Black Alley (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's not clear whether Spillane himself or his venerable detective hero Mike Hammer has been in a coma during the seven years since his last book, but loyal fans who discovered and fell in love with the hard-boiled genre because of his early books won't care. Hammer is back, along with his trusty sidekick/secretary Velma, and age hasn't slowed them down more than a step. Hammer wakes from his brush with death to find himself embroiled in a mess involving $89 million of missing mob money. Not the smoothest writer in the arena of mystery, but certainly one of the most popular -- and influential. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Mike Hammer is a hard guy to kill. Caught in a gangster shootout in New York City, Hammer takes two slugs in the gut. Triage teams leave the tough PI for dead, but a burned-out doctor, wasting away in dockside bars, reclaims his professional pride and brings Hammer back from the brink. Mending slowly, Hammer learns that his old war buddy, Marcos Dooley, has been shot. As he dies, Dooley gives a Hammer a clue regarding $89 billion in cash, crime proceeds hidden by old-guard mobsters fearing a power play by younger hoods. With his still-faithful partner, Velda, Hammer launches a treasure hunt that takes him to Florida and upstate New York, butting heads with the feds?they want the money, too?and the remorseless son of an old mob don. Spillane's hard-boiled hero has softened with time; he finally tells Velda how he really feels about her?but, on doctor's orders, he refrains from consummation. "You're really trying to ruin your reputation, aren't you," Velda complains. Not likely. Spillane keeps the pulpy action coming, with hot lead, male bonding and a sex kitten. Mike Hammer looks like he'll make the next century, even if it means bran flakes and 2% milk for breakfast. Mystery Guild main selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451191021
• ISBN-13: 978-0451191021
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #714,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Alley, November 14, 2002

By	Patrick "crivell" (Mill Creek, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Would you risk your life and the life of your beautiful fiancé over and over in hope of finding 89 billion dollars? This is what the famous, fictitious detective, Mike Hammer does in Black Alley. Mike Hammer, the ruthless, New York City detective fights crime in this action-packed mystery. Not only is Hammer after the loot, he is also out for revenge, after his friend dies from gunshots.
The novel begins with Mike Hammer recovering from bullet wounds received during infiltration of a drug war, which he almost died from. After being thought dead by all of his close friends and family for 8 months, he comes back and resumes his normal, exciting life. When his friend from the war is on his deathbed, he clues him in on a pot of 89 billion dollars he stole and hid from the dons of the mafia. Young, greedy mobsters are also looking for the pot, which they should have inherited, had it not been stolen. Mike Hammer takes on the whole mafia, coolly, in imperfect health.
Black Alley is a thrilling story of good vs. bad. The novel was never too predictable with many unexpected plot twists. As in all Mike Hammer tales, there is a lot of killing, revenge, girls, and near-death struggles. The book was never boring, even in calm parts. It painted a vivid picture in my mind of the numerous settings as well as the various characters. It has a fast pace with many encounters of hostile mobsters. It is a good conclusion of the Mike Hammer series, by Mickey Spillane. This emotive story is suitable for people who like mysteries, don't mind reading about murder, and enjoy gunfights. Anyone who thoroughly enjoyed a James Bond novel or movie will like this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A race to find hidden loot, February 23, 2002

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Alley (Paperback)

Good light fiction for a rainy evening or such. Mike Hammer is in Florida recovering from gunshot wounds when he is called back to New York to the bedside of a dying Army buddy, shot by a person unknown. As he is dying, he reveals to Hammer that $89 billion of mob assets have been hidden (yes, that is billion with a "b"). He pulled a switcheroo on the Mafia, and is the only one who knows the location. He gives a clue to Hammer as he dies. Then the race is on.

Members of the mob want their ill-gotten gains returned (money is power). Federal agents want it. The police, of course, are interested. Hammer is looking for both the loot and his friend's killer. Making sense of the clues is a challenge - an urn of his buddy's ashes with a fake military i.d. number, an old rundown boat, and the man's house which has already been torn apart by the mob. There are the usual Hammer type confrontations with some amount of violence and occasional dead bodies.

This is more loot than you can hide in a mattress. Some rough calculations indicate a warehouse sized space would be needed. So where is it, and if Hammer finds the loot will he be a good guy and turn it in? Hmmm... What would you do?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power is (still) with Spillane, December 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Alley (A Mike Hammer novel) (Hardcover)

I have never read a Mike Hammer book that I did not like and "The Black Alley" is no exception. Mike is mellowed, but only a little, as he returns from the (almost) dead to right the wrongs, fight the bad guys, and love the girls in the style that only Spillane can create. This is another one of the Mike Hammer books that you just cannot lay down.