What do you think?
Rate this book
Mike Hammer #8
The Snake
A tough-guy mystery to please even the most bloodthirsty of fans!
Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1964
6 people are currently reading
274 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 9, 2022
The Snake
is Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer #8, and for the first time follows on directly from the previous book. #7, The Girl Hunters, which ended abruptly as Mike was about to be reunited with Velda after 7 years of thinking her dead.
As a regular reader might come to expect, a gunman gate-crashes their reunion, and minutes later two more - and we are only a few pages in and the body count is 2 dead one wounded! And so Mike Hammer is wrapped up in another adventure.
The return of Velda wraps up the last story, but she has with her a girl who is hiding from her step-father who she thinks is trying to kill her. He turns out to be a prominent politician running for Governor...
This book also sees Hammer back in the good books of Pat Chambers, police captain, but a new DA is out to rid Hammer of his agency ticket - (obtained in the previous book) which he brandishes to override the wishes of the cops when he needs to, protecting him and antagonising them in equal measure.
This all rolls into a connection to a 30 year old heist where three million bucks was taken and never recovered.
This is more of a return to form for Hammer - local crime, no international plot for world power, and there were a couple of Spillane worthy twists to the story, but really the very end is so implausible it was a bit of a let down.
3 stars
As a regular reader might come to expect, a gunman gate-crashes their reunion, and minutes later two more - and we are only a few pages in and the body count is 2 dead one wounded! And so Mike Hammer is wrapped up in another adventure.
The return of Velda wraps up the last story, but she has with her a girl who is hiding from her step-father who she thinks is trying to kill her. He turns out to be a prominent politician running for Governor...
This book also sees Hammer back in the good books of Pat Chambers, police captain, but a new DA is out to rid Hammer of his agency ticket - (obtained in the previous book) which he brandishes to override the wishes of the cops when he needs to, protecting him and antagonising them in equal measure.
This all rolls into a connection to a 30 year old heist where three million bucks was taken and never recovered.
This is more of a return to form for Hammer - local crime, no international plot for world power, and there were a couple of Spillane worthy twists to the story, but really the very end is so implausible it was a bit of a let down.
3 stars
May 28, 2018
This takes place right after The Girl Hunters but can be read as a stand alone. Mike and Velda are reunited but in true Mike Hammer fashion he is thrust into a mystery. Velda is protecting a woman who believes her politician father is trying to kill her.
I liked this one as this seemed to get back to what made these novels a joy to read. We got back to tough guys being tough guys, corrupt people in power, showgirls, and obviously every woman throwing themselves at our protagonist. Yes, these books are outdated but that is some of their charm and the author can pen confrontational scenes. Even with all these aspects I believe this book was more for the shippers (I know this term did not exist back then) for Mike and Velda. We finally see them get to the inevitable point for these two.
These books are not the greatest literature but they are enjoyable. I like these books for what they are. And after every time I read one I always say I have to get the dvd of the television series and rewatch it. So they must be doing their job.
I liked this one as this seemed to get back to what made these novels a joy to read. We got back to tough guys being tough guys, corrupt people in power, showgirls, and obviously every woman throwing themselves at our protagonist. Yes, these books are outdated but that is some of their charm and the author can pen confrontational scenes. Even with all these aspects I believe this book was more for the shippers (I know this term did not exist back then) for Mike and Velda. We finally see them get to the inevitable point for these two.
These books are not the greatest literature but they are enjoyable. I like these books for what they are. And after every time I read one I always say I have to get the dvd of the television series and rewatch it. So they must be doing their job.
Want to read
April 30, 2017The novel picks up exactly where "The Girl Hunters" left off. Hammer has discovered the location of his long-lost love and secretary, Velda.
