Brett Halliday (1904–1977)

This Mike Shayne mystery stands out because it starts out with two parallel narratives, one from the criminal's point of view and one from Shayne's point of view. In fact, given the manner in which it starts out, you might be forgiven if you think this is simply a hardboiled pulp novel about a convict and a gorgeous blonde he finds waiting for him outside the prison. In fact, the convict (Clayt) has no idea who Miriam is or what she wants from him. He just knows he never had it so good.

The show more interplay between these two tough pulpy characters is perfect and shows another side to the writing skill of whoever was writing under the Halliday name at the time.

Meanwhile, someone is trying to rub out Shayne and the entire town is an uproar. Of course, at some point these two narratives coalesce.

Found this to be a solid read and quite different from the regular who-done-it plots found in Shayne novels. This is one where the reader knows more than the characters. There's a bit of a harder edge to this one, particularly when Bonnie and Clyde - er- Miriam and Clay are
involved. She's the perfect blonde femme fatale, tough as they come,
focused, determined. He's a great criminal, particularly being a master
of disguise.

Lots of action in this one from bombings to armed robbery to shootouts.
Great stuff. show less

Long Chance is a very important Shayne mystery if you are following them chronologically. It links the early Shane mysteries when he works out of Miami and is married to Phyllis to the next section of novels where he has secretary Lucy Hamilton working for him, and works in New Orleans, before returning to Miami.

The mood of this one us far more somber than many other Shayne mysteries. Shayne starts off absolutely miserable, unconsolable after Phyllis' death and doesn't even want to take on a show more case. The mood is like that of Mike Hammer during his descent into the bottle or Matt Scudder's darkness.

Another significant aspect of this book is that all the action takes place in New Orleans, not Florida. From hotel balcony romances to depraved nightclubs, the story concerns drugs, prostitution, corruption, murder, and all kinds of dirty dealings. It all seems to take place at night as the foggy mists swirl.

All in all, a terrific novel, and highly recommended. show less

The Private Practice of Mike Shayne is the second book in a series that grew to nearly eighty volumes, but it's still one of the best in the entire series. In fact, it really set a high standard for the pulp-era private eye novel. This book features Shayne at his hardboiled, darkest best. Although it takes place in sunny Miami, you'd never know it from the dark grim tone of this story. Juxtaposed against the dark background is Shayne's romance with the young innocent Phyllis.

This story show more features quite a few motifs that are later repeated in many other Shayne novels including the murder frame-up, the run-ins with Peter Painter, the merciless battles with out-of-town hoods, the gambling joints where Shayne confronts the corrupt manager, the bar fights where Shayne takes a beating and keeps getting up, the rich heiress in trouble, the so-called friend who turns on Shayne, the evidence tampering, and more.

The story flows really well and is great fun to read. show less

Murder and the Wanton Bride is just about everything you could want out of a hardboiled pulp-era mystery. It starts with a crazy setup of a street execution of a run-of-the-mill boring bank executive while Shayne is having a romantic interlude with his secretary Lucy Hamilton. But very quickly Shayne is involved up to his eyeballs in this crazy case with Miami Beach Chief Peter Painter ready to throw the book at him. Murder, adultery, blackmail round out the festivities here.

Belle Carter is show more introduced as one of the most voluptuous sirens ever to grace the pages of pulp fiction. "Belle Carson was a lot of woman. Long-legged, full-breasted, slim-waisted, she was a symphony in green and black as she stood facing Shayne in the hallway, sultry lips parted and sharp upper teeth showing, and there was the clean, acrid smell of gin in the air between them." Every mention of her oozes femme fatale, lushness, drunkenness, and Southern charm.

This Shayne mystery is full of action from start to finish. You would think it would get old with Shayne always running one step ahead of Painter, but it never does. Indeed, this may just be one of the best of the series. show less