead for the past 7 years when a chance encounter with a couple of police officers who pick him up for D&D leads him to Pat Chambers and subsequently to a case; one that provides a glimmer of hope for Velda...she may not be dead after all.
The manhunt for the 'Dragon' begins.
After recently reading COMPLEX 90 which is the direct sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS though published a significant number of years later, I was looking forward to reading the background behind Velda's disappearance and the copy-cat links behind the set up for each novel (both have Mike or Velda undertaking a routine security job where someone is murdered with a jewel heist turned bloody the motive). However, THE GIRL HUNTERS didn't go into all that much detail, rather shifting the focus to Mike Hammer and his reintegration into darker side of law protection.
I do love the pulp aspect to THE GIRL HUNTERS. Hammer is at his best here; dealing damage and loving dames in distress. The easy violence that accompanies Hammer is ever present and a critical element to the plotting.
While enjoyable, I found THE GIRL HUNTERS just didn't pack the same punch as the book that follows it. Still a must-read for Hammer fans.
http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
The manhunt for the 'Dragon' begins.
After recently reading COMPLEX 90 which is the direct sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS though published a significant number of years later, I was looking forward to reading the background behind Velda's disappearance and the copy-cat links behind the set up for each novel (both have Mike or Velda undertaking a routine security job where someone is murdered with a jewel heist turned bloody the motive). However, THE GIRL HUNTERS didn't go into all that much detail, rather shifting the focus to Mike Hammer and his reintegration into darker side of law protection.
I do love the pulp aspect to THE GIRL HUNTERS. Hammer is at his best here; dealing damage and loving dames in distress. The easy violence that accompanies Hammer is ever present and a critical element to the plotting.
While enjoyable, I found THE GIRL HUNTERS just didn't pack the same punch as the book that follows it. Still a must-read for Hammer fans.
http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
February 27, 2019
First entry where prior knowledge of the series is a must for enjoyment, but an author earns that after 6 successful books I think, and the main plot is one that is still relevant and relateable today.
A quick quote - Back then it had been different. I had the gun. I was big. Now was - how many years later? There was no gun. I wasn't big anymore.
This may not be a conscious Hemingway homage, but it's certainly an unconscious one. Combine this with a rather...graphic but memorable description of a gunshot wound in the last few pages and you can easily see why Spillane rose above the others mining the private eye genre and is still read today.
A quick quote - Back then it had been different. I had the gun. I was big. Now was - how many years later? There was no gun. I wasn't big anymore.
This may not be a conscious Hemingway homage, but it's certainly an unconscious one. Combine this with a rather...graphic but memorable description of a gunshot wound in the last few pages and you can easily see why Spillane rose above the others mining the private eye genre and is still read today.
August 20, 2019
COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 64 (of 250) This was my first novel by Mickey Spillane. I thought it very good, and I had no idea that there would be even better books by this author.
HOOK= 5 stars: "They found me in the gutter." I'm hooked instantly with this great opening line. Who is 'they'? Who is 'me'? Why am I "in the gutter". And then, get this second line: "The night was the only thing I had left and not much of it at that." Have I been lying here all night? Are they going to hurt me a lot more? (Yes) Will this be the worst day of my life? (Probably among the worst) No way I would close the cover of this book after those two perfect lines for this genre.
PACE=3: A few flashblacks slow the flow a bit.
PLOT=3: Interesting and on the original side for this genre. Spillane goes for some kind of Epic Global Spy Thriller and for it to have worked, and it almost does, I felt like I needed more information for the pieces to fall into place.
PEOPLE=4: Mike Hammer is NOT the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with. On the up side, you'll remember to walk away from him if you see him anywhere. He will do anything, anywhere, absorb all pain, and keep on going. You just know one wrong word and you're gonna be eating dirt. Yea, you might think you're his friend, but never count on it. He's gotta be the most sadistic P.I. in all of literature, but more on that later. Plus, oh, Laura, exquisite Laura, the world's perfect seductress. And Velma...
