TAficionados of Mickey Spillane (this writer does not include himself in the group) should welcome this long lost novel he wrote about three decades ago but never finished. Be that as it may, this review addresses the novel on its own terms rather than one’s individual tastes and prejudices. Apparently, Spillane began the novel and then set it aside, giving it to Collins “for safe keeping” in 1989 together with an outline and discussing the ending with him, enabling the co-author to finish the work.
The novel is pretty much a Mike Hammer plot, full of wise-cracks, violence and sex. Of course, that is to be expected. The story begins with Hammer returning from Florida where he went to recuperate from a knife wound. Set during the 1960s, the plot revolves around the rising tide of drug addiction. What sets Hammer off is encountering a couple of petty drug dealers assaulting a young boy, and treating the assailants in typical Mike Hammer fashion.
One thing leads to another, and various attempts on Hammer’s life spur him on, chasing rumors of a huge drug shipment about to hit the streets of New York (which have gone dry after anonymous tips have allowed the authorities to intercept several shipments).
If you liked Spillane and Hammer, you will enjoy “The Big Bang.” It perhaps seems obvious that it’s not my cup of tea (much less shot of scotch). But then maybe it’s yours.
