DESCRIPTION:
A 2009 Audie Award Finalist
“I don’t want to arrest anyone. I just want to shoot somebody.”—Mike Hammer
Everybody loves a mystery, and nobody solves them like Mike Hammer. While other detectives bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing it as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Now, the no-holds-barred private eye returns, along with his gorgeous secretary, Velda, and a collection of New York City characters, in two fully dramatized “theater-of-the-mind” audio adventures. “Dangerous Days” and “Oil and Water.”
Narrated by Stacy Keach, the acclaimed actor who starred in the original Mike Hammer TV series, these new mysteries are written by the writers of that show and enhanced with a full supporting cast, sound effects, and music. Even the show’s jazzy theme song is back to set the gritty tone for each episode.
REVIEWS:
“With fists swinging, Spillane’s iconic private eye is back in two exciting original dramatizations….Throughout both of these well-produced adventures, guns boom, windows crash and cars roar, while colorful characters—including Hammer’s always loyal secretary, Velda—are portrayed by talented actors. But it’s Keach’s calm, stalwart, and true performance of Mike Hammer that holds these stories together. Keach’s deep resonant voice and his perfect timing with a quip or a threat combine to keep the listener enthralled….”—Publishers Weekly (audio review)
“The sound design and acting are top-notch, making for a diversion that’s perfect for two ninety-minute commutes. Stacy Keach, who’s already embraced his inner Hammer on TV, does a solid job in the lead, and a nice job composing and performing the background music, as well.”—AudioFile
FRANK MORRISON SPILLANE (1918–2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in New Jersey. He started writing while in high school. Many of his crime novels feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. By 1980, he was responsible for seven of the top fifteen all-time best-selling fiction titles in America. He received an Edgar Allan Poe Grand Master Award in 1995.
MAX ALLAN COLLINS, is the author of the acclaimed graphic novel Road to Perdition, which became the Academy Award-winning Tom Hanks film. A New York Times best-selling author, Collins has won two Best Novel “Shamus” awards from the Private Eye Writers of America for his Nathan Heller series. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film-festival favorite, The Last Lullaby, based on his novel The Last Quarry. He collaborated with Mickey Spillane on numerous projects and was Spillane’s choice to work with his estate to complete a number of unfinished Mike Hammer novels.
Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins collaborated on numerous projects. They co-edited four anthologies presenting new and/or classic stories by a variety of American crime writers, and their co-creation, the science-fiction incarnation of Mike Danger, was a popular comic-book series in the 1990s. With Spillane’s cooperation and help, Collins edited or co-edited six volumes collecting previously uncollected Spillane short stories and comics work. Occasional actor Spillane also appeared in Collins’ two “Mommy” films, as a criminal lawyer, and was the subject of an award-winning Collins documentary. Both writers received the Eye Award for Life Achievement from the Private Eye Writers of America.
STACY KEACH, known worldwide for his television portrayal of detective Mike Hammer, is a consummate actor equally at home on stage, film, television, and audio narration. He has garnered numerous awards for his stage roles, most recently as Richard Nixon in the Kennedy Center’s production of “Frost/Nixon.”