The Mike Hammer books:
01. I, the Jury (1947)
02. My Gun Is Quick (1950)
03. Vengeance Is Mine (1950)
04. One Lonely Night (1951)
05.The Big Kill (1951)
06. Kiss Me, Deadly (1952)
07. The Girl Hunters (1962)
08. The Snake (1964)
09. The Twisted Thing (1966)
10. The Body Lovers (1967)
11. Survival... Zero! (1970)
12. The Killing Man (1989)
13. Black Alley (1996)
14. The Goliath Bone (2008)
The Mike Hammer books:
01. I, the Jury (1947)
02. My Gun Is Quick (1950)
03. Vengeance Is Mine (1950)
04. One Lonely Night (1951)
05.The Big Kill (1951)
06. Kiss Me, Deadly (1952)
07. The Girl Hunters (1962)
08. The Snake (1964)
09. The Twisted Thing (1966)
10. The Body Lovers (1967)
11. Survival... Zero! (1970)
12. The Killing Man (1989)
13. Black Alley (1996)
14. The Goliath Bone (2008)
February 24, 2015
Here’s an extract from the blurb on the back of my edition:
“She was the kind of girl who can spell trouble without even moving her lips. Her body would have any man with a feeling for geography planning field trips, and you didn’t need a degree in maths to work out that her vital statistics added up to a very nicely rounded figure.”
A paragraph like that begs the question, how seriously should I take the novel within? Certainly with writing that over the top, one can only assume that ‘The Snake’ is in some way a cunning parody of itself. A hard-boiled meta-commentary on something hard-boiled. And yet the book inside never quite fulfils the promise of the blurb (they keep telling me not to judge a book by its cover – when will I learn?) There are moments, certainly when describing beautiful women, when Spillane does seem to be aiming for the absurd. But then the dour seriousness of Mike Hammer’s character makes me wonder if the author is not in fact playing a joke, and this is supposed to be a properly tough detective story. Maybe Spillane was conflicted, and thought that his writing was funny some days, but not others. Or maybe the joke is just so subtle and arch that you have to really peer hard to see that it’s there.
Starting off where the last novel finished, Hammer and Velda are back together and facing a threat that’s all American (as opposed to the Red Menace of the last book). There are lots of guns and fistfights, every beautiful woman Hammer meets make a pass at him, and – of course – in the background is a ruthless and sinister criminal mastermind. While the whole thing culminates in an ending which is so brilliantly absurd that it has to be a joke, right?
“She was the kind of girl who can spell trouble without even moving her lips. Her body would have any man with a feeling for geography planning field trips, and you didn’t need a degree in maths to work out that her vital statistics added up to a very nicely rounded figure.”
A paragraph like that begs the question, how seriously should I take the novel within? Certainly with writing that over the top, one can only assume that ‘The Snake’ is in some way a cunning parody of itself. A hard-boiled meta-commentary on something hard-boiled. And yet the book inside never quite fulfils the promise of the blurb (they keep telling me not to judge a book by its cover – when will I learn?) There are moments, certainly when describing beautiful women, when Spillane does seem to be aiming for the absurd. But then the dour seriousness of Mike Hammer’s character makes me wonder if the author is not in fact playing a joke, and this is supposed to be a properly tough detective story. Maybe Spillane was conflicted, and thought that his writing was funny some days, but not others. Or maybe the joke is just so subtle and arch that you have to really peer hard to see that it’s there.
Starting off where the last novel finished, Hammer and Velda are back together and facing a threat that’s all American (as opposed to the Red Menace of the last book). There are lots of guns and fistfights, every beautiful woman Hammer meets make a pass at him, and – of course – in the background is a ruthless and sinister criminal mastermind. While the whole thing culminates in an ending which is so brilliantly absurd that it has to be a joke, right?
February 28, 2019
Another first for Spillane, in that this is the first volume of his to follow on the heels of its predecessor, starting moments after The Girl Hunters ends. As the actual 1960's progress, you can see a cultural change in his writing as well, more graphic death, more sexualized encounters, and balder language overall.