PLACE=4: "The street was slick from the drizzle that had finally started to fall and the crosstown traffic was like a giant worm trying to eat into the city. I opened the window and got supper smells in ten languages..." Good atmosphere touches throughout.
SUMMARY: My average rating above is 3.8. BUT, Spillane almost crosses the line into torture porn. This aspect is not my cup of tea. And now that I've read 9 Hammer books, this one is the most violent, and I do like others better.
BOOK 64 (of 250) This was my first novel by Mickey Spillane. I thought it very good, and I had no idea that there would be even better books by this author.
HOOK= 5 stars: "They found me in the gutter." I'm hooked instantly with this great opening line. Who is 'they'? Who is 'me'? Why am I "in the gutter". And then, get this second line: "The night was the only thing I had left and not much of it at that." Have I been lying here all night? Are they going to hurt me a lot more? (Yes) Will this be the worst day of my life? (Probably among the worst) No way I would close the cover of this book after those two perfect lines for this genre.
PACE=3: A few flashblacks slow the flow a bit.
PLOT=3: Interesting and on the original side for this genre. Spillane goes for some kind of Epic Global Spy Thriller and for it to have worked, and it almost does, I felt like I needed more information for the pieces to fall into place.
PEOPLE=4: Mike Hammer is NOT the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with. On the up side, you'll remember to walk away from him if you see him anywhere. He will do anything, anywhere, absorb all pain, and keep on going. You just know one wrong word and you're gonna be eating dirt. Yea, you might think you're his friend, but never count on it. He's gotta be the most sadistic P.I. in all of literature, but more on that later. Plus, oh, Laura, exquisite Laura, the world's perfect seductress. And Velma...
PLACE=4: "The street was slick from the drizzle that had finally started to fall and the crosstown traffic was like a giant worm trying to eat into the city. I opened the window and got supper smells in ten languages..." Good atmosphere touches throughout.
SUMMARY: My average rating above is 3.8. BUT, Spillane almost crosses the line into torture porn. This aspect is not my cup of tea. And now that I've read 9 Hammer books, this one is the most violent, and I do like others better.
February 24, 2015
Reading this immediately after Fleming’s ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was an interesting exercise. In that novel the James Bond format was successful tweaked, and it seems initially in this book that Mickey Spillane is doing the same with the Mike Hammer novels.
‘The Girl Hunters’ opens more than seven years after ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ (the two books were actually written ten years apart). In the interim period Velda has died and Mike has become a broken down alcoholic. That’s interesting, as whereas Fleming tried to show a different side to Bond by having him consider marriage, Spillane tries to show a different side to Hammer by having him become weak. No longer is he the biggest man in the room, no more can he comfortably intimidate any tough guy he meets. Velda is dead, Captain Pat Chambers hates his guts and Mike is now a shambling bum – things are nowhere near what they were in Hammer-land.
Except, after the first twenty pages, the normal Mike Hammer formula vigorously reasserts itself. Suddenly, within minutes in fact, our detective sobers up and goes on another hunt. He isn’t as big as he once was, but it’s clear that he’s getting bigger and is once again very comfortable with all forms of intimidation. Indeed, the traditional plot is adhered to so rigidly, that the identity of the killer will be blatantly obvious to anybody who’s read any one of the previous novels.
These books are brutal and uncomplicated fun, but does anyone really love Mike Hammer? He doesn’t have the finesse of Phillip Marlowe, isn’t as smart as Sam Spade, while the vaguer Archer exists at a far more complex level. Hammer is like a sledgehammer: good to smash things apart from time to time, but not an item to pick up if you wanted an intellectual pursuit.
‘The Girl Hunters’ opens more than seven years after ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ (the two books were actually written ten years apart). In the interim period Velda has died and Mike has become a broken down alcoholic. That’s interesting, as whereas Fleming tried to show a different side to Bond by having him consider marriage, Spillane tries to show a different side to Hammer by having him become weak. No longer is he the biggest man in the room, no more can he comfortably intimidate any tough guy he meets. Velda is dead, Captain Pat Chambers hates his guts and Mike is now a shambling bum – things are nowhere near what they were in Hammer-land.
