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Mike Hammer #18
Complex 90
Hammer accompanies a conservative politician to Moscow on a fact-finding mission. Arrested and imprisoned by the KGB on a bogus charge; he quickly escapes, creating an international incident by getting into a fire fight with Russian agents.
On his stateside return, the government is none too happy with Hammer. Russia is insisting upon his return to stand charges, and various government agencies are following him. A question dogs our why him? Why does Russia want him back, and why was he singled out to accompany the senator to Russia in the first place?
On his stateside return, the government is none too happy with Hammer. Russia is insisting upon his return to stand charges, and various government agencies are following him. A question dogs our why him? Why does Russia want him back, and why was he singled out to accompany the senator to Russia in the first place?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
29 people are currently reading
227 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 45 reviews
November 28, 2025
Hard boiled. Gritty. Unflinching. Noir. They don’t make men like Mike Hammer anymore.
August 16, 2017
Despite being a direct sequel to The Girl Hunters, Complex 90 reads well as a standalone but does deviate a little from the traditional Mike Hammer PI novels earlier published by Spillane.
At time Complex 90 reads like a hard man's James Bond - in a good way. Mike Hammer, no longer just a PI in New York has been assigned a high security clearance by one of the secretive US alphabet agencies giving him immediate access to classified documents and personnel, it also puts him in the cross-hairs of international espionage and danger. The Mike Hammer of this book finds himself in a vastly different role to his first hard-boiled appearance in I, The Jury.
Assigned as a body guard following the untimely death of his predecessor, Hammer accompanies an American politician to Moscow. Hammer is promptly kidnapped by the KGB and has to fight he way back to US soil.
Complex 90 then establishes the continuity link with The Girl Hunters via reoccurring bad-guys and establishing common themes between the two books. However, there is a little more spice to Complex 90, with the mysterious namesake drug coming into play.
'Complex 90' is a medical breakthrough of sorts; one that has the potential to protect astronauts in space from contracting earth born viruses. The Americans want it for themselves, while the Russians, via the KGB are doing everything in their power to gain access to it. Hammer finds himself in the middle of this tug of war and in traditional Hammer fashion, lets the fists fly just as readily as the bullets from his cannon.
Complex 90 is a multi-layered Mike Hammer novel that ties diverse elements together to form a well rounded and enjoyable tale featuring one of my favorite fictional characters.
At time Complex 90 reads like a hard man's James Bond - in a good way. Mike Hammer, no longer just a PI in New York has been assigned a high security clearance by one of the secretive US alphabet agencies giving him immediate access to classified documents and personnel, it also puts him in the cross-hairs of international espionage and danger. The Mike Hammer of this book finds himself in a vastly different role to his first hard-boiled appearance in I, The Jury.
Assigned as a body guard following the untimely death of his predecessor, Hammer accompanies an American politician to Moscow. Hammer is promptly kidnapped by the KGB and has to fight he way back to US soil.
Complex 90 then establishes the continuity link with The Girl Hunters via reoccurring bad-guys and establishing common themes between the two books. However, there is a little more spice to Complex 90, with the mysterious namesake drug coming into play.
'Complex 90' is a medical breakthrough of sorts; one that has the potential to protect astronauts in space from contracting earth born viruses. The Americans want it for themselves, while the Russians, via the KGB are doing everything in their power to gain access to it. Hammer finds himself in the middle of this tug of war and in traditional Hammer fashion, lets the fists fly just as readily as the bullets from his cannon.
Complex 90 is a multi-layered Mike Hammer novel that ties diverse elements together to form a well rounded and enjoyable tale featuring one of my favorite fictional characters.
April 26, 2020
Another of the novels that Spillane started & gave to Collins to finish. More than any other, this one is pretty far out, pure Hammer-porn. It might have the highest death & girl count of any I've read to date, although I can't say the details stick well. They're sort of a tough guy fantasy on steroids blowing the Mike Hammer legend to outrageous proportions. Fun in an almost comic book way & well read by Stacy Keach, the Mike Hammer of the TV series.
November 30, 2024
Velda is kinda a queen
May 23, 2013
Max Allan Collins gets better with every Mike Hammer novel he completes from partial manuscripts left in Mickey Spillane's papers. If one believed in that sort of thing, one might say he was channeling the late author.
