Kiss Me, Deadly

Kiss Me, Deadly (1952) is Mickey Spillane's sixth novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer. The novel was later adapted into the film Kiss Me Deadly in 1955.

Chapter 1: Speeding down a mountain road coming back from Albany NY, P.I. Mike Hammer almost runs over a woman hitch hiking in the middle of the road. After Mike's car skids to a stop, she gets in the car and they drive to Manhatten only later to be run off the road by gansters, who set out to torture the woman for information which she fails to tell them and knocks poor Mike semi-unconscience. Later, both Mike and the woman are stuffed into Mike's car and pushed over a cliff.

Chapters 2-6: Recovering in the hospital, Mike wakes to the sound of Velda's voice. After his release from the hospital, Mike meets with the FBI. Mike learns from Pat Chambers that the woman, Berga Torn was the mistress of Carl Evello. She was to testify at a committee hearing after she was released from the sanitorium. Velda's visit to Mike brings bad news, his P.I. licence was revocated by the Feds. Pat helps out Mike with the address of Berga Torn in Brooklyn. Berga had a roommate named Lily Carver, who just moved out of the apt. Mike gets Lily's address from the super and heads on over to her place. Protecting herself with a hand gun, Lily lets Mike inside her apt. Lily was scared to death with all the strangers confronting her with questions about Berga, but Lily doesn't know a thing. After Lily calms down, Mike tells her to get her things together and come over to his place.

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