July 7, 2017
“The Snake” is the eighth Mike Hammer novel and it picks up right where “The Girl Hunters” left off. In the seventh Hammer book “The Girl Hunters,” Hammer picks himself up out of the gutter after a seven- year bender, blaming himself for Velda’s death, and realizes that there is a slight possibility that she is still alive and has been fighting behind the Iron Curtain for those long seven years. Although Hammer figures it all out by the end of “The Girl Hunters,” the penultimate scene where they have their passionate reunion was left out of that book. Enter “The Snake” which begins with Hammer and Velda running into each other’s arms, but, just as soon as they embrace, shots are fired and there is Hammer involved in another shootout.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. “Those deep brown eyes still had that hungry look when they watched mine,” he explained, “and the lush fullness of her mouth glistened with a damp warmth of invitation.” Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh, “a passionate tautness that rippled and quivered, crying out soundlessly for more, more, more.” Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow...”
Although now engaged, Hammer is still a ladies’ man, though, particularly when he meets “a stunning brunette with electric blue eyes that seemed to spark at you.” “[S]he looked like a calendar artist’s idea of what a secretary should be.”
This book is also filled with Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
All in all, Spillane’s “The Snake” is another terrific Mike Hammer story.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. “Those deep brown eyes still had that hungry look when they watched mine,” he explained, “and the lush fullness of her mouth glistened with a damp warmth of invitation.” Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh, “a passionate tautness that rippled and quivered, crying out soundlessly for more, more, more.” Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow...”
Although now engaged, Hammer is still a ladies’ man, though, particularly when he meets “a stunning brunette with electric blue eyes that seemed to spark at you.” “[S]he looked like a calendar artist’s idea of what a secretary should be.”
This book is also filled with Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
All in all, Spillane’s “The Snake” is another terrific Mike Hammer story.
February 21, 2023
Was another fun read in the series. If you have enjoyed them up till now I would think you will enjoy this one.
June 6, 2021
I don't why it took me so long, but I finally got around to reading my first Mickey Spillane novel. My preconceived notion was that he was a hack writer but I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of his plot and the power of his prose. After reading "The Snake", I have a lot of catching up to do.
April 1, 2010
This is one saucy mystery book. Saucy.
January 10, 2026
Mickey Spillane’s 8th novel featuring private eye Mike Hammer, The Snake, delivers a tough punch just like the last 6 books.
“The Snake” picks up right where “The Girl Hunters” left off. In the seventh Hammer book “The Girl Hunters,” Hammer picks himself up out of the gutter after a seven- year bender, blaming himself for Velda’s death, and realizes that there is a slight possibility that she is still alive and has been fighting behind the Iron Curtain for those long seven years. Although Hammer figures it all out by the end of “The Girl Hunters,” the penultimate scene where they have their passionate reunion was left out of that book. Enter “The Snake” which begins with Hammer and Velda running into each other’s arms, but, just as soon as they embrace, shots are fired and there is Hammer involved in another shootout.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. Mr. Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh. Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow…”
This book is also filled with Mr. Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Mr. Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Mr. Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
Mr. Spillane’s style, however, continues to be in top form: hallucinatory images of streets, violence, and passion; a fluid stream of words alternately poetic and lurid; pitch-perfect punctuation, particularly the fearless use of italics and exclamation points, which are indicative of his total control of tone, tempo, and language; and a sense of humor that embraces excess and delirium. In the heat of the moment, Mr. Spillane’s plotting care less for logic than intensity; often it is not until a few pages later that Hammer will go back and explain the importance of a particular detail.
This is classic Spillane, rough and tough and as hard-boiled as you could wish. And, as is so often the case in the Mike Hammer stories, it’s Hammer’s "never-give-up-against-all-odds" side that drives him on. He just keeps punching his way through everything that stands in his way. Hammer is ruthless but he has a highly developed sense of right and wrong.
He also has a tendency to take cases personally. Mostly he’s happy for the criminal justice system to take its course but there are times when he’d much prefer to be judge, jury and executioner. The Girl Hunters, written in the ‘hard-boiled’ style , is one of the good novels in the series. It has a simplicity and punchiness, brought about by very short sentences. The story is also written entirely in first person, keeping the reader right alongside Hammer, all the way. Hammer is an unthinking thug, even a psychopath. He lacks wit, charm or any real humanity, moving through the novel. And then, there is Hammer’s relationship with women. Somehow, despite his total lack of charm, Hammer appears irresistible to them: waitresses wink at him; his secretary, Velda, is patiently in love with him.
This instalment of the series is grittier, seedier and completely overflowing with the typical brutality that can only exude from a Mike Hammer story. As a vigilante private investigator, Hammer’s attitude towards criminals is defined when he says, "They crack down on society and I crack down on them. I shoot them like the mad dogs they are and society drags me to court to explain the whys and wherefores of the extermination." Unlike any other protagonist Mike Hammer displays a vicious rage against any violent crime. He loves brutal violence. He is a ladies’ man. He chooses to take the law into his own hands. However, he does respect the police, especially his best friend, Captain Pat Chambers of the NYPD Homicide Department. Hammer is very patriotic and an anti-communist. It’s interesting to note that anti-communism was a very big thing during 1947 to capture the mass sentiment in the USA.
“The Snake” has delicious dollops of action, intelligence and sex being dished out to the reader at any given point of time. It’s a thrilling fast paced read with many poignant character moments. The 1920s-1950s produced many detective novels. But none of these detectives had Mike Hammer's unforgiving attitude. This novel is a tale of the times, and some parts overtly chauvinistic.
I am so glad to have started the Mike Hammer series. It’s not easy to come by this series and, thankfully, I managed to get hold of the entire collection. This is going to be one hell of a ride through “Hammer Time” in 40’s American crime literature
“The Snake” picks up right where “The Girl Hunters” left off. In the seventh Hammer book “The Girl Hunters,” Hammer picks himself up out of the gutter after a seven- year bender, blaming himself for Velda’s death, and realizes that there is a slight possibility that she is still alive and has been fighting behind the Iron Curtain for those long seven years. Although Hammer figures it all out by the end of “The Girl Hunters,” the penultimate scene where they have their passionate reunion was left out of that book. Enter “The Snake” which begins with Hammer and Velda running into each other’s arms, but, just as soon as they embrace, shots are fired and there is Hammer involved in another shootout.
“The Snake” is a return to a more classic Hammer plot, a smaller world involving attempts on a young girl’s life, political ambition, a politician’s aide in a barely-there bikini, a thirty-year-old robbery, and three million missing dollars. It is a story that flows well and doesn’t try to be anything more complicated than a simple action-packed Hammer mystery. There aren’t millions of lives at stake in this novel.
This book is about the long-running romance between Hammer and Velda. Mr. Spillane is not just a master of violent shoot-outs, but also wrote prose chock-full of human emotion. The prose is filled with trying to get inside each other with frenzy, tasting the fire and beauty, fingers probing flesh. Velda is described as “the beautiful one whose hair hung dark and long, whose body was a quiet concert of curves and colors of white and shadow…”
This book is also filled with Mr. Spillane’s patented action scenes that no one has ever equaled. When Mr. Spillane writes about the bad guy getting his, he explains: “His mouth opened in a grimace of hate and frustration that was the last living thing he ever did.” And later: “His eyes had death in them, his and mine. His belly was bloated and I could smell the stench of a festering wound, the sickening odor of old blood impregnated in to cloth. There was a wildness in his face and his mouth was a tight slash that showed all his teeth.” If you have never read Mr. Spillane before, you will be amazed at how good a writer he really was, even though he was popular in his day.
Mr. Spillane’s style, however, continues to be in top form: hallucinatory images of streets, violence, and passion; a fluid stream of words alternately poetic and lurid; pitch-perfect punctuation, particularly the fearless use of italics and exclamation points, which are indicative of his total control of tone, tempo, and language; and a sense of humor that embraces excess and delirium. In the heat of the moment, Mr. Spillane’s plotting care less for logic than intensity; often it is not until a few pages later that Hammer will go back and explain the importance of a particular detail.
This is classic Spillane, rough and tough and as hard-boiled as you could wish. And, as is so often the case in the Mike Hammer stories, it’s Hammer’s "never-give-up-against-all-odds" side that drives him on. He just keeps punching his way through everything that stands in his way. Hammer is ruthless but he has a highly developed sense of right and wrong.