This one was originally announced for publication in the sixties, but was abandoned for some reason. It's a sort of sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS(brief aside. I always liked the filmed version and thought Mickey did a better job playing Mike Hammer than he was credited). And Collins encourages the reader in the introduction to picture Mike as Hammer(something I've done in all these slate of co-authored novels.
Here, Mike accompanies a conservative Senator on a fact finding mission when his regular bodyguard is killed in an assassination attempt and Mike gets a minor leg wound stopping the killer.
Once there, Mike gets arrested while out walking off a heavy meal and taken into the back of a prison. He doesn't waste any time when he gets a shot and fights his way out of the prison, gun blasting and spends two months getting out of Russia. He fights and kills forty-five in that effort.
The bulk of the novel is the aftermath when he gets back. The Russians are screaming, American politicians are screaming, and Mike isn't taking shit from anybody. There is the very real possibility of him being turned over to the Russians to avoid an "international incident."
Mike and Velda find themselves targets of both sides as they dig to find out what's really going on.
Nicely paced Hammer thriller that I devoured in a couple of sessions in the afternoon.
Worthy of a read.
This one was originally announced for publication in the sixties, but was abandoned for some reason. It's a sort of sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS(brief aside. I always liked the filmed version and thought Mickey did a better job playing Mike Hammer than he was credited). And Collins encourages the reader in the introduction to picture Mike as Hammer(something I've done in all these slate of co-authored novels.
Here, Mike accompanies a conservative Senator on a fact finding mission when his regular bodyguard is killed in an assassination attempt and Mike gets a minor leg wound stopping the killer.
Once there, Mike gets arrested while out walking off a heavy meal and taken into the back of a prison. He doesn't waste any time when he gets a shot and fights his way out of the prison, gun blasting and spends two months getting out of Russia. He fights and kills forty-five in that effort.
The bulk of the novel is the aftermath when he gets back. The Russians are screaming, American politicians are screaming, and Mike isn't taking shit from anybody. There is the very real possibility of him being turned over to the Russians to avoid an "international incident."
Mike and Velda find themselves targets of both sides as they dig to find out what's really going on.
Nicely paced Hammer thriller that I devoured in a couple of sessions in the afternoon.
Worthy of a read.
April 2, 2020
This was an entertaining... Change of pace? Not especially. Entertaining? Sure. Change of pace? Nah. Change of scenery! Yeah, that's got it. Lot's of Russian accents, Boris-this, Boris-that, you know, that kind of thing. Otherwise, same old. Gunfights, old grudges reloaded and smashed hard into broken noses and cracked ribs; Velda coming to save the day as bodies get tossed out of skyscraper windows... That sort of thing. And don't you ask that question. I happen to know someone named Velda.
Again, I have to interject that 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, classics or filling in the gaps on foreign writers and such...
Again, I have to interject that 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, classics or filling in the gaps on foreign writers and such...
September 29, 2022
I'm a huge fan of the original Mike Hammer novels by Mickey Spillane and love the twisted world they're set in and their often extreme sado-masochistic violence.
This, however, is the first of the posthumously published ones that have also been edited/completed by Max Allan Collins. As far as I can tell it is not certain how much this is a true work by Spillane or indeed by Collins but COMPLEX 90 is based on material Spillane wrote in the early 1960s where this book is also set.
Must admit I felt that there probably were good reasons why this was previously unpublished or even unfinished. In theory having Hammer - at least for parts of the novel - trapped in Soviet Russia and killing Commies by the dozen sounds like a fan fiction writer's wet dream. Trouble is that in its execution it also never came across as anything more than that: fan fiction.
It was.... ok. I certainly didn't hate it but I also can't say that I was as immersed as I was in all the previous Hammer books I had read. It felt more like a pastiche than a genuinely hard boiled classic.
This, however, is the first of the posthumously published ones that have also been edited/completed by Max Allan Collins. As far as I can tell it is not certain how much this is a true work by Spillane or indeed by Collins but COMPLEX 90 is based on material Spillane wrote in the early 1960s where this book is also set.
Must admit I felt that there probably were good reasons why this was previously unpublished or even unfinished. In theory having Hammer - at least for parts of the novel - trapped in Soviet Russia and killing Commies by the dozen sounds like a fan fiction writer's wet dream. Trouble is that in its execution it also never came across as anything more than that: fan fiction.
It was.... ok. I certainly didn't hate it but I also can't say that I was as immersed as I was in all the previous Hammer books I had read. It felt more like a pastiche than a genuinely hard boiled classic.
February 3, 2021
Probably a decent book during the Cold War for anyone deeply Immersed in red scare politics. Filled with orgasms of violence against mindless communist and evil Darth Vader types, the book suggests a hunger to satisfy people in certain political and religious circles. I’m glad Spillane moved on from the style of story. His writing is always fantastic but the plot is irrelevant. I’m sure there was a market for this. I wonder how much came from Splaine and how much came from those who wanted to produce the material.
February 21, 2023
Mike Hammer in communist Russia? I wasn’t to sure about this but it is a brief layover. Most of the action is in New York City, but with Russian spy’s. Even with Stacey Keech reading it this is more good Mike Hammer than great but Good Mike Hammer is great compared to so much that fans will be delighted and newbies will be left looking for more. The ending is darrrrk even by Hammer standards but it is earned. If you already know Mike and Velda you’re going to learn something new that deepens and enriches their characters. That alone is worth the price of admission.
February 21, 2020
This book is a sequel to Spillaine’s Girl Hunters. In that book Velda was missing for 7 years and feared dead. She was on a mission in Russia. In this book, started by Spillane and finished by MAC, the Russians want revenge. There is plenty of murder and mayhem, Hammer style. But, there is too much of classic espionage elements in this book. I still enjoyed it.
December 28, 2017
Mike Hammer is hired as a body guard for a US Senator to visit Russia. While there he is arrested but escapes back to the United States where the Russians attempt to get him in their custody. Book was completed Max Allan Collins after Spillane's death.
February 27, 2019
when i found out that Mike Hammer had a russia based mystery I was so excited.
The truth be told, it's really not that different...but Mike does give a "I'm Michael Hammer,American " sort of speech
Mike is amazing, but so is Velda,Mike's on again, off again secretary..Velda is badAss.
The truth be told, it's really not that different...but Mike does give a "I'm Michael Hammer,American " sort of speech
Mike is amazing, but so is Velda,Mike's on again, off again secretary..Velda is badAss.
June 21, 2022
Mike Hammer walks again. At the start of the book, he is in the Pentagon being held in protective custody. He recently escaped from Russia, killing 45 Soviets on the way out. Now the USSR is looking to get him back. He doesn't want to go.
August 27, 2018
It was interesting to hear a story set during the cold war. Things have changed quite a bit.
September 15, 2019
A typical hammer yarn
If you love Mickey Spillane and Hammer, you will like it - 45 kills is overdoing a bit - but all in all - a good yarn.
If you love Mickey Spillane and Hammer, you will like it - 45 kills is overdoing a bit - but all in all - a good yarn.
December 24, 2020
a bang-up jobber @ the Cold War era a Spillane\Collins joint-venture
October 18, 2022
5/5
This one played out like a tough man’s James Bond. I really enjoyed the Cold War spy game and the plot was really well done.
This one played out like a tough man’s James Bond. I really enjoyed the Cold War spy game and the plot was really well done.
January 11, 2023
Plot was fairly ridiculous, definitely not the best product of this collaboration of authors.
November 7, 2023
Mike Hammer goes all secret agent in this Cold War set thriller. No one expects realism from a Mike Hammer novel, but this one is preposterous. It's entertaining, but very silly.
May 29, 2024
This one was ok, I’m not sure I would ever read it again.
October 22, 2025
This is the first book by Mickey Spillane that I’ve read. It’s better than I thought it would be. It almost made me a Eugene McCarthy fan-NOT! Hahaha
November 14, 2025
Good plot, good character development. Almost like having an old friend back!
May 14, 2013
I’ve said it before: I grew up on the dime-novel prose of Mickey Spillane. He’s always delivered a solid premise along with a likeable hero and ‘hissable’ baddies. For those of you who don’t know (and ‘shame on you,’ by the way, for not knowing), the master passed away a few years back, but, before he did, he handed off his notes and half-completed works to fellow scribe Max Allan Collins for posterity. Since that time, Collins has continued to churn out some quality reads begun by the writer who perfected the hard-boiled novel, and that’s no small feat. Sadly, the closing advertising pages hint that the ride will be coming to an end in a few more books, but, in the meantime, fans of the classic detective novel still have COMPLEX 90 and a handful of others to anticipate.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last paragraph for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Mike Hammer – God bless his soul – is in trouble. At the onset, he’s being hauled in before a gathering of Congressional politicians, Presidential advisors, and military suits for doing the unthinkable: at the heart of the Cold War, Mike busted his way out of the Soviet Union leaving the bodies of 45 Russians in his wake. It seems he was hired to serve in the detail of a Congressman’s personal bodyguard on a fact-finding mission behind the Iron Curtain, and – as things can happen when Mike Hammer’s in town – things took a turn for the worst. Still, he’s out now, but word in the intelligence community says that Russian spies are still gunning for Hammer, but this time they’re on U.S. soil. A shadowy agency of our government gives Hammer the ultimatum: you bring us one of the Russkies alive, and we’ll drop all of the charges against you!
