Reviews

One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane

readingiuls's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

mcf's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hippiequeen's review

Sexist, racist, mysogynistic overall probably the worst book I had to read for work so far. 

mickeymole's review

3.0

The first chapter is some of Spillane's best writing, and it starts the story off with a bang. Throughout the tale, we get a better picture of the character of Hammer than we got in the first three Hammer novels. In this one, he's up against the Communists of the early 1950s, and to say he hates them is a huge understatement. Spillane understood the harm socialism causes a society, and makes no bones about telling it like it is. Of course, here in 21st century America, at least half the country is clueless to the evils of this corrupt system, as many reviewers of this book display by calling it dated. One such reviewer wrote that it was too anti-communist. If you like the freedoms you enjoy in your pursuit of happiness in this country, you might want to pull your head out of the sand, and recognize that socialism in all its forms is bad, and we're almost up to our necks in it now. Well, off the soap box now. This is supposed to be a review. If you're PC, you won't like this book. Mike Hammer doesn't see gray areas. There's good, and there's bad, and he battles against the bad, making a thrilling read.

heybender's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

caitz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

ferrisscottr's review

2.0

This was supposed to be a palette cleanser - just a fun book to sit back and watch Mike Hammer kick some ass but it did nothing for me.

Mike Hammer gets caught up in communist groups and murder. It felt dated and held no interest for me.

Oh well.

carli_likes_books's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

bloodravenlib's review

2.0

The pace in this one was a bit slower than what I usually expect from a Spillane novel. The plot revolves around a Communist conspiracy and some missing government documents, and even the federal government seems to be involved. In addition, Mike Hammer is hired by a rising politician that a lot of people in the city look up to. And it all starts with a woman jumping off a bridge. You would think that would certainly make for a good mystery. It was just ok. As I said, the pace at times was a little on the slow side. Plus, the Communist plot allows Spillane to go on a red scare rant which does get a little heavy at times. And yet, it does capture some of the hysteria going on in the 50s when it came to Communists. I did like it a bit more at the end when Mike Hammer, as traditional in mysteries, unravels the plot. There are a couple of interesting twists that kept me reading, which I won't reveal here. But overall, not the best Hammer novel. As usual, you get your dose of violence and sex. As I usually tell my readers, this is not for the PC crowd, but if you like your mysteries hard boiled, then this fits right in.

thecrankyreader's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5