He also has a tendency to take cases personally. Mostly he’s happy for the criminal justice system to take its course but there are times when he’d much prefer to be judge, jury and executioner. The Girl Hunters, written in the ‘hard-boiled’ style , is one of the good novels in the series. It has a simplicity and punchiness, brought about by very short sentences. The story is also written entirely in first person, keeping the reader right alongside Hammer, all the way. Hammer is an unthinking thug, even a psychopath. He lacks wit, charm or any real humanity, moving through the novel. And then, there is Hammer’s relationship with women. Somehow, despite his total lack of charm, Hammer appears irresistible to them: waitresses wink at him; his secretary, Velda, is patiently in love with him.
This instalment of the series is grittier, seedier and completely overflowing with the typical brutality that can only exude from a Mike Hammer story. As a vigilante private investigator, Hammer’s attitude towards criminals is defined when he says, "They crack down on society and I crack down on them. I shoot them like the mad dogs they are and society drags me to court to explain the whys and wherefores of the extermination." Unlike any other protagonist Mike Hammer displays a vicious rage against any violent crime. He loves brutal violence. He is a ladies’ man. He chooses to take the law into his own hands. However, he does respect the police, especially his best friend, Captain Pat Chambers of the NYPD Homicide Department. Hammer is very patriotic and an anti-communist. It’s interesting to note that anti-communism was a very big thing during 1947 to capture the mass sentiment in the USA.
“The Snake” has delicious dollops of action, intelligence and sex being dished out to the reader at any given point of time. It’s a thrilling fast paced read with many poignant character moments. The 1920s-1950s produced many detective novels. But none of these detectives had Mike Hammer's unforgiving attitude. This novel is a tale of the times, and some parts overtly chauvinistic.
I am so glad to have started the Mike Hammer series. It’s not easy to come by this series and, thankfully, I managed to get hold of the entire collection. This is going to be one hell of a ride through “Hammer Time” in 40’s American crime literature
March 14, 2013
It was an enjoyable read as long as you enjoy Mike Hammer.
December 3, 2023
I’m not a fan of the main character Mike for the sole reason his character is… man. I’m not saying I hate that he’s a man, I hate that his personality is “Well, you’re an attractive 18 year old woman, get used to men looking at you with lust,” and, “He’s your dad and you're a child. You don't know what you’re talking about,” and, “I’m a big bad shooter that can outrun anyone just because I can,” as well as referring to Velda as “kid” when their intimate sessions get a little too intense. I hate that he dismisses everyone else () and he holds himself above others. I understand that this was first published in the 60s so that’s the expected personality of a man, but I still find it nauseating because a character like him would be written now as an antagonistic narcissist that is rightfully hated. He just seems entitled to all the world has and women are just objects in this book. I don’t even think Velda has a personality outside of “woman” and “Mike’s love interest” in this book. I bet this whole series wouldn’t pass the Bechdel test.
This part is totally on me but I feel like I missed a lot when reading this book because it is number eight in the series so I will have to go back and read the first seven. I don’t think it was detrimental to the plot of this particular book but it would’ve helped with the passing comments of “Well, you know what happened to Kid Hand,” and I’m just bamboozled like, “No, I don’t, please tell me.”
It was interesting to take a look back into some earlier writing styles without coping out for an Agatha Christie book, but I don’t know if I can stand how people are represented in this way without it being intentional (like a satire character). I might still have to get the first books before this just to make myself feel better about starting in the middle of a series, but I don’t know if that means I will finish the entire series (I’m not sure if that means to book thirteen which would be the last book Mickey Spillane wrote of the series or book twenty six when it was continued by Max Allen Collins).
This part is totally on me but I feel like I missed a lot when reading this book because it is number eight in the series so I will have to go back and read the first seven. I don’t think it was detrimental to the plot of this particular book but it would’ve helped with the passing comments of “Well, you know what happened to Kid Hand,” and I’m just bamboozled like, “No, I don’t, please tell me.”
It was interesting to take a look back into some earlier writing styles without coping out for an Agatha Christie book, but I don’t know if I can stand how people are represented in this way without it being intentional (like a satire character). I might still have to get the first books before this just to make myself feel better about starting in the middle of a series, but I don’t know if that means I will finish the entire series (I’m not sure if that means to book thirteen which would be the last book Mickey Spillane wrote of the series or book twenty six when it was continued by Max Allen Collins).
June 25, 2020
Mickey Spillane had returned to his most famous creation, New York PI Mike Hammer, with 1962’s The Girl Hunters. In that book, we saw Hammer come out of a 7-year drinking bender when he learned his secretary and love Velda, who he had assumed dead, is still alive. That book ended before Hammer and Velda were reunited. The Snake picks up immediately where The Girl Hunters left off and pitches Hammer into a new case. Whilst rescuing Velda, Hammer also rescues a young blonde girl on the run from her stepfather, who is a high-moving politician. The girl believes her stepfather killed her mother. It becomes clear the case is linked to a robbery that took place more than 30 years earlier, which the girl’s father prosecuted as a DA. The Snake is a less successful novel than its predecessor and feels a little lacking in inspiration. The plot is familiar to genre fans in its exploration of themes around familial disharmony, trust, power and greed. Many of the plot progressions that lead Hammer to the eventual solution are incredibly contrived and coincidental. The “when will they” dilly-dallying between Hammer and Velda also becomes a little tiresome and irritating. That said it is a quick and easy read and will broadly entertain fans of thick-ear hard-boiled mysteries. Its lack of sophistication may hold it back from other stronger examples in the field, but there are moments when Spillane captures a rhythm with his prose that suggests a stronger book could have emerged if more time had been spent ironing out some of the plot difficulties which led to the writer taking the easy way out. The Snake sits in the lower rankings in the Mike Hammer bibliography but is a required read for those wanting to tie the outstanding threads from The Girl Hunters.
April 3, 2024
Spillane's eighth Mike Hammer novel, and the second since he took an almost ten-year hiatus from the character after 1952. It's a direct sequel to the previous book, The Girl Hunters (1961), but the first chapter wraps up that book's cliffhanger and then launches into a new plot, so you don't have to read The Girl Hunters to understand The Snake. Although if you haven't read The Girl Hunters, let me recommend you read that instead. The Snake is the low point in the Hammer series so far, and I think I'm content to leave the series as the original six classics published from 1947 to 1952. I'll just pretend Hammer died at the end of Kiss Me, Deadly.
Where The Girl Hunters had some decent fun mixing Mike Hammer up in a Cold War espionage plot—Spillane's nod to the changing tastes in crime fiction—The Snake goes back to standard fare with Hammer facing stock mobsters and criminals in a story about killers targeting a young woman due to a tangle of events from a 30-year-old robbery. This might have worked in the halcyon days, but Spillane sprints through the plot without much care. Hammer's personal interest feels forced and it was difficult for me as a reader to invest much in the case. Spillane's hot-and-heavy sex writing now reads as silly, and I have to imagine readers looking for salacious material knew that had plenty of other, racier options in 1964. There's the usual "shocking twist!" at the end, but at this point it's boilerplate for Spillane, as if he's trying to top the ludicrousness of the end of The Big Kill but knows he can't. Disappointing book all-around … we're a long way from the feverish nightmare noir world of I, the Jury.
Where The Girl Hunters had some decent fun mixing Mike Hammer up in a Cold War espionage plot—Spillane's nod to the changing tastes in crime fiction—The Snake goes back to standard fare with Hammer facing stock mobsters and criminals in a story about killers targeting a young woman due to a tangle of events from a 30-year-old robbery. This might have worked in the halcyon days, but Spillane sprints through the plot without much care. Hammer's personal interest feels forced and it was difficult for me as a reader to invest much in the case. Spillane's hot-and-heavy sex writing now reads as silly, and I have to imagine readers looking for salacious material knew that had plenty of other, racier options in 1964. There's the usual "shocking twist!" at the end, but at this point it's boilerplate for Spillane, as if he's trying to top the ludicrousness of the end of The Big Kill but knows he can't. Disappointing book all-around … we're a long way from the feverish nightmare noir world of I, the Jury.
