Murder Is My Business

Private eye Mike Shayne is in the town where I was born, El Paso, Texas, to investigate the death of Private James Brown, who was killed in a traffic accident. Or was he? The private was stationed at Fort Bliss - the base I was born on!
Pretty good noir read! You've got bodies, body doubles, silver mining, the U.S./Mexico border going's on, a mayoral race, and soldiers exchanging clothing! All in a little hard-boiled detective novel/novella (it's a quick read!)! Not quite Raymond Chandler, but good enough to keep me guessing and keep me entertained! I'd read another Mike Shayne mystery based on this book!

Not great but not boring, either. (And it's short.) I had read one of Halliday's Mike Shayne stories, "The Reluctant Client," in The Great American Detective and enjoyed it enough to seek out this novel. On the basis of that story, however, I was expecting something with a grim hard-boiled atmosphere; what I got was a workmanlike tale about a series of murders in 1940s El Paso, with a cast of tolerable but somewhat corny, clichéd characters. It's very much a book of its time, full of stereotypical small-town cops, yellow journalists and various other seedy types. The story moves quickly and is reasonably entertaining, but there's no atmosphere or mood: nothing that casts a spell on the reader and draws him completely into the book. I show more can't hold it against the author that Murder Is My Business is not a hard-boiled crime novel in the tradition of Hammett and Chandler; clearly, that's not what Halliday set out to write, and the lack of private eye trappings doesn't make this a bad book. But I can justly criticize the publisher for packaging it as a hard-boiled novel, since that's obviously the conclusion one is meant to draw from the languid, pistol-toting dame on the cover. It's more Jim Rockford than Sam Spade, though.

Two and a half stars. show less

I have seen episodes of the "Michael Shayne" television show, but this is the first Shayne novel I have read. I greatly enjoyed it for its crispness and clever plotting, and will certainly want to read more books in the series. (The original "Brett Halliday," Davis Dresser, wrote the first 28 titles, including this one.) Shayne is a manly, blunt, red-headed detective, not given to irony or angst; and Halliday's prose style is similarly efficient and unfancy. This story is set in El Paso, and I liked the Texan and Mexican local color.

This was a pleasant discovery. Mike Shayne is a bit more cynical than most, and he certainly makes sure to get paid. But those are not bad traits as he finds out the truth at the end. The story has as scheme to smuggle army deserters into Mexico, something about a silver mine, and murder. These items are certainly a good recipe for a mystery that Mike Shayne slowly unravels. The author does put in a bit misdirection, but if you are an attentive reader you can figure things out as you read along. Then again, as many detective stories, you will find out the real truth at the end, and I have to say, I did enjoy the ending quite a bit. I will certainly keep my eye out for other Shayne mysteries now. Also, the book is a pretty easy read, so show more if you enjoy hard boiled detective fiction, you will certainly enjoy this one. show less

The Mike Shayne novels are a classic of American literature, a shining example of the detective fiction of the 1940s and 50s. "Murder Is My Business" is one of Shayne's better known adventures. It involves Shayne's trip to El Paso to solve a series of murders connected with the silver mining business and all the players present in a case Shayne worked 10 years ago. Of course, the previous case has a lot to do with the new one, and only Shayne can unravel the mystery.

The story is a great example of the pulp mysteries of the era, what with the mysterious family ties, switched identies, and convoluted murder plot. Halliday's writing isn't as good as your heavy hitters like Chandler and Hammett, but he's still good. Even today his stories show more still read well and offer great entertainment for an afternoon. show less

Multiple dead bodies, a dame, multiple suspects. And you have to read to the end to know who did it! Quite enjoyed it.

Probably a 2.5. There isn't a lot of action & while Shayne is presented with a puzzler, things go his way the entire time. Still, a fun read.