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The Last Spin
THE LAST SPIN is a diverse and brilliant exposition of his multi-faceted talents, with the diamond-hard prose, the vivid characterisation that pulsates through his best-selling novels:
THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE - SECOND ENDING - STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET - A MATTER OF CONVICTION
Contents:
First Offence, The Fallen Angel; Silent Partner; Small Homicide; The Girl With The Pretty Eyes; See Him Die; Escape; Kid Kill; Alive Again; The Innocent One; Robert; The Prisoner; ...Or Leave It Alone; Kiss Me, Dudley; The Last Spin
THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE - SECOND ENDING - STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET - A MATTER OF CONVICTION
Contents:
First Offence, The Fallen Angel; Silent Partner; Small Homicide; The Girl With The Pretty Eyes; See Him Die; Escape; Kid Kill; Alive Again; The Innocent One; Robert; The Prisoner; ...Or Leave It Alone; Kiss Me, Dudley; The Last Spin
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
3 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Evan Hunter
188 books115 followersBetter known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.
Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 12, 2021
A game of Russian Roulette between two young rival gang members who don't seem to have processed the weight and repercussions of their actions. You know how it has to end, but still can't help being swept up in their deluded, naive reality. Funny how it's always the last spin that gets you.
September 28, 2018
The Last Spin.
“When you're mortal, life is nothing more than a drawn-out game of Russian Roulette. Every moment is the spin of a gun cylinder, every decision pointing the barrel at your head. Over and over, again and again, you pull the trigger, hoping it won't be your last turn in the game.”
― J.M. Darhower, Reignite
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter is a crime suspense short story published by corgi books in 1961.
The last spin was an intense short story with mind boggling moments. But the lack of background knowledge and increasingly Messed up plot plus the cinderella effect of them never getting the bullet until the last darn spin puts a damper on the well written and engaging story. the book provides you with lots of "different" not so nice details that really stick in your head. All and all I think this had a well themed plot and kept suspense throughout the story and as soon as it died down it picked back up and smacked you right in the face leaving you stunned with wtf just happened.-Logan Row (Goodreads).
The plot starts with two Danny and Tigo boys in rival gangs play a game of russian roulette to settle a gang problem. The two spin multiple times and don't receive any bullets to the face so Tigo adds another bullet to the chamber. After awhile the same boy adds a third bullet but they are still having no bullets fly through them. The two boys had gotten to know each other quite well during their time and settle on a deal the last spin, the boys would each take one last spin and than walk out to live their lives. As the time came for Danny to spin they were both rather confident and before the trigger was pulled Tigo asked what is your name? Danny responded danny seconds later he got his face torn off apparently by the bullet.
The story takes place in a dimly lit basement of a clubhouse around a small table. The room is large and empty with a sliding metal door.
Danny: Danny is a white male who is young and belongs to a gang. Danny likes comic books, guns and antiques as at the beginning he agrees with Tigo this the gun is a “good piece”.
Tigo: Tigo wears a green jacket with orange stripes. Tigo is interested in guns and antiques as at the beginning he states how the gun is a “good piece” stating the gun is fine quality. The club on the opposing side of danny is the club that Tigo belongs to.
At the beginning of the story, it is apparent that Danny and Tigo are not exactly the closest of friends. However, as the story progresses the two gang members seemingly form a mutual bond that may have lead to a potential friendship. The two boys hit a brick wall metaphorically, they now were buds and wanted no harm to one other. They came upon the idea to stop but with one last spin where danny popped a cap in his head.
The intended audience of this book in my opinion and from multiple sources would be young adults to elderly folk. You could not read a story about boys blowing thier heads off to small children.
This story reminds me of reality Tv there can only be one winner
The last spin is a fine piece that really made me think. I have given this four stars for a reason as i really enjoyed it. I hope you did too.
the last spin was an intense short story with mind boggling moments. but the lack of background knowledge and increasingly fucked up plot plus the cinderella effect of them never getting the bullet until the last goddamn spin puts a damper on the well written and engaging story. the book provides you with lots of "different" not so nice details that really stick in your head. All and all i think this had a well themed plot and kept suspense throughout the story and as soon as it died down it picked back up and smacked you right in the face leaving you stunned with wtf just happened.
“When you're mortal, life is nothing more than a drawn-out game of Russian Roulette. Every moment is the spin of a gun cylinder, every decision pointing the barrel at your head. Over and over, again and again, you pull the trigger, hoping it won't be your last turn in the game.”
― J.M. Darhower, Reignite
The Last Spin by Evan Hunter is a crime suspense short story published by corgi books in 1961.
The last spin was an intense short story with mind boggling moments. But the lack of background knowledge and increasingly Messed up plot plus the cinderella effect of them never getting the bullet until the last darn spin puts a damper on the well written and engaging story. the book provides you with lots of "different" not so nice details that really stick in your head. All and all I think this had a well themed plot and kept suspense throughout the story and as soon as it died down it picked back up and smacked you right in the face leaving you stunned with wtf just happened.-Logan Row (Goodreads).
The plot starts with two Danny and Tigo boys in rival gangs play a game of russian roulette to settle a gang problem. The two spin multiple times and don't receive any bullets to the face so Tigo adds another bullet to the chamber. After awhile the same boy adds a third bullet but they are still having no bullets fly through them. The two boys had gotten to know each other quite well during their time and settle on a deal the last spin, the boys would each take one last spin and than walk out to live their lives. As the time came for Danny to spin they were both rather confident and before the trigger was pulled Tigo asked what is your name? Danny responded danny seconds later he got his face torn off apparently by the bullet.
The story takes place in a dimly lit basement of a clubhouse around a small table. The room is large and empty with a sliding metal door.
Danny: Danny is a white male who is young and belongs to a gang. Danny likes comic books, guns and antiques as at the beginning he agrees with Tigo this the gun is a “good piece”.
Tigo: Tigo wears a green jacket with orange stripes. Tigo is interested in guns and antiques as at the beginning he states how the gun is a “good piece” stating the gun is fine quality. The club on the opposing side of danny is the club that Tigo belongs to.
At the beginning of the story, it is apparent that Danny and Tigo are not exactly the closest of friends. However, as the story progresses the two gang members seemingly form a mutual bond that may have lead to a potential friendship. The two boys hit a brick wall metaphorically, they now were buds and wanted no harm to one other. They came upon the idea to stop but with one last spin where danny popped a cap in his head.
The intended audience of this book in my opinion and from multiple sources would be young adults to elderly folk. You could not read a story about boys blowing thier heads off to small children.
This story reminds me of reality Tv there can only be one winner
The last spin is a fine piece that really made me think. I have given this four stars for a reason as i really enjoyed it. I hope you did too.
the last spin was an intense short story with mind boggling moments. but the lack of background knowledge and increasingly fucked up plot plus the cinderella effect of them never getting the bullet until the last goddamn spin puts a damper on the well written and engaging story. the book provides you with lots of "different" not so nice details that really stick in your head. All and all i think this had a well themed plot and kept suspense throughout the story and as soon as it died down it picked back up and smacked you right in the face leaving you stunned with wtf just happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2023
why was this so much sadder than I thought???
September 28, 2018
This is cringe but fcuk it doood
Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette? With the Russian army in Romania, around 1917... some officer would suddenly pull out his revolver, anywhere, at the table, remove a cartridge from the cylinder, spin the cylinder, snap it back in place, put it to his head and pull the trigger. There were five chances to one that the hammer would set off a live cartridge and blow his brains all over the place.
The last spin was published by Ed McBain in 1956. The genre of this short story is a crime/drama.
I found this book very suspenseful because I did not know what was going to happen next. The one thing I would change personally was the communication aspect. There was too much of a talking to action ratio which made some parts of the story boring.
The story The Last Spin takes place in a cold basement room where two formal gang members Tigo and Danny want to settle a disagreement between their rival gangs. They play a game of Russian roulette to avoid rumble on the streets. As the game goes on Danny and Tigo bond making conversation about their girlfriends and how they got involved with gang life.
Since Russian roulette always ends with one loser that will die, the events that happen in this story cannot change Danny's life. On the other hand, I’m sure what happened will change Tigo’s life forever and he will not make as many stupid decisions.
This ones interesting but I can compare this story to one time when I played Russian roulette (No not with a real gun) with a nerf gun as a kid with one of my siblings.
I believe the story The Last Spin is best for other teenagers around 16-18 since there is some slang that older adults wouldn’t understand and since the book is mainly about a game that involves basically killing yourself it would not be good for kids.
In conclusion, this is a great story for teenagers interested in a crime-drama. I like this story because of how suspenseful it is right up until the end. What I think could change is the amount of casual talk from the both, but in the end, I would give this book a solid 8/10!
Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette? With the Russian army in Romania, around 1917... some officer would suddenly pull out his revolver, anywhere, at the table, remove a cartridge from the cylinder, spin the cylinder, snap it back in place, put it to his head and pull the trigger. There were five chances to one that the hammer would set off a live cartridge and blow his brains all over the place.
The last spin was published by Ed McBain in 1956. The genre of this short story is a crime/drama.
I found this book very suspenseful because I did not know what was going to happen next. The one thing I would change personally was the communication aspect. There was too much of a talking to action ratio which made some parts of the story boring.
The story The Last Spin takes place in a cold basement room where two formal gang members Tigo and Danny want to settle a disagreement between their rival gangs. They play a game of Russian roulette to avoid rumble on the streets. As the game goes on Danny and Tigo bond making conversation about their girlfriends and how they got involved with gang life.
Since Russian roulette always ends with one loser that will die, the events that happen in this story cannot change Danny's life. On the other hand, I’m sure what happened will change Tigo’s life forever and he will not make as many stupid decisions.
This ones interesting but I can compare this story to one time when I played Russian roulette (No not with a real gun) with a nerf gun as a kid with one of my siblings.
