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Mike Hammer #17
Lady, Go Die!
When Hammer and Velda go on vacation to a Long Island beach town, Hammer becomes embroiled in the mystery of a missing New York party girl who lives nearby. When she turns up naked--and dead--in the town square, Hammer decides to investigate.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2012
73 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Spillane
316 books448 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 67 reviews
April 23, 2023
here’s another mike hammer book that spillane abandoned before completing and his good friend, writer max allan collins, later took upon himself to bring the story to the finish line with mickey’s blessings.
this newly dusted off manuscript was originally meant as a sequel to I, THE JURY, before mickey scrapped it and started fresh with another idea. I, THE JURY, of course, being that oh-so-infamous pulp novel that begot unparalleled sales in the new-at-the-time paperback market. he’s basically the reason the paperbacks became so popular ever since, and merrily paved the future way for many of your favorite writers who found success in the cheaper and more popular medium.
that was enough for me to want to read ‘lady go die!’ as soon as i could, and i can confidently say it’s one of the better spillane / collins collabs.
later in the series, hammer changed and matured just as spillane matured as he got older, and some might say, his classic character lost some of its teeth by the 90s and 2000’s. but in the end, that is a matter of opinion.
this here is early hammer, so the man’s still a tough bastard with a liscence to kill —- and since psychopath hammer is my favorite kinda hammer, as with most fans of the novels, i thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this story.
is it as balls to the walls & heart on its sleeve as mickey’s legendary first 6-7 novels? no. does it soar as high and mighty? no. does it give you those ridiculous kid-with-toy-gun goosebumps that come with his writing? kinda. is it as incendiary and fun? sorta. does it have a great ending? oh hell yes.
it’s not vintage mickey, but it’s legit mickey. you can feel his hand in the book. he wrote enough of it, that he’s in the DNA. sure, it could’ve used a personal polish and some tender love and care by spillane, but hey — we’ll take what we can get here.
rip, the great mickey spillane.
this newly dusted off manuscript was originally meant as a sequel to I, THE JURY, before mickey scrapped it and started fresh with another idea. I, THE JURY, of course, being that oh-so-infamous pulp novel that begot unparalleled sales in the new-at-the-time paperback market. he’s basically the reason the paperbacks became so popular ever since, and merrily paved the future way for many of your favorite writers who found success in the cheaper and more popular medium.
that was enough for me to want to read ‘lady go die!’ as soon as i could, and i can confidently say it’s one of the better spillane / collins collabs.
later in the series, hammer changed and matured just as spillane matured as he got older, and some might say, his classic character lost some of its teeth by the 90s and 2000’s. but in the end, that is a matter of opinion.
this here is early hammer, so the man’s still a tough bastard with a liscence to kill —- and since psychopath hammer is my favorite kinda hammer, as with most fans of the novels, i thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this story.
is it as balls to the walls & heart on its sleeve as mickey’s legendary first 6-7 novels? no. does it soar as high and mighty? no. does it give you those ridiculous kid-with-toy-gun goosebumps that come with his writing? kinda. is it as incendiary and fun? sorta. does it have a great ending? oh hell yes.
it’s not vintage mickey, but it’s legit mickey. you can feel his hand in the book. he wrote enough of it, that he’s in the DNA. sure, it could’ve used a personal polish and some tender love and care by spillane, but hey — we’ll take what we can get here.
rip, the great mickey spillane.
April 13, 2023
Although controversial in his time for the frank portrayal of sex and violence in his books, Spillane was loved by the public and was one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century.
Hammer is a private eye. He is known for being brutally violent and metes out his own brand of justice. It is not unusual for a trail of bodies to be left in his wake as he defends himself against attacks. The Hammer stories are filled with action from cover to cover and "Lady Go Die" is no exception to this rule.
The overall plot is fairly typical of the kind of hardboiled PI stuff that was put out in the fifties. It involves murder, gambling, corruption, a rich blonde who may have killed a few husbands, and some toughnosed pugs. But, what makes this different from the typical fifties PI novel is that it is Mike Hammer and nobody was tougher than Hammer was. Nobody did a better job of mixing it up than Hammer.
