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Der Tod des Jack Hamilton: Story aus Im Kabinett des Todes
Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2013
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206 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,497 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 17, 2020
Story 3 story
Audio 4 stars
Narrator Arliss Howard
Audio 4 stars
Narrator Arliss Howard
March 23, 2018
The story is about the Dillinger gang from the 1930s Depression Era America. It's about a notorious bank robber Dillinger (Google: Public Enemies) and is told through the eyes of his partner, Homer Van Meter. Set toward the end of Dillinger’s life, as FBI agents are closing in on them. One of the members gets shot during one of the ban robberies. He is Jack Hamilton, and the aftermath of the getaway and his efforts to save him, how that event changes their lives and their outlook towards life in general.
King keeps it close to true events. The characters are all memorable. It is the friendship of the characters that keeps this together. Their back stories and their efforts to save Jack, all tied together with a lot of oddball characters and dark humor, form the core of the story. As they do everything in their power to save their friend, you want them to succeed.
There are no supernatural elements or any ‘Twist in the tale’ to speak off. So don’t read this expecting a typical Stephen King mystery. But overall it’s a good read.
King keeps it close to true events. The characters are all memorable. It is the friendship of the characters that keeps this together. Their back stories and their efforts to save Jack, all tied together with a lot of oddball characters and dark humor, form the core of the story. As they do everything in their power to save their friend, you want them to succeed.
There are no supernatural elements or any ‘Twist in the tale’ to speak off. So don’t read this expecting a typical Stephen King mystery. But overall it’s a good read.
August 27, 2020
Could listen all day to the narrative and narrator...it just don't get no better than the King!
August 3, 2020
Little fag of a dandy... is just the first of too much anti-gay language. I understand it’s “of the time” it is set in, but... nope. Not today. Too cranky and sensitive. Thankfully it’s just a short story.
First DNF of the year.
First DNF of the year.
September 1, 2018
This is one of King's best short stories. I liked its straight forward narrative from one of the guys in John Dilliger's gang. It tells of henchman Jack Hamilton's gunshot injury and his struggle to live. I like how the narrator shares intimate details of what's going on around him and Dilliger's responses to it. Even though they are bad guys you want Hamilton to live if nothing more than keeping the friends together. You get the sense that if Jack dies the bonds of friendship die with him. It's like drawing the death card from a stack of Tarot, meaning its the end of one thing and the start of something new. This is a great little read and its in the 'Everything's Eventual' collection of short stories. I hope you will spend a few minutes with it. This is a very well done piece of writing.
January 19, 2018
گروهی گانگستر و دزد بانک که طی فرار و تیراندازی بین پلیس و آنان، یکی از اعضای باند تیر میخورد. و ما ادامه فرار و تلاش برای درمان جک را میخوانیم...
December 14, 2024
Really good story. Narrator is awesome.
March 2, 2022
This didn't seem to be a horror story, unless you counted the "being shot and not having the bullet taken out".
Homer, Jack Hamilton and Johnnie Derringer are part of the Derringer Gang. This short story is about when Johnnie Derringer received the scar on his upper lip.
Homer, Jack Hamilton and Johnnie Derringer are part of the Derringer Gang. This short story is about when Johnnie Derringer received the scar on his upper lip.
March 12, 2021
2.5 stars
Fourth story of SK’s Everything's Eventual
Ok, definitely better than the previous one. At least there’s a story here. But I read SK for the dark, the scary, the macabre. Unfortunately there was nothing much macabre about this story.
Fourth story of SK’s Everything's Eventual
Ok, definitely better than the previous one. At least there’s a story here. But I read SK for the dark, the scary, the macabre. Unfortunately there was nothing much macabre about this story.
January 9, 2022
The Death of Jack Hamilton was a good story by Stephen King. This story follows the Dillinger gang during the 1930s Depression Era. It is about famous bank robber Dillinger, told through the eyes of his partner Homer Van Meter. This is around the end of his life, as FBI agents are closing in on him and his partners. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.
April 7, 2019
Read in Everything's Eventual by Stephen King.
Outlaws in the Depression Era.
A story of friendship. Well written story, but lacks suspense.
Outlaws in the Depression Era.
A story of friendship. Well written story, but lacks suspense.
March 10, 2020
This is an ok story, one set in the 1930's Great Depression Era surrounding a US Gang's final days. It wasn't really my 'cup of tea'. Not particularly interesting. Written as you would expect by King, very well, but just a run of the mill story.
January 24, 2022
This is a story about the Dillinger gang at the end of their run. Dillinger is mortally wounded and they are cared for by a female doctor they know.
March 19, 2022
Awesome read. Full of characters enjoyable to the mind.
August 28, 2023
A proper factionalized account of real-world gangsters, with a supposed account of how Dillinger got his famed scar.
King’s strengths are in his characters and it shine through here.
King’s strengths are in his characters and it shine through here.
October 15, 2024
Depression era gangsters struggle to keep their friend Jack Hamilton alive after a bank robbery getaway goes horribly wrong.
The first half of the story captures the gritty gangster movie tone and plot formula from the noir era of crime films, but the second half of the story is surprisingly melancholy and introspective. During Jack Hamilton’s struggle to stay alive from a brutal bullet wound, the gang has time to reflect on the sad fate of their fallen friend and the lives they’ve lived up until that point while attempting to keep him on his feet.
Jack and the gang might be bad guys doing bad guy things, but gotta admire their sense of friendship, loyalty and compassion for each other.
Not as good as some of the other stories in Everything’s Eventual, but still fairly solid.
The first half of the story captures the gritty gangster movie tone and plot formula from the noir era of crime films, but the second half of the story is surprisingly melancholy and introspective. During Jack Hamilton’s struggle to stay alive from a brutal bullet wound, the gang has time to reflect on the sad fate of their fallen friend and the lives they’ve lived up until that point while attempting to keep him on his feet.
Jack and the gang might be bad guys doing bad guy things, but gotta admire their sense of friendship, loyalty and compassion for each other.
Not as good as some of the other stories in Everything’s Eventual, but still fairly solid.
October 12, 2023
This one felt overwritten, based on a premise (fascination with Dillinger and others of that bank robber era) that doesn’t really appeal to me.
December 7, 2023
Five bullets for this one. Great read. It brings out a James Hadley Chase vibe in Stephen Kings already devastatingly good collection of stories .
April 30, 2025
Now up there as one of my fave short stories of all time.
January 18, 2025
Score: 7,5/10.
July 10, 2023
This isn't a bad short story but I didn't really understand the point of it. I don't know much about John Dillinger outside of his name, but after research this is based on a true story. This would probably be more interesting if I knew more about the subject.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews