Target Lancer by Max Allan Collins

Thirty years ago Max Allan Collins introduced his private investigator Nathan Heller in the novel True Detective. In the course of that novel Heller witnesses the slaying of Mayor Cermak of Chicago who was shot down by a killer who claimed he was trying to kill President Roosevelt. Thus started the story of Nathan Heller. Over the last thirty years he has appeared in fourteen novels and over a dozen short stories. Now thirty years later in the character’s timeline he is wrapped up in another assassination plot. The plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy in Chicago.

This time Heller is contacted by his old friend Bobby Kennedy. It is October 1963, and there is a strong likelihood that an attempt will be made on the president when he visits Chicago. Heller is wrapped up in this plot in more ways than one. Years earlier he had been the intermediary who hooked up the CIA with organized crime. The CIA wanted to kill Castro, but they needed deniability. The Mob wanted Castro dead as well, so Operation: Mongoose was launched. Unfortunately these attempts were laughably inept and everyone is getting worried.

On a bodyguard job Heller witnesses his client pass a payoff from Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa to an old childhood buddy of Heller’s, a man named Jake Rubenstein. Rubenstein had changed his name by that time to Jack Ruby. After his client is murdered Heller promises the widow that he will help track down the killer. So, while his agents try to locate a murderer, Heller is temporarily assigned to the Secret Service to prevent the assassination of the President.

Of course we all know that President Kennedy did not die in Chicago in November 1963. He died in Dallas. We also know that mobster Jack Ruby, with a sudden rush of patriotism shot down the man who killed Kennedy. While the story and some of the characters are fiction, Collins puts a lot of work into his novels. This research gives the stories an air of believability.  I was unaware of the story of the Chicago plot. Who was involved? We may never know, but Collins gives us a tight, tense narrative. If you enjoy fast paced, hardboiled detective writing then you should be reading the Nathan Heller novels. If you have not read any of these books then do what I did, take a chance. You won’t regret it.

The Nathan Heller books by Max Allan Collins

I just wanted to do a quick post about the Nathan Heller books by Max Allan Collins. I discovered these books last year. Amazon had a sale on one of the books. At $1.99 for the Kindle book I took a chance. I fell in love with Nathan Heller right away. When I saw more books on sale I snapped those up as well. I have now read through the entire series. I read several of the books last year, but gladly re-read them this year. They very enjoyable. Heller is a classic hardboiled detective. He has the mouth, the rules don't always matter to him. Despite what he claims though Heller is a very moral figure. His armor may be blemished, but he is still a knight who fights to right wrongs. Heller lives in a corrupt world. While he realizes it he manages to avoid getting himself dirtier than he has to. He always manages to interact with organized crime without becoming part of it.

All of the Heller cases involve famous crime stories. The characters that Heller encounters are quite a gallery. Elliot Ness, Al Capone, Mayor Cermak, Frank Nitti, Charles Lindbergh, Bobby Kennedy, and so many more. He also has a tendency to get involved with a lot of famous women. He may be the person other than Jack Kennedy who bedded both Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. Of course he outdid even JFK in t hat regard. After all, Kennedy never bedded Amelia Earhart.

As a kid I discovered classic Hollywood films like The Maltese Falcon. These films grabbed the imagination of a 13 year old boy. I have never lost that fascination. At times my interest waned. After all, good hardboiled fiction is very hard to write and not always easy to find. Discovering the Heller novels last year rekindled my interest in the genre. I recently celebrated my 39th birthday and love reading as much as I did as a kid. Authors like Max Allan Collins routinely remind me of why I love to read so much. If I have a choice between watching a movie or reading a good book, the movie will just have to wait. So thanks Max for all of the great books. Now it's time to check out your other series. Keep up the great work.