Except, after the first twenty pages, the normal Mike Hammer formula vigorously reasserts itself. Suddenly, within minutes in fact, our detective sobers up and goes on another hunt. He isn’t as big as he once was, but it’s clear that he’s getting bigger and is once again very comfortable with all forms of intimidation. Indeed, the traditional plot is adhered to so rigidly, that the identity of the killer will be blatantly obvious to anybody who’s read any one of the previous novels.
These books are brutal and uncomplicated fun, but does anyone really love Mike Hammer? He doesn’t have the finesse of Phillip Marlowe, isn’t as smart as Sam Spade, while the vaguer Archer exists at a far more complex level. Hammer is like a sledgehammer: good to smash things apart from time to time, but not an item to pick up if you wanted an intellectual pursuit.
August 1, 2016
#7 in the Mike Hammer series. This entry was the basis for a 1963 film with author Mickey Spillane as Mike Hammer.
Mike Hammer series - Hammer has been a drunk living in gutters around NYC for the past seven years. Hammer's secretary and fiancée, Velda, is believed to be dead after a botched protection job. Hammer is apprehended and interrogated by former friend Captain Pat Chambers. Chambers blames Hammer for Velda's death. Richie Cole, a dock worker, is dying of gunshot wounds and has insisted on talking to Hammer to reveal the identity of his killer. Hammer discovers that Velda is still alive and facing execution by a top level Soviet assassin dubbed "The Dragon," her only chance being Hammer finding her first. Cole tells Hammer that he has left clues to her location, but dies immediately afterwards. Hammer sobers up and prepares to go out on his own. identity. Hammer successfully brushes off Chambers, but then finds himself muscled by a Federal Agent named Art Rickerby. Rickerby reveals that Richie Cole was a field agent. In order to gain gun carrying privileges, Hammer makes a deal with Rickerby to bring him the Dragon alive. Hammer hurries to find Velda, as the clock is ticking, and time is not on his side.
Mike Hammer series - Hammer has been a drunk living in gutters around NYC for the past seven years. Hammer's secretary and fiancée, Velda, is believed to be dead after a botched protection job. Hammer is apprehended and interrogated by former friend Captain Pat Chambers. Chambers blames Hammer for Velda's death. Richie Cole, a dock worker, is dying of gunshot wounds and has insisted on talking to Hammer to reveal the identity of his killer. Hammer discovers that Velda is still alive and facing execution by a top level Soviet assassin dubbed "The Dragon," her only chance being Hammer finding her first. Cole tells Hammer that he has left clues to her location, but dies immediately afterwards. Hammer sobers up and prepares to go out on his own. identity. Hammer successfully brushes off Chambers, but then finds himself muscled by a Federal Agent named Art Rickerby. Rickerby reveals that Richie Cole was a field agent. In order to gain gun carrying privileges, Hammer makes a deal with Rickerby to bring him the Dragon alive. Hammer hurries to find Velda, as the clock is ticking, and time is not on his side.
October 18, 2025
"Then suddenly I felt like myself again and knew that the road back was going to be a long one alive or a short one dead and there wasn't even time enough to count the seconds."
It has been ten years since the last episode of the Hammer series "Kiss Me, Deadly" (1952) ended with a fantastic finish and sent the NYC PI Mike Hammer off the deep end. Now waking up after a seven-year drunken bender in a literal gutter, being accosted by two cops, he's summoned to his old friend Pat Chambers who forces him to get information from a gunshot victim. Hammer quickly sobers up and finds new purpose when the victim tells him that his lost love Velda is still alive, and that this gunshot victim was shot by a villain monikered the Dragon, who also shot a New York Senator years ago. Now, Hammer and the Dragon are "the Girl Hunters" (1962), tracking down Velda's whereabouts... if she is, in fact, still alive.
Hammer's journey from the bottom of the trash heap to a new life spurred by vengeance and anger at those who may be involved in Venda's disappearance is a wild ride that touches international espionage, early-60's New York City street surroundings, and post-WWII politics. Hammer is at first an annoyance to his enemies but then a real threat.
