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.

read this one for what it is

Mike Hammer is the hard hitting, hard drinking private investigator who is going to find the man who murdered his best friend; then take care of him before the cops do.  Beautiful women fall at Mike like bowling pins and anyone in his way gets a fist or a bullet.  It’s New York City in the late 1940’s and if you aren’t tough, you might be dead.

It is important to put this book and its famous author in context.  It was written in 1947 and that’s a long time ago now.  Many things were different and many things sound pretty course to our modern ear.  There is a lot of bigotry, homophobia and sexism in the dialogue.  It was probably not meant to be offensive, but colloquial to give color to the scenes.  Spillane started an entire genre of hard hitting crime fiction novels that are often copied to this day.

Put that aside if you can and enjoy a deliciously cheesy novel about two dimensional characters that do impossibly reckless things.  In one scene, for example, Mike Hammer slams the heads of two men together like coconuts because they were ogling his girl.  She giggles and tells him how safe she feels in his arms.

It might have been meant to be serious when it was written, but it comes across as improbable now, and actually quite funny.  Enjoy it from a literary, historical point of view and you’ll have fun.  Take it seriously and you’ll be quite disappointed.  Too many clichés, plot holes and character flaws for that.

The story is performed by Mike Dennis who does a fine job of it.  His voice fits the rough Mike Hammer perfectly,  you can almost hear the stubble growing on his chin.  His other characters are mostly fine, distinctive enough and easily discerned from each other.

It’s almost impossible to put ourselves into the mindset of a 1940’s reader.  You will recognize so many modern detective stories in Spillane’s work.  It’s worth it just for that perspective.  Don’t get offended and read this one for what it is and you’ll have a bit of fun.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Great book

great story and well read / performed. this was the first Mike Hammer book I've heard.

Good story, boring performance.

Love these kind of stories and yet the narrator had me bored. It was a chore to get through this

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.

“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."

Don't waste your money like I did

What did you like best about I, the Jury? What did you like least?

I've been waiting years for an unabridged audiobook of this detective classic. The book by Spillane is as good as it gets.

What other book might you compare I, the Jury to and why?

Any "tough guy" novel.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mike Dennis?

Somebody who has professional talent and experience. Mike Dennis sounds like a beginning acting student in college. He has no sense of what he is doing. I can't listen to this audio. His interpretation of dialogue is abysmal. Please, hire an accomplished professional to redo this audiobook. Dick Hill or somebody like that.

Did I, the Jury inspire you to do anything?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

The narrator Mike Dennis is terrible. Please redo the book with an accomplished, veteran book narrator. These Spillane classics deserve the best.

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...