August 15, 2021
Mid-20th Century North American Crime and Mystery
COUNTDOWN - #9 (of 250) These final top ten are my favorites and it is about impossible to place them in order.
"There's a kind of power about Mickey Spillane that no other writer can imitate," says the NYTimes. And at one time, Mickey Spillane had seven of the top ten best selling novels...IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN PUBLISHING! The reason? Mike Hammer, once a comic superhero in the 1940s, has become a super powerful private investigator, pulling his teen base into adulthood and into sexuality. Just my guess, but I think it rings true. (Erle Stanley Gardner was in the process of outselling Spillane by the late 1950s, but for Gardner's entire, voluminous output.)
HOOK - 5 stars: "...at the end of the street is the woman you've been waiting for for seven years...how go you go from seven years to now?" opens this one. We know that woman is Velda. We know this is the one in which....well...maybe at last?
PACE - 5 stars: A one-sit thrill ride.
PLOT - 4 stars: Typical Hammer, standard, but solid.
PEOPLE - 5: OMG, Hammer and Velda. Villains galore. Who is the Snake?
PLACE - 4: The atmosphere of this series has been done for 9 novels now. Bars, boardinghouses, early 60s seedy NY. Again, standard but solid, not new.
SUMMARY - 4.6 stars. My personal favorite in the Hammer series. Sexytime done right in a non-stop action thriller. A blast of fun.
COUNTDOWN - #9 (of 250) These final top ten are my favorites and it is about impossible to place them in order.
"There's a kind of power about Mickey Spillane that no other writer can imitate," says the NYTimes. And at one time, Mickey Spillane had seven of the top ten best selling novels...IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN PUBLISHING! The reason? Mike Hammer, once a comic superhero in the 1940s, has become a super powerful private investigator, pulling his teen base into adulthood and into sexuality. Just my guess, but I think it rings true. (Erle Stanley Gardner was in the process of outselling Spillane by the late 1950s, but for Gardner's entire, voluminous output.)
HOOK - 5 stars: "...at the end of the street is the woman you've been waiting for for seven years...how go you go from seven years to now?" opens this one. We know that woman is Velda. We know this is the one in which....well...maybe at last?
PACE - 5 stars: A one-sit thrill ride.
PLOT - 4 stars: Typical Hammer, standard, but solid.
PEOPLE - 5: OMG, Hammer and Velda. Villains galore. Who is the Snake?
PLACE - 4: The atmosphere of this series has been done for 9 novels now. Bars, boardinghouses, early 60s seedy NY. Again, standard but solid, not new.
SUMMARY - 4.6 stars. My personal favorite in the Hammer series. Sexytime done right in a non-stop action thriller. A blast of fun.
August 28, 2025
Mike Hammer, Velda'yı kurtarmaya gittiğinde yanında Sue adında bir kız vardır ve odayı 2 kişi basar. Mike ikisini de öldürür ve Sue Devon adlı bu kızı Velda ile beraber götürür. Senatör Sim Terrence'ın üvey kızı olan Sue, annesi Sarah'yı babasının öldürdüğünü, bunu ispat edeceğini söyler. Art Rickerby ile görüşen Mike sonra Senatör gider ve kızın yanında olduğunu söyleyip olayları ondan dinler. Senatöre düşman olan birileri olup olmadığını sorar. Zamanında savcı iken içeri attırdığı Sonny adında birinden bahseder. Sonny 30 yıl yedikten sonra ayakkabı boyama dükkanı açan yaşlı bir adamdır. Ortağı Brickie Conley ile 3 milyon dolar çalmış ama Sim'e yakalanmıştır. Kızın peşinde olup da ölen 2 kişinin yanında biri daha vardır. Marv adındaki bu katil de Mike'ı yakalar ve ölür. Federal kimliği olan Mike'a onunla ateşkes yapıp eskisi gibi dost olan Pat dışında diğer polisler de bir şey yapamaz. Şehirde çıkan Mr. Dickinson adlı adamın Brickie olabileceğini düşünen Mike, araştırmalara devam eder ama Sonny'den çok yardım alamaz. Sarah sürekli kendisini bir yılanın öldüreceğinden bahseder. Sue de bunun babası olduğuna inanmıştır. Senatör de öldürülür. En sonunda soygunu yapıldığı taksiyi bulur ama yılan onu orada bekler. Peki yılan kimdir? Gerçekten sinsi olan bu kişi Brickie'ye ne yapmıştır? Mike'ı öldürebilecek midir? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2022
Il romanzo inizia proprio dove quello precedente ("Cacciatori di donne") terminava. Mike e Velda finalmente si ritrovano, ma per loro la tranquillità è un concetto inesistente. Hammer sembra ormai avere recuperato tutte le sue vecchie abilità e ne fa sfoggio in un intrigo politico-criminale dai contorni sfumati fino alla fine del romanzo. Qualche passaggio forse un po' troppo lento, ma a Spillane si perdona questo e altro.
April 25, 2019
Most of the books in the Hammer series don’t have to be read in order. But , this one and the book before it are linked and should be read in order. This entry features the return of Velda. Hammer is back in fine form and seems to have recovered from the poor condition they may be was in in the last book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2021
Türkçeye Derini Yüzeceğim adıyla çevrilmiş. Kemal Tahir'in adıyla yaptığı çeviri uyarlamasıyla tanınıyor. Tay Yayınları'nın 1984 baskısından okudum. Mayk 7 yıldır ayrı olduğu sekreteri Velda'ya kavuşur ve olaylar hızla gelişir.
30 yıl önce yapılan başarılı bir soygun o günün başarılı bir savcısına, valilik seçimine bağlanıyor. İşe mafya ve eski hesaplar karışıyor.
30 yıl önce yapılan başarılı bir soygun o günün başarılı bir savcısına, valilik seçimine bağlanıyor. İşe mafya ve eski hesaplar karışıyor.
October 11, 2022
Another great Mickey Spillane novel featuring Private Eye Mike Hammer. The novel has a detailed plot with several murders and continuous twists and turns. Hammer is portrayed as an anti-authority individual who wise cracks about the ladies and ends up in intimate situations with them but is in reality the complete gentleman.
January 17, 2025
Un relato entretenido gracias a los afinados trucos narrativos de Spillane y el carisma que sabe inyectar a su (acá) veterano Mike Hammer, reencontrándose con Velda e inmerso en un mundo criminal que ya no conoce tanto. Pero esta vez los deux ex machina que aplica en dsituaciones clave bajan el entusiasmo general.
March 8, 2025
An unlikely but exciting climax!! How is Mike going to get out of this one? Surely after thirty years somebody would have noticed the cab and the two dead bodies eventually mummified!!
What was the snake waiting for ? His old age pension? A lot of loose ends in this one. Mickey ends it at the right moment! No need to worry about the loose ends. The snake has finally twitched his last!!
What was the snake waiting for ? His old age pension? A lot of loose ends in this one. Mickey ends it at the right moment! No need to worry about the loose ends. The snake has finally twitched his last!!
May 9, 2019
I was hoping Belva would’ve ended up with Pat. Mike looks as women to be beneath men. He even said in this book “a woman is just a broad“.
May 10, 2022
Just anhother pretty good Mike Hammer story.
August 6, 2022
3.5 If you like your pulp detective hard boiled this is it. Enjoyed :)
March 1, 2023
Part of a Mickey Spillane trilogy. Very good if you like old skool gumshoe detective stories.
July 10, 2023
Two epics in a row
A double story, gripping from start to finish. Spillane's finest. Both have unexpected elements and more twists than a corkscrew. Real page turners.
A double story, gripping from start to finish. Spillane's finest. Both have unexpected elements and more twists than a corkscrew. Real page turners.
August 11, 2023
Hammer is drawn in by a 30 year old case
October 30, 2023
An excellent addition to the Mike Hammer series. Glad to have classic Detective Hammer back, but in an evolving New York City.
January 27, 2025
come on bro, the last shootout????
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews