EVERY BEAUTY HIDES DANGER—WHERE DESIRE TURNED DEADLY

Spillane, Mickey (1918–2006)

The Body Lovers – A Mike Hammer Mystery [Laid-in Signed Bookplate]

New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., 1967.

A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, TWO BRUTAL MURDERS, AND MIKE HAMMER HUNTING A KILLER BEFORE ANOTHER VICTIM DISAPPEARS FOREVER.
A First Edition, First Printing of Mickey Spillane's tenth Mike Hammer novel, accompanied by an unattached signed Mickey Spillane bookplate. Published during the revival of the Mike Hammer series in the 1960s, The Body Lovers finds Spillane returning to the hard-boiled detective who made him one of America's best-selling crime writers.

When the body of a young schoolteacher is recovered from a river and another woman is found murdered under equally disturbing circumstances, Hammer uncovers a deadly pattern leading toward a glamorous missing model whose beauty may prove fatal. Spillane delivers the fast-moving dialogue, relentless pacing, and moral certainty that made Mike Hammer one of detective fiction's enduring characters.

Where Desire Turned Deadly.
Beneath its stylish surface, The Body Lovers captures the darker atmosphere of the late 1960s, where glamour, violence, organized crime, and corruption intersect. Hammer's investigation moves through artists' studios, fashionable apartments, and the city's underworld with the blunt determination that defines Spillane's detective fiction. The result is classic noir—direct, uncompromising, and impossible to mistake for any other crime writer.

CONDITION: Near Fine in a Very Good dust jacket. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. The red cloth remains bright with crisp black spine lettering. Minimal shelf handling wear.

The unclipped dust jacket retains the original $3.95 price. Three rubbed areas are present on the spine, accompanied by light edge wear and a closed one-inch tear at the upper rear panel. A small crease is present near the lower front corner. An attractive, well-preserved jacket that presents nicely in a protective Mylar cover.

An unattached signed Mickey Spillane bookplate is laid in.

First Edition, First Printing, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Return of a Best-Selling Detective —
Following the enormous success of the original Mike Hammer novels of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mickey Spillane revived his famous detective during the 1960s for a new generation of readers.

The Body Lovers represents the tenth published Mike Hammer novel and reflects Spillane's enduring influence on hard-boiled detective fiction. Hammer's uncompromising sense of justice and Spillane's lean, cinematic style helped shape modern crime writing while inspiring films, television adaptations, and generations of mystery authors.

SUBJECTS: Mike Hammer, Mickey Spillane, Private Detectives, Noir Fiction, Murder Investigation, Organized Crime, Suspense Fiction, First Editions, Signed Bookplate, Twentieth-Century American Fiction, Mystery Fiction, Detective Fiction, Hard-Boiled Fiction, Crime Fiction, American Literature.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Hubin, Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749–2000.

Item #22177

Price: $125.00