Verdict: A wild and well-paced street vengeance tale with a hard-up widow he falls for, a former friend who is now his law-enforcing nemesis, some dead bodies not yet cold, an evildoer who might be too strong a threat for this down-on-his-luck self-abused protagonist now to deal with, a twisted conspiracy that involves his lost love, and a wild finish that is just perfect.
Jeff's Rating: 5 / 5 (Perfect)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
It has been ten years since the last episode of the Hammer series "Kiss Me, Deadly" (1952) ended with a fantastic finish and sent the NYC PI Mike Hammer off the deep end. Now waking up after a seven-year drunken bender in a literal gutter, being accosted by two cops, he's summoned to his old friend Pat Chambers who forces him to get information from a gunshot victim. Hammer quickly sobers up and finds new purpose when the victim tells him that his lost love Velda is still alive, and that this gunshot victim was shot by a villain monikered the Dragon, who also shot a New York Senator years ago. Now, Hammer and the Dragon are "the Girl Hunters" (1962), tracking down Velda's whereabouts... if she is, in fact, still alive.
Hammer's journey from the bottom of the trash heap to a new life spurred by vengeance and anger at those who may be involved in Venda's disappearance is a wild ride that touches international espionage, early-60's New York City street surroundings, and post-WWII politics. Hammer is at first an annoyance to his enemies but then a real threat.
Verdict: A wild and well-paced street vengeance tale with a hard-up widow he falls for, a former friend who is now his law-enforcing nemesis, some dead bodies not yet cold, an evildoer who might be too strong a threat for this down-on-his-luck self-abused protagonist now to deal with, a twisted conspiracy that involves his lost love, and a wild finish that is just perfect.
Jeff's Rating: 5 / 5 (Perfect)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
March 28, 2022
Published in 1962, it had been 10 years since Spillane put out a Mike Hammer novel. Seven years had elapsed in fictional time since we last saw Mike in Kiss Me, Deadly. That one left a bit of bitter taste in my mouth. It was so over-the-top ridiculous, I just had to laugh so I could get through it. So, why read the next one in the series? I’m a fan of noir fiction as a break from the more serious stuff, and Spillane was the only choice I had at hand.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The seven to ten year break that Spillane took away from writing about Hammer must have reinvigorated him. This one is pretty taut, and Mike shows up with a few flaws, and is more believable. The dialogue is not as crisp and memorable, but the story is better. Of course, Mike still sees women as just sex objects, but he’s only got one who falls in love with him this time. Thankfully, he doesn't go on and on about the shape of her lips.
June 8, 2020
This is the first novel I’ve read by Mickey Spillane. I’ve had this on a bookshelf for years and am thrilled that I finally got around to it. What an awesome book. From page one it gets you right into the essence of what I imagine Spillane is known for, or at least what his character Mike Hammer is known for — hard boiled crime fiction filled to the brim with atmosphere, magnificent narration and writing, violent and moody, character driven and compelling all the way to the last sentence.
This was apparently a “comeback” novel for the Mike Hammer series, and it’s explosive and outstanding, suggesting that either Mickey Spillane became a master as he aged, or that his earlier stuff was even more incredible, or maybe both. Either way, the novel is the work of a master.
I really love good crime fiction and have read my share of it. I’ve read the early masters like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and I have read some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s terrific work, but not actually his Sherlock Holmes stuff yet. I have read some crime graphic novels from within the last 20-30 years, but overall crime and noir fiction is a genre I am still relatively new to. As such, I am really excited by it and what gems it holds, and Mickey Spillane seems like he is one of those gems.
Each page reads like it is the carefully crafted work of a seasoned master telling a blood drenched story straight from his own past, clearly playing off a lot of what are today crime fiction tropes, but that in 1962 were probably only being invented or perfected. The tough as nails alcoholic ex-private investigator, the dingy, rainy NYC streets, the murder, the increasingly complex mystery, the bombshell babe, the political intrigue, the believable and constantly enjoyable narration creating a strong sense of place and pace to the tale, the seamless connection of events and actions until the smart and unexpected end.
And if any of this sounds cliche, it certainly never comes off that way. It is delivered in a genuine manner, as if this is the book or the author who invented all the modern characteristics of the genre. Every part of it was satisfying.
I have no idea if I would have gotten more out of this book if I had been familiar with the previous books with this character, but at no point did I feel I was missing any required knowledge. Any amount of information the reader needed was revealed. It is possible it might have been even better after some familiarity with the character, but that only means I should read more.
This was apparently a “comeback” novel for the Mike Hammer series, and it’s explosive and outstanding, suggesting that either Mickey Spillane became a master as he aged, or that his earlier stuff was even more incredible, or maybe both. Either way, the novel is the work of a master.
I really love good crime fiction and have read my share of it. I’ve read the early masters like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and I have read some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s terrific work, but not actually his Sherlock Holmes stuff yet. I have read some crime graphic novels from within the last 20-30 years, but overall crime and noir fiction is a genre I am still relatively new to. As such, I am really excited by it and what gems it holds, and Mickey Spillane seems like he is one of those gems.
Each page reads like it is the carefully crafted work of a seasoned master telling a blood drenched story straight from his own past, clearly playing off a lot of what are today crime fiction tropes, but that in 1962 were probably only being invented or perfected. The tough as nails alcoholic ex-private investigator, the dingy, rainy NYC streets, the murder, the increasingly complex mystery, the bombshell babe, the political intrigue, the believable and constantly enjoyable narration creating a strong sense of place and pace to the tale, the seamless connection of events and actions until the smart and unexpected end.
And if any of this sounds cliche, it certainly never comes off that way. It is delivered in a genuine manner, as if this is the book or the author who invented all the modern characteristics of the genre. Every part of it was satisfying.
I have no idea if I would have gotten more out of this book if I had been familiar with the previous books with this character, but at no point did I feel I was missing any required knowledge. Any amount of information the reader needed was revealed. It is possible it might have been even better after some familiarity with the character, but that only means I should read more.
December 31, 2022
Wow this was just awesome!
love a good redemption story.
And the ending is definitely
going to make you want to pick the next one up. Watching the
characters change through this series has been really
satisfying. This last arch for Mike has been a fun ride. I'm
very excited to see what
happens next!
love a good redemption story.
And the ending is definitely
going to make you want to pick the next one up. Watching the
characters change through this series has been really
satisfying. This last arch for Mike has been a fun ride. I'm
very excited to see what
happens next!
October 18, 2025
“The Snake” is the eighth Mike Hammer novel and it picks up right where “The Girl Hunters” left off. In the seventh Hammer book “The Girl Hunters,” Hammer picks himself up out of the gutter after a seven- year bender, blaming himself for Velda’s death, and realizes that there is a slight possibility that she is still alive and has been fighting behind the Iron Curtain for those long seven years. Although Hammer figures it all out by the end of “The Girl Hunters,” the penultimate scene where they have their passionate reunion was left out of that book. Enter “The Snake” which begins with Hammer and Velda running into each other’s arms, but, just as soon as they embrace, shots are fired and there is Hammer involved in another shootout.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. “Those deep brown eyes still had that hungry look when they watched mine,” he explained, “and the lush fullness of her mouth glistened with a damp warmth of invitation.” Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh, “a passionate tautness that rippled and quivered, crying out soundlessly for more, more, more.” Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow...”
Although now engaged, Hammer is still a ladies’ man, though, particularly when he meets “a stunning brunette with electric blue eyes that seemed to spark at you.” “[S]he looked like a calendar artist’s idea of what a secretary should be.”
This book is also filled with Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. “Those deep brown eyes still had that hungry look when they watched mine,” he explained, “and the lush fullness of her mouth glistened with a damp warmth of invitation.” Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh, “a passionate tautness that rippled and quivered, crying out soundlessly for more, more, more.” Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow...”
Although now engaged, Hammer is still a ladies’ man, though, particularly when he meets “a stunning brunette with electric blue eyes that seemed to spark at you.” “[S]he looked like a calendar artist’s idea of what a secretary should be.”
This book is also filled with Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
December 28, 2017
One day read while sitting at an airport. Seventh in the Mike Hammer series. Hammer has been on a nearly continual drink for seven years after his love interest and partner, Velda, was killed on a job. He loses weight and basically loses seven years of his life. He is brought by an FBI agent to the bedside of a dying man he does not know who requested him and is told that she is still alive and a communist assassin named The Dragon is trying to track her down and kill her. His investigation reveals the gun that shot this man has ties to a US Senator’s murder from prior years and he investigates that crime as he searches for Velda. Very suspenseful, well written, but definitely the macho male attitude towards women is very dated.
October 18, 2023
Spillane took ten years off to pass out some Watchtowers and then came back to write The Girl Hunters, which happens to be the first Hammer novel that I didn't love right away. Maybe it's because Mike is a bit weaker here (after coming off of a seven year bender), maybe it's because Mike and Pat are at each other's throats, maybe it's because some of the plot twists are kind of silly (even for a Mike Hammer novel), or maybe it's because this is the first Mike Hammer novel that doesn't really stand alone and Hammer novels are at their best when they are easily digestible one and done treats.
After some reflection long after finishing it, however, I think it is still a fantastic entry in the Mike Hammer series, even if it is pretty different from what came before.
After some reflection long after finishing it, however, I think it is still a fantastic entry in the Mike Hammer series, even if it is pretty different from what came before.
October 29, 2012
I am a Mike Hammer fan. Girl Hunters did not let me down. I will admit the book got off to a rough start with Mike being picked up out of the gutter stinking drunk. He has been drunk for seven years, the seven years that Velda disappeared. He is forced to sober up and hear the words of a dying man who will only speak to Mike.
I thought Spillane took it slow as Mike has to get back on his feet again. He is no longer the big ass kicker he used to be. But as the story progresses Mike Hammer blooms as the bodies pile up. I sped through the last chapter to the end that could not have happened any other way.
I thought Spillane took it slow as Mike has to get back on his feet again. He is no longer the big ass kicker he used to be. But as the story progresses Mike Hammer blooms as the bodies pile up. I sped through the last chapter to the end that could not have happened any other way.
April 24, 2024
A return to form from Mickey and Mike Hammer. I saw the film ( Mickey Spillane, Shirley Eaton ) a while ago. The film was a tad disappointing . The threads and turns that make the book were largely missing from the screen outing.
Mickey played Hammer, Eaton was the government man widow, Laura. Lloyd Nolan played Rickaby. Strange we never see Velda in the flesh but she is extremely important in the scheme of this 7th Mike Hammer book.
Mickey played Hammer, Eaton was the government man widow, Laura. Lloyd Nolan played Rickaby. Strange we never see Velda in the flesh but she is extremely important in the scheme of this 7th Mike Hammer book.
August 10, 2016
DNF. 10pp. Too much manly stupidity in the first pages. Nothing psychological, just manly drunkeness, manly punching, manly falling in the gutter over and over and over. Didn't like that, and moved on. Sorry.
May 24, 2020
There was a 10-year gap between Mickey Spillane’s sixth and seventh Mike Hammer novels (Kiss Me Deadly and The Girl Hunters). During this period Spillane semi-retired from writing and had become a Jehovah’s Witness. The Girl Hunters addresses the absence of Mike Hammer novels during this period by introducing a plot element that has Hammer’s secretary Velda missing in action for the last seven years. Hammer believing her dead has turned to drink, lost his PI licence and his friendship with NYPD captain Pat Chambers. But when a dying man gives Hammer hope Velda is still alive, he sobers up and resolves to find her. The mystery elements are blended well as the dying man is linked to the murder of a US senator and these events, in turn, are linked to the case Hammer and Velda were working on before her disappearance. Meanwhile, Hammer has become involved with Laura, the senator’s widow. The plot may be fanciful with its mix of espionage and hit-men, but Spillane manages to keep the reader from dwelling on the absurdities and emboils us in Hammer’s search for Velda. Whilst the early passages are slow as we become re-acquainted with Hammer and learn of the nature of Velda’s disappearance, once this set-up has been explained the pace quickens and the action is tough, sexy and intriguing. The finale is pure Spillane and will satisfy his loyal fan base. Written with tough-guy dialogue and in a spare first-person narrative prose, Spillane hits his stride once more and would enter a second prolific phase of writing - the book could have been written ten years earlier. A year later the book was adapted into a movie, in which Spillane played his own creation.
March 10, 2025
Book 7 in the Mike Hammer series. Published in 1962, it was the first new entry in the series after a decade-long hiatus.
The illegitimate son of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett strikes again. Mickey Spillane adopts the relentlessly first-person narrative style of his literary parentage and uses it to great effect. Not a single thought burns through the brain of his protagonist without the reader being aware of it first. The tough talk and wisecracks are still here, but the hardboiled edge has mellowed with age. Or perhaps the world has finally caught up with Spillane’s writing.
At the start of the book, we learn that private detective Mike Hammer has been wallowing in the depths of alcoholism since the events of the previous book. When he finds out that his former secretary Velma may still be alive, he quits drinking cold turkey and follows a trail of dead bodies to a mysterious assassin known only as “The Dragon.”
The 1963 film version is only notable for the actor portraying Mike Hammer, none other than his creator Mickey Spillane.
The illegitimate son of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett strikes again. Mickey Spillane adopts the relentlessly first-person narrative style of his literary parentage and uses it to great effect. Not a single thought burns through the brain of his protagonist without the reader being aware of it first. The tough talk and wisecracks are still here, but the hardboiled edge has mellowed with age. Or perhaps the world has finally caught up with Spillane’s writing.
At the start of the book, we learn that private detective Mike Hammer has been wallowing in the depths of alcoholism since the events of the previous book. When he finds out that his former secretary Velma may still be alive, he quits drinking cold turkey and follows a trail of dead bodies to a mysterious assassin known only as “The Dragon.”
The 1963 film version is only notable for the actor portraying Mike Hammer, none other than his creator Mickey Spillane.
August 28, 2025
Mike Hammer, sekreteri Velda'yı bir hırsızlık davasına gönderir ama sonra Velda'dan haber alamaz. 7 yıl boyunca kendini içkiye verir. Pat Chambers da ona düşman olur çünkü o da Velda'yı sevmektedir. Bir gün Pat Mike'ı alır. Cole adında bir adam vurulmuş ve ölmeden önce sadece Mike ile konuşacağını söylemiştir. Cole Mike'a Dragon adında birinin kendisini vurduğunu ve Velda'nın yaşadığını söyler. Cole'u vuran silah Senatörü vuran silah ile aynıdır. Cole bir FBI ajanıdır ve Art Rickerby onun intikamını almak için Mike'ın silah ruhsatı almasını sağlar. Senatörün karısı Laura da Mike ile anlaşır ve ona aşık olur. Bu arada 2 kere suikasta uğrar ama kurtulur Mike. By ve gazeteci arkadaşı ile önemli bilgilere ulaşır. Velda eskiden bir ajandır. En son gittiği hırsızlık vakasında çoktan ölmesi gereken Nazi ajanı Gerald Erich ile karşılaşmış ve kaybolmuştur. Dragon, Tooth ve Nail diye 2 kişiden oluşur. Birini yakalar ve Art'a teslim eder. Ama diğeri kimdir? Velda'yı bulabilecek midir? Laura ne yapacaktır? Mike ve Pat arasındaki düşmanlık bitecek mıdır? Keyifle bir solukta okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2020
I read somewhere that Micky Spillane started as a comic book writer. Having read my first (and probably last) title by the author, I find this easy to believe. My takeaway feeling from The Girl Hunters is that Mike Hammer feels like a character DC or Marvel would cook up: A gritty archetypal Joe Everyman with a dark side and commitment to fighting evil (commies). Oh, and he’s improbably indestructible. Like in the comic universe, the scenes in this book were stylish and set up well and the action moved fast. It was just all too hard to believe and predictable. I saw the ending coming a mile away. Moreover, the Hammer character was pretty hard to take seriously. Hammer, as first-person narrator, is laughably insecure when it comes to his own survival without his gun and reports that he is ready to punch just about everyone he encounters in the mouth. Silly.
May 8, 2019
These books always in so abruptly. I guess in another book I’ll find out what happened with Belma. Was curious what kind of license Mike Hammer receive from the FBI agent in order to carry his gun. One other note, I thought captive chambers would’ve been good with Belma more than Mike Hammer. My camera says he’s in love with her but at the same time in every book he says he’s in love with a couple other women. I guess it was part of the time is, women were not equals. I love the way when he talks to Laura and this book how he’s always telling her to shut up, and let me finish, shut up. Again sign of the times
June 23, 2024
To Spillane's credit, he does change things up a bit to try to keep Hammer from feeling stale in this one as we find him at the bottom of the barrel of a 7 year drunk, snapped back by a case that may reunite him with the lost love that caused it. That said, it's so overwrought that it borders on parody, and the overall mystery seems to spin more than move so while it never isn't entertaining, the resolution doesn't really feel like it pays off. It makes for a lackluster entry in the series, but these Hammer books are fun regardless.
November 23, 2022
This one starts out with a bang as Mike Hammer is found drunk on the sidewalk. Not just a one-time beng drunk but one that has lasted for seven years!
Hammer's relationship with Pat has been destroyed and he feels totally responsible for the death of his one true: Velda. Thus his drinking and path to self destruction.
Spillane adds the Cold War in this story of revenge and retribution.
Not bad... but not one of his best.
Hammer's relationship with Pat has been destroyed and he feels totally responsible for the death of his one true: Velda. Thus his drinking and path to self destruction.
Spillane adds the Cold War in this story of revenge and retribution.
Not bad... but not one of his best.
April 14, 2018
Libro da piena guerra fredda (1962), dove il protagonista maschile è molto macho e patriottico e chiama le belle donne "bimba" o "gattino" e i terribili comunisti "Rossi".
Hard-boiled all'ennesima potenza, è un bell'intreccio con un finale tutto sommato inaspettato, pietra miliare del genere, come tutti i libri con protagonista Mike Hammer, imprescindibile per gli appassionati
Hard-boiled all'ennesima potenza, è un bell'intreccio con un finale tutto sommato inaspettato, pietra miliare del genere, come tutti i libri con protagonista Mike Hammer, imprescindibile per gli appassionati
August 15, 2022
Eccellente ritorno dell'alter ego di Spillane. In questo romanzo, Mike Hammer è un uomo ridotto a un povero vagabondo alcolizzato, ma una notizia importante lo risveglierà dal suo torpore e a poco a poco proverà a riscattarsi. La penna di Spillane è sempre molto cruda e molto ispirata: difficile interrompere la lettura prima della fine.
June 27, 2023
Astounding, bit initially hard to get my head around. Take much loved characters and shake them up a lot, like a cement mixer. Then weave a story of such twisted complexity that it turns you on your head also. Then finish it in the next book. I highly recommend this, but tighten your seatbelt, it's a very bumpy ride.
April 22, 2019
This is Mike Hammer as you’ve never seen him before. He was literally a bum lying in the gutter that was dragged back to reality by Pat Chambers. He is a shadow of himself for the whole book. Still a good read.
June 15, 2021
The Girl Hunters is a great hard hitting crime novel by one of the truly greatest novelists Mickey Spillane. The novel was also adapted into a good taut film The Girl Hunters with Spillane portraying private investigator Mike Hammer.
October 5, 2021
Fairly typical Mickey Spillane, but Mike Hammer was . . . different. A drunk, a bum, trying to get back to where he was seven years ago (in the novel, not in, uh, our time). Pretty rough ending. All in all, not a bad read. Written in 1962
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