COMPLEX 90 is a terrific read, told with the same gusto common to all of the Hammer tales. What that means is that Mike finds himself with his back against the wall, and he has to come out shooting or die trying. It also means there’ll be dames aplenty, and there are as a popular Washington socialite throws parties where only the finest women (with the longest gams) are in attendance. In past novels, Hammer has only flirted with government agencies and national intrigue, but here our national interests take center stage, and Spillane (with Collins) weaves a wonderful tale where the stakes couldn’t be higher unless the faithful private eye had a nuclear missile up his sleeve or, better yet, in his trousers.
There are plenty of allusions to the events already explored in other Spillane books, but rest assured: you don’t need to have read these other tales because there’s enough info sprinkled consistently throughout that readers are kept up-to-speed. Suffice it to say, much of it involves Mike’s previous efforts to take down ‘The Dragon,’ a nefarious two-person hit team that spelled previously certain doom for the private eye and his lovely secretary, Velda Sterling. Also, there’s some backstory involving Velda’s seven-year absence from Mike’s life – where she was, what she was doing – but, again, it’s ably summarized in these pages so as to keep the reader following the current action and not rehashing the past.
And – as is the customary signature of any Spillane book – keep reading all the way up until the last sentence. Arnold Schwarzenegger built a career around the fatal quip before dispatching his cinematic villains, but nobody but Mickey Spillane can put the real punch behind famous last words. Each and every book of his is practically structured around Hammer’s last observation before putting the bad guy (or bad girl) in the act of going six feet under, and, like all of his other works, COMPLEX 90 delivers.
COMPLEX 90 is published by Titan Books. The story is by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins, two heavies were never met a dame they couldn’t seduce. It bears the cover price of $22.99, and are you kidding me? You can’t fork over as much to enjoy the stark, clean prose of two legendary writers? Get outta here!
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE. It’s Spillane – well, maybe Spillane-lite – by way of the master’s notes and Max Allan Collins doing the deed to fill in the blanks, and that’s still a cause for celebration in my book. I grew up on Mickey’s prose. While he’s passed into the great beyond, it’s great that there’s still some new bits of his coming down the publishing pike. COMPLEX 90 is a blistering read – I read it in a single six-hour sitting – full of just what Mickey (and Max) did best: cops, guns, double agents, femme fatales, crooked politicians, and even a few Commies thrown in for good measure. Mike Hammer gets a terrifically bloody sequence breaking out of Russia that’ll arguably go down in the history of badassery … as well it should.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last paragraph for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Mike Hammer – God bless his soul – is in trouble. At the onset, he’s being hauled in before a gathering of Congressional politicians, Presidential advisors, and military suits for doing the unthinkable: at the heart of the Cold War, Mike busted his way out of the Soviet Union leaving the bodies of 45 Russians in his wake. It seems he was hired to serve in the detail of a Congressman’s personal bodyguard on a fact-finding mission behind the Iron Curtain, and – as things can happen when Mike Hammer’s in town – things took a turn for the worst. Still, he’s out now, but word in the intelligence community says that Russian spies are still gunning for Hammer, but this time they’re on U.S. soil. A shadowy agency of our government gives Hammer the ultimatum: you bring us one of the Russkies alive, and we’ll drop all of the charges against you!
COMPLEX 90 is a terrific read, told with the same gusto common to all of the Hammer tales. What that means is that Mike finds himself with his back against the wall, and he has to come out shooting or die trying. It also means there’ll be dames aplenty, and there are as a popular Washington socialite throws parties where only the finest women (with the longest gams) are in attendance. In past novels, Hammer has only flirted with government agencies and national intrigue, but here our national interests take center stage, and Spillane (with Collins) weaves a wonderful tale where the stakes couldn’t be higher unless the faithful private eye had a nuclear missile up his sleeve or, better yet, in his trousers.
There are plenty of allusions to the events already explored in other Spillane books, but rest assured: you don’t need to have read these other tales because there’s enough info sprinkled consistently throughout that readers are kept up-to-speed. Suffice it to say, much of it involves Mike’s previous efforts to take down ‘The Dragon,’ a nefarious two-person hit team that spelled previously certain doom for the private eye and his lovely secretary, Velda Sterling. Also, there’s some backstory involving Velda’s seven-year absence from Mike’s life – where she was, what she was doing – but, again, it’s ably summarized in these pages so as to keep the reader following the current action and not rehashing the past.
And – as is the customary signature of any Spillane book – keep reading all the way up until the last sentence. Arnold Schwarzenegger built a career around the fatal quip before dispatching his cinematic villains, but nobody but Mickey Spillane can put the real punch behind famous last words. Each and every book of his is practically structured around Hammer’s last observation before putting the bad guy (or bad girl) in the act of going six feet under, and, like all of his other works, COMPLEX 90 delivers.
COMPLEX 90 is published by Titan Books. The story is by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins, two heavies were never met a dame they couldn’t seduce. It bears the cover price of $22.99, and are you kidding me? You can’t fork over as much to enjoy the stark, clean prose of two legendary writers? Get outta here!
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE. It’s Spillane – well, maybe Spillane-lite – by way of the master’s notes and Max Allan Collins doing the deed to fill in the blanks, and that’s still a cause for celebration in my book. I grew up on Mickey’s prose. While he’s passed into the great beyond, it’s great that there’s still some new bits of his coming down the publishing pike. COMPLEX 90 is a blistering read – I read it in a single six-hour sitting – full of just what Mickey (and Max) did best: cops, guns, double agents, femme fatales, crooked politicians, and even a few Commies thrown in for good measure. Mike Hammer gets a terrifically bloody sequence breaking out of Russia that’ll arguably go down in the history of badassery … as well it should.
July 14, 2017
At the height of the Cold War, Mike Hammer went to Moscow as a bodyguard to a US Senator, was arrested by the Soviet police, and imprisoned. He escaped and made his way to a US base in Turkey, leaving a trail of death and destruction in his wake, including 45 bodies now on ice. The US military now wants to know what the hell went on there. When told he's created an international incident, Hammer says, "Screw it. That was my neck on the line." And That's just the first part of Chapter One.
The bulk of the book retraces Hammer's steps to how he got there & then what happens when the Soviet agents follow him to NYC.
Beginning with a ritzy cocktail party where he meets a woman who "looked better than Liz Taylor's imaginary sister" and whose voice was a purr like a pussycat sitting in your lap makes. Lisa Contreaux is the best looking dame there, but it wouldn't be a party in Mike Hammer's world without a wild shootout.
Historically, the trip to Moscow with the stopover in Riga is interesting. Most of this book was written at a time when the Berlin Wall was still standing and the Soviets were constantly up to mischief. But, the key to Soviet-era architecture is captured here: ugly massive buildings. And, the Soviet world is such a drab depressing place that Hammer gets a kick when he finally sees a pretty girl "in this land of dumpy dames." Maybe it's time to make detente.
This is, no bones about it, Classic Spillane. When Hammer is picked up by the Moscow police, he muses about, if he had his .45, "these refugees from a comic opera would be dead or bleeding to death on the sidewalk or the gutter, depending on where they fell, and the guy at the wheel would be just a blank face behind a spider-web of glass with a hole between his startled eyes." The violence isn't just hinted at. This is full-on hard-hitting action. In another scene, he takes a razor blade and slashes a guy's throat, "a thin red smile of its own forming, glistening into a grin."
The critics may not have liked the graphic action back in the day, but Spillane didn't create any namby-pampy mama's boy type characters. It's a tough world and it's a better place with a Mike Hammer in it, wreaking havoc on the commies and other bad guys.
This is one of the unfinished manuscripts that Spillane left for MAC (Max Allan Collins) to finish. You can't tell where Spillane stopped and MAC picked up. The transition is seamless. This is a historical Cold War novel taking place in 1964, but it doesn't feel dated at all.
The bulk of the book retraces Hammer's steps to how he got there & then what happens when the Soviet agents follow him to NYC.
Beginning with a ritzy cocktail party where he meets a woman who "looked better than Liz Taylor's imaginary sister" and whose voice was a purr like a pussycat sitting in your lap makes. Lisa Contreaux is the best looking dame there, but it wouldn't be a party in Mike Hammer's world without a wild shootout.
Historically, the trip to Moscow with the stopover in Riga is interesting. Most of this book was written at a time when the Berlin Wall was still standing and the Soviets were constantly up to mischief. But, the key to Soviet-era architecture is captured here: ugly massive buildings. And, the Soviet world is such a drab depressing place that Hammer gets a kick when he finally sees a pretty girl "in this land of dumpy dames." Maybe it's time to make detente.
This is, no bones about it, Classic Spillane. When Hammer is picked up by the Moscow police, he muses about, if he had his .45, "these refugees from a comic opera would be dead or bleeding to death on the sidewalk or the gutter, depending on where they fell, and the guy at the wheel would be just a blank face behind a spider-web of glass with a hole between his startled eyes." The violence isn't just hinted at. This is full-on hard-hitting action. In another scene, he takes a razor blade and slashes a guy's throat, "a thin red smile of its own forming, glistening into a grin."
The critics may not have liked the graphic action back in the day, but Spillane didn't create any namby-pampy mama's boy type characters. It's a tough world and it's a better place with a Mike Hammer in it, wreaking havoc on the commies and other bad guys.
This is one of the unfinished manuscripts that Spillane left for MAC (Max Allan Collins) to finish. You can't tell where Spillane stopped and MAC picked up. The transition is seamless. This is a historical Cold War novel taking place in 1964, but it doesn't feel dated at all.
March 14, 2017
Mike Hammer is a superman of yesteryear. Most of what he does is just pure fantasy of the highest order though the books are entertaining reads. Mostly 2-3 rating novels.
September 17, 2015
Set in the backdrop of the Cold War era, Hammer’s latest case takes him behind the Iron Curtain along with an influential, conservative-minded senator. After being captured by KGB agents, he escapes in true Hammer fashion, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Returning home, Hammer becomes the unlikely sought-after prize in a tug-of-war between the United States and Russia, making him wonder whether wounded political pride is the real reason that the Soviets are pursuing him.
Max Allan Collins unveils and touches up yet another of the late Mickey Spillane’s previously unpublished Mike Hammer manuscripts, this time moving the private detective away from the usual bill of fare of gangsters and street thugs and having him wage a one-man war against an international organization where he, unsurprisingly, triumphs. Impossible perhaps, but that’s all part of the fun. Hammer is not one of those indestructible superhero/action star types of characters, but a man with very human strengths and weaknesses, making his battle against the KGB have much greater impact. The scenes in which he stands up to his adversaries on American soil are equally telling. He’s not idealistic, he’s not politically correct, and he refuses to let anyone intimidate him, regardless of the scope of their power. Hammer tells it like it is, and wields that honesty like a blunt object, taking each situation in stride.
Collins states early on that COMPLEX 90 is a sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS, the movie adaptation of which stars Spillane himself in the role of Mike Hammer and has now become part of my must-watch list. My main frame of reference while reading these novels has always been the 1980s TV series; for me, the voice of Mike Hammer has always been Stacy Keach, and by extension I envision Velda Sterling in the image of Lindsay Bloom and Pat Chambers in that of Don Stroud. That said, it would be interesting to see the writer playing his most famous character on the screen, and pondering on how to apply that to my impression of COMPLEX 90, the previous stories I’ve read, and the subsequent ones I’ve yet to read.
The co-authors (it’s impossible to tell for certain where Spillane’s writing ends and Collins’ writing begins) gratefully expand upon the uniquely complicated relationship between Hammer and Velda, delving into the arrangement they have and how Velda’s separate experiences in Russia from years prior figure into that arrangement. This sensitive theme is revisited in the final Hammer novel, THE GOLIATH BONE.
The partners in crime deliver on another exciting page-turner, placing Hammer smack in the middle of Cold War intrigue and political espionage.
Max Allan Collins unveils and touches up yet another of the late Mickey Spillane’s previously unpublished Mike Hammer manuscripts, this time moving the private detective away from the usual bill of fare of gangsters and street thugs and having him wage a one-man war against an international organization where he, unsurprisingly, triumphs. Impossible perhaps, but that’s all part of the fun. Hammer is not one of those indestructible superhero/action star types of characters, but a man with very human strengths and weaknesses, making his battle against the KGB have much greater impact. The scenes in which he stands up to his adversaries on American soil are equally telling. He’s not idealistic, he’s not politically correct, and he refuses to let anyone intimidate him, regardless of the scope of their power. Hammer tells it like it is, and wields that honesty like a blunt object, taking each situation in stride.
Collins states early on that COMPLEX 90 is a sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS, the movie adaptation of which stars Spillane himself in the role of Mike Hammer and has now become part of my must-watch list. My main frame of reference while reading these novels has always been the 1980s TV series; for me, the voice of Mike Hammer has always been Stacy Keach, and by extension I envision Velda Sterling in the image of Lindsay Bloom and Pat Chambers in that of Don Stroud. That said, it would be interesting to see the writer playing his most famous character on the screen, and pondering on how to apply that to my impression of COMPLEX 90, the previous stories I’ve read, and the subsequent ones I’ve yet to read.
The co-authors (it’s impossible to tell for certain where Spillane’s writing ends and Collins’ writing begins) gratefully expand upon the uniquely complicated relationship between Hammer and Velda, delving into the arrangement they have and how Velda’s separate experiences in Russia from years prior figure into that arrangement. This sensitive theme is revisited in the final Hammer novel, THE GOLIATH BONE.
The partners in crime deliver on another exciting page-turner, placing Hammer smack in the middle of Cold War intrigue and political espionage.
June 26, 2013
My first encounter with Mike Hammer has finally happened, and I must admit that I am very intrigued by the character. I know there are quite a few Mike Hammer novels out there, but I am embarrassed to say that Complex 90 was the first one I read in the series. Though it was a little difficult for me to really delve into the book at first, eventually I got into it and from there on out I couldn’t put it down. With a very charismatic, kind of cocky hero that definitely made me grin, Complex 90 is filled with espionage that is reminiscent of the Cold War from back in the day. Granted, some may immediately push the book aside due to it being “outdated”, but it has its charm and will definitely appeal to a wide audience – both old and young. Of course, I’m not saying go buy this book for your teenagers, I’m saying that Complex 90 has a modern feel to it, even though its set in a time that most of us couldn’t even begin to fathom.
Originally an unfinished novel that would have been a sequel to Mickey Spillane‘s The Girl Hunters in the 1960′s, Complex 90 was picked up by Titan Books and with the help of Max Allen Collins, finished. I got the hardback edition from Titan Books to review, and let me be honest, there’s nothing quite as luxurious as a hardback book, especially when it comes to crime, horror and thriller genres. Well written, beautifully formatted (the lettering was slightly big for my taste, but forgiveable nonetheless), and definitely worth the time it took to read, Complex 90 whetted my appetite for Mike Hammer and I’m going to give the others a shot as a result.
With so much action, you’d be a fool not to give Complex 90 a try. Mike Hammer may be a character that not many girls my age know, but by golly if he was real, he’d make panties drop by the hundreds!
Goodbye Edward Cullen and screw off Christian Grey! I’ll take Mike Hammer any day of the week and twice on Sunday!
In case you’re not sure whether I liked the book or not, let me just clarify for you that yes, I loved it.
(Review originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com )
May 14, 2013
#18 in the Mike Hammer series (#5 co-written with Max Allan Collins). In the seventh novel (fifth featuring Mike Hammer) completed by Collins from incomplete manuscripts or notes left by the late Spillane, PI Mike Hammer returns to the cold war era of 1964. After being arrested while bodyguarding a U.S. Senator in Moscow, Hammer escaped and left bodies on a three month trail to Turkey. Back in the US, Russia wants Hammer returned to the USSR to stand trial, and in NYC he dodges Russian agents determined to kidnap him. The novel sounds like Spillane, but literary and classical music references are probably Collins, as is almost certainly the sex scene with Velda. I have seen reviewers complain that the novel is "same old same old" and "offers nothing new", but I certainly don't read Mike Hammer the 50s hard-boiled PI or the 60s hard-boiled agent for something new, it's escapist, comfort food.
Mike Hammer accompanies a conservative politician to Moscow on a fact-finding mission. Arrested and imprisoned by the KGB on a bogus charge; he quickly escapes, creating an international incident by getting into a fire fight with Russian agents. On his stateside return, the government is none too happy with Hammer. Russia is insisting upon his return to stand charges, and various government agencies are following him. Why does Russia want him back, and why was he singled out to accompany the senator to Russia in the first place?
Mike Hammer accompanies a conservative politician to Moscow on a fact-finding mission. Arrested and imprisoned by the KGB on a bogus charge; he quickly escapes, creating an international incident by getting into a fire fight with Russian agents. On his stateside return, the government is none too happy with Hammer. Russia is insisting upon his return to stand charges, and various government agencies are following him. Why does Russia want him back, and why was he singled out to accompany the senator to Russia in the first place?
March 11, 2015
This book is the sequel to 'The Girl Hunters' and features Mike hammer dealing with government agencies and the KGB. It was obviously written during the height of the cold war, so maybe Spillane thought that time had moved on and it was no longer relevant. Whatever the reason he did not finish it, Max Allen Collins was entrusted with the unfinished work and completed it.
I'm not sure how much of this book is Spillane and how much is Collins. There is some classic Hammer attitude in this one along with the descriptive narrative of a rainy dull New York that characterizes Spillane's work. I'm pretty sure that the sex parts are Collins. In Spillane's work there are hints of stuff happening but never anything specific. For me this lowers the quality of the book slightly.
The first few chapters are about Mike going to Moscow as Senator's bodyguard. Predictably this almost turns into an international incident:) For me, this part was less believable than the rest of the book where Mike was back on his home turf of New York city. There's an interesting reveal that sheds a bit of light on Mike and Velda's strange open relationship. It answers a few questions that I have often wondered about.
Not a bad book but probably only one for die hard Spillane fans who have read all the others. On audible the narrator is Stacy Keach, which is a big plus for me. I am giving this an extra star for the narration.
I'm not sure how much of this book is Spillane and how much is Collins. There is some classic Hammer attitude in this one along with the descriptive narrative of a rainy dull New York that characterizes Spillane's work. I'm pretty sure that the sex parts are Collins. In Spillane's work there are hints of stuff happening but never anything specific. For me this lowers the quality of the book slightly.
The first few chapters are about Mike going to Moscow as Senator's bodyguard. Predictably this almost turns into an international incident:) For me, this part was less believable than the rest of the book where Mike was back on his home turf of New York city. There's an interesting reveal that sheds a bit of light on Mike and Velda's strange open relationship. It answers a few questions that I have often wondered about.
Not a bad book but probably only one for die hard Spillane fans who have read all the others. On audible the narrator is Stacy Keach, which is a big plus for me. I am giving this an extra star for the narration.
September 27, 2013
This novel is based on an original manuscript written by Mickey Spillane, one of two entrusted “for safekeeping” to Mr. Collins shortly before his death. It was originally scheduled for publication in the 1960’s, but never appeared. It is now made possible through Collins’ collaborative effort.
Complex 90 is set during the Cold War, pitting one-man army Mike Hammer against the entire might of the USSR. It begins when he takes on a job as a bodyguard to protect a U.S. Senator during a party in his home. A gunman invades the home, shoots and kills another security person, a friend named Marley, and a bullet hits Mike in the thigh. Mike replaces Marley as the Senator’s bodyguard on a trip to Moscow on a fact-finding tour. There Mike is arrested and taken to a prison, from which he escapes, killing 45 Russians, and, after two months, crossing into Turkey, where he gets on a plane to return to the U.S. Russia demands extradition, and Mike thumbs his nose. (All of this action transpires very early in the book.)
Will it be a major international incident, or will Mike overpower both the American and Soviet governments? Of course, the gore and sex which play a prominent part in the novel are trademarks of Spillane, purely Mike Hammer at his wise-cracking best. It’s hard to tell where Spillane leaves off and Collins picks up.
Recommended.
Complex 90 is set during the Cold War, pitting one-man army Mike Hammer against the entire might of the USSR. It begins when he takes on a job as a bodyguard to protect a U.S. Senator during a party in his home. A gunman invades the home, shoots and kills another security person, a friend named Marley, and a bullet hits Mike in the thigh. Mike replaces Marley as the Senator’s bodyguard on a trip to Moscow on a fact-finding tour. There Mike is arrested and taken to a prison, from which he escapes, killing 45 Russians, and, after two months, crossing into Turkey, where he gets on a plane to return to the U.S. Russia demands extradition, and Mike thumbs his nose. (All of this action transpires very early in the book.)
Will it be a major international incident, or will Mike overpower both the American and Soviet governments? Of course, the gore and sex which play a prominent part in the novel are trademarks of Spillane, purely Mike Hammer at his wise-cracking best. It’s hard to tell where Spillane leaves off and Collins picks up.
Recommended.
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