The Big Kill

by Mickey Spillane

Published 1 December 1951

Before Jack Reacher . . . there was Mike Hammer

One rainy night, Hammer sits brooding, alone, in a bar. But when he sees a desperate guy abandon his kid only to step outside and get blown away, Hammer's mood switches from bad to worse. By the time he reaches the man with the gun, the getaway driver has run him over to stop him talking. Hammer vows revenge on whoever's behind the crime.

The trail of vengeance pits Hammer against his police friend Pat Chambers, the DA and his stooges and lands him in a world of trouble from gangsters, where he gives as good as he gets . . .

. . . And leads back to Marsha, a beautiful former Hollywood actress, who has more to offer Hammer than meets the eye.


Kiss Me, Deadly

by Mickey Spillane

Published August 1970

Before Jack Reacher . . . there was Mike Hammer

One night, a blonde jumps out in front of PI Mike Hammer's car. She's so scared he doesn't have much choice but to give her a ride. At a police roadblock, he discovers she's on the run from a sanatorium, but he passes her off as his wife. Other people besides the police are after the blonde, and these people play rough. Real rough.

The blonde turns out to be the star witness against some big-time mobsters. Mike has blundered into something unimaginably big, but the Feds don't want him involved - and take his PI licence and gun.

For Mike, it's a chance to strike a blow against evil on a grand scale. He discovers that something representing a great deal of money, and a lot of power, has gone missing, and that some people will go to any lengths to get it back . . .