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Mike Shayne #25
Death Has Three Lives
Mike Shayne needed time to crack his latest case--just a little more time and a lot more luck. But the cops were getting impatient. They thought Shayne already knew more than he let on--much more--and they wanted in. They knew Shayne knew that Lucy Hamilton was next on the murderer's agenda. Shayne said he would handle it his own way. If Lucy's life and Mike's neck were to be saved, Mike would have to work fast. It would take all his skill to break one of the most cleverly coded messages he had ever run up against. And time was running out...
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
3 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Brett Halliday
510 books63 followersAKA David Dresser
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names
Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names
Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 6, 2016
Don't know who wrote this under the "Halliday" moniker. Seems to me it wasn't Dresser. This Shayne volume is full of plot holes and lacks the accurate "Halliday" Dade County backdrop.
Shayne is pretty much written as out of control breaking all sorts of laws including attempted murder without charges filed. Written at times a tough guy, but others Shayne is a nervous mess and still others confused. This is all pretty far from the Shayne character. Lucy Hamilton is written out of character as a woman incapable of dealing with circumstances. Even Will Gentry acts at times more like Peter Painter, Miami Beach Police Chief. It's all an off kilter tale that fits poorly with the Shayne set.
The start of the story makes little sense, which Shayne would ordinarily have figured out at the start. Instead, the story lurches forward with what seem like individually written scenes linked loosely together with poor narrative. There's a good mystery involved, just poorly executed. There's a neat little wrap up of the story. but it seems to me wasted tacked to the rest of the story.
At one point there's something about a bomb that is made and thrown How the bomb is made, then thrown and the results are treated as if a chocolate muffin could be in place of the bomb.
About Florida setting: This stood out to me the most. Usually locations are very well and accurately depicted. In this volume, the entire book is written so loosely that, with the exception of a couple street names, it all could take place in Dubuque. At one point there is a trip made to a cottage motel "on the out skirts" of town. Other Shayne novels would have been far more specific.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.
Shayne is pretty much written as out of control breaking all sorts of laws including attempted murder without charges filed. Written at times a tough guy, but others Shayne is a nervous mess and still others confused. This is all pretty far from the Shayne character. Lucy Hamilton is written out of character as a woman incapable of dealing with circumstances. Even Will Gentry acts at times more like Peter Painter, Miami Beach Police Chief. It's all an off kilter tale that fits poorly with the Shayne set.
The start of the story makes little sense, which Shayne would ordinarily have figured out at the start. Instead, the story lurches forward with what seem like individually written scenes linked loosely together with poor narrative. There's a good mystery involved, just poorly executed. There's a neat little wrap up of the story. but it seems to me wasted tacked to the rest of the story.
At one point there's something about a bomb that is made and thrown How the bomb is made, then thrown and the results are treated as if a chocolate muffin could be in place of the bomb.
About Florida setting: This stood out to me the most. Usually locations are very well and accurately depicted. In this volume, the entire book is written so loosely that, with the exception of a couple street names, it all could take place in Dubuque. At one point there is a trip made to a cottage motel "on the out skirts" of town. Other Shayne novels would have been far more specific.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.
June 10, 2017
Bodies Turning Up Everywhere
Death Has Three Lives is a great mystery featuring Lucy Hamilton with Mike Shayne playing a supporting role. Someone from Lucy's past in New Orleans shows up, she deceived the police, and goes off detecting on her own. In the midst of it all, bodies keep dropping like leaves from a tree. This book has the hellfire nonstop excitement of the early Shayne mysteries, all written by the first Brett Halliday, Davis Dresser. There is nonstop excitement from start to finish and enough twists and turns, car crashes, stabbings, shootings, and bombings to keep anyone interested .
Death Has Three Lives is a great mystery featuring Lucy Hamilton with Mike Shayne playing a supporting role. Someone from Lucy's past in New Orleans shows up, she deceived the police, and goes off detecting on her own. In the midst of it all, bodies keep dropping like leaves from a tree. This book has the hellfire nonstop excitement of the early Shayne mysteries, all written by the first Brett Halliday, Davis Dresser. There is nonstop excitement from start to finish and enough twists and turns, car crashes, stabbings, shootings, and bombings to keep anyone interested .
July 26, 2012
Picked this old Dell book up at a used book store. The price tag on the cover says $0.35 and was originally published in 1961.
The art of writing about private detectives is long gone yet I love this type of story. More Mike Shayne for me please. This book still reads great.
The art of writing about private detectives is long gone yet I love this type of story. More Mike Shayne for me please. This book still reads great.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews