R.I.P. Mickey Spillane 1918 - 2006

"How c-could you?" she gasped.
I only had a moment before talking to a corpse, but I got it in.
"It was easy," I said. I, the Jury

I came to appreciate Spillane late, much of it due to Max Allan Collins Ms. Tree comic book series which, while never coming right out and saying it, used the conceit of what would have happened if Velda, Hammer's secretary, had kept the agency running after Hammer was killed.

The Erection Set, released in `72, and not part of the Hammer series was my favorite of his books, not least because of the cover art, displayed to your left. That's Spillane's second wife, Sherri Malinou. The book was also dedicated to her. They'd later divorce and Spillane would remarry for the last time in 1983.

If you've never seen the movie adaptation of Kiss Me Deadly, it's very much worth tracking down. The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s gave Kiss Me Deadly the dubious distinction of being 1955's number one menace to American youth.

The Mick will be missed.