The Body Lovers

rating
(Mike Hammer, #10)
CRIME, MYSTERY


This client wasn't Mickey Spillane's usual. He was a man Spillane had sent to prison and he wanted desperately to find his missing sister. The only clue was a mound of filmy, exotic garments. As Spillane followed the little he had to go on, something like a pattern began to emerge. He knew he was missing something, and whatever it was kept gnawing at the corners of his mind. The single strand he had seemed to tie in to the deaths of two women, but red herrings fouled the trail. Then he stumbled on it - shielded in diplomatic immunity!


This is my first introduction to Mike Hammer. I actually liked him, despite some of his narrow minded views and set-in-stone mindsets about political issues. Rather than being annoying, I found it amusing and appreciated the author's right-wing bend.

He was a stereotypical man's man - good with the ladies, always a step ahead of the police, sharp and insightful, tough...you know the type, I'm sure.

There isn't a big mystery on who is behind everything since there are only so many possibilities, but the story didn't seem intent on the mystery being the point. I still like how everything unfolded for Hammer to find out, and at the end revenge was served anyway, even if a little too sudden for me. An easy out for the villains.

It was definitely disturbing what they were up to. Picturing the end - brrr - that would be a nightmare come true for me.

Overall the book has fast pacing, smooth writing, a flawed but still likeable main, fun villains (fun in that they are diabolically cheesy but do it so well), and a justified ending. Not a typical, watered down mystery I encounter today. Would read more of Spillane's stuff if I ran into it.


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