Target, Mike Shayne

Mike Shayne #33

by Brett Halliday

Out of jail and hungry for revenge, a career criminal comes after Mike Shayne They call him the Actor. An armed robber with a sense of style, Bram Clayton planned every heist with care, slipping so convincingly into the actions and motives of his characters that even experts couldn’t tell him apart from the real thing. He played electricians, salesmen, even a bank examiner, but for the last 13 years he’s been stuck in a single jailbird. When Clayton finally earns freedom, he has no trouble convincing the warden he’s going to stay straight, but the Actor is about to pull the greatest heist of his career. There’s a beautiful woman waiting for Clayton when he gets out. An old friend with an ulterior motive, she comes equipped with a bottle of whiskey, a carton of cigarettes, clean clothes, a gun, and a plan for a $200,000 heist so simple that it’s almost a sure thing—so long as it isn’t upset by Clayton’s hunger for revenge against the man who put him legendary detective Mike Shayne. Mike Shayne is the 34th book in the Mike Shayne Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

AKA 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.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Mike Shayne mystery stands out because it starts out with two parallel narratives, one from the criminal's point of view and one from Shayne's point of view. In fact, given the manner in which it starts out, you might be forgiven if you think this is simply a hardboiled pulp novel about a convict and a gorgeous blonde he finds waiting for him outside the prison. In fact, the convict (Clay) has no idea who Miriam is or what she wants from him. He just knows he never had it so good.

The interplay between these two tough pulpy characters is perfect and shows another side to the writing skill of whoever was writing under the Halliday name at the time.

Meanwhile, someone is trying to rub out Shayne and the entire town is an uproar. Of course, at some point these two narratives coalesce.

Found this to be a solid read and quite different from the regular who-done-it plots found in Shayne novels. This is one where the reader knows more than the characters. There's a bit of a harder edge to this one, particularly when Bonnie and Clyde - er- Miriam and Clay are involved. She's the perfect blonde femme fatale, tough as they come, focused, determined. He's a great criminal, particularly being a master of disguise.

Lots of action in this one from bombings to armed robbery to shootouts. Great stuff.

[Nemo Erehwon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a Mike Shayne mystery before, so I was under the impression the character was of the Mike Hammer ilk, a borderline thug.

So I was pleasantly surprised. While Shayne is definitely of the tough-guy school, he is more inclined towards Sam Spade. Shayne quietly plans, using his fists when needs must. He also does not carry a gun. This leads to an amusing scene where another character, fearing he would be a target of a killer, phones to proudly tells Shayne he purchased a gun. Shayne is unamused:

"I'd like you to do me a favor. ... Get a paper bag in a drugstore, put that gun inside it, and drop it in the nearest trash basket.... this isn't a toy you've got there. You can kill people with it. A bullet doesn't make any distinction between friend or enemy. ... I don't carry a gun myself, for good and sufficient reasons. ... I've seen more gunshot accidents than I like to think about."

Shane then asks the character if the gun is at least on safety. "That little thingamajig on the handle?" Yeah, answers Shayne, who then hears a slithering sound and a thud.

"It kind of slipped out of my hands. But it didn't go off," the character informs Shane.

Before any gun rights folk take umbrage, note that this book was written in 1959.

This book has the usual cast of characters; the capable yet lovely secretary who loves Shayne and whom he fears losing and so cannot commit to, the hardened ex-con who is planning one more score after he settles that simmering score with Shayne, the femme fatale who is the brains behind the operation, the trigger-happy hitman who deems it a point of honor to execute a contract, and the police chief who mutually dislikes Shayne but will take the credit.

The plot alternates between the criminals planning their score and Shayne's actions after surviving an assassination attempt.

It's a good read. I can see why Shane Black, who directed the movies "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "The Nice Guys", pays homage to Mike Shayne.

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome Mike Shayne. And way to go, Lucy!