This column closes out all the Mickey Spillane I own that was still unread, so here are four books, including ones that feature characters other than Mike Hammer or Tiger Mann, although those guys’ shadows still weigh heavily on all of Spillane’s creations.

THE ERECTION SET by Mickey Spillane — Let’s tackle the important issue of this 1972 novel before someone clicks on the comments section: Yes, I know that is Sherri Spillane on the cover, Mickey’s wife at the time, and yes, I know she is extremely attractive. Also, it probably did not hurt sales to have her featured in such a way, especially with the provocative title.

Onto the actual words contained within: Dogeron “Dog” Kelly has come home after years of being the black sheep of the family. Dog is not looked upon as the family prize, with shades of Ross MacDonald’s BLUE CITY coming through. His family is just being a mouthpiece for the real town boss, who is about to take over the Kellys’ last holdings.

All we know of Dog is that he’s been away in Europe for years, finally coming home to claim his inheritance of $10,000. But it seems he is here for other reasons, too, which are explained as the book moves along. He relates tales of his childhood and how he was treated by his relatives with nothing more than contempt, but he is about to have his day in a major way — one that will not only drag his family back from near-financial ruin, but will also become a thorn in the side of everyone who tries to stop him.

Spillane’s prose comes off these pages like a bullet to the head, or better yet, a knife to the scrotum. But throughout, as much as Spillane seems to want to break free from his other characters, you can see Hammer or Mann acting in the same vein. That is not to detract from this book; it’s just that all his tough guys seem to borrow from one another. Still, it was finally nice to finally read this one, since I’ve had it longer than all my Hammer novels. This is probably one of the easiest books to come across in any used bookstore. I’ve yet to find one where this was not on the shelf.

THE DEEP by Mickey Spillane — Nine years. That’s how long it was until Spillane wrote a book after KISS ME DEADLY. The following year, Spillane would also write another Mike Hammer novel, THE GIRL HUNTERS, but this 1961 effort was the book that proved he still had it. Boy, did he! This is one of his darkest stories, but also the most accessible, as strange as that sounds. There is violence like all the others, but it’s not coming at the reader so fast this time; Spillane lets the story develop first before turning the screws in this tale.

A man known only as Deep returns to his old stomping grounds to reclaim what’s his. He was the former big shot around town, only to disappear for 20 years or so. When Deep comes back, he right away makes it known that he is about to take charge — no matter who stands in his way. Deep visits old “friends” of his, including the local cop who used to beat him as a youth. The reason for his re-emergence seems to be circled around the idea that the old boss was mysteriously killed and there is a power grab. But Deep will have none of it; he wants that power so much he can taste it. He just has to figure out what the old boss had on everyone, confrontation after confrontation.

Spillane really paces the story so well and keeps all the secrets until the final chapter, which gives a new perspective on everything that preceded that moment. It’s one of those great twists Spillane was known for; I’ll leave it at that. I really need to stress how accessible this one is, since most people just see the name Spillane and think “cheap thrills and machismo.”

KILLER MINE by Mickey Spillane — “The guns, the punks, the whores were dying too fast.” That’s the copy that adorns this 1965 collection of two novellas. “Killer Mine” deals with cop Joe Scanlon going up against some one-shot killer — shades of Gil Brewer’s A KILLER IS LOOSE  — a crazed psycho who is knocking off people with no rhyme or reason.

Joe goes through the back alleys, questioning anyone who might seem to know the killer. But everyone is stumped. Even when Joe might get a lead, thanks to a victim being on the deathbed, nothing comes to fruition. But, this being Spillane, expect a twist at the end to shock you.

The second story in this collection, “Man Alone,” deals with another former cop. Regan has just come out from a trial where the big fish of crime got a “not guilty” verdict, making Regan search out a way to get justice. The problem is, someone drugs his drink, causing all sorts of mayhem, to the point where there is a killer out there taking shots at him.

These are two fine novellas, but not must-reads in the Spillane output. There are plenty of other books of his to read first before getting to this collection. KILLER MINE is more for his seasoned readers.

BYLINE: MICKEY SPILLANE edited by Max Allan Collins and Lynn F. Myers Jr. — This 2004 collection is a mixed bag of Spillane material — one of which I throughly enjoyed, but some might have issues with it, since it has only a few fiction pieces. The bulk is nonfiction he wrote for a variety of publications.

Its first section deals with the exploits of his most famous creation, called “That Hammer Guy,” with two short stories that would later be expanded into full-length novels: THE KILLING MAN and BLACK ALLEY. There is a transcription of a piece that was on a record, called “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.” As the editors point out at the end of the piece, it seems to be a origin story of sorts, of Mike’s first meeting his secretary Velda. They also point out all the inconsistencies — and there are many — with what readers would have read in the books themselves. Closing out this section is an unpublished short story written in the 1950s called The Duke Alexander.” It shows that Spillane was a huge fan of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, since he borrows some ideas from that story, with Hammer being the double.

The following section is tilted “Macho Men,” with the first three nonfiction pieces. The first is about treasure hunters on the high seas, while the second tells of Spillane’s adventures with a group of moonshiners — well, actually the agents who chased them down, but Mickey wanted the full story and hooked up with the other half.

The section called “Hot Wheels” is self-explanatory; it has five pieces by Spillane about his love for cars: big engines, fast engines, stock cars and the like. I’m no gearhead by any means, but I still enjoyed them. “Sex and Violence” is the topic for the following section, with a piece about violence on TV, written for TV GUIDE, which gave a me a chuckle. It seems Mickey was not a fan of the hero being able to do all these amazing things, only to get the drop on him in such a stupid way. “Secrets of the Private Eye” explains that if you really want to know a city, hire a P.I. to show you around.

BYLINE closes out with three grayscale-scan reprints of comics Spillane wrote all under the banner of “The Origins of Mike Hammer.” So if you’re looking for another side of Spillane’s writing, this is a perfect collection, since it shows the more personal side to the man who is one of the best tough-guy authors ever.

Next time: The eyes have it! —Bruce Grossman

Buy them at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF MICKEY SPILLANE:
• BLACK ALLEY by Mickey Spillane
• DEAD STREET by Mickey Spillane
• THE DELTA FACTOR by Mickey Spillane
• THE GOLIATH BONE by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
• THE KILLING MAN by Mickey Spillane
• THE LAST COP OUT by Mickey Spillane
• THE LONG WAIT by Mickey Spillane
• THE TOUGH GUYS by Mickey Spillane

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF MAX ALLAN COLLINS:
• BLACK HATS by Patrick Culhane
• DEADLY BELOVED by Max Allan Collins
• DICK TRACY by Max Allan Collins
• DICK TRACY GOES TO WAR by Max Allan Collins
• THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
• THE GOLIATH BONE by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
• A KILLING IN COMICS by Max Allan Collins
• THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
• MY LOLITA COMPLEX AND OTHER TALES OF SEX AND VIOLENCE by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens
• QUARRY’S LIST by Max Allan Collins
• RED SKY IN MORNING by Patrick Culhane
• ROAD TO PARADISE by Max Allan Collins
• STRIP FOR MURDER by Max Allan Collins
• TOUGH TENDER by Max Allan Collins
• THE WAR OF THE WORLDS MURDER by Max Allan Collins