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Mike Shayne #8
Heads You Lose
After hearing a murder over the phone, Mike Shayne searches for the killer
Woken by the telephone, Mike Shayne is disoriented. Though he has been alone since his wife was murdered, he has not gotten used to sleeping by himself. The voice on the other end of the telephone snaps him back into reality. It’s his friend Clem Wilson, calling from a filling station outside of Miami, and there is terror in his voice. He has time for just a few words before Shayne hears the crack of broken glass and the thud of a falling body.
By the time he reaches the filling station, the police are already there and Wilson has two bullets in his chest—and either of them would have been enough to kill him. Clem Wilson was mixed up in something he couldn’t handle, and if Mike Shayne can’t set aside his grief and unravel the mystery, his friend will not be the last to die.
Woken by the telephone, Mike Shayne is disoriented. Though he has been alone since his wife was murdered, he has not gotten used to sleeping by himself. The voice on the other end of the telephone snaps him back into reality. It’s his friend Clem Wilson, calling from a filling station outside of Miami, and there is terror in his voice. He has time for just a few words before Shayne hears the crack of broken glass and the thud of a falling body.
By the time he reaches the filling station, the police are already there and Wilson has two bullets in his chest—and either of them would have been enough to kill him. Clem Wilson was mixed up in something he couldn’t handle, and if Mike Shayne can’t set aside his grief and unravel the mystery, his friend will not be the last to die.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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59 people want to read
About the author
Brett Halliday
511 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
October 31, 2011
A gas station owner named Clem Wilson calls Michael Shayne for help and is murdered while on the phone. Who murdered the gas station owner and why? That's what Michael Shayne has to know. But can he find out who gunned down Clem Wilson before he's gunned down himself?
Okay, now this is more like it. After the disappointment of Fourth Down to Death, Heads You Lose has redeemed Michael Shayne a bit in my eyes.
The plot to Heads You Lose is so much more complex than it seems at first glance. The wartime setting and the rationing of gasoline proves to be the lynchpin that holds everything together. It took me forever to figure out who killed Clem Wilson and I like to think I have respectable sleuthing skills.
The body count in this one is fairly high and most of the deaths were unexpected. Halliday did a lot of misdirection in this one. While I knew there are over 100 of these, I still feared for Michael Shayne a couple times.
No big complaints on this. It's a product of the time it was written so the idea of rationing gas and rubber isn't really relateable. Aside from powerful lady lawyer, the other female characters were standard for detective stories of its day.
Some of the characters were a little weak but as a thrilling detective story, Heads You Lose easily got the job done. I wouldn't say it was amazing or timeless but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Okay, now this is more like it. After the disappointment of Fourth Down to Death, Heads You Lose has redeemed Michael Shayne a bit in my eyes.
The plot to Heads You Lose is so much more complex than it seems at first glance. The wartime setting and the rationing of gasoline proves to be the lynchpin that holds everything together. It took me forever to figure out who killed Clem Wilson and I like to think I have respectable sleuthing skills.
The body count in this one is fairly high and most of the deaths were unexpected. Halliday did a lot of misdirection in this one. While I knew there are over 100 of these, I still feared for Michael Shayne a couple times.
No big complaints on this. It's a product of the time it was written so the idea of rationing gas and rubber isn't really relateable. Aside from powerful lady lawyer, the other female characters were standard for detective stories of its day.
Some of the characters were a little weak but as a thrilling detective story, Heads You Lose easily got the job done. I wouldn't say it was amazing or timeless but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
December 19, 2016
Not too many reviews out there on this one..
I got this for $2 at the Mysterious Bookshop. A store in NYC's TriBeca neighborhood that only sells books of the mystery variety. AKA: Heaven. The clerk told me that Halliday was one of the writers that wrote seriously hundreds of mysteries and that his Shayne mysteries were good to pick up if I was looking for something a little quick and mindless, but with the hard boiled pulp feel that I'm really digging at the moment.
This one did not disappoint. Kept me interested, and at 180 pages, did not take long to read. Michael Shayne is like a lot of the pulp detectives. He drinks a bit too much, smokes tons of cigs, and was probably a womanizer before he was married (although he did seem to love his wife, who is now deceased). I will say, that he was a bit different from others in that he was a little more active in his investigation to find Wilson's killer, and expose the gas rationing racket. He allowed for a colorful array of characters to come after him, and welcomed it, which is pretty common in this genre. But, maybe because of how short the story was, he was just constantly on the go, and not left to mull over things for too long, as I believe the whole mystery was cleared up in about 2 days, if that.
I liked this one. And looking forward to my next Michael Shane adventure.
I got this for $2 at the Mysterious Bookshop. A store in NYC's TriBeca neighborhood that only sells books of the mystery variety. AKA: Heaven. The clerk told me that Halliday was one of the writers that wrote seriously hundreds of mysteries and that his Shayne mysteries were good to pick up if I was looking for something a little quick and mindless, but with the hard boiled pulp feel that I'm really digging at the moment.
This one did not disappoint. Kept me interested, and at 180 pages, did not take long to read. Michael Shayne is like a lot of the pulp detectives. He drinks a bit too much, smokes tons of cigs, and was probably a womanizer before he was married (although he did seem to love his wife, who is now deceased). I will say, that he was a bit different from others in that he was a little more active in his investigation to find Wilson's killer, and expose the gas rationing racket. He allowed for a colorful array of characters to come after him, and welcomed it, which is pretty common in this genre. But, maybe because of how short the story was, he was just constantly on the go, and not left to mull over things for too long, as I believe the whole mystery was cleared up in about 2 days, if that.
I liked this one. And looking forward to my next Michael Shane adventure.
June 5, 2025
This 1943 novel is famous among fans of PI Michael Shayne because it's the first book that is set after his wife (and child) died during childbirth. It's also the only story where he didn't work a case for a fee. Knowing this information while reading had me look at his actions a little more closely. He's driven to solve this case, as he always is, but he seemed a little harder on his witnesses/suspects and more sarcastic with one woman.
NOTE: This reissue of the book (which is the picture for this review) is from the 1956 reissue of the book and contains a huge forward by the author. Halliday writes about the reception his books have received and lists, for the first time, the reading order of the books. Each of the books is given a little summary by him. This was neat to read in a time before the internet could answer the chronological order.
WWII has been going for one year and one of Mike's friends, who owns a gas station, tells him to head over immediately. Mike's too late--the friend has been shot twice. The grieving wife makes Mike promise to see the killer brought to justice. Mike swears he will. What follows is 48 hours of chasing down leads and avoiding bullets.
I really enjoyed how every character seemed to be guilty of something--and they are--and how the story just grew immensely, almost seeming to be too big for one man to walk away alive from. This was another terrific read from author Halliday and look forward to returning to his red headed detective soon.
NOTE: This reissue of the book (which is the picture for this review) is from the 1956 reissue of the book and contains a huge forward by the author. Halliday writes about the reception his books have received and lists, for the first time, the reading order of the books. Each of the books is given a little summary by him. This was neat to read in a time before the internet could answer the chronological order.
WWII has been going for one year and one of Mike's friends, who owns a gas station, tells him to head over immediately. Mike's too late--the friend has been shot twice. The grieving wife makes Mike promise to see the killer brought to justice. Mike swears he will. What follows is 48 hours of chasing down leads and avoiding bullets.
I really enjoyed how every character seemed to be guilty of something--and they are--and how the story just grew immensely, almost seeming to be too big for one man to walk away alive from. This was another terrific read from author Halliday and look forward to returning to his red headed detective soon.
April 6, 2025
Další Brett Halliday, další kriminálka se soukromým očkem Mikem Shaynem. A ještě stále skutečný Brett Halliday (aneb David Dresser) - autor tady ještě nepředal štafetu nájemným psavcům. Je to opravdu dřevní drsná škola, odehrávající se ještě za Druhé světové a točící se kolem černého trhu s benzínem, na který byly tehdy v Americe přídělové lístky.
Samotný případ není špatný, byť pachatel je jasný hned od začátku (spíš na základě toho, jak s tou postavou autor nakládá) – ale naštěstí, jak se ve finále ukáže, bylo to jasné i detektivovi. V některých chvílích se to začne i zajímavě šmodrchat, když se do toho zapletou i váleční dezertéři a femmefatálky, ale že by to byl nějaký ohňostroj nápadů a postav, to tedy ne. Hrdina je klasický pulpový detektiv, který toho vypije tolik, že by kdokoliv jiný upadl do deliria tremens hned po druhé kapitole, kouří víc než výfuk trabantu a jinak se chová spíš neurvale, a k informacím se často dostává mlácením lidí. Což je v pohodě – horší už je, že dvakrát během příběhu mu někdo sebere pistoli a někoho s ní zastřelí. Což už začíná ze strany Mikea Shaynea zavánět nezodpovědností.
Pořád to je solidní příklad klasické drsné školy… i když se to chvílemi táhne. A jak to není popisované z pohledu detektiva, chybí tady dost i humor, který prostě k drsné škole patří.
Samotný případ není špatný, byť pachatel je jasný hned od začátku (spíš na základě toho, jak s tou postavou autor nakládá) – ale naštěstí, jak se ve finále ukáže, bylo to jasné i detektivovi. V některých chvílích se to začne i zajímavě šmodrchat, když se do toho zapletou i váleční dezertéři a femmefatálky, ale že by to byl nějaký ohňostroj nápadů a postav, to tedy ne. Hrdina je klasický pulpový detektiv, který toho vypije tolik, že by kdokoliv jiný upadl do deliria tremens hned po druhé kapitole, kouří víc než výfuk trabantu a jinak se chová spíš neurvale, a k informacím se často dostává mlácením lidí. Což je v pohodě – horší už je, že dvakrát během příběhu mu někdo sebere pistoli a někoho s ní zastřelí. Což už začíná ze strany Mikea Shaynea zavánět nezodpovědností.
Pořád to je solidní příklad klasické drsné školy… i když se to chvílemi táhne. A jak to není popisované z pohledu detektiva, chybí tady dost i humor, který prostě k drsné škole patří.
June 8, 2017
A Wartime Shayne Novel
Heads You Lose is one of the early Mike Shayne novels and was written by the original Brett Halliday himself, Davis Dresser. Chronologically, it takes place after Phyllis' untimely demise but secretary Lucy Hamilton doesn't make an appearance. This is a wartime novel and concerns gas rationing, army deserters, patriotism, hoodlums, and murder. It has all of the usual Shayne plot devices including his withholding evidence, being shot at, beaten, kidnapped, and a femme fatale. However, this novel was missing something that the better Shayne novels have. It felt a bit stale and lifeless in comparison. Some of the characters seemed a little too designed and less genuine.
Heads You Lose is one of the early Mike Shayne novels and was written by the original Brett Halliday himself, Davis Dresser. Chronologically, it takes place after Phyllis' untimely demise but secretary Lucy Hamilton doesn't make an appearance. This is a wartime novel and concerns gas rationing, army deserters, patriotism, hoodlums, and murder. It has all of the usual Shayne plot devices including his withholding evidence, being shot at, beaten, kidnapped, and a femme fatale. However, this novel was missing something that the better Shayne novels have. It felt a bit stale and lifeless in comparison. Some of the characters seemed a little too designed and less genuine.
May 8, 2020
Ear Witness
This Mike Shayne takes place during WWII. A friend calls Mike one night, when he is murdered. Mike over hears the murder and gets involved in a case involving gas rationing, bootleg gas, a deserter, and murder. Can Mike stay alive long enough to solve the case? Read it, and find out. You'll be glad you did!
This Mike Shayne takes place during WWII. A friend calls Mike one night, when he is murdered. Mike over hears the murder and gets involved in a case involving gas rationing, bootleg gas, a deserter, and murder. Can Mike stay alive long enough to solve the case? Read it, and find out. You'll be glad you did!
July 9, 2020
Old school who-dunn-it gumshoe novel about a gas station murder mystery. Not bad. Short read. Classic stereotypes. I'll try to find more dimestore novels from this series since so many laid the groundwork for popular story archetypes we still see in media today.
December 11, 2015
I really dig most of the Mike Shayne series books. This one felt like a transitional one hung up on the gasoline business during war times. Parts of it are still good, while others kind of drag one. One of the lesser in the series. Just okay. Gets preachy about America a tad bit.
December 16, 2011
First time for Brett Halliday. His work seems to have aged well, Heads You Lose, reads very well. Much better than some others of the era.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews