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Tiger Mann #2
Bloody Sunrise
He's a TIGER for trouble...the one MANN who can handle the dirtiest job ever handed out in the deadly world of ESPIONAGE.
He's TIGER MANN - Mickey Spillane's gutter-tough secret agent back in a real hell-raiser of a thriller.
He's TIGER MANN - Mickey Spillane's gutter-tough secret agent back in a real hell-raiser of a thriller.
157 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Mickey Spillane
288 books407 followersMickey Spillane was one of the world's most popular mystery writers. His specialty was tight-fisted, sadistic revenge stories, often featuring his alcoholic gumshoe Mike Hammer and a cast of evildoers who launder money or spout the Communist Party line.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 2, 2022
SO MANLY HE GETS 2 'N'S! HE'S THAT MUCH OF A MANN!
HE HATES THE SOVIETS!
HE LIKES THE LADIES!
PLUS HE'S FAITHFUL!
* except with his body
A MANN LIKE TIGER HAS AN APPETITE!
HE'LL LIE
HE'LL KILL
HE'LL BLOW SHIT UP
HE'LL BULLY AND THREATEN TWO OLD LADIES MANAGING A WOMAN'S SHELTER BECAUSE THE COLD WAR DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR THEIR NOSEY NONSENSE AND THEIR UPTIGHT "NO MEN ALLOWED" SO-CALLED "RULES"! THOSE MAN-HATERS BEST GET OUT THE WAY!
BECAUSE... HE'LL... DO...
FOR AMERICA!
:O
This is a 2 star book: lightly enjoyable but forgettable. Pulp vibe was medium-strength and fun when present. I could have used more of that vibe. For example, I'd have liked a lot more of the very very memorable "poetic" writing as displayed in this wonderfully over-the-top love scene:
It was a beautiful sunrise, slow and easy at first, then with crashing suddenness the wild red and bright burst in upon both of us in a frenzy of delight, then diminished into the steadily increasing glow of morning.And that my friends is how a tiger with two backs is made.
Damn, how soft she was, how firm and round the fleshy curves and hollows. Right from the fierce steppes of a Caucasus mountain she brought every buck, every undulation into a living symphony of outlandish delight. Her mouth was a hot, wet thing of such demanding passion that it itself was a fuse that ignited one explosion after another. Her mouth melt against mine, a torch that could nearly scream unless it was choked off, her entire body an octopus of emotion that demanded and demanded and when it was satisfied for a short time was almost content in a relaxation close to death itself.
But I wouldn't give her that relaxation. She asked, now she got. She wanted to see what a tiger was like and now she had to find out. She knew the depth of the canines and the feeling of being absorbed because she was only a woman in the lust of a horrible hunger and in that frightening sunlight she knew for the first time what it was like to live as one.
September 7, 2012
Ok, you have to rate this knowing what it is. Mickey Spillane should not be a surprise and that his characters are uber-male (and the women uber-female from a man's point of view) is how it is. It's direct and no soul-searching or self-actualization gets in the way of the contrived plot. Having said that, note I still gave it 4 stars. It's a quick, fun trip not to be taken seriously. Not recommended for women unless they can find the humor in laughing at warped, old-timey men's fantasies.
July 14, 2019
"Επιχείρηση Πλάτων", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Αυτό είναι το πέμπτο βιβλίο του Μίκι Σπιλέιν που διαβάζω, δυόμιση και πλέον χρόνια από την τελευταία φορά που διάβασα κάτι δικό του. Αυτό είναι και το δεύτερο βιβλίο στο οποίο εμφανίζεται ο μπρουτάλ Αμερικανός μυστικός πράκτορας Τάιγκερ Μαν (ναι, έτσι τον λένε τον άνθρωπο!). Οπωσδήποτε το ευχαριστήθηκα, αλλά είναι για συγκεκριμένα γούστα και, φυσικά, προϊόν της εποχής και της σχολής του. Και όταν λέω προϊόν της εποχής και της σχολής του, εννοώ τη δεκαετία του '60 στο Αμέρικα, με την παντελή έλλειψη πολιτικής ορθότητας, αλλά και έναν κάποιο σεξισμό. Όπως και να΄χει, η όλη ιστορία κινείται με ιλιγγιώδεις ρυθμούς, το ένα γεγονός διαδέχεται το άλλο, χωρίς να παίρνει ανάσα ούτε ο πρωταγωνιστής, αλλά ούτε και ο αναγνώστης, ενώ υπάρχει και μια έκπληξη στο τέλος (τίποτα το εντυπωσιακό, όμως). Φυσικά οι χαρακτήρες είναι μονοδιάστατοι, μιας και ο συγγραφέας δεν μπαίνει στον κόπο να τους προσδώσει λίγο βάθος ή έστω αληθοφάνεια, όμως σε τέτοιου είδους μυθιστορήματα δεν έχει και ιδιαίτερη σημασία. Η γραφή είναι "σκληρή" και άκρως ευκολοδιάβαστη, με λιτές περιγραφές σκηνικών και καταστάσεων. Αυτά τα σκληροτράχηλα παλμ μυθιστορήματα (αστυνομικά, κατασκοπευτικά, δράσης κλπ) τα διαβάζει κανείς για να ανάψουν λίγο τα αίματα, να ανέβουν λίγο οι σφυγμοί, γενικά να περάσει ψυχαγωγικά την ώρα του, όχι για να ανακαλύψει το νόημα της ζωής. Θα μπορούσα να του βάλω ��κόμα και τέσσερα αστεράκια, αλλά μάλλον θα αδικούσα πολλά άλλα βιβλία.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Αυτό είναι το πέμπτο βιβλίο του Μίκι Σπιλέιν που διαβάζω, δυόμιση και πλέον χρόνια από την τελευταία φορά που διάβασα κάτι δικό του. Αυτό είναι και το δεύτερο βιβλίο στο οποίο εμφανίζεται ο μπρουτάλ Αμερικανός μυστικός πράκτορας Τάιγκερ Μαν (ναι, έτσι τον λένε τον άνθρωπο!). Οπωσδήποτε το ευχαριστήθηκα, αλλά είναι για συγκεκριμένα γούστα και, φυσικά, προϊόν της εποχής και της σχολής του. Και όταν λέω προϊόν της εποχής και της σχολής του, εννοώ τη δεκαετία του '60 στο Αμέρικα, με την παντελή έλλειψη πολιτικής ορθότητας, αλλά και έναν κάποιο σεξισμό. Όπως και να΄χει, η όλη ιστορία κινείται με ιλιγγιώδεις ρυθμούς, το ένα γεγονός διαδέχεται το άλλο, χωρίς να παίρνει ανάσα ούτε ο πρωταγωνιστής, αλλά ούτε και ο αναγνώστης, ενώ υπάρχει και μια έκπληξη στο τέλος (τίποτα το εντυπωσιακό, όμως). Φυσικά οι χαρακτήρες είναι μονοδιάστατοι, μιας και ο συγγραφέας δεν μπαίνει στον κόπο να τους προσδώσει λίγο βάθος ή έστω αληθοφάνεια, όμως σε τέτοιου είδους μυθιστορήματα δεν έχει και ιδιαίτερη σημασία. Η γραφή είναι "σκληρή" και άκρως ευκολοδιάβαστη, με λιτές περιγραφές σκηνικών και καταστάσεων. Αυτά τα σκληροτράχηλα παλμ μυθιστορήματα (αστυνομικά, κατασκοπευτικά, δράσης κλπ) τα διαβάζει κανείς για να ανάψουν λίγο τα αίματα, να ανέβουν λίγο οι σφυγμοί, γενικά να περάσει ψυχαγωγικά την ώρα του, όχι για να ανακαλύψει το νόημα της ζωής. Θα μπορούσα να του βάλω ��κόμα και τέσσερα αστεράκια, αλλά μάλλον θα αδικούσα πολλά άλλα βιβλία.
September 30, 2017
You can't discuss this book without addressing the sexism of the time. The main character - Tiger Mann - is a 60's idea of a man's man, sexist and borderline misogynist by today's standards. The women are cardboard cutouts, mostly there for Mann's entertainment.
That being said, it's a ripping Cold War spy vs. spy tale, a fun read if you can accept it for what it is. Well-written, lots of action, red herrings and plenty of skin, of course. A well-earned four-stars.
That being said, it's a ripping Cold War spy vs. spy tale, a fun read if you can accept it for what it is. Well-written, lots of action, red herrings and plenty of skin, of course. A well-earned four-stars.
August 4, 2015
#2 in the Tiger Mann series.
Secret agent Tiger Mann has his wedding interrupted by a call to look into the defection of a top Russian spy, Gabin Martrel, who has requested asylum but won't provide any information. Tiger figures that he has defected to find and old flame, and if he finds her, Martrel will talk. Violence abounds and there is a nuclear threat to add flavor.
Secret agent Tiger Mann has his wedding interrupted by a call to look into the defection of a top Russian spy, Gabin Martrel, who has requested asylum but won't provide any information. Tiger figures that he has defected to find and old flame, and if he finds her, Martrel will talk. Violence abounds and there is a nuclear threat to add flavor.
September 21, 2023
Forget James Bond. This is Tiger Mann!
(And yes that is his real name).
Okay, I have mixed opinions about this little caper but overall it held up well. I received this book as a gift and I raced through it once I got passed the first few chapters which were elusive and cryptic as to the actual business of Tiger Mann. Who the hell is he and what is he trying to do? Turns out he’s a bit of a rogue in the business of keeping America safe from the communists a.k.a. an elusive ‘iron curtain’ threat. Imagine being scared of communism in 2023! But I digress. Back in the 1960s I guess people were a little more paranoid about these world affairs. They were scared of Russians. For real.
So anyway, Tiger has to track down a Soviet defector who has a whole lot of dirt on the USSR he can spill to the US government except he won’t talk until he knows the love of his life, a Russian actress/former-athlete is safe from violence. Tiger is on a trail to find her and bring her to her old companion. There was a whole bunch of wicked action scenes. Explosions. T-men. Spies. Dodgy government officials. There was a bit of a love story too. It was chaotic and I was thrown into the midst of it fast.
If you’re uncomfortable with women described as ‘broads’ or ‘dames’, look no further. This terminology sprinkles the pages with alarming regularity. It’s not supposed to be offensive, that’s the thing. The women are background characters to Tiger’s schemes. They are like pretty pictures. Some come with dignity, others with bullets. Sure, them throwing themselves at a non-descript male with no real status or personality is a little unrealistic but it’s all part of what makes this book cheesy fun.
Also, Spillane threw around some epic character names: Gabin Martrel? Sonia Dutko? A woman called Rondine?? (Okay her real name was Edith but Tiger called her Rondine). (This was also the name of her older, deceased sister who Tiger had a thing with in the past - I know, this one’s got a whole lot of guys fantasies in it but it was silly and fun enough to come off as pure camp).
I’m not going to say much about what happens in the end (spoiler aware) except that I saw it coming. If you like your spy novels with a retro edge this one’s for you. Not for the politically correct. Would I read his other stuff? Heck yes. Give me ‘Kiss me, Deadly’ next!
(And yes that is his real name).
Okay, I have mixed opinions about this little caper but overall it held up well. I received this book as a gift and I raced through it once I got passed the first few chapters which were elusive and cryptic as to the actual business of Tiger Mann. Who the hell is he and what is he trying to do? Turns out he’s a bit of a rogue in the business of keeping America safe from the communists a.k.a. an elusive ‘iron curtain’ threat. Imagine being scared of communism in 2023! But I digress. Back in the 1960s I guess people were a little more paranoid about these world affairs. They were scared of Russians. For real.
So anyway, Tiger has to track down a Soviet defector who has a whole lot of dirt on the USSR he can spill to the US government except he won’t talk until he knows the love of his life, a Russian actress/former-athlete is safe from violence. Tiger is on a trail to find her and bring her to her old companion. There was a whole bunch of wicked action scenes. Explosions. T-men. Spies. Dodgy government officials. There was a bit of a love story too. It was chaotic and I was thrown into the midst of it fast.
If you’re uncomfortable with women described as ‘broads’ or ‘dames’, look no further. This terminology sprinkles the pages with alarming regularity. It’s not supposed to be offensive, that’s the thing. The women are background characters to Tiger’s schemes. They are like pretty pictures. Some come with dignity, others with bullets. Sure, them throwing themselves at a non-descript male with no real status or personality is a little unrealistic but it’s all part of what makes this book cheesy fun.
Also, Spillane threw around some epic character names: Gabin Martrel? Sonia Dutko? A woman called Rondine?? (Okay her real name was Edith but Tiger called her Rondine). (This was also the name of her older, deceased sister who Tiger had a thing with in the past - I know, this one’s got a whole lot of guys fantasies in it but it was silly and fun enough to come off as pure camp).
I’m not going to say much about what happens in the end (spoiler aware) except that I saw it coming. If you like your spy novels with a retro edge this one’s for you. Not for the politically correct. Would I read his other stuff? Heck yes. Give me ‘Kiss me, Deadly’ next!
December 23, 2022
Una insulsa novela policíaca para hacer propaganda estadounidense en medio de la guerra fría, con un protagonista que puede esquivar balas de los soviets, o al menos moverse justo en el momento anterior al disparo del enemigo.
October 28, 2017
Yes! I love these books! Tiger Mann kicks butt so much. I mean, Mike Hammer is cool and everything, but Tiger... He takes care of business.
July 5, 2012
A fascinating insight into SO19 and the UK security forces, some of it seemed a little far fetched but maybe that is the way it really is!
But whatever I enjoyed the book and read it from cover to cover in three days.
But whatever I enjoyed the book and read it from cover to cover in three days.
March 3, 2023
Another typical Mickey Spillane tough guy story but I think I prefer the Mike Hammer character better.
3/3/23 Just finish reading this a second time and I'll echo both my comment and my 4 star rating. A good story, typical Mickey Spuillane writing, good action, good wrap up.
3/3/23 Just finish reading this a second time and I'll echo both my comment and my 4 star rating. A good story, typical Mickey Spuillane writing, good action, good wrap up.
Want to read
April 9, 2019Synopsis: a Russian agent has defected. The about-to-be-married Tiger Mann gets the call to investigate and determine why.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews