As I had just rewatched the movie I decided to read the book. The movie makes some pretty key changes in the story and I heard that Spillane wasn't too happy about that. But the book really brings out the devil-may care attitude of Mike Hammer and it's clear that there's not a lot of difference between him and the Mafia thugs who cross his path. It's simple writing but not simplistic. There's a few twists that were actually left out of the movie. No one ever accused Spillane of subtlety but there are some instances of that here.
One thing that was offsetting to read is that Mike Hammer literally is starting a new Lucky Strike every third paragraph.
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." Winter is Coming Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