I believe the story The Last Spin is best for other teenagers around 16-18 since there is some slang that older adults wouldn’t understand and since the book is mainly about a game that involves basically killing yourself it would not be good for kids.
In conclusion, this is a great story for teenagers interested in a crime-drama. I like this story because of how suspenseful it is right up until the end. What I think could change is the amount of casual talk from the both, but in the end, I would give this book a solid 8/10!
January 10, 2026
The Last Spin struck me as one of the most emotionally economical stories I know. Reading it, I felt how little Hunter needs to say to make violence unbearable. The roulette game is absurd in premise and devastating in effect.
What struck me was the enforced intimacy. Two boys, enemies by affiliation rather than conviction, are forced into proximity. The gun passes between them like a language they both understand too well. Reading this, I felt Hunter dismantling the mythology of toughness.
The conversation becomes the story’s emotional core. They talk about ordinary things—family, music, fear. Humanity intrudes. What lingers is how quickly recognition arrives once violence pauses.
Hunter refuses moral explanation. There is no grand social analysis, no lecture about gangs. The tragedy is situational, not symbolic. That restraint makes it more painful.
The story stayed with me because it captures the cruel efficiency of systems that force young people into irreversible games before they understand the stakes.
Recommended.
What struck me was the enforced intimacy. Two boys, enemies by affiliation rather than conviction, are forced into proximity. The gun passes between them like a language they both understand too well. Reading this, I felt Hunter dismantling the mythology of toughness.
The conversation becomes the story’s emotional core. They talk about ordinary things—family, music, fear. Humanity intrudes. What lingers is how quickly recognition arrives once violence pauses.
Hunter refuses moral explanation. There is no grand social analysis, no lecture about gangs. The tragedy is situational, not symbolic. That restraint makes it more painful.
The story stayed with me because it captures the cruel efficiency of systems that force young people into irreversible games before they understand the stakes.
Recommended.
January 25, 2022
If there's a word that could lump all of these short stories together under the figurative umbrella of a single topic, then that word is 'violence', with 'crudeness' coming in a very close second place. The stories themselves didn't amaze me (although some did entertain me), they were generally cliché and almost in every case the plot was funneled into a foreseeable twist that left most endings lacking the shock value Hunter wanted to convey. Violence for the sake of violence grew old really fast with most stories containing some sort of variation of a male character punching, shooting and kicking something or someone just because. It's okay as a pastime if you take the stories at face value.
September 24, 2018
unrealistic, forced dialogue. weird version of russian roulette no one has ever played. does build tension? i guess? weird narration to describe appearance that makes no sense and is inconsistent with narrator’s perspective later in the text. in general: cheesy. but easy to use to teach theme. students liked it.
July 8, 2023
It's about two men picked by two gangs to settle their "debt" with each other and chose to run a Russian Roulette. While going at it, they were so chatty that they found that they can actually become friends, together with their missus. Then the last spin happened. My heart kinda shattered at the ending as I really enjoyed their discovery process through their lethal game.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2018
i think this book was a good read because it had suspense and depressing ending.
March 5, 2024
Maoneek
July 14, 2025
this is for the short story only.
it's good. great even, maybe. short, tense, no fat.
it's good. great even, maybe. short, tense, no fat.
February 22, 2016
A very short read about to boys (early-late teens) playing a game of Russian-roulette to settle a score for their gangs. As the game continues, the two foes get to know one another and start to question why they are doing this.
The story draws it's symbolism in war- leaders sending commands to foot soldiers, commands that one does not want to follow but feel obligated to do it for those they stand-by, for their squad, for their friends.
Happy Reading!
The story draws it's symbolism in war- leaders sending commands to foot soldiers, commands that one does not want to follow but feel obligated to do it for those they stand-by, for their squad, for their friends.
Happy Reading!
June 9, 2017
A student I tutor introduced me to this story and we read it together. I found it reminiscent of West Side Story. It has a surprising amount of suspense and tension, considering how ridiculously short it is. Seriously, I finished this in less than ten minutes. It is very much dialogue-driven, leaving much of the backdrop of the story to the reader's imagination.
January 24, 2014
this one packs a punch. who would have thought that a game of Russian roulette would turn foes into friends. tragic, at the same time makes you want to question your beliefs and what you stand for; but most especially this can make you question on what brotherhood is all about.
February 5, 2014
This book was confusing at the start but it was quite thrilling once I knew what was going on. (it was a slow start). It's not the best short story I have ever read but if you just want a quick thrilling story, this is the one for you.
March 8, 2015
LOVE THE SUSPENSE OF THE STORY.
March 15, 2020
*2.6: Maybe I didn't like how the story ends in a forceful way and hoping that the readers will learn a significant lesson after reading it...
February 20, 2024
such a sad short story and its devastating how the author literally gets your hopes up and then BAM
January 17, 2011
From "The last spin": "Or Leave it Alone", The Prisoner.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews