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baldingape's review
3.0
I didn't find Mike Hammer to be a likeable character. Still, it was a good enough read.
Though I wasn't surprised at all by who ended up being the killer. I would have been more surprised had it not been the person in question.
Though I wasn't surprised at all by who ended up being the killer. I would have been more surprised had it not been the person in question.
bloodravenlib's review
5.0
The cover for my copy is different, but it is a Signet book published in 1947 from the looks of it, so close enough to the one depicted here in good reads. I got in the mood for some hard-boiled, so I am rereading it. We'll see how it stacks up.
* * * *
Once I got a chance to sit through it, I zipped through it. I enjoy this type of tale a lot. Mike Hammer pulls no punches. This is a great example of the hard boiled genre. For modern readers, I will warn that this is not a PC book, so if you happen to be "sensitive," go read something else. When Spillane died, one of the obituaries compared Mike Hammer to Dirty Harry. I think that would fit. Sure, the times may change, but a lot of us still like our heroes hard, with a strong sense of justice, and who don't let any bureaucratic nonsense stop them. As for the tale, the action pretty much grabs you from the first page and goes on to the twist at the end, which I will not reveal. If you like hard boiled, then this is for you.
This was written back in the forties, so it reflects its time, which for me is one reason I like reading this kind of fiction. Just to get a bit of a glimpse. But one also reads it just for the pure escapism. For me at least, this is one of my favorites now. I will be looking for other works featuring Mike Hammer. Since I got my copy of this one second hand, I think it may be fun to find others in second hand stores. We'll see how it goes.
* * * *
Once I got a chance to sit through it, I zipped through it. I enjoy this type of tale a lot. Mike Hammer pulls no punches. This is a great example of the hard boiled genre. For modern readers, I will warn that this is not a PC book, so if you happen to be "sensitive," go read something else. When Spillane died, one of the obituaries compared Mike Hammer to Dirty Harry. I think that would fit. Sure, the times may change, but a lot of us still like our heroes hard, with a strong sense of justice, and who don't let any bureaucratic nonsense stop them. As for the tale, the action pretty much grabs you from the first page and goes on to the twist at the end, which I will not reveal. If you like hard boiled, then this is for you.
This was written back in the forties, so it reflects its time, which for me is one reason I like reading this kind of fiction. Just to get a bit of a glimpse. But one also reads it just for the pure escapism. For me at least, this is one of my favorites now. I will be looking for other works featuring Mike Hammer. Since I got my copy of this one second hand, I think it may be fun to find others in second hand stores. We'll see how it goes.
hammo's review
2.0
Not great. I had to exert energy to finish it. The ending wasn't like "Ohhh, so that's who the killer was and why they did it." so much as "Oh ok. I guess that makes sense."
I think I came across this in the Great Courses lectures on Mystery and Suspense Fiction, in which it was described as a quintessential low-quality pulp fiction detective story. I expected the protagonist to be pure ego fantasy: tough, debonaire, smart, morally superior, always comes out on top in any exchange, beautiful naked women throw themselves at him. James Bond basically. This was all true, except that unlike James Bond, the hero detective is also kinda puritanical. He refuses to have sex before marriage, despite the beautiful naked women throwing themselves at him. There's something weird about this. It still seems basically sexist and boorish but in an uncanny and unfamiliar way.
I think I came across this in the Great Courses lectures on Mystery and Suspense Fiction, in which it was described as a quintessential low-quality pulp fiction detective story. I expected the protagonist to be pure ego fantasy: tough, debonaire, smart, morally superior, always comes out on top in any exchange, beautiful naked women throw themselves at him. James Bond basically. This was all true, except that unlike James Bond, the hero detective is also kinda puritanical. He refuses to have sex before marriage, despite the beautiful naked women throwing themselves at him. There's something weird about this. It still seems basically sexist and boorish but in an uncanny and unfamiliar way.
geemont235's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bmip666's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bent's review against another edition
1.0
Read this years ago - early '90s - when I was going through a bit of a hard-boiled phase. I had already read a lot of Chandler and Hammett and was looking for a new writer. I thought Spillane might do the trick - he seemed to have a lot of books available. I hated Mike Hammer. The writing's not great, Hammer is very two-dimensional and kind of a bully. The only woman that he meets that doesn't fall for him is overweight and unattractive. Otherwise, all the hot dames fall at his feet. I think I remember the final detective work being a little far-fetched, but it's all a little hazy now. I do remember the final line- I'll give Spillane credit, it was a great hard-boiled line, but it did nothing to redeem the rest of this book.
pizzamcpin3ppl3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jamread2021's review against another edition
2.0
I read this story to get a taste of the hard-boiled detective genre.
muhanna's review
2.0
ثلاث روايات قصيرة الأولى والثانية (أنا القاضي) و(طلقة في الظلام) من النوع البوليسي الذي اشتهر به الأدب الشعبي الأمريكي حيث العنف والبطش ضد الجناة من دون رحمة في سبيل الانتقام والعدالة، وتحول دور المرأة من مجرد ضحية سلبية إلى جاني يكاد يفتك بالبطل من درجة اغوائه ومكره. أما الرواية الأخيرة (الجريمة الكبرى) فمن قصص المغامرات.
الترجمة سئية لأنها تسعى لاستخدام الكليشيهات الأدبية في مواضع لا تحتملها الأحداث ولا أتصور أن يكون النص الأصلي قد عمد إلى استخدامها، أما القصص في ذاتها فتقوم على المغرامات والألغاز التي تنحل في النهاية باسلوب مثر على حساب قواعد السرد، ويكثر في هذه القصص عدد الشخصيات بل تظهر بعضها بأكثر من اسم ودور في الأحداث وهذا ما يشتت التركيز خصوصا في كتابة تقوم أساسا على المتعة وتزجية الوقت.
الترجمة سئية لأنها تسعى لاستخدام الكليشيهات الأدبية في مواضع لا تحتملها الأحداث ولا أتصور أن يكون النص الأصلي قد عمد إلى استخدامها، أما القصص في ذاتها فتقوم على المغرامات والألغاز التي تنحل في النهاية باسلوب مثر على حساب قواعد السرد، ويكثر في هذه القصص عدد الشخصيات بل تظهر بعضها بأكثر من اسم ودور في الأحداث وهذا ما يشتت التركيز خصوصا في كتابة تقوم أساسا على المتعة وتزجية الوقت.