To read my reviews of the Heller books check out these links:

1. True Detective (Assassination attempt on Frank Nitti, the killing of Mayor Cermak)

2. True Crime (Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Barker Gang)

3. Million Dollar Wound (Guadalcanal, the Mob tries to take over Hollywood)

4. Neon Mirage (Bugsy Siegel)

5. Stolen Away (Lindbergh kidnapping)

6. Carnal Hours (Oakes murder)

7. Blood and Thunder (Huey Long)

8. Damned in Paradise (Clarence Darrow)

9. Flying Blind (Amelia Earhart)

10. Majic Man (Roswell)

11. Angel in Black (Black Dahlia case)

12. Chicago Confidential (Crime commission, Frank Sinatra, Joe McCarthy)

13. Bye Bye Baby (Marilyn Monroe)

14 Target Lancer (JFK Assassination)

Short Stories Collections:

Triple Play

Chicago Lightning

Chicago Lightning by Max Allan Collins

Chicago Lightning is the second collection of Nathan Heller short stories that Max Allan Collins has released through Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint. The first volume, Triple Play featured novellas and longer short stories. This volume covers the more standard sized short stories. This collection of thirteen stories fill in some gaps in the Heller cases. A few are cases that are referred to in the Heller novels.

Collins says that he prefers to write novels more than short stories, but you wouldn’t know that from the stories in this collection. Heller is at some of his finest. In “The Perfect Crime” he is bodyguard, and avenger of Thelma Todd. In
“The Strawberry Teardrop” he helps Elliot Ness track down, and then cover up the identity of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. The novel Angel in Black is a sequel to this story. In “Scrap” Heller does a job for an old neighborhood friend named Jake Rubenstein. Rubenstein is a minor racketeer mixed up in a crooked union. We meet Rubenstein again in Collins’ novel Target Lancer. Of course most of us know Rubenstein by the name that he used when he moved to Dallas: Jack Ruby.

These are good stories and it is enjoyable to occasionally see Heller work on a case that doesn’t involve a famous character. The more I read the Heller novels I don’t know why someone hasn’t jumped on the chance to make these into a series. These short stories prove that Heller isn’t just a vehicle that Collins uses to talk about famous cases. Of course those of us who have read the books could readily attest to Heller’s likability. I for one would love to see Heller developed by a station like HBO or Showtime. Of course I would only like to see it if Collins were part of the project. Nothing would be worse than seeing these fun, well written stories messed up. Don’t wait for a TV deal. Get the Nathan Heller novels and story collections by Max Allan Collins and enjoy some really great hardboiled, noir fiction.

Triple Play by Max Allan Collins

Max Allan Collins has given us a number of Nathan Heller novels. In this book he collects three novellas from the world of Nathan Heller. There is a grand tradition of these stories that are longer than short stories and shorter than novels. Once it was common to feature these in short story magazines. Authors (or publishers) would often collect three of these novellas and publish them in a single volume. Collins points out that this was a standard practice for Rex Stout. As short story periodicals have disappeared so have the novellas.

Collins says that he prefers writing novels to short stories. You wouldn’t know that from reading these stores. Of course they are not as in depth as a full novel, that would not be possible given the size of the story. For these stories Collins choose cases that were not as large in scope and so they allow for a shorter story. “Dying in the Post War World” covers the Lipstick Killer case. In this story Heller helps to track down a serial killer whose brutality leaves him ready to take matters into his own hands. In “Kisses of Death” Heller gets his first opportunity to work for Marilyn Monroe. While working for Ms. Monroe he is reacquainted with some members of the Chicago literary scene, mainly the obnoxious poet and author Maxwell Bodenheim. His look at this leading jazz age figure is less than flattering, but oh so wonderfully written. Finally in “Strike Zone” Heller goes to work for Bill Veek. Veeck was a well known character in the world of baseball. He loved to pull stunts to entertain the crowd. One of his best known stunts was to draft a midget as a pinch hitter. Eddie Gaedel will always be remembered as the shortest man who ever played professional baseball, even though he was later disqualified. Heller investigates the death of Gaedel after the man’s mother claims that he was murdered. There was a line in this story that had me laughing until I hurt.

All three of these novellas are well written and wonderful to read. I enjoyed each of them and can recommend this to any lover of great hardboiled detective stories.

Bye Bye Baby by Max Allan Collins

Bye Bye Baby is another great novel in the Nathan Heller series by Max Allan Collins. When we first met Nathan Heller in True Detective it was the early 1930s. Through the years he has worked a lot of famous cases. Now he is on the scene with the lovely, vivacious Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn is an old friend and calls Nathan to help her with a little job. She wants her phone bugged. She is having a lot of trouble with her studio, Fox, and she wants to protect herself. Heller’s favor for a friend turns into much more. This book reads like a Who’s Who from the period. Heller deals with Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Hugh Hefner, John and Robert Kennedy, and many others.

One of Collins’ strengths is his ability to throw lots of celebrities into a book without stretching too much credulity. Of course Heller has to bed Marilyn and at least two other women. This should surprise no one who has read the Heller novels. Heller falls into the category of men who have slept with both Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. If the book is to be believed then he shares that honor with the Kennedy boys.

Bye Bye Baby is a sympathetic look at Monroe. She is truly a tragic figure and her treatment at the hands of the movie studios and the Kennedy brothers was shameful. Collins tries, and succeeds, to navigate his way in this book between the pro and anti Kennedy camps. Perhaps the most interesting thing of all is the real humanity of the characters. That is one of the trademarks of the Heller novels. The celebrities are not just here to catch our interest, they have a realness about them. So who killed Marilyn Monroe? Was it suicide, an accidental overdose, the Kennedys, or someone else. You will just have to get the book and find out.

Chicago Confidential by Max Allan Collins (Nathan Heller)

Nathan Heller is out in Hollywood putting in some time at the LA office. He is also spending some with his son. Recently divorced from his cheating wife he is also trying to avoid talking to a new crime commission that is looking for information on organized crime. Over the years Heller has had more dealings with the mob than he would like. Now people want to know what he knows. While in LA he takes on a client. A young college student claims that an old boyfriend won’t leave her alone. Heller helps her out. The young college student turns out to be none other than the the young busty (and with Heller lusty) Jayne Mansfield. Problems arise in the business and he returns to Chicago.

It seems that an old police colleague that he hired is using Heller’s equipment to spy on some of the big names in organized crime for the commission. Heller has to deal with this problem. He also has to deal with some of the mobsters to make sure that they know that he is not going to talk about anything that he knows. As if that wasn’t enough his old buddy Frank Sinatra asks him to call another old acquaintance, Senator Joe McCarthy, and tell the Senator that Sinatra is not a Communist. With all of this it is not going to be easy for Heller to get out of all of this in one piece.

More classic hard boiled noir from the wonderful Max Allan Collins. After a couple of week novels the series has really bounced back. Lots of mystery, smart aleck remarks, danger, gangsters, and gorgeous women who can’t wait to have sex with the main character. Great fun.

Angel In Black by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

All Nathan Heller wants to do is get some publicity for the new Los Angeles branch of his A-1 Detective Agency and then get on with his honeymoon. Instead the reporter he is with stumbles over a body. This is not any murder case. The woman's body has been cut in half and carefully arranged. Thus begins the most disturbing Nathan Heller novel to date. The body that they have discovered is none other than the Black Dahlia. This is one of the most sensational murders in the history of Los Angeles. Before it is all over they will encounter the heavily corrupted police force, mobsters, thieves, and the most sadistic killer that Heller has ever had to face. All the while he is helping to solve the case he keeps one important piece of information to himself: he knew the victim. Along the way Heller rubs shoulders with old friends and makes some new enemies.

After the last two rather disappointing novels it feels like the old Heller is back. The story doesn't feel stretched and belabored like the previous two. The hardest part of this book is the discussion of the actual slaying. The Black Dahlia case was a horrendous murder. Hearing details about the sadistic killing is can be just a little unsettling. It's a great book and an excellent chapter in the Nathan Heller saga.


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Majic Man by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Having been involved with so many of the great crimes and cover ups of the 20th Century it should be no big surprise that Heller is sent to Roswell to discover the truth about the two year old rumors that a flying saucer crashed there. What he finds in this investigation is exactly what you would expect: murder, lies, and lusty women.

The Heller novels have been entertaining. Flying Blind (the Amelia Earhart case) was the weakest so far. Majic Man is a much better story. It isn't altogether very interesting. It is entertaining though. I certainly enjoy Heller's "discovery" of the truth. It lines up with what I've always believed about the flying saucer craze myself. While the topic never has interested me I do remember the stories that my grandfather, an Air Force officer, told. While it is not the best Heller novel it is entertaining

Flying Blind by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Once again Nathan Heller is on the case. This time his job is to protect Amelia Earhart from anonymous threats that she has received. Of course that is just the tip of the iceberg. Naturally Heller becomes romantically entangled with the famous aviatrix. Later Heller becomes involved with an attempt to uncover the sinister government plot behind Earhart's mission. Finally he goes undercover in Saipan to try and verify rumours that two American pilots are being held as prisoner by the Japanese.

I have enjoyed reading throught the Heller books. This one feels like it is the most strained of all the books. There seems to be a lot of unecessary filler. Long, uninteresting conversations about the nature of the plane, the route taken by Earhart, and other scenes drag on for page after page without adding anything to the actual story. As always with a Nathan Heller book there is plenty of intrigue, sex, and smart-mouthed comments from the main character.

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Damned in Paradise by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

What can I say? Murder, rape, sex, and famous people. This is a classic scenario for a Nathan Heller story. A naval officer’s wife accuses four Hawaiian natives of raping her. When it looks like the men will not be charged the woman’s mother, husband, and a few of his men kidnap one of the accused rapists to try and get a confession. In their interrogation the man is killed. For the defense the family is able to get the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow to come out of retirement. For an investigator Darrow arranges the Chicago detective Nathan Heller to take a leave of absence and join him in Hawaii. Heller encounters a beautiful woman, dangerous crooks, and a legendary Hawaiian detective.

I am not familiar with the Massie case that is the basis for this book so I can't say much about the historical nature of the book. As a story it is great. When I was a kid my grandfather showed me several Charlie Chan movies that he had seen as a kid. I did not know that Chan was based on a real character who appears in this novel.

Blood and Thunder by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Nathan Heller takes on another bodyguard job. This time he works for Huey P. Long. Heller is not the best guard out there. In seven novels he loses three clients to an assassin. He is good at locating the hidden truth though. This novel about the death of Louisiana's most colorful politician is a lot of fun. Collins captures the feel of the period like few writers. I lived in Baton Rouge as a kid and I've taken many trips to see the holes in the marble walls where Long's bodyguards killed Weiss. Many older people I've known in this state believe in Weiss' innocence. Growing up I've heard many conspiracies. Most have to do with Roosevelt. All the players are here: Seymour Weiss, the thug bodyguards, Earl Long makes a cameo, even Carlos Marcellos shows up as a young and upcoming gangster. I assume that we will see Mr. Marcellos again in the book on the assassination of JFK.

Carnal Hours by Max Allan Collins

Once again Nathan Heller is on the case. This time Heller takes a seemingly easy case. He is hired to find evidence that a rich man's son-in-law is cheating. Instead his famous client is murdered and the son-in-law is arrested. Then the man's daughter hires Heller to prove her husband's innocence. Heller is up to his eyeballs in intrigue. Of course the job is made easier by the sexy women that he encounters. On the other hand he has to deal with the Duke of Windsor who seems to be setting up a frame for the son-in-law by using two mob connected policemen from Miami. Then there is Meyer Lansky. Does he have a stake in this? With a real life, star-studded cast that includes Erle Stanely Gardner and a certain famous British Naval Intelligence officer who will one day be a famous author. This is Nathan Heller at his best.

Stolen Away by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Stolen Away is the fifth novel in the Nathan Heller series. In the opening pages of the story Detective Heller of the Chicago Police foils a kidnapping. Everyone is on the lookout for the Lindbergh baby who has recently been taken. Heller thinks that he sees the baby and moves in. It turns out that he has cracked the wrong kidnapping case, but he is still celebrated as a hero. He is then recommended by Elliot Ness to go to New Jersey and help on the Lindbergh Kidnapping case. There is the belief that there may be a connection to the Chicago mob and Al Capone. Heller leaves for New Jersey and is pulled into the drama surrounding the most infamous kidnapping case of all time.

Collins is a great storyteller and he skillfully weaves his fictional character into the historical events. Before it is over Heller has dealt with psychics, including Edgar Cayce, mobsters, wealthy women, the New Jersey state police, IRS agents, and many others. This is a great addition to the Heller memoirs and takes place in the period before the first novel True Detective.

Neon Mirage by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Nathan Heller is hired to guard racketeer James Ragen. Ragen has been threatened by mobsters who want to take over his gambling wires. Something goes wrong and Ragen is shot in an ambush. Complicating the matters is Ragen's niece Peggy Hogan. Peggy and Nate have a past that is unknown to her family. Peggy wants Nate to find her uncle's attackers. Heller investigates trying to locate who hired the killers. The investigation eventually leads him out west where he meets up with Virginia Hill and finally with Benjamin Siegel. Siegel has gone west with the vision of turning the sleepy town of Las Vegas into a gambling paradise. Before he knows it Heller is involved with Siegal and helping him to train his security staff to spot pickpockets and to find out why so much material is disappearing from the casino sight. Of course all of this is complicated by the lovely Peggy who Nate is completely in love with. The only trouble, she has the hots for Siegal.

The story takes place in Chicago and Las Vegas in 1946. This is great modern noir at its best. Nathan Heller does not disappoint. Pick up this volume and enjoy the gangsters, cops, private eyes, and lovely ladies from the end of the gangster era.

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The Million Dollar Wound by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Another great Nate Heller mystery. After Pearl Harbor Nate Heller and his buddy Barney Ross get drunk, lie about their ages and join the Marines. They end up on Guadalcanal. Suffering from malaria Heller is pinned down while on patrol. Ross is wounded as are several others. Heller suffers battle fatigue and is honorably discharged after he recovers. After he is discharged he has to reacquaint himself with a case that he had worked on years before.

This one is a little more raw than the prior two. The novel has a lot of threads, Heller fighting on Guadalcanal. Heller investigating mob connections to unions in the late 30s. Heller dealing with both of those issues as he recovers from malaria he contracted on Guadalcanal. The threads interweave themselves throughout the book. Like all of the books it is well written, lots of fun, plenty of historical figures, and at least two conspiracy theories.

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True Crime by Max Allan Collins (A Nathan Heller Novel)

Nathan Heller is back. This time a routine case following a wife who may be unfaithful leads him into the Dillinger shooting. All the players from the period are here: Purvis, Dillinger, Nitti, as well as Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Alan Karpis, and the Barker gang. Lots of fun and some beautiful molls along the way.

It's often hard to give reviews dealing with crime and mystery stories without giving too much away. Let's just say that there are a lot of surprises along the way for Mr. Heller. Of course he also gets to bed some beautiful gals along the way, so it's not all bad.

The book is very enjoyable. Collins really knows how to get the feel of the Chicago of the 1930s

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True Detective by Max Allan Collins

First novel in the Nathan Heller series. Heller is a plainclothes detective on the Chicago police force. The year is 1932. Capone has just been taken down by Elliot Ness and is await appeal. The World’s Fair is coming to Chicago. In the middle of all of the young Heller is picked up by two of Mayor Cermack’s favorite detectives. They are on their way to roust Frank Nitti, the man who has taken over Capone’s business. At least that is what they tell Heller. The two detectives shoot Nitti and try to make it look like he was carrying a gun. This was a hit put out by the mayor. Heller saves Nitti’s life by calling for an ambulance.

Disgusted by the corruption on the police force Heller quits and opens his own private detective agency. His childhood friend, the boxer Barney Ross, gives him a place to stay. Heller is off to make his way in the world. Before the novel is over he has worked the World’s Fair, tangled with mobsters, slept with a couple of beautiful women, and watched as an assassin “misses” his chance to kill the newly elected President Roosevelt and instead shoots and kills Mayor Cermack.

This novel sets the tone for the Heller novels. The detective likes to think of himself as a jaded cynic. However he is constantly coming out doing the right thing, if not always in the right way. Tough as nails with a smart mouth Heller is the classic hardboiled, noir detective. 

Stolen Away by Max Allan Collins

Stolen Away is the fifth novel in the Nathan Heller series. In the opening pages of the story Detective Heller of the Chicago Police foils a kidnapping. He is then handpicked by Elliot Ness to go to New Jersey and help on the Lindbergh Kidnapping case. There is the belief that there may be a connection to the Chicago mob and Al Capone. Heller leaves for New Jersey and is pulled into the drama surrounding the most infamous kidnapping case of all time.
Collins is a great storyteller and he skillfully weaves his fictional character into the historical events. Before it is over Heller has dealt with psychics, including Edgar Cayce, mobsters, wealthy women, the New Jersey state police, IRS agents, and many others. I am unfamiliar with the details surrounding the Lindbergh case so I can't say how accurately he recreates the events. He certainly captures the period very well.
This is my first Nathan Heller book and also my first book by Max Allan Collins. After reading this book I noticed that there were several Kindle editions for less than $5. I bought them right away.
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