Mike Hammer1958

[first lines]

Mike Hammer:
Five miles and five centuries from Times Square is Chinatown, a handful of blocks tucked away on the East Side near the Bowery, it is a city within city, a way of life to itself. It's crowded - ten men for every woman - but the people still read the writings of Lao Tze, the elders buy an ounce of powdered tiger's claw and for a real dish, try a hundred-year-old preserved egg. The people of Chinatown take care of their own problems; they're good citizens. Among other things, a good Chinese is a good gambler - he'll even gamble you're on the level - and he'll gamble with you around the clock, around the week, around the calendar.