Mike Hammer, the iconic PI created by the master of noir Mickey Spillane, takes on the mob in the first of two gripping final novels for the deadly private eye.
Winter 1964. After a hit-and-run accident nearly kills her mother, Mike Hammer’s partner (both in life and the PI business), Velda Sterling, learns her father is not who she thought he is. Seeking to uncover her true, troubling heritage, Velda and Mike travel to Phoenix, Arizona—and sunny Dreamland Park, where retired law enforcement officers protect and corral notorious criminals held under Witness Protection.
Mike and Velda find themselves swept up in escalating violence, fueled by the missing millions from an armored-car robbery, which leads them to a deadly midnight confrontation in a cemetery—where secrets are buried and open graves await.
“Hardboiled is alive and kicking; for a pulp fix this nails it pretty good.” - Crime Fiction Lover
"The amusing conceit of a town for snitches allows full rein for Hammer’s signature blend of violence, chastely described lust, and revenge served cold, with several surprising twists thrown in as a bonus. Like the denizens of its imagined retirement community, you just can’t keep this franchise down." Kirkus
PRAISE FOR MICKEY SPILLANE
Mike Hammer is an icon of our culture. - The New York Times
A superb writer. Spillane is one of the century’s bestselling authors. - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
PRAISE FOR MAX ALLAN COLLINS
[Collins] has no problem serving up Hammer the same way Spillane did, with plenty of mayhem, violence, and sex, dished out in straight-ahead, no-frills prose, right on target, so direct, with no room for sissy stuff like digressions, detours, or doubts. Hammer is a shark that needs to keep swimming to survive, and Collins tosses plenty of chum into these waters... It's the real deal, folks: primo, primal detective fiction. Pass the peanuts. - Mystery Scene
Max Allan Collins is the closest thing we have to a 21st century Mickey Spillane. - ThisWeek (Ohio)
Collins’ witty, hardboiled prose would make Raymond Chandler proud. - Entertainment Weekly
Mike Hammer, the iconic PI created by the master of noir Mickey Spillane, takes on the mob in the first of two gripping final novels for the deadly private eye.
Winter 1964. After a hit-and-run accident nearly kills her mother, Mike Hammer’s partner (both in life and the PI business), Velda Sterling, learns her father is not who she thought he is. Seeking to uncover her true, troubling heritage, Velda and Mike travel to Phoenix, Arizona—and sunny Dreamland Park, where retired law enforcement officers protect and corral notorious criminals held under Witness Protection.
Mike and Velda find themselves swept up in escalating violence, fueled by the missing millions from an armored-car robbery, which leads them to a deadly midnight confrontation in a cemetery—where secrets are buried and open graves await.
Praise
“Hardboiled is alive and kicking; for a pulp fix this nails it pretty good.” - Crime Fiction Lover
"The amusing conceit of a town for snitches allows full rein for Hammer’s signature blend of violence, chastely described lust, and revenge served cold, with several surprising twists thrown in as a bonus. Like the denizens of its imagined retirement community, you just can’t keep this franchise down." Kirkus
PRAISE FOR MICKEY SPILLANE
Mike Hammer is an icon of our culture. - The New York Times
A superb writer. Spillane is one of the century’s bestselling authors. - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
PRAISE FOR MAX ALLAN COLLINS
[Collins] has no problem serving up Hammer the same way Spillane did, with plenty of mayhem, violence, and sex, dished out in straight-ahead, no-frills prose, right on target, so direct, with no room for sissy stuff like digressions, detours, or doubts. Hammer is a shark that needs to keep swimming to survive, and Collins tosses plenty of chum into these waters... It's the real deal, folks: primo, primal detective fiction. Pass the peanuts. - Mystery Scene
Max Allan Collins is the closest thing we have to a 21st century Mickey Spillane. - ThisWeek (Ohio)
Collins’ witty, hardboiled prose would make Raymond Chandler proud. - Entertainment Weekly
