Yes, we’ve made it for just over a year of weekly updates. I haven’t missed once, and my son Nate has only rarely had to get after me about it. Thank you for checking in once a week or so. I remain in awe of my pals Bill Crider and Ed Gorman (among so many others) who manage to post every day. (You guys should get a hobby. Maybe you could write in your spare time.)

THE BIG BANG continues to rack up some lovely write-ups. We are going to get some great coverage from January Magazine’s Rap Sheet very soon (I’m in the midst of a Spillane-centric interview with J. Kingston Pierce his own self). There will be a give-away of copies of the book, celebrating the Rap Sheet’s anniversary, so for you cheap bastards who haven’t bought the book yet, you’ll soon have a chance to snag a free ride.

I was also asked to write a special piece about my relationship with Mickey for Amazon. I only had around 300 words to work with, and I culled the new piece from a much longer one that I did for the LA Times when Mickey passed. This is posted at the Amazon page where you can buy THE BIG BANG, so feel free to do that while you’re there.

Craig Clarke, at his Somebody Dies review site, has done a terrific BIG BANG review. Craig is always worth reading.

Here’s a very nice review from a woman who had never read Mike Hammer before, but came up with a reasoned, thoughtful response to her first meeting with him. Thanks, Mary!

Crusin’ is starting to work on our concert sets for Great River Days in Muscatine in July. It’s going to be a very big deal, with us sharing the stage with the other band from our region that made it into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame – the incredible XL’s.

Finally, here’s a new band photo taken by our bass player Chuck Bunn’s daughter, Lara. This is Crusin’ right now….

Left to right, M.A.C., Chuck Bunn, Steve Kundel, Jim VanWinkle

M.A.C.

Tags: Crusin', Mike Hammer, Spillane, The Big Bang