This was better than I expected and is a thoroughly compelling read. It was every bit as lurid as advertised, but is generally a very close cousin to Raymond Chandler's Marlowe novels in character and tone, though the plotting is much less convoluted and we don't get quite as entangled with secondary characters or setting. Spillane emphasizes Mike Hammer's incredible toughness and verility on every page, with all the usual gumshoe vernacular, and as with the best detective novels, character counts more than crime. That's a polite way of saying I figured this one out pretty early, despite trying hard not to, and it didn't diminish the reading experience at all.Spillane has the last laugh on his critics- this is good stuff.