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Mike Shayne #17
A Taste for Violence
From title Mike Shayne, the man with a taste for violence, tackles corruption, greed, brutality, and murder in an action-packed 24 hours in the Kentucky mining town of Centerville.
- GenresMystery
Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
2 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Brett Halliday
526 books64 followersAKA David Dresser
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names
Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names
Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 9, 2020
Taste For Violence is one of my favorite Mike Shayne mysteries. But, be forewarned, it is completely unlike most of the other Shayne mysteries. This one takes Miami's finest detective and plants him in a small mining town run by a corrupt mining association, strikebreaking
thugs, and the meanest bunch of folks you ever met.
This type of novel could almost said to be a staple of pulp literature with numerous writers from Harry Whittington to Horace McCoy and Ross McDonald utilizing it. A stranger comes to town and every man in
town is against him. No one is happy. No one can stand up and speak out because the temporary deputies will beat them senseless if they disagree with the party line. A dark, depressing town where justice
seems to have disappeared.
Shayne comes into this town with only a retainer and his trusty sultry secretary Lucy Hamilton and turns the town upside down. This is Shayne as hardboiled and dark as he ever gets. And, it is just about as good as any hardboiled pulp novel you find. Thumbs up for this one. This is the good stuff, folks.
thugs, and the meanest bunch of folks you ever met.
This type of novel could almost said to be a staple of pulp literature with numerous writers from Harry Whittington to Horace McCoy and Ross McDonald utilizing it. A stranger comes to town and every man in
town is against him. No one is happy. No one can stand up and speak out because the temporary deputies will beat them senseless if they disagree with the party line. A dark, depressing town where justice
seems to have disappeared.
Shayne comes into this town with only a retainer and his trusty sultry secretary Lucy Hamilton and turns the town upside down. This is Shayne as hardboiled and dark as he ever gets. And, it is just about as good as any hardboiled pulp novel you find. Thumbs up for this one. This is the good stuff, folks.
February 2, 2017
Michael Shane get called on to protect an mine owner in mining town of Centerville Kentucky. He arrives to see two police men killing another man that had been forced off the road by the police car. In Centerville he talked to people that confirmed the police department ran a mob action doing what they wanted, not what the law indicated. In the next 24 hours as events unfold he needs to take over the police department and newspaper to make the changes necessary to reestablish law and order in Centerville.
My only complaint with the book is not continuing with the story after he is made chief of police, and leases the newspaper for six months. A whole story in that six month period alone.
My only complaint with the book is not continuing with the story after he is made chief of police, and leases the newspaper for six months. A whole story in that six month period alone.
July 4, 2013
A Taste For Violence (1949)
This Michael Shayne mystery by Brett Halliday takes place in a Kentucky mining town after a wealthy mine owner who was on the brink of settling a strike is murdered and the Union leader is charged with his murder. Shayne and Lucy show up and solve the mystery. This was better than some and the mystery itself was satisfying and I didn’t see it coming.
This Michael Shayne mystery by Brett Halliday takes place in a Kentucky mining town after a wealthy mine owner who was on the brink of settling a strike is murdered and the Union leader is charged with his murder. Shayne and Lucy show up and solve the mystery. This was better than some and the mystery itself was satisfying and I didn’t see it coming.
May 5, 2023
This is probably my 4th, 5th Shayne I've read (out of about 45 I have) I stumbled on to this series reading one of my favorite books years ago.. Robert McCammons' "Swan Song". Early in the story (don't recall the character's name) searching a destroyed gas station he sees a Mile Shayne PB in the rack. Looked him up..... Good pulp fiction.
May 21, 2025
Hallidayova verze Rudé žně. A teď myslím knihu, nikoliv světově proslulý podcast.
Soukromý detektiv Mike Shayne je pozvaný do města člověkem, kterému někdo vyhrožuje smrtí. Ale než hrdina dorazí, přejde pachatel od slov k činům, zákazník je mrtvý, podezřelý ve vězení, a město zkorumpované až za ušima. A jelikož Mike dostal peníze, rozhodne se dát do pořádku nejen zločin, ale i město.
A Taste for Violence je rozhodně decentnější, než Rudá žeň, mrtvých je tu jen pár a většinu času Shayne především vyšetřuje vraždu, a teprve v druhé polovině začne poštvávat jednotlivé lidi proti sobě… především na základ dopisu, který dostal od oběti a který spálil, takže může tvrdit absolutně cokoliv a nikdo mu nemůže dokázat opak.
Plus navíc, je to i nápaditá detektivka se zajímavým zvraty.
Soukromý detektiv Mike Shayne je pozvaný do města člověkem, kterému někdo vyhrožuje smrtí. Ale než hrdina dorazí, přejde pachatel od slov k činům, zákazník je mrtvý, podezřelý ve vězení, a město zkorumpované až za ušima. A jelikož Mike dostal peníze, rozhodne se dát do pořádku nejen zločin, ale i město.
A Taste for Violence je rozhodně decentnější, než Rudá žeň, mrtvých je tu jen pár a většinu času Shayne především vyšetřuje vraždu, a teprve v druhé polovině začne poštvávat jednotlivé lidi proti sobě… především na základ dopisu, který dostal od oběti a který spálil, takže může tvrdit absolutně cokoliv a nikdo mu nemůže dokázat opak.
Plus navíc, je to i nápaditá detektivka se zajímavým zvraty.
August 18, 2018
Can Detective Mike Shayne clean up a whole corrupt Kentucky town?
I just heard him say "Hold my, cognac."
Hard boiled detective story, dark with corruption.
The town reminded me of the true crime story of Phenix City Alabama which came to a head several years after this book was written.
Snowflakes and hyper-sensitive will get the vapors because of the depiction of African Americans as they were depicted in stories 70 years ago.
I just heard him say "Hold my, cognac."
Hard boiled detective story, dark with corruption.
The town reminded me of the true crime story of Phenix City Alabama which came to a head several years after this book was written.
Snowflakes and hyper-sensitive will get the vapors because of the depiction of African Americans as they were depicted in stories 70 years ago.
September 13, 2017
Not your typical Mike Shayne mystery. I rally enjoyed the shift of locale and Shayne's surprising new profession at the end.
December 22, 2019
Fizzled out at the end...
December 10, 2009
I'm getting sort of addicted to collecting these vintage paperbacks, so every now and then I have to read one of them or I'm going to feel bad. I do enjoy them, especially because they go so quick.
The story is kind of weirdly placed. A famous Miami detective gets entangled in a corrupt Kentucky coal town. There are a couple of pretty good twists, but this probably should have been either a little pulpier or a little actually better, because sometimes it was just a little dull. Can't really complain though.
Best part is the classic unresolved love affair between Detective Mike Shayne and his secretary. I say this all the time, but it seems like around this era this was a pretty popular trope, especially with the girl being more devoted and aware than the guy, even as he's constantly getting entangled with skeezy femme fatales. Anyway, I like it.
The story is kind of weirdly placed. A famous Miami detective gets entangled in a corrupt Kentucky coal town. There are a couple of pretty good twists, but this probably should have been either a little pulpier or a little actually better, because sometimes it was just a little dull. Can't really complain though.
Best part is the classic unresolved love affair between Detective Mike Shayne and his secretary. I say this all the time, but it seems like around this era this was a pretty popular trope, especially with the girl being more devoted and aware than the guy, even as he's constantly getting entangled with skeezy femme fatales. Anyway, I like it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews