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Mike Hammer #13
Black Alley
The grandmaster of crime fiction returns with a Mike Hammer thriller--and America's best known P.I. is literally a new man! A retired Hammer wakes from a near-death coma to find that he is at the center of a search for $89 billion in missing mob money. The mob suspects--rightly--that Hammer's friend has left a clue to the money's whereabouts. And to complicate matters, the Feds are also in on the race for the cash.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Mickey Spillane
321 books456 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 67 reviews
November 11, 2023
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is part of a series but is a stand alone novel. In this one we visit Mike Hammer who is a little older and has been seriously injured and on death's door. He is told to take it easy but in typical Mike Hammer fashion he finds himself in the middle of something where he cannot take it easy.
I have read that this is the last book that the author wrote before he passed. This series has been written over decades. I liked how this book shows the author's age and his maturity. One can easily see the author putting himself in the role of the titular character. Mike is older and with that he is not as fast or strong or able to bounce back like he use to. Instead he is wiser and picks his spots. It is a nice reflection of real life and growing older. As for the mystery aspect it is a typical Mike Hammer mystery where he tries to solve the puzzle with the aid of Velda. The one aspect I adore of these books is the way the author writes descriptions. I felt like in this one that aspect took a step backwards as they were not as vivid as the earlier novels. I wonder if this was a product of the time or the author being older when he wrote this book. I really did miss that aspect and it did affect my rating.
This would have been a terrific swan song for this character and series if it ended here. The author finally commits to fan service of a relationship that has been teased throughout this series. It also has Mike older and wiser because of age. In the reader's mind we would know that Hammer is still being a private eye. But in our head we would figure he is off into the sunset being happy with his relationship and doing what he loves to do. I know this series continues with a different author and I believe it is with the consent of Mickey Spillane. I have heard positive things about the continuation and I look forward to finding out for myself.
This is part of a series but is a stand alone novel. In this one we visit Mike Hammer who is a little older and has been seriously injured and on death's door. He is told to take it easy but in typical Mike Hammer fashion he finds himself in the middle of something where he cannot take it easy.
I have read that this is the last book that the author wrote before he passed. This series has been written over decades. I liked how this book shows the author's age and his maturity. One can easily see the author putting himself in the role of the titular character. Mike is older and with that he is not as fast or strong or able to bounce back like he use to. Instead he is wiser and picks his spots. It is a nice reflection of real life and growing older. As for the mystery aspect it is a typical Mike Hammer mystery where he tries to solve the puzzle with the aid of Velda. The one aspect I adore of these books is the way the author writes descriptions. I felt like in this one that aspect took a step backwards as they were not as vivid as the earlier novels. I wonder if this was a product of the time or the author being older when he wrote this book. I really did miss that aspect and it did affect my rating.
This would have been a terrific swan song for this character and series if it ended here. The author finally commits to fan service of a relationship that has been teased throughout this series. It also has Mike older and wiser because of age. In the reader's mind we would know that Hammer is still being a private eye. But in our head we would figure he is off into the sunset being happy with his relationship and doing what he loves to do. I know this series continues with a different author and I believe it is with the consent of Mickey Spillane. I have heard positive things about the continuation and I look forward to finding out for myself.
March 24, 2024
i love that this story features an older, more elegant and thoughtful mike hammer, as written by mickey spillane in his older years. i realize most fans dislike the later spillane books and i’m pretty sure i strongly disagree. vehemently even.
yes, this isn’t young psychotic tour-de-force mike hammer — but that’s okay, because what the later hammer period lacks in pure explosive insanity and narrative propulsion like the early novels, it more than makes up for it with a moodier, reflective and even somewhat sentimental tone of an older mike. which to my mind is a window into the psyche of one of my favorite blue collar writers of all time. reading ‘black alley’ i could infer how mickey felt about life as he aged and reflected on his brasher, younger years.
to be honest, when people complain about the later spillane / hammer books, i think they forget he wrote this particular novel in his late 70’s (70!!!) and that’s really the lens which to view the character through. it’s an older wiser hammer, reflected even in his dynamic with velda, who is now his fiancé and provides a charming subplot to the story.
look, as a newer and very passionate fan of spillane, and also as someone who was too young to be aware of him when he was still alive, i love seeing how mickey matured as a writer as he got older and started pursuing more mature themes — without ever being pretentious like some other crime writers — he didn’t just keep revisiting the early glory years of the character, since that wouldn’t have worked anyway due to the fact that mickey wasn’t that mickey anymore; those early books being a product of a young hotshot writer with things to prove, just as the later books reflect his twilight years where he discovered a more relaxed and reflective tone as a writer (also much apparent in “dead street”).
regardless, we already have the young hammer classics and they’re not going anywhere. which is why i look at these particular books as elaborations on hammer’s later years, which also just happen to be cannon since they were written by mickey himself.
yes, this isn’t young psychotic tour-de-force mike hammer — but that’s okay, because what the later hammer period lacks in pure explosive insanity and narrative propulsion like the early novels, it more than makes up for it with a moodier, reflective and even somewhat sentimental tone of an older mike. which to my mind is a window into the psyche of one of my favorite blue collar writers of all time. reading ‘black alley’ i could infer how mickey felt about life as he aged and reflected on his brasher, younger years.
to be honest, when people complain about the later spillane / hammer books, i think they forget he wrote this particular novel in his late 70’s (70!!!) and that’s really the lens which to view the character through. it’s an older wiser hammer, reflected even in his dynamic with velda, who is now his fiancé and provides a charming subplot to the story.
look, as a newer and very passionate fan of spillane, and also as someone who was too young to be aware of him when he was still alive, i love seeing how mickey matured as a writer as he got older and started pursuing more mature themes — without ever being pretentious like some other crime writers — he didn’t just keep revisiting the early glory years of the character, since that wouldn’t have worked anyway due to the fact that mickey wasn’t that mickey anymore; those early books being a product of a young hotshot writer with things to prove, just as the later books reflect his twilight years where he discovered a more relaxed and reflective tone as a writer (also much apparent in “dead street”).
regardless, we already have the young hammer classics and they’re not going anywhere. which is why i look at these particular books as elaborations on hammer’s later years, which also just happen to be cannon since they were written by mickey himself.
June 28, 2020
This is apparently the last written Mike Hammer book written by Mickey Spillane himself even if there are readers who sincerely doubt this based upon their personal insight. This was however a Mike Hammer translated to the nineties far away from his original stomping grounds which can easily explain the difference in tone and less in style. The writer must have done some growing up since he last wrote Mike Hammer.
As the story starts we meet a severely hurt Mike Hammer and lesser man would have passed away but he is taken care of outside the regular healthcare but is not his old self by miles, his wounds do take far more time to heal but that is something Hammer does not have. He returns to New York because a good friend dies who is involved in the disappearing of Maffia Billions. This money was put away due to a maffia war which is undertaken between the old style maffia and the younger generation. Anyhow everybody including the government is convinced that Hammer knows where the money is. He wished he would know but all his friend has left him is some cryptic description which seems to lead nowhere. As more people become convinced that Hammer really knows nothing his life expectancy becomes certainly less certain. With Pat & Velda by his side Hammer does what he has always done hammer away.
Certainly not a Hammer tale that matches the quality that he had in his early days but certainly a must read if you enjoyed the earlier era.
As the story starts we meet a severely hurt Mike Hammer and lesser man would have passed away but he is taken care of outside the regular healthcare but is not his old self by miles, his wounds do take far more time to heal but that is something Hammer does not have. He returns to New York because a good friend dies who is involved in the disappearing of Maffia Billions. This money was put away due to a maffia war which is undertaken between the old style maffia and the younger generation. Anyhow everybody including the government is convinced that Hammer knows where the money is. He wished he would know but all his friend has left him is some cryptic description which seems to lead nowhere. As more people become convinced that Hammer really knows nothing his life expectancy becomes certainly less certain. With Pat & Velda by his side Hammer does what he has always done hammer away.
Certainly not a Hammer tale that matches the quality that he had in his early days but certainly a must read if you enjoyed the earlier era.
October 23, 2014
This is book 13 of the Mike Hammer series & the last one that Spillane did before he died, I believe. (Max Allan Collins has finished up a few more from Spillane's notes.) Unfortunately, it sucked. Mind you, I don't expect a lot out of Mike Hammer novels. They're ego-fests, first person shoot 'em ups with everyone realizing just how tough, smart, & wonderful Mike Hammer is. That's a pretty big anchor for any story to wear, but Spillane's brutal verbiage & a huge suspension of belief on my part usually manage to make it a fairly enjoyable read. Not this time.
Spillane's plots have always relied on a lot of coincidence & luck. They're also fairly predictable. This story wasn't any different in those respects, just the amount of holes Spillane left & had to fill, especially at the end. Worse, the overall plot was one he’s done before & much better in a short story.
Another big problem is that Spillane took Hammer out of the city into the country where he never should have gone. Suddenly he's learned all sorts of things in the Army, including how to operate a backhoe - which he tows with his Ford sedan & no trailer brakes. Hell, not only is Mike Hammer tough, but so is his car! I used a 3/4 ton pickup for a small backhoe & preferred a 1 ton. Always with trailer brakes. Of course, in my world, the more a gravel/dirt lane gets traveled, the bumpier it gets, but in Spillane's it gets smoother. Seriously, just a bit of editing could have fixed this & helped the story immensely.
Hammer is aging & this story, written in the mid 90's, is set in the mid to late 80's - sort of, maybe. Spillane had some major problems with time. References were all over the board with old bootleggers, Mafia families, & war time (that just screamed WWII) buddies, although this was never said specifically. It doesn’t have to be. We KNOW which war Hammer was in & we’re not told differently. Worse, Hammer is finally getting close to marrying Velda & some people think they're young enough to be starting a family. Sorry, pal, but she's got to be well past menopause by now.
Other references really played hob with the time. If this was mid to late 80’s, there were mobile phones, but they were satchel sized units for cars, so the pointed walkie talkie & pay phone use was OK. In the 90’s we got the small cell phones, but no one had them most of the book & then we get a whole sentences about them, but they’re never used. Yeah, I’m confused, too.
Hammer got shot badly & almost died, but instead of going to a hospital, he got a fairy god doctor, who couldn't have saved him if he hadn't been so tough, of course. But he did & this wound gives Hammer a lot of trouble all through the book until the end. Then he uses a pick & shovel. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if Hammer had just been in a private hospital. The whole point of the exercise seemed to be the splash he’d make by coming back from being presumed dead, but that was never leveraged.
Most of these issues could have easily been edited out & made it a much better story. It's a shame they weren't. Who edited this book? You should be fired. You’re one of the reasons the Big 6 publishers are getting less of my business & are losing my respect on an almost daily basis. I can almost hear you thinking, "This was one of the last Spillane novels, it'll sell, so who cares if it's polished or not? Those jerks will buy it. Let's just get it out the door with minimal effort & rake in the loot."
That’s OK, I borrowed it from the library & fuck you very much, too.
Rather than ending on such a hostile note, I’ll put in the best thing about this audio book – the reader. Richard Ferrone did a great job. He kept Hammer’s narration without accent, so it was easy to listen to, & did the voices of the major characters well, including the only female, Velda. (Yes, there was only one female in the entire book with a speaking part!) Just occasionally, he’d do a New York accent for one of the bad guys & it worked beautifully. Kudos to you, Mr. Ferrone! You were the bright spot!
Spillane's plots have always relied on a lot of coincidence & luck. They're also fairly predictable. This story wasn't any different in those respects, just the amount of holes Spillane left & had to fill, especially at the end. Worse, the overall plot was one he’s done before & much better in a short story.
Another big problem is that Spillane took Hammer out of the city into the country where he never should have gone. Suddenly he's learned all sorts of things in the Army, including how to operate a backhoe - which he tows with his Ford sedan & no trailer brakes. Hell, not only is Mike Hammer tough, but so is his car! I used a 3/4 ton pickup for a small backhoe & preferred a 1 ton. Always with trailer brakes. Of course, in my world, the more a gravel/dirt lane gets traveled, the bumpier it gets, but in Spillane's it gets smoother. Seriously, just a bit of editing could have fixed this & helped the story immensely.
Hammer is aging & this story, written in the mid 90's, is set in the mid to late 80's - sort of, maybe. Spillane had some major problems with time. References were all over the board with old bootleggers, Mafia families, & war time (that just screamed WWII) buddies, although this was never said specifically. It doesn’t have to be. We KNOW which war Hammer was in & we’re not told differently. Worse, Hammer is finally getting close to marrying Velda & some people think they're young enough to be starting a family. Sorry, pal, but she's got to be well past menopause by now.
Other references really played hob with the time. If this was mid to late 80’s, there were mobile phones, but they were satchel sized units for cars, so the pointed walkie talkie & pay phone use was OK. In the 90’s we got the small cell phones, but no one had them most of the book & then we get a whole sentences about them, but they’re never used. Yeah, I’m confused, too.
Hammer got shot badly & almost died, but instead of going to a hospital, he got a fairy god doctor, who couldn't have saved him if he hadn't been so tough, of course. But he did & this wound gives Hammer a lot of trouble all through the book until the end. Then he uses a pick & shovel. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if Hammer had just been in a private hospital. The whole point of the exercise seemed to be the splash he’d make by coming back from being presumed dead, but that was never leveraged.
Most of these issues could have easily been edited out & made it a much better story. It's a shame they weren't. Who edited this book? You should be fired. You’re one of the reasons the Big 6 publishers are getting less of my business & are losing my respect on an almost daily basis. I can almost hear you thinking, "This was one of the last Spillane novels, it'll sell, so who cares if it's polished or not? Those jerks will buy it. Let's just get it out the door with minimal effort & rake in the loot."
That’s OK, I borrowed it from the library & fuck you very much, too.
Rather than ending on such a hostile note, I’ll put in the best thing about this audio book – the reader. Richard Ferrone did a great job. He kept Hammer’s narration without accent, so it was easy to listen to, & did the voices of the major characters well, including the only female, Velda. (Yes, there was only one female in the entire book with a speaking part!) Just occasionally, he’d do a New York accent for one of the bad guys & it worked beautifully. Kudos to you, Mr. Ferrone! You were the bright spot!
April 8, 2019
"The Black Alley" was the final Mike Hammer novel published before Spillane's death. It is a companion piece to the recently-published collaboration of "King of the Weeds." "Black Alley" begins the story finished in "King of The Weeds." It is Mike Hammer. It is Mickey Spillane. There is not much more that you need to know. Spillane wrote, particularly in his Hammer series, the toughest, sparsest, leanest prose filled with action that anyone has ever written.
The early Spillane novels were controversial with the critics, but loved by the buying public. If you haven't read Spillane before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at just how much of a professional writer he was. His books (every sentence in them) are superbly crafted. He was simply a master craftsman with a typewriter in his hand (and, yes, it was a typewriter when he started in the late 40's).
Black Alley has all the usual ingredients of a Hammer novel. Mike Hammer, aging now, slowly recovering from injuries suffered in a mob shootout, is as tough and explosive as ever. Velda, of the pageboy haircut, is as big and beautiful as ever and the love affair between them is the longest running romance in the history of modern fiction. Had Spillane simply wanted to write romance novels, he would have been the best of such writers. No question about it. Pat Chambers is here too. Captain Chambers is Hammer's old war buddy, now an aging Captain of Homicide and, at times, Hammer's conscience.
The overall plot is a bit goofy. The idea that the old dons of the mafia cashed out all their accounts and hid billions of dollars in a secret location in upstate New York to keep the money from the young guns who were set to take over the families is kind of loopy. But, once you accept that plot line (and it is no more goofy than the assortment of villains that Bond faced in his movies with armies of soldiers that no one was ever aware of), you will realize that it is another well-written, pounding, Hammer novel.
The early Spillane novels were controversial with the critics, but loved by the buying public. If you haven't read Spillane before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at just how much of a professional writer he was. His books (every sentence in them) are superbly crafted. He was simply a master craftsman with a typewriter in his hand (and, yes, it was a typewriter when he started in the late 40's).
Black Alley has all the usual ingredients of a Hammer novel. Mike Hammer, aging now, slowly recovering from injuries suffered in a mob shootout, is as tough and explosive as ever. Velda, of the pageboy haircut, is as big and beautiful as ever and the love affair between them is the longest running romance in the history of modern fiction. Had Spillane simply wanted to write romance novels, he would have been the best of such writers. No question about it. Pat Chambers is here too. Captain Chambers is Hammer's old war buddy, now an aging Captain of Homicide and, at times, Hammer's conscience.
The overall plot is a bit goofy. The idea that the old dons of the mafia cashed out all their accounts and hid billions of dollars in a secret location in upstate New York to keep the money from the young guns who were set to take over the families is kind of loopy. But, once you accept that plot line (and it is no more goofy than the assortment of villains that Bond faced in his movies with armies of soldiers that no one was ever aware of), you will realize that it is another well-written, pounding, Hammer novel.
March 22, 2016
Description: The grandmaster of crime fiction returns with a Mike Hammer thriller--and America's best known P.I. is literally a new man! A retired Hammer wakes from a near-death coma to find that he is at the center of a search for $89 billion in missing mob money. The mob suspects--rightly--that Hammer's friend has left a clue to the money's whereabouts. And to complicate matters, the Feds are also in on the race for the cash.
Had this in storage for what seems like forever: time to get it gone.LATER: There is sometimes a good reason why some articles languish on TBR. NEXT
3* My Gun Is Quick
CR Black Alley
July 21, 2017
"The Black Alley" was the final Mike Hammer novel published before Spillane's death. It is a companion piece to the recently-published collaboration of "King of the Weeds." "Black Alley" begins the story finished in "King of The Weeds."
It is Mike Hammer. It is Mickey Spillane. There is not much more that you need to know. Spillane wrote, particularly in his Hammer series, the toughest, sparsest, leanest prose filled with action that anyone has ever written. The early Spillane novels were controversial with the critics, but loved by the buying public. If you haven't read Spillane before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at just how much of a professional writer he was. His books (every sentence in them) are superbly crafted. He was simply a master craftsman with a typewriter in his hand (and, yes, it was a typewriter when he started in the late 40's).
Black Alley has all the usual ingredients of a Hammer novel. Mike Hammer, aging now, slowly recovering from injuries suffered in a mob shootout, is as tough and explosive as ever. Velda, of the pageboy haircut, is as big and beautiful as ever and the love affair between them is the longest running romance in the history of modern fiction. Had Spillane simply wanted to write romance novels, he would have been the best of such writers. No question about it. Pat Chambers is here too. Captain Chambers is Hammer's old war buddy, now an aging Captain of Homicide and, at times, Hammer's conscience.
The overall plot is a bit goofy. But, once you accept that plot line (and it is no more goofy than the assortment of villians that Bond faced in his movies with armies of soldiers that no one was ever aware of), you will realize that it is another well-written, pounding, Hammer novel.
The action is here from a wild shootout at the docks, leading Hammer near death with bullets in his gut to a car bomb nearly taking out Mike and Velda, to a wild scene with mafia hoodlums bent on ending Hammer's threat. There are plenty of hoodlums here and strongarm tactics. There is plenty of hints about risqué scenes as Hammer and Velda try to play it cool throughout their engagement, but little actual risqueness in the book itself.
The opening of the book is particularly good, with Hammer describing taking two bullets into bodily parts not meant to violated like that, leaving him as one of the dead and dying. He "wanted to scream, but nothing would come out." He nearly went down the black alley to the end.
It is Mike Hammer. It is Mickey Spillane. There is not much more that you need to know. Spillane wrote, particularly in his Hammer series, the toughest, sparsest, leanest prose filled with action that anyone has ever written. The early Spillane novels were controversial with the critics, but loved by the buying public. If you haven't read Spillane before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at just how much of a professional writer he was. His books (every sentence in them) are superbly crafted. He was simply a master craftsman with a typewriter in his hand (and, yes, it was a typewriter when he started in the late 40's).
Black Alley has all the usual ingredients of a Hammer novel. Mike Hammer, aging now, slowly recovering from injuries suffered in a mob shootout, is as tough and explosive as ever. Velda, of the pageboy haircut, is as big and beautiful as ever and the love affair between them is the longest running romance in the history of modern fiction. Had Spillane simply wanted to write romance novels, he would have been the best of such writers. No question about it. Pat Chambers is here too. Captain Chambers is Hammer's old war buddy, now an aging Captain of Homicide and, at times, Hammer's conscience.
The overall plot is a bit goofy. But, once you accept that plot line (and it is no more goofy than the assortment of villians that Bond faced in his movies with armies of soldiers that no one was ever aware of), you will realize that it is another well-written, pounding, Hammer novel.
The action is here from a wild shootout at the docks, leading Hammer near death with bullets in his gut to a car bomb nearly taking out Mike and Velda, to a wild scene with mafia hoodlums bent on ending Hammer's threat. There are plenty of hoodlums here and strongarm tactics. There is plenty of hints about risqué scenes as Hammer and Velda try to play it cool throughout their engagement, but little actual risqueness in the book itself.
The opening of the book is particularly good, with Hammer describing taking two bullets into bodily parts not meant to violated like that, leaving him as one of the dead and dying. He "wanted to scream, but nothing would come out." He nearly went down the black alley to the end.
November 9, 2017
"You almost went down the black alley. Nobody comes back from there."
Black Alley is a hard book to rate on its own merits. In the opening pages we're introduced to a near dead Mike Hammer as he slowly recovers from multiple gunshot wounds. The cause and effect alludes to the reader having some prior knowledge of an ambiguous mob related shootout in which Mike took out the son of a prominent mob boss whilst also being laden with led himself. Through a foggy drug induced haze (thanks to Mike's drunken doctor), we also learn Mike is privy to a generational transition in the underworld which resulted in mob bosses dying in suspicious circumstances allowing the more ruthless and money hungry sons to take the helm. It feels like the reader is going into a story midway through.
Note - I've not read The Killing Man, book #12 in the Mike Hammer series (published 1989) so that book may provide some context to the mob shootout, I've bumped that book up the tbr pile (much like I did with Black Alley after reading King of the Weeds).
The other thing that makes Black Alley hard to gauge as a standalone read is the fact that it reads better by virtue of having read King of the Weeds, the sequel co-authored with Max Allan Collins and published in 2014. It's almost as if these two books were intended to be a single volume and, had they been, I think the story would've read more complete.
Black Alley does have a lot of things going for it. For one, the relationship between Mike and Velda is so heavily embedded in the plot the book almost reads as romance yet it's one of the more endearing qualities of the series and I'm glad this aspect to the long running series is given ample page time here. I've always liked Mike and Velda as a couple, and whilst they aren't married here, they're very much together with Mike the near perfect gentleman.
Then there's the murder angle, a former mob gardener and war buddy of Mike's is killed; his death bed confession leads Mike down a rabbit warren to track down some 89 billion dollars worth of hidden mob cash - this in addition to Mike's personal vendetta to make the killers pay with blood for taking out his friend; it's Hammer true to form.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I recommend reading Black Alley and then following it up with King of the Weeds.
Black Alley is a hard book to rate on its own merits. In the opening pages we're introduced to a near dead Mike Hammer as he slowly recovers from multiple gunshot wounds. The cause and effect alludes to the reader having some prior knowledge of an ambiguous mob related shootout in which Mike took out the son of a prominent mob boss whilst also being laden with led himself. Through a foggy drug induced haze (thanks to Mike's drunken doctor), we also learn Mike is privy to a generational transition in the underworld which resulted in mob bosses dying in suspicious circumstances allowing the more ruthless and money hungry sons to take the helm. It feels like the reader is going into a story midway through.
Note - I've not read The Killing Man, book #12 in the Mike Hammer series (published 1989) so that book may provide some context to the mob shootout, I've bumped that book up the tbr pile (much like I did with Black Alley after reading King of the Weeds).
The other thing that makes Black Alley hard to gauge as a standalone read is the fact that it reads better by virtue of having read King of the Weeds, the sequel co-authored with Max Allan Collins and published in 2014. It's almost as if these two books were intended to be a single volume and, had they been, I think the story would've read more complete.
Black Alley does have a lot of things going for it. For one, the relationship between Mike and Velda is so heavily embedded in the plot the book almost reads as romance yet it's one of the more endearing qualities of the series and I'm glad this aspect to the long running series is given ample page time here. I've always liked Mike and Velda as a couple, and whilst they aren't married here, they're very much together with Mike the near perfect gentleman.
Then there's the murder angle, a former mob gardener and war buddy of Mike's is killed; his death bed confession leads Mike down a rabbit warren to track down some 89 billion dollars worth of hidden mob cash - this in addition to Mike's personal vendetta to make the killers pay with blood for taking out his friend; it's Hammer true to form.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I recommend reading Black Alley and then following it up with King of the Weeds.
August 10, 2021
Pare sia il secondo che leggo della serie secondo Anobii. E questo è l'ultimo. Se becco delle ristslampe o al mercatino dell'usato penso che comprerò i mancanti.
May 7, 2022
This Mike Hammer adventure is quite different from other I've read. First, this one is set in more modern times and sadly, Hammer feels out of place. Hammer is still tough, but is showing signs of recognizing his own mortality-- which may have been Spillane writing more about himself than Hammer, as it obviously was one of the last Hammer novels by Spillane himself.
The novel opens with Hammer recovering from a shootout with gangsters. The shootout has left him near death, so much so, that emergency responders ignored his prone body in hopes of saving some of the other shooting victims. If it hadn't been for a retired doctor coming on the scene, who took Hammer to his house (and saved Hammer answering a lot of police questions about his presence) and nursing him back to health.
The doctor is an interesting character. He left medicine behind and became an alcoholic. He sees Hammer as a challenge to his lifestyle and a sign that it is time he stops drinking and returns to practicing medicine.
Throughout the novel, because of the serious injuries he experienced, Hammer experiences weakness that would normally be out of character for him. He is forced to return to bed constantly in order to continue his recovery. His grievous injuries plague him throughout the novel, which hampers his ability to be the traditional tough guy his fans admire. This weakness, to me, seems likely to be Spillane speaking metaphorically on his own personal experience of aging. I could be completely off the mark in this thinking, but it helped me to continue through the novel.
The plot is pretty basic-- Mike hears a deathbed confession of a friend that indicates a huge trove of money hidden away by gangsters and soon everybody wants it. Of course, the clue to the location of the cache is cryptic and Mike must use his detective skills in order to find it. Threats and confrontations with gangsters abound in this story, and despite his injuries, Hammer manages to hold his own. His reputation is enough to intimidate most of the gunmen and it is in these verbal sparring matches that Spillane excels.
Hammer also agrees to marry Velma, though their relationship is kept chaste throughout the novel in anticipation of a marriage and honeymoon. This agreement seems to signal that Spillane was recognizing that his writing career was coming to a conclusion and he felt the need to wind up the details of this long running relationship.
Black Alley as a title works well. Hammer contemplates his mortality and sees death as a Black Alley one stumbles into and then cannot find his way out. The metaphor is offered several times throughout the novel, keeping the reader tied to the title in a manner better than most.
It is a decent enough novel, but I like the earlier Hammer stuff better. Hammer is just a better detective in the age of old cars, pay phones, and less technology. In this modern world, he seems to be an antiquated dinosaur who is almost always out of step with the world around him.
The novel opens with Hammer recovering from a shootout with gangsters. The shootout has left him near death, so much so, that emergency responders ignored his prone body in hopes of saving some of the other shooting victims. If it hadn't been for a retired doctor coming on the scene, who took Hammer to his house (and saved Hammer answering a lot of police questions about his presence) and nursing him back to health.
The doctor is an interesting character. He left medicine behind and became an alcoholic. He sees Hammer as a challenge to his lifestyle and a sign that it is time he stops drinking and returns to practicing medicine.
Throughout the novel, because of the serious injuries he experienced, Hammer experiences weakness that would normally be out of character for him. He is forced to return to bed constantly in order to continue his recovery. His grievous injuries plague him throughout the novel, which hampers his ability to be the traditional tough guy his fans admire. This weakness, to me, seems likely to be Spillane speaking metaphorically on his own personal experience of aging. I could be completely off the mark in this thinking, but it helped me to continue through the novel.
The plot is pretty basic-- Mike hears a deathbed confession of a friend that indicates a huge trove of money hidden away by gangsters and soon everybody wants it. Of course, the clue to the location of the cache is cryptic and Mike must use his detective skills in order to find it. Threats and confrontations with gangsters abound in this story, and despite his injuries, Hammer manages to hold his own. His reputation is enough to intimidate most of the gunmen and it is in these verbal sparring matches that Spillane excels.
Hammer also agrees to marry Velma, though their relationship is kept chaste throughout the novel in anticipation of a marriage and honeymoon. This agreement seems to signal that Spillane was recognizing that his writing career was coming to a conclusion and he felt the need to wind up the details of this long running relationship.
Black Alley as a title works well. Hammer contemplates his mortality and sees death as a Black Alley one stumbles into and then cannot find his way out. The metaphor is offered several times throughout the novel, keeping the reader tied to the title in a manner better than most.
It is a decent enough novel, but I like the earlier Hammer stuff better. Hammer is just a better detective in the age of old cars, pay phones, and less technology. In this modern world, he seems to be an antiquated dinosaur who is almost always out of step with the world around him.
February 19, 2014
Tough guy detective Mike Hammer is back from the grave, almost literally, for one last adventure. It begins with getting shot to pieces and left for dead at what was supposed to be a hit on the last of the big-time Mafia dons, arranged by one of the don's sons. After Hammer put a bullet in the face of the Kid-Who-Would-Be-Don, but before he enters what Hammer calls the "black alley," he is bundled into the back of a car by a once-alcoholic doctor who lost his license and is nursed back to a fragile health. Recuperating in isolation in Florida, doing a whole lot of nothing, Hammer is tracked down by NYPD Homicide Captain Pat Chambers, telling him that their old Army buddy, Marcos Dooley, has been shot, hasn't much longer, and is asking for him.
What got Hammer back into action, and put old Dooley in a grave, was some missing Mafia money, to the tune of $89 Billion. Yep, Billion with a "B." It's not exactly chump change, except to the American government, but even Uncle Sugar's "money mice" want to sink their teeth into this boodle. Of course, everyone thinks Dooley's private dying declaration to Hammer was the location of this trove. The problem? He didn't tell Hammer where it was, only what it was.
Mike Hammer first burst on the scene in 1947 in the unforgettable "I, the Jury." And, yes, that means that the war Hammer, Dooley and Chambers fought in was the Big War, the Good War, the war in which the Greatest Generation saved the hashtag Millennials from having to learn German or Japanese...yes, by this time (1996) Mike Hammer is an old geezer, no matter how you look at it. And though he's recuperating, he's still shot to hell...with everyone looking to add to the bullet count. However, he has one thing going for him that no one can take away...he's still Mike Hammer.
It's one thing to be a tough guy when you're 25, but quite another when you're a septuagenarian. Mike is fully conscious of the reputation he has built over the past half-century, and he uses as a weapon. He carries a gun ("He always carries that gun," Don Lorenzo Ponti shouts down to his men at one point in the story. "If you think you can take it away from him without getting shot to pieces, go ahead, otherwise send him up.") but rarely does he actually have to draw it. It seems everyone knows somebody who thought he was tougher than Hammer, but wasn't. If they knew how close he was to entering the black alley, maybe they might have taken a chance...maybe not.
By the end of the story, the reader has been to the grave and back with Mike Hammer, has seen both what he can do and what he doesn't have to do. An astute reader will learn that being a tough guy has little to do with being either tough or a guy, that you make yourself tough by going against the grain, and that ultimately you make yourself by what you do, not what you say. A true tough guy like Mike Hammer need not always drawn his weapon, merely let some punk see it, or just give him...the look. Tough guys may get old, but not soft.
What got Hammer back into action, and put old Dooley in a grave, was some missing Mafia money, to the tune of $89 Billion. Yep, Billion with a "B." It's not exactly chump change, except to the American government, but even Uncle Sugar's "money mice" want to sink their teeth into this boodle. Of course, everyone thinks Dooley's private dying declaration to Hammer was the location of this trove. The problem? He didn't tell Hammer where it was, only what it was.
Mike Hammer first burst on the scene in 1947 in the unforgettable "I, the Jury." And, yes, that means that the war Hammer, Dooley and Chambers fought in was the Big War, the Good War, the war in which the Greatest Generation saved the hashtag Millennials from having to learn German or Japanese...yes, by this time (1996) Mike Hammer is an old geezer, no matter how you look at it. And though he's recuperating, he's still shot to hell...with everyone looking to add to the bullet count. However, he has one thing going for him that no one can take away...he's still Mike Hammer.
It's one thing to be a tough guy when you're 25, but quite another when you're a septuagenarian. Mike is fully conscious of the reputation he has built over the past half-century, and he uses as a weapon. He carries a gun ("He always carries that gun," Don Lorenzo Ponti shouts down to his men at one point in the story. "If you think you can take it away from him without getting shot to pieces, go ahead, otherwise send him up.") but rarely does he actually have to draw it. It seems everyone knows somebody who thought he was tougher than Hammer, but wasn't. If they knew how close he was to entering the black alley, maybe they might have taken a chance...maybe not.
By the end of the story, the reader has been to the grave and back with Mike Hammer, has seen both what he can do and what he doesn't have to do. An astute reader will learn that being a tough guy has little to do with being either tough or a guy, that you make yourself tough by going against the grain, and that ultimately you make yourself by what you do, not what you say. A true tough guy like Mike Hammer need not always drawn his weapon, merely let some punk see it, or just give him...the look. Tough guys may get old, but not soft.
February 13, 2020
Spillane's later output wasn't always great, and this book is no exception. Plodding and often boring, without the brutal insanity that Spillane usually ended his Hammer books with back in the day.
Also, Spillane was quoted as saying "Mike Hammer doesn't age", but that only works in comic books. I couldn't get over the idea that Mike and Velda were running around in their 70s or 80s, talking about starting a family and waiting to get married to have sex like they were a couple of teenagers.
Also, Spillane was quoted as saying "Mike Hammer doesn't age", but that only works in comic books. I couldn't get over the idea that Mike and Velda were running around in their 70s or 80s, talking about starting a family and waiting to get married to have sex like they were a couple of teenagers.
February 11, 2016
Black Alley by Mickey Spillane.
Once in a while I might notice an old master in mysteries. An author or series that you don't often hear of lately. This book and author caught my eye while browsing in the library. An old Mike Hammer book that I thought might be an interesting read...and it was.
Mike is severely wounded and left unattended until a homeless man brings him to his make shift dwelling far away from the public eye. This homeless man turns out to be an educated medical doctor who nurses Mike back to health. Mike's friend also in the shooting was not as lucky. A clue left by his friend sends Mike on a winding trail that may lead to billions in buried stash.
Mike's gal Friday is also arriving at the end of a long relationship with Mike and at the doors to the city hall. The knot may finally be tied making Mike Hammer a married man.
Once in a while I might notice an old master in mysteries. An author or series that you don't often hear of lately. This book and author caught my eye while browsing in the library. An old Mike Hammer book that I thought might be an interesting read...and it was.
Mike is severely wounded and left unattended until a homeless man brings him to his make shift dwelling far away from the public eye. This homeless man turns out to be an educated medical doctor who nurses Mike back to health. Mike's friend also in the shooting was not as lucky. A clue left by his friend sends Mike on a winding trail that may lead to billions in buried stash.
Mike's gal Friday is also arriving at the end of a long relationship with Mike and at the doors to the city hall. The knot may finally be tied making Mike Hammer a married man.
January 26, 2009
Great read,, made me want to delve deeper into Spillane's library.
May 9, 2018
This is a very late Mike Hammer book, one of the last in the series. Although seemingly indestructible in the series, Hammer starts this book dying, shot in the gut several times in a gang shoot out. Although he survives, Hammer is desperately wounded and weak and must make his way through the mystery without his usual strength and drive.
Its a different sort of tale than the other books in the series, with Hammer being old and weak and trying to take care of himself rather than blasting through every danger and pounding everyone to paste who gets in his way.
The mystery its self is not particularly keen, and weakened Mike isn't nearly as interesting as bulldozer unstoppable Mike. And by the time this book is written, its best not to work out the ages and relative condition of all the main characters -- vets of WW2 and heroes from the 40s and 50s.
Still, its a fairly entertaining book, but not as good as the next book in the series The Goliath Bone. And although Spillane died in 2006 the series has ben continued by Max Allen Collins Hammer is kind of ageless as a result.
Its a different sort of tale than the other books in the series, with Hammer being old and weak and trying to take care of himself rather than blasting through every danger and pounding everyone to paste who gets in his way.
The mystery its self is not particularly keen, and weakened Mike isn't nearly as interesting as bulldozer unstoppable Mike. And by the time this book is written, its best not to work out the ages and relative condition of all the main characters -- vets of WW2 and heroes from the 40s and 50s.
Still, its a fairly entertaining book, but not as good as the next book in the series The Goliath Bone. And although Spillane died in 2006 the series has ben continued by Max Allen Collins Hammer is kind of ageless as a result.
May 25, 2026
It was really a treat to see how much Spillane’s writing had advanced over the forty years since the last book I read of his. The story was much more concise and kept me gripped.
June 10, 2012
It started with “I The Jury,” back in 1947 and continued for more than a dozen novels through the 1950’s. They were fast, hard-hitting and gritty. In the mystery field they made Mike Hammer a detective icon, much like Philip Marlowe of an earlier time. Hammer was, and is, a big, tough, take-no-prisoners P.I. He made the .45 cal automatic a cliché of the genre.
Hammer talked tough and acted tough and when he solved his cases, after bedding at least one of the principal women in the story, they stayed solved. He was the embodiment of the Marine saying, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for I’m the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the valley.” Hammer could say it, mean it, and back it up.
Now it’s late in the 1990’s. After an almost twenty-year hiatus, Spillane and Hammer are back. But things aren’t quite the same. Oh, the supporting cast, Pat, Velda and a full house of connected bad guys are, but there are differences. Here for the first time, we see Hammer as a vulnerable guy, still larger than life, but mortal. You get a powerful sense of that on the first page, when Hammer says, “Eight months ago I had come to Florida to die.”
That’s right. Hammer had been grievously wounded in a shoot-out on one of New York’s infamous piers and been left for dead. Now, hardly recovered enough to be ambulatory, New York is calling and Hammer is responding. There are some debts to settle, and when Hammer returns to New York, without his doctor’s blessing, he finds Velda, now a licensed agent, and confronts the possibility of marriage to his long-time secretary and companion. But he’s still hurt, the wound in his side making it impossible to carry that big .45 in a shoulder holster, so he’s vulnerable.
This is all classic Spillane, and he takes Hammer roaring through New York looking for a way to exonerate an old army buddy of stealing several billion dollars from the mob. To sort out this complicated tale, Hammer takes on the mob, the New York Police Department, and the Federal government. But he also takes on his own mortality. Spillane has himself looked down that dark, one-way alley we all face sooner or later; that alley we can’t escape. The dark shadow of finality, waiting somewhere down that alley, lays its cloak over this novel from beginning to end, for Hammer, and for Mickey Spillane.
Hammer talked tough and acted tough and when he solved his cases, after bedding at least one of the principal women in the story, they stayed solved. He was the embodiment of the Marine saying, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for I’m the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the valley.” Hammer could say it, mean it, and back it up.
Now it’s late in the 1990’s. After an almost twenty-year hiatus, Spillane and Hammer are back. But things aren’t quite the same. Oh, the supporting cast, Pat, Velda and a full house of connected bad guys are, but there are differences. Here for the first time, we see Hammer as a vulnerable guy, still larger than life, but mortal. You get a powerful sense of that on the first page, when Hammer says, “Eight months ago I had come to Florida to die.”
That’s right. Hammer had been grievously wounded in a shoot-out on one of New York’s infamous piers and been left for dead. Now, hardly recovered enough to be ambulatory, New York is calling and Hammer is responding. There are some debts to settle, and when Hammer returns to New York, without his doctor’s blessing, he finds Velda, now a licensed agent, and confronts the possibility of marriage to his long-time secretary and companion. But he’s still hurt, the wound in his side making it impossible to carry that big .45 in a shoulder holster, so he’s vulnerable.
This is all classic Spillane, and he takes Hammer roaring through New York looking for a way to exonerate an old army buddy of stealing several billion dollars from the mob. To sort out this complicated tale, Hammer takes on the mob, the New York Police Department, and the Federal government. But he also takes on his own mortality. Spillane has himself looked down that dark, one-way alley we all face sooner or later; that alley we can’t escape. The dark shadow of finality, waiting somewhere down that alley, lays its cloak over this novel from beginning to end, for Hammer, and for Mickey Spillane.
July 29, 2016
Over the years, the old, aged Mafia dons have together stashed away 89 billion dollars. Mafia up-and-comers are killing off the old dons and want to find the money. Mike Hammer's friend appears suddenly from the past, hadn't seen each other in years. His friend is shot and on his death bed tells Mike Hammer how to find the 89 billion dollars, though it could be a phony story. Now the mob wants that information from Hammer, and Hammer wants to find his friend's killer. To complicate things on both sides, the Feds have entered the deadly game. They too want that money. It was a fun trip for me.
December 26, 2017
Had to go all the way back to 1996, but it was worth it. Mickey Spillane writes hard-nosed, action packed novels. In this novel (as is the case with all his novels), there is not a single cuss word, not a single "dirty" word, no sex, no gratuitous violence. And it was refreshing. Modern writers should take lessons from writers like Spillane. You don't have to hide your bad writing with unneeded foul language, sex or violence.
September 23, 2018
The grandmaster of crime fiction returns with a Mike Hammer thriller--and America's best known P.I. is literally a new man! A retired Hammer wakes from a near-death coma to find that he is at the center of a search for $89 billion in missing mob money. The mob suspects--rightly--that Hammer's friend has left a clue to the money's whereabouts. And to complicate matters, the Feds are also in on the race for the cash.
October 4, 2022
What would you do for $89 billion? Mike Hammer goes up against the mob. I’ve read others did n it enjoy this one as much. It was Mikey Spillane’s last Hammer book all written by him. I found it entertaining and different from the others. For one thing Hammer doesn’t screw anyone in this one so it’s a first lol.
Longtime fans will enjoy this one. New fans will as well because he’s writing style changed throughout the years.
Longtime fans will enjoy this one. New fans will as well because he’s writing style changed throughout the years.
September 8, 2009
Mickey Spillane remains a revered crime writer and never fails to entertain. His characters P.I. Mike Hammer and Veda, Mike’s secretary find themselves in deep trouble. Pitted against a powerful mafia family and also a missing $89 billion in cash to find they are engaged in many adventures. Spillane holds his own with many modern mystery writers. Worth rereading!
December 11, 2010
A great example of noir. It was a quick read. Very fast paced. Straight to the point. I loved it. Can't wait to read more by him
May 26, 2026
Black Alley is the 13th hard-boiled crime novel written by American pulp fiction icon Mickey Spillane, published in November 1996. It is famously recognized as the last Mike Hammer book that Spillane entirely completed himself before his death in 2006. Key Plot Summary
The gritty, fast-paced narrative centers around iconic private eye Mike Hammer:
The Coma: Hammer returns to Manhattan after spending eight months recovering from a gunshot-induced coma following a New York dockside drug war.
The Deathbed Secret: His old World War II army buddy, Marcus Dooley, is fatally shot. Before dying, Dooley tells Hammer about $89 billion in stolen Mafia money hidden away from the crime bosses.
The Gauntlet: Hammer must navigate a dangerous web consisting of the Mafia, the FBI, and federal agents to avenge his friend and protect his legendary secretary and fiancé, Velda. You should read Black Alley if you love classic, fast-paced pulp fiction and want to experience the true finale of a crime fiction era.
Why It Is Worth Reading
The Final Masterpiece: It is the last Mike Hammer novel entirely written and completed by Mickey Spillane before his death, making it a historic milestone for mystery fans.
Peak Noir Atmosphere: Spillane delivers his signature gritty, 1940s-style Manhattan atmosphere, even though the book is set in the 1990s.High-Stakes Plot: The narrative moves at breakneck speed, forcing Hammer to outsmart the Mafia, the FBI, and a military-grade kill squad all at once.
Vengeance and Loyalty: The core story focuses on Hammer avenging his dying wartime buddy, showcasing the raw emotional drive that defines the best hard-boiled detectives.
Quick, Punchy Read: Clocking in at just over 200 pages, it strips away unnecessary fluff for a pure, adrenaline-fueled detective story.
The gritty, fast-paced narrative centers around iconic private eye Mike Hammer:
The Coma: Hammer returns to Manhattan after spending eight months recovering from a gunshot-induced coma following a New York dockside drug war.
The Deathbed Secret: His old World War II army buddy, Marcus Dooley, is fatally shot. Before dying, Dooley tells Hammer about $89 billion in stolen Mafia money hidden away from the crime bosses.
The Gauntlet: Hammer must navigate a dangerous web consisting of the Mafia, the FBI, and federal agents to avenge his friend and protect his legendary secretary and fiancé, Velda. You should read Black Alley if you love classic, fast-paced pulp fiction and want to experience the true finale of a crime fiction era.
Why It Is Worth Reading
The Final Masterpiece: It is the last Mike Hammer novel entirely written and completed by Mickey Spillane before his death, making it a historic milestone for mystery fans.
Peak Noir Atmosphere: Spillane delivers his signature gritty, 1940s-style Manhattan atmosphere, even though the book is set in the 1990s.High-Stakes Plot: The narrative moves at breakneck speed, forcing Hammer to outsmart the Mafia, the FBI, and a military-grade kill squad all at once.
Vengeance and Loyalty: The core story focuses on Hammer avenging his dying wartime buddy, showcasing the raw emotional drive that defines the best hard-boiled detectives.
Quick, Punchy Read: Clocking in at just over 200 pages, it strips away unnecessary fluff for a pure, adrenaline-fueled detective story.
May 3, 2019
Este terá sido o último livro com o detective privado Mike Hammer.
Os livros de Mickey Spillane sempre existiram à minha volta pois o meu pai comprava-os. Não será de estranhar que, tenha sido um dos primeiros autores de policiais que li.
Neste livro, Mike Hammer parece-me mais maduro, mais moderado e mais "convencido" a casar com a eterna Velda.
Fiquei na dúvida se, o facto de Mike vomitar no final do livro, se ficou a dever às feridas ou ao convencimento de que os dias de solteiro estavam a chegar ao fim.
Julgo que o facto de o livro ter sido escrito em 1996 moderou, ou ajudou a moderar a personagem principal.
Depois de ter lido alguns livros de Mickey Sillane custa a crer que fosse Testemunha de Jeová.
Excelente policial!
Os livros de Mickey Spillane sempre existiram à minha volta pois o meu pai comprava-os. Não será de estranhar que, tenha sido um dos primeiros autores de policiais que li.
Neste livro, Mike Hammer parece-me mais maduro, mais moderado e mais "convencido" a casar com a eterna Velda.
Fiquei na dúvida se, o facto de Mike vomitar no final do livro, se ficou a dever às feridas ou ao convencimento de que os dias de solteiro estavam a chegar ao fim.
Julgo que o facto de o livro ter sido escrito em 1996 moderou, ou ajudou a moderar a personagem principal.
Depois de ter lido alguns livros de Mickey Sillane custa a crer que fosse Testemunha de Jeová.
Excelente policial!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2023
Così come il suo autore, anche il celebre Mike Hammer è ormai a fine carriera. Siamo nel 1996 e Spillane dà alle stampe la penultima indagine del famoso investigatore privato, ormai sforacchiato da tutte le parti dalle pallottole di certi simpaticoni che, tanto per cambiare, vogliono la sua testa. Questa volta dovrà vedersela con la mafia newyorkese e un bottino da 89 miliardi di dollari. L'avventura scorre liscia, senza molti intrighi e diretta allo scopo dichiarato fin dall'inizio: il ritrovamento di un mitico bottino miliardario, accumulato e occultato dai vecchi padrini della mafia di New York. Siamo parecchio lontani dai fasti del passato e, anche se il vecchio Mike non ha perso il suo mordente, non si può dire la stessa cosa di questo giallo d'azione.
December 31, 2025
I must admit that I just love the Mike Hammer series because it's so out of step with what often passes for masculinity today. Hammer takes no crap from DAs, Cops, or villains; calls his lovely assistant "Kitten"; and pretty much ignores validation from anyone other than himself. Compare that to modern fear over being "cancelled" over what anyone, of any specific mindset, believes is wrong (no matter what the context) and has the global megaphone to incite digital torches and pitchforks to drive the monster out of the castle. So Hammer may be a dinosaur, but he's at least unambiguous. And his head-long charge to strive to rectify whatever injustice is always welcome.
May 21, 2026
I love the (original) Mike Hammer series, but realized pretty quickly something was off with this one, then discovered it's a reboot. It's pretty terrible. It's a bland cliche, and nothing like the originals which defined the genre yet remain unique and unequaled. There's weird time warp here: where Mike is in his 30's, recently fought in WWII, and its the 1990s. Mike was so weirdly against sex and the author keeps mentioning it. Then the reoccurring figure 89 BILLION DOLLARS was ridiculous and strongly reminded me of Dr. Evil. The money is in the cave. It's not in the cave. It's in the cave. Is it in the cave?
April 22, 2024
Emerging from a coma on the brink of death, resilient private investigator Mike Hammer discovers himself thrust into a dangerous quest for billions in missing mob funds. He teams up with Velda, his secretary and sometimes love interest, known for her intelligence, resourcefulness, and sharp wit.
In "Black Alley," Spillane showcases his mastery of noir fiction with a gripping plot, vivid characters, and a moody setting. His skillful storytelling keeps readers guessing until the end, solidifying his reputation as a top-notch detective fiction writer.
In "Black Alley," Spillane showcases his mastery of noir fiction with a gripping plot, vivid characters, and a moody setting. His skillful storytelling keeps readers guessing until the end, solidifying his reputation as a top-notch detective fiction writer.
July 7, 2019
The last Hammer book written by Mickey Spillane. It starts out well. But, kind of drags in the middle. At the time of this book, Hammer had been around for about 59 years. So, it mentioned that he is a veteran. But it does not mention WWII. As that wound have made him way too old. He finally proposes to Velda. This book feels about toned done compared to some of the other entries in the series. To me, Hammer works better when not set in contemporary times.
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