The story begins with Hammer taking a weekend getaway with his secretary, the irrestible Velda, to a small hamlet on Long Island. Without even meaning to, Hammer immediately gets involved in a brawl when he sees a little guy getting the crap beat out of him by three goons. "They were kicking the hell out of the little guy," it begins. "The big guys seemed to be trying for field goals, their squirming prey pulled in on himself like a barefoot fetus in a ragged t- shirt and frayed dungarees," it is explained. Hammer can't just walk by the alley and let the bullies get away with this. He takes a last drag on a cigarette, "slipped out of [his] sportcoat and handed it to [his] raven-haired companion," and sends a right into one goon that "would have broken that nose if there had been enough cartilage left to matter." Hammer smashed him in the back of his neck and send him to the alley floor in a "sprawling belly flop." After rubbing his face in the gravel, Hammer makes mincemeat out of the other two goons. And, this is just the start of Hammer's weekend in the country. Nobody ever wrote action sequences better than Mickey Spillane. And, if you like hardnosed action, this book is your ticket. When the kid being beaten asks Hammer who he is, Hammer deadpans that he is the Lone Ranger and wait til you get a load of Tonto.
This early in the Hammer series Velda is still just his secretary and he hadn't made a pass at her yet, but the sparks are flying whenever she is around. She is described as a "big, beautiful dark-haired doll" with a "lovely fanny." "She looked equipped enough to handle anything" from where Hammer was sitting. Velda, though, is also a licensed PI and carried a .32 in her purse next to her lipstick. But Hammer is fascinated by her: "She was as pretty as anything I had ever seen. Tall, jet black hair, always in that sweeping pageboy that I so admired. Big and beautiful with more curves than a mountain road...." Spillane was definitely a romantic. Hammer and Velda's romance is probably the longest running one in hardboiled fiction.
From beginning to end, this is just a fantastic read. This book most definitely rates five stars or more.
Hammer is a private eye. He is known for being brutally violent and metes out his own brand of justice. It is not unusual for a trail of bodies to be left in his wake as he defends himself against attacks. The Hammer stories are filled with action from cover to cover and "Lady Go Die" is no exception to this rule.
The overall plot is fairly typical of the kind of hardboiled PI stuff that was put out in the fifties. It involves murder, gambling, corruption, a rich blonde who may have killed a few husbands, and some toughnosed pugs. But, what makes this different from the typical fifties PI novel is that it is Mike Hammer and nobody was tougher than Hammer was. Nobody did a better job of mixing it up than Hammer.
The story begins with Hammer taking a weekend getaway with his secretary, the irrestible Velda, to a small hamlet on Long Island. Without even meaning to, Hammer immediately gets involved in a brawl when he sees a little guy getting the crap beat out of him by three goons. "They were kicking the hell out of the little guy," it begins. "The big guys seemed to be trying for field goals, their squirming prey pulled in on himself like a barefoot fetus in a ragged t- shirt and frayed dungarees," it is explained. Hammer can't just walk by the alley and let the bullies get away with this. He takes a last drag on a cigarette, "slipped out of [his] sportcoat and handed it to [his] raven-haired companion," and sends a right into one goon that "would have broken that nose if there had been enough cartilage left to matter." Hammer smashed him in the back of his neck and send him to the alley floor in a "sprawling belly flop." After rubbing his face in the gravel, Hammer makes mincemeat out of the other two goons. And, this is just the start of Hammer's weekend in the country. Nobody ever wrote action sequences better than Mickey Spillane. And, if you like hardnosed action, this book is your ticket. When the kid being beaten asks Hammer who he is, Hammer deadpans that he is the Lone Ranger and wait til you get a load of Tonto.
This early in the Hammer series Velda is still just his secretary and he hadn't made a pass at her yet, but the sparks are flying whenever she is around. She is described as a "big, beautiful dark-haired doll" with a "lovely fanny." "She looked equipped enough to handle anything" from where Hammer was sitting. Velda, though, is also a licensed PI and carried a .32 in her purse next to her lipstick. But Hammer is fascinated by her: "She was as pretty as anything I had ever seen. Tall, jet black hair, always in that sweeping pageboy that I so admired. Big and beautiful with more curves than a mountain road...." Spillane was definitely a romantic. Hammer and Velda's romance is probably the longest running one in hardboiled fiction.
From beginning to end, this is just a fantastic read. This book most definitely rates five stars or more.
January 8, 2020
You just can't beat a Mike Hammer novel for some fast paced action and a good detective yarn. Very tightly written plot and action that never slows. Great read. Very recommended
October 23, 2012
I spent a couple of entertaining nights on this one. Mike Hammer and his gorgeous secretary Velda decide to get away from The Big Apple for a little R&R at a seaside tourist village. Of course, their plans go awry when murder interrupts their vacation, and the chase is soon on to catch the killer. I've reading enjoyed the Mike Hammer novels, especially the early ones. Since this is the second title that never got finished, much less published, until now, it falls right in line with the hardboiled fare I prefer. I liked the back story to Hammer's WW2 military service, and the assist Hammer gets from Lt. Pat Chambers, his pal with the NYPD Homicide. There's a real murder mystery at work in the plot with a few twists dropped in. Max Allan Collins finishes the story Mr. Spillane started with a smooth, seamless narrative. It's the same old Hammer with his snappy wisecracks, .45, and righteous fury. Great stuff.
May 18, 2012
This is Max Allan Collins' fourth co-authored Mike Hammer novel, completed from a partial manuscript and notes. After his death, Spillane's wife, on instructions from Mickey before he'd passed, turned over all of his papers to Collins.
LADY, GO DIE! was a novel begun after his famous novel, I, THE JURY, our introduction to Hammer and abandoned for some reason.
Collins kept the setting right after WWII and it's a direct sequel to that first one.
Hammer and Velda are on a bit of a vacation in the small town of Sidon on Long Island. Ever since that ending of I, THE JURY, he'd been on a bender and after a year Velda and his friend Pat Chambers convince him to take some time off.
But this is Mike Hammer. Trouble follows him around and it doesn't take long.
He breaks up three men kicking the crap out of a skinny little guy in an alley. They are cops and one he knows, kicked off the New York force for the crook he was. They want information on a missing woman.
The woman, Sharron Wesley, had gone missing from her mansion a week before. Then her nude body turns up perched naked on a stone statue of a horse in the park. Dead a week, she'd been strangled and tossed in the ocean and then perched on the statue. Was it the same killer?
Hammer gets drawn into the investigation and learns more is going on than seemed obvious.
Loved this one. Collins has managed to marry his own style with Spillane's and make a seamless novel that kept me turning the pages. I started it in the morning and finished in the evening.
Recommended.
LADY, GO DIE! was a novel begun after his famous novel, I, THE JURY, our introduction to Hammer and abandoned for some reason.
Collins kept the setting right after WWII and it's a direct sequel to that first one.
Hammer and Velda are on a bit of a vacation in the small town of Sidon on Long Island. Ever since that ending of I, THE JURY, he'd been on a bender and after a year Velda and his friend Pat Chambers convince him to take some time off.
But this is Mike Hammer. Trouble follows him around and it doesn't take long.
He breaks up three men kicking the crap out of a skinny little guy in an alley. They are cops and one he knows, kicked off the New York force for the crook he was. They want information on a missing woman.
The woman, Sharron Wesley, had gone missing from her mansion a week before. Then her nude body turns up perched naked on a stone statue of a horse in the park. Dead a week, she'd been strangled and tossed in the ocean and then perched on the statue. Was it the same killer?
Hammer gets drawn into the investigation and learns more is going on than seemed obvious.
Loved this one. Collins has managed to marry his own style with Spillane's and make a seamless novel that kept me turning the pages. I started it in the morning and finished in the evening.
Recommended.
November 30, 2013
The long lost follow-up to the iconic I, THE JURY – LADY, GO DIE sees Mike Hammer and assistant Velda (who also doubles as a PI) take a vacation for some much needed R&R. What they get, however, is a face full of police brutality, a missing and presumed dead woman about town, and an inept police force prone to corruption and murder.
Hammer, never one to shy away from a fair fight, takes it upon himself investigate the police angle behind a seemingly untoward the beat-down which exposes a deeper plot involving town officials, illegal gambling and unnecessary strongarm tactics. In the pursuit of information, Hammer will do whatever it takes to see justice and revenge is served cold.
It took me a little while to get into LADY, GO DIE – much like many Mike Hammer novels, the hard man PI stumbles upon a case and proceeds to continually put himself in harm’s way to solve it with little or no motive apart from his deep seeded desire to protect the innocent. In this, he’s more likened to a cop than rogue PI but somehow author Max Allan Collins pulls it off to make it feel natural for the renowned PI.
The core plot was murder mystery - once established, however there’s much more to this circa 1940’s crime tale, including a couple of nice twists and turns I didn’t see coming and some character building to add more menace to the Hammer persona.
LADY, GO DIE isn’t the greatest of the many Mike Hammer novels buts well worth a look. It’s a quick, fun read that transports the reader back to I, THE JURY territory.
My review of I, THE JURY can be read here [GR]: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hammer, never one to shy away from a fair fight, takes it upon himself investigate the police angle behind a seemingly untoward the beat-down which exposes a deeper plot involving town officials, illegal gambling and unnecessary strongarm tactics. In the pursuit of information, Hammer will do whatever it takes to see justice and revenge is served cold.
It took me a little while to get into LADY, GO DIE – much like many Mike Hammer novels, the hard man PI stumbles upon a case and proceeds to continually put himself in harm’s way to solve it with little or no motive apart from his deep seeded desire to protect the innocent. In this, he’s more likened to a cop than rogue PI but somehow author Max Allan Collins pulls it off to make it feel natural for the renowned PI.
The core plot was murder mystery - once established, however there’s much more to this circa 1940’s crime tale, including a couple of nice twists and turns I didn’t see coming and some character building to add more menace to the Hammer persona.
LADY, GO DIE isn’t the greatest of the many Mike Hammer novels buts well worth a look. It’s a quick, fun read that transports the reader back to I, THE JURY territory.
My review of I, THE JURY can be read here [GR]: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 1, 2015
Even though this book didn't come out until 2012 (6 years after Mickey Spillane's death), it contains all the elements of the classic Mike Hammer novels from the early 1950's. Max Allan Collins does an excellent job of keeping The Mike Hammer Tradition alive. It reads so smoothly, you can't tell where Spillane stopped and where Collins picked up. A must read for any fan of traditional Mike Hammer.
December 27, 2019
DNF. As I said in my review of "I, the Jury" - I guess I'm not a big Mike Hammer/Mickey Spillane fan. Unlike this entry, I did manage to finish "I, the Jury" but only gave it 2 stars. Whatever Collins did to get the novel in a publishable form didn't seem to improve anything. I've always enjoyed Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Lew Archer, The Continental Op and even Mike Shayne but I just can't get into Mike Hammer.
October 15, 2022
4/5
Another very fun book polished by the great Max Allan Collins. Mikey Spillane would approve for sure.
Another very fun book polished by the great Max Allan Collins. Mikey Spillane would approve for sure.
March 25, 2025
3.75/5. I didn't guess who the murderer would be for a change 👏🏼
May 14, 2012
Please Hammer, hurt em’!
Fedoras off to Max Allen Collins, he might as well change his middle name to Spillane! I am a huge fan of Mikey Spillane and I was worried to see what Max Allen Collins would do with him. After reading the Co-authors note all my fears were placed aside. It turns out that Max Allen Collins was chosen by Spillane to keep the “Hammer” hitting hard. Max Allen Collins really did treat this book as if Mikey Spillane was sitting next to him as the book was written. Picking up a dead author’s uncompleted stories is no easy feat, yet Max Allen Collins picks up Lady, Go Die! like a mother holding a newborn. Mike hammer was a detective when there was no such thing as political correctness. Hammer is a mans, man. He leers at women, calls them things like doll and does it like a boss! Collins captured the gritty feel of a time where America was in transition. Organized crime still had a hold on the doings of society and America was adjusting to a post war economy. The nuclear family was in the womb and mom and dad were drinking High balls, smoking cigarettes and waiting for the due date.
Interesting times aside, Max Allen Collins performed a real magic trick with this novel and there was no CGI involved. Collins was able to make me forget about cell phones, political correctness and the internet for the duration of this book. This book is a smooth read and the 241 pages of story flew by all too quickly. Reading this book versus most modern detective novels was similar to comparing H.P. Lovecraft to Stephan King. Like Lovecraft Collins didn’t go into every gory detail and he left some things left unsaid; whereas Stephan King and most modern detective novels feel like the reader needs know each and every exact detail of a murder scene. At the height of Spillane’s writing I doubt he could have gotten away with what are descriptive norms these days. Max Allen Collins respects the literary constraints of the time and turns them into a writing device that lets the reader paint their own picture. If you like Spillane, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. If you like a good solid mystery, this book is for you. If you are a fan of Noir, you can’t miss Lady, Go Die!
Fedoras off to Max Allen Collins, he might as well change his middle name to Spillane! I am a huge fan of Mikey Spillane and I was worried to see what Max Allen Collins would do with him. After reading the Co-authors note all my fears were placed aside. It turns out that Max Allen Collins was chosen by Spillane to keep the “Hammer” hitting hard. Max Allen Collins really did treat this book as if Mikey Spillane was sitting next to him as the book was written. Picking up a dead author’s uncompleted stories is no easy feat, yet Max Allen Collins picks up Lady, Go Die! like a mother holding a newborn. Mike hammer was a detective when there was no such thing as political correctness. Hammer is a mans, man. He leers at women, calls them things like doll and does it like a boss! Collins captured the gritty feel of a time where America was in transition. Organized crime still had a hold on the doings of society and America was adjusting to a post war economy. The nuclear family was in the womb and mom and dad were drinking High balls, smoking cigarettes and waiting for the due date.
Interesting times aside, Max Allen Collins performed a real magic trick with this novel and there was no CGI involved. Collins was able to make me forget about cell phones, political correctness and the internet for the duration of this book. This book is a smooth read and the 241 pages of story flew by all too quickly. Reading this book versus most modern detective novels was similar to comparing H.P. Lovecraft to Stephan King. Like Lovecraft Collins didn’t go into every gory detail and he left some things left unsaid; whereas Stephan King and most modern detective novels feel like the reader needs know each and every exact detail of a murder scene. At the height of Spillane’s writing I doubt he could have gotten away with what are descriptive norms these days. Max Allen Collins respects the literary constraints of the time and turns them into a writing device that lets the reader paint their own picture. If you like Spillane, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. If you like a good solid mystery, this book is for you. If you are a fan of Noir, you can’t miss Lady, Go Die!
December 18, 2012
Ahhh, another entity in the canon of Carroll John Daly's Race William's favorite son, Mike Hammer. Max Allan Collins completed the unfinished manuscript and MAC has the process down cold - he has Mickey Spillane's voice down to pretty much of a "T". Kudos To MAC!
The book is SOP for Hammer. We are sucked into some situation where Mike has to beat the stuffing out of at least one bad guy, shoot a couple more and most importantly, save Velda. Of course just to simply recite any of this is to belie the formula; the description of the violence must be as graphic and brutal as possible and the sex scenes right out of a prewar Spicy Pulp. Detection per se is not an issue as Mike runs here, runs there and by prodding as many of the bad guys as possible, blunders into the resolution where he gets to kill the main villain.
This isn't to say that Spillane and Collins don't deliver the emotion punch that Hammer books demand with their hard boiled and taut endings - but on some level this is getting "old", which may be redundant to say about a book that was started 70 years ago. However, admit it - you had a pretty good idea who was going to end up dead in the final reel and the only issue was the "how" of it all.
It has all been a good, maybe even great, thrill ride; but it has been many a decade since "I, The Jury" shocked us with that final gun flash - Mike's world is pretty much all gone along with the enveloping cold war hysteria. We have newer demons to fight. Hammer is almost nostalgia. Que "Harlem Nocturne"
The book is SOP for Hammer. We are sucked into some situation where Mike has to beat the stuffing out of at least one bad guy, shoot a couple more and most importantly, save Velda. Of course just to simply recite any of this is to belie the formula; the description of the violence must be as graphic and brutal as possible and the sex scenes right out of a prewar Spicy Pulp. Detection per se is not an issue as Mike runs here, runs there and by prodding as many of the bad guys as possible, blunders into the resolution where he gets to kill the main villain.
This isn't to say that Spillane and Collins don't deliver the emotion punch that Hammer books demand with their hard boiled and taut endings - but on some level this is getting "old", which may be redundant to say about a book that was started 70 years ago. However, admit it - you had a pretty good idea who was going to end up dead in the final reel and the only issue was the "how" of it all.
It has all been a good, maybe even great, thrill ride; but it has been many a decade since "I, The Jury" shocked us with that final gun flash - Mike's world is pretty much all gone along with the enveloping cold war hysteria. We have newer demons to fight. Hammer is almost nostalgia. Que "Harlem Nocturne"
August 16, 2013
Another of Spillane's Hammer stories that has been lovingly completed by Max Alan Collins. This is a much older one and takes place early in Mike hammer's career sometime just just after I, the Jury. It's a bit different to most of the others as the majority of the action takes place in a small resort town out on Long Island.
Overall the story was not bad. a couple of minor twists but there were not enough characters to narrow down the list of suspects, so it was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was in the end.
I listened to this on audiobook, read by Stacy Keach, who I really enjoy as the voice of Mike Hammer. This was probably a 3.5 star book, but I will bump it up to 4 for the enjoyable audio performance.
Overall the story was not bad. a couple of minor twists but there were not enough characters to narrow down the list of suspects, so it was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was in the end.
I listened to this on audiobook, read by Stacy Keach, who I really enjoy as the voice of Mike Hammer. This was probably a 3.5 star book, but I will bump it up to 4 for the enjoyable audio performance.
June 10, 2012
Max Allan Collins has done a remarkable job with the unfinished manuscripts and notes from Spillane's estate.
I thoroughly enjoyed this "sequel" to I,the Jury.
Mike Hammer is not a politically correct character for the 21st century but he's great fun as a tough, brash, and smart PI who makes things happen.
I thoroughly enjoyed this "sequel" to I,the Jury.
Mike Hammer is not a politically correct character for the 21st century but he's great fun as a tough, brash, and smart PI who makes things happen.
December 30, 2018
In the Mickey Spillane 'Mike Hammer' universe, this novel is set to take place between the original Mike Hammer novel "I, The Jury" written in 1947, and "My Gun Is Quick" written in 1950.
Of course the story starts out in the middle of a dark alley at night with violence being perpetrated on a defenseless guy and Mike, on vacation with the voluptuous Velda, just happens to be strolling by.
Max Allan Collins does a great job of writing this story, published in 2012, as if it were written in the late 1940's timeline. There is a scene in the novel where Mike is sitting down with his friend Pat, a homicide detective and they are discussing the various aspects of what defines a serial killer. This conversation is written into the story because the writer, of a work in the late 1940's wouldn't assume that his readers would know well what a 'serial killer' is. It reminded me very much of how Poe had to lay down the various aspects of what a detective is when he wrote the Murders In The Rue Morgue because he couldn't assume that his readers would know.
Another reason I love reading writing like this…
[ Bill was one of those medium guys - medium build, medium height, medium weight, with the kind of face they build crowds out of. ]
C'mon, how can you NOT love a line like that. And this novel is littered with those gems at almost every turn of the page…
Of course the story starts out in the middle of a dark alley at night with violence being perpetrated on a defenseless guy and Mike, on vacation with the voluptuous Velda, just happens to be strolling by.
Max Allan Collins does a great job of writing this story, published in 2012, as if it were written in the late 1940's timeline. There is a scene in the novel where Mike is sitting down with his friend Pat, a homicide detective and they are discussing the various aspects of what defines a serial killer. This conversation is written into the story because the writer, of a work in the late 1940's wouldn't assume that his readers would know well what a 'serial killer' is. It reminded me very much of how Poe had to lay down the various aspects of what a detective is when he wrote the Murders In The Rue Morgue because he couldn't assume that his readers would know.
Another reason I love reading writing like this…
[ Bill was one of those medium guys - medium build, medium height, medium weight, with the kind of face they build crowds out of. ]
C'mon, how can you NOT love a line like that. And this novel is littered with those gems at almost every turn of the page…
April 2, 2020
Okay... I've been working my way through these. As someone who writes comedy/mysteries (of a sort) I do my best to avoid reading mysteries (I don't want to be caught "stealing") so I go in for the more "rough stuff" like this and "Richard Stark" (Donald Westlake's pseudonym for his nasty Parker novels...). And because I do tend towards more "fictiony" writing myself, and having read so much of it in the past (had to for all those stupid degrees!) I try to avoid it as much as possible now! Yuck. Do a bit of re-reading now and then, or filling in the gaps...
Like I said...okay. Always the nice touches with Mike going soft when he has to over the sappy beachcomber, and getting overly tough on the ex-cop he used to have nasty tete-a-tetes with back in NYC before they start bashing each other's brains in. A hidden gambling casino on Long Island (ho hum, no spoilers there; something of a 1940s throwback) and murder in the wings for a woman who couldn't keep her pants zipped up. Yes, they wore pants back then.
The title seems a bit more misogynistic than necessary at first sight until you read on and understand the play on words. Still a bit more misogynistic than necessary...especially given the punctuation.
Like I said...okay. Always the nice touches with Mike going soft when he has to over the sappy beachcomber, and getting overly tough on the ex-cop he used to have nasty tete-a-tetes with back in NYC before they start bashing each other's brains in. A hidden gambling casino on Long Island (ho hum, no spoilers there; something of a 1940s throwback) and murder in the wings for a woman who couldn't keep her pants zipped up. Yes, they wore pants back then.
The title seems a bit more misogynistic than necessary at first sight until you read on and understand the play on words. Still a bit more misogynistic than necessary...especially given the punctuation.
September 12, 2020
Picked up this at a local budget place and thought I'd give it a read...seems it was a posthumous work either styled in notes by Spillane or partially written and needed up by Collins.
Whichever it's a decent enough read and although I can't compare it to other books of the Mike Hammer series..having never read any before...this works well in the hard noses Raymond Chandler/Ed McBain style..
It's the story of a hard boiled private detective and the case involving a missing socialite..good fun..no real stretches in regard the plot and it works out pretty much as I thought it would but it's paced about right so that's fine.
Whichever it's a decent enough read and although I can't compare it to other books of the Mike Hammer series..having never read any before...this works well in the hard noses Raymond Chandler/Ed McBain style..
It's the story of a hard boiled private detective and the case involving a missing socialite..good fun..no real stretches in regard the plot and it works out pretty much as I thought it would but it's paced about right so that's fine.
November 2, 2022
This is the Mike Hammer novel that I longed to read. Hammer is at his best - at killing, beating people up and racing his car around Long Island. Mike and his lovely secretary, Velda are vacationing in a small town on Long Island. What possibly could Mike get involved in there, you ask. Only mass murder, illegal gambling, corrupt police and organized crime. And all in this one book!! But wait! There's more!! I forgot about Hammer having sex with a young woman with blonde hair! This is a Mike Hammer novel don't forget!! There is a lot to enjoy in this book. If you have never read a Mike Hammer book now is the time to start!!
June 6, 2021
Originally intended as the 2nd Mike Hammer novel (and sequel to I, the Jury), for whatever reason Spillane set this work aside and never completed it.
After Spillane's death in 2006 his protege-collaborator-literary executor, Max Allan Collins, was given a large cache of unpublished & unfinished manuscripts, including several Mike Hammer tales. Collins ably finished this lost Mike Hammer novel, and it is a worthy addition to the cannon of this hard-boiled detective series.
After Spillane's death in 2006 his protege-collaborator-literary executor, Max Allan Collins, was given a large cache of unpublished & unfinished manuscripts, including several Mike Hammer tales. Collins ably finished this lost Mike Hammer novel, and it is a worthy addition to the cannon of this hard-boiled detective series.
January 4, 2026
I finished “Lady, Go Die!” by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins.
Velda and Pat persuade PI Mike Hammer to go on holiday with Velda in a little coastal town. Unfortunately, things don't operate as planned, and Mike Hammer has to deal with police brutality and with a public placed female corpse.
The style seems a bit silly at the beginning, but consequently pulling off, I found the narrative style pretty cool. Mike Hammer brawls, shoots, and flirts. If he takes a break, he smokes and drinks whisky highballs. Obviously, he doesn't need a retirement payment plan. He asks questions and listens. Finesse only plays a small role. He does all the things a good hard-boiled PI has to do. But his strongest trait is that he has friends. That means his friends of the demimonde as well. His friendships sometimes make the novel a bit cozy. The novel was a swell escapism into the end of the 40s. I enjoyed the novel very much. I will later circle back to this series.
Velda and Pat persuade PI Mike Hammer to go on holiday with Velda in a little coastal town. Unfortunately, things don't operate as planned, and Mike Hammer has to deal with police brutality and with a public placed female corpse.
The style seems a bit silly at the beginning, but consequently pulling off, I found the narrative style pretty cool. Mike Hammer brawls, shoots, and flirts. If he takes a break, he smokes and drinks whisky highballs. Obviously, he doesn't need a retirement payment plan. He asks questions and listens. Finesse only plays a small role. He does all the things a good hard-boiled PI has to do. But his strongest trait is that he has friends. That means his friends of the demimonde as well. His friendships sometimes make the novel a bit cozy. The novel was a swell escapism into the end of the 40s. I enjoyed the novel very much. I will later circle back to this series.
April 17, 2023
I'd never read a Mike Hammer book before, but I picked up a cheap copy of this a while back. It's apparently Spillane's 'lost' 1940's novel which Max Allan Collins finished years later. I'm obviously not qualified to say how it compares with the stories published in Spillane's lifetime but it's snappily written and has certainly whet my appetite. Time to investigate further, no pun intended.
July 24, 2019
A carry-on of the great Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer series that really works--PI procedural at its best!! Justice rules, hard-guy tactics get it, and the writing is top of the class. Now I've read one of Collins/Spillane and 10 more good reads to come!
April 24, 2020
Better than I, The Jury - it would’ve been four stars were it not for some pretty disturbing objectification of women. Once again, Mike Hammer solves the case in a testosterone-fuelled violent male fantasy.
August 4, 2025
DNFed after 100 pages. Too much cartoonish buffoonery. The first rule of tough guys is they don't need to prove they're tough guys. This book violates this rule in the most asinine manner possible. I like mysteries that make me think, but I felt myself getting stupider with every page.
July 12, 2020
Entertaining listening.
February 18, 2021
An enjoyably entertaining read with a nice little twist. Some authors try to be too pretentious. This hit the spot just nicely.
March 6, 2021
What a book
I remember watching Mike Hammer on TV along time ago so of course I had to read this book it was great!
I remember watching Mike Hammer on TV along time ago so of course I had to read this book it was great!
October 4, 2021
Spillane's second (unfinished and previously unpublished) Mike Hammer story, completed by long-time collaborator Collins after Spillane's death
October 22, 2021
A fun, simple distilled story.
February 3, 2022
Hard boiled detective action . Mickey Spillane never disappoints. Velda goes missing. Can Mike find her in time? Dynamite ending.
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