'The Consummata' by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
Mike Hammer was not Mickey Spillane's only creation, though it was his most enduring one. In 1967, Spillane published The Delta Factor; a part-spy, part-heist story featuring Morgan the Raider. The intent was to build a new series around this government agent-turned-master thief. Complications with and the poor reaction to the film version, however, frustrated Spillane and work on a second installment in the series was put off ... until now.
Spillane died in 2006, but before he did he left his unfinished manuscripts to his friend, Max Allan Collins (The Road to Redemption), with hopes that he would be able to finish the stories. Among the files was The Consummata, the never-completed sequel to The Delta Factor.
Morgan the Raider finished his mission in Cuba but is accused of stealing $40 million. He spent the ensuing months tracking down the money, supposedly buried in one of the hideouts of the legendary pirate Captain Henry Morgan. Somewhere along the line he slipped up and the CIA, FBI and various other government entities have him cornered in Miami's Little Havana. With help from the local Cuban Resistance, Morgan is able to escape the noose that is closing in on him. In exchange, he offers to help them track down a pro-Castro double agent with a fetish for S&M and bondage who stole their money.
While hiding from government agents at a brothel owned by a former enemy and with help from a high-end prostitute, Morgan worms his way through the Cuban underground in search of his target. His objective is to take the double agent alive and recover the money, but when people keep turning up dead at every corner, Morgan won't hesitate to take lethal measures if necessary.
Knowing the agent's sexual preferences, Morgan takes on a second pursuit: discover the whereabouts of The Consummata. The Consummata is a dominatrix who hosts exclusive, sexual parties to society's elite around the world. Her name is known among small circles, but no one can say for certain if she exists. She is a legend and - from what Morgan can tell - a phantom, but can be the key to capturing the double agent and recovering the Cubans' money.
The Consummata is a reckless tale of sex and greed full of twists and turns through the steamier side of Miami's Cuban underground. As with previous posthumous collaborations like Kiss Her Goodbye (read the review here), Collins expertly adapts Spillane's voice as his own and it's near impossible to tell where one writer begins and another ends. The result is the tight writing, sharp dialogue and intense action fans of Spillane's work know and love.
But 40 years is a long time to go between novels. It works fine for a Mike Hammer book because there were so many of them and the persona is a part of our literary culture. It doesn't work as well for a "series" of just two books.
The biggest problem is character. Morgan is near identical to Mike Hammer in that he talks hard, fights harder and - though he has no problem killing those he feel deserve it - has a clear vision of right and wrong that doesn't necessarily coincide with the law. But what drives Morgan to be the way he is? And I couldn't help wonder what it would be like if Morgan and Mike should ever meet. They probably couldn't fit in the same room because the chips on their shoulders would be too big.
There is a whole cast of characters from The Delta Factor - many of whom are deceased - that carry over. Some players fit well with the story and you can tell instantly what team they play for. Others are name drops that are supposed to add context to the plot but are distracting.
The title character provides a mystery element to the story but plays a surprisingly small role. A part of me wished for an over-the-top James Bond-type villain given the espionage nature of the book, but the eventual arrival was subtle and effective. A big shoutout, by the way, goes to Robert McGinnis for his dazzling cover art which makes buying a copy worth it alone.
The setting left something to be desired. Spillane and Collins did a remarkable job in painting the Miami scene in all its salsa music, ropa vieja and tobacco glory. The people of Little Havana are beaten and struggling to find their place in their adopted homeland yet proud of where they come from and confident that one day they shall return to Cuba. The contrarities spread to the supporting cast who believe one thing yet behave oppositely. They are hypocritical but not in a malicious way, and the flaw makes them all the more believable at the risk of outshining some of the principle characters.
The story is set in the late-60s, and I knew that going in, but it felt notably dated. By the time the story takes place, the Cuban missile crisis is over, Kennedy has been shot dead, and America is waist-deep in Vietnam. The Cuban resistance, by this stage, is back page fodder. Maybe Morgan should have passed on the case and conduct a heist on the Ho Chi Minh trail or - given Spillane's conservative slant - bust up some hippies.
The Consummata is still a good, entertaining read but I recommend digging up a copy of The Delta Factor before taking this one on.