I, the Jury

By: Mickey Spillane

Narrated by: Mike Dennis

Here's Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer in their roughest and readiest—a double-strength shot of sex, violence, and action that is vintage Spillane all the way. It's a tough-guy mystery to please even the most bloodthirsty of fans!

©1991 Mickey Spillane. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

I, the jury

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was so dated that it wasn't really even very good looking at it in the context of the time that it was written.

Pretty good story. Audio version requires complete attentiveness from me. Which is not a bad thing per se.

The story can move fast. In 1 sentence, the character can move from point A to point B. If you don’t catch it, you can find yourself wondering where all these elements from this new environment came from. I had to hit the 10 second back button a few times because I missed an important detail that was snuggled within a set of mundane details. I heard that MIckey wrote this in 9 or so days. I was only familiar with the name Mike Hammer and Mickey’s small role on an episode of Columbo. I will listen to the next entry in the series.

Mike Dennis is perfect for this period gem.

Mike Hammer is a classic character. An old school Private Investigator who isn't PC and always gets his man. We see Mike Hammer for the first time in "I, the Jury". He continues as Mickey Spillane's muse for 21 novels with the latest "Murder Never Knocks" arriving in March 2016. Mike Dennis brings this first in the series from 1947 back to life. His voice tells the story as much as the words do. This is another great narration that few could do as well as Dennis.
Hammer's best friend from the World War 2 is murdered, a man who saved Hammer's life, and now the murder must die. Mike is willing to kill anyone who looks like a suspect and so the race against time and the police is on. Will Mike get the right man? Will he make a righteous kill, or will the police stop him. It's clear his conscious will not. A great listen for all who like the grit of old time radio with an edge.

Pulp fiction

I listened to this out of curiosity about Mickey Spillane and his Mike Hammer. It's short and fast moving. Mike can hold his alcohol and his women. I'm a Raymond Chandler fan. Spillane is blunter and and more idealistic.

Masterpiece

One of my favorites of all time Mickey Spillane is the ultimate classic detective writer. One of the best private detective stories ever written.

It was easy...

The first Mike Hammer book is an easy listen, full of tough guy language, fists pounding the bad guys, a few dead bodies, and a killer final line. I read this one when I was in high school, but I didn’t remember exactly how the story shook out- except for the killer. Once Hammer arrived there you don’t forget how it ends.

My only beef is that Stacy Keach didn’t read it. This reader is okay, but the testament to how good Keach handles the material is that this reader couldn’t handle his jock... and he’s not bad. Just not the master. More like listening to a good cover band.

If you like Mickey Spillane, this is a great listen. Maybe even if you don’t...

Decent story but...

The story had unexpected twists but I knew who the killer was 1/2 way through. The narrator was hard to listen to but the story was interesting enough to get me through it especially since Stacy Keech does the next one.

Mickey Spillane.

A hard-boiled slice of Americana that'll have pining for the days when men were men and women were women, women beautiful enough to make a bishop kick out a stained glass window.

Hard boiled goodness

Good stuff,bad ass detective kickin ass and taking names.Can’t beat the ending.Definitely good stuff

“I don't give a damn about reviews... Spillane

Would you listen to I, the Jury again? Why?

The whole quote :“I don't give a damn about reviews. What I like to read are royalty checks.” ― Mickey Spillane. This isn't Spillane's best Mike Hammer. But it's still head and shoulders above the majority of other hard boiled detective efforts by others.The answer is "yes I WILL listen to 'I, the Jury' again. The narration sets up the mood of the writing. And makes listening a pleasure.

What did you like best about this story?

Spillane published in 1947. When men were ex GIs turned PIs. and women were dames with creamy skin and silky thighs ... sorry I lost my train of thought.

Anyway I like the era. One of my favorite series is by Max Allan Collins, the Matt Heller books. The 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s in Heller's book do it for me. This is a Spillane classic and fits my likes.

What about Mike Dennis’s performance did you like?

I've listened to Mike Dennis on three or four different audio book performances. He commands a great pace, with voices that aren't affected, which seem plausable. One irksome trait that drives me nuts is "breathy" narration. MIKE ISN'T BREATHY!!! A good thing. lol

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just a pleasurable one of anticipating a few hours of good entertainment. Both by Spillane and the narration by Mike Dennis.

Any additional comments?

This was a treat.Thank you for making it available for review.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."