Hard Cash

Nolan #5

by Max Allan Collins

Heist-man Nolan is enjoying his retirement from crime, running his own restaurant, when the president of a bank he robbed two years ago shows up with a blackmail demand. All Nolan has to do is rob the bank again--and play patsy to a sexy girl friend's murder scheme. Says the Atlanta Journal "Collins has a gift for creating believable low-life characters." With a new Introduction by the author.

Genres: Crime

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1981

About the author

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.

He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.

Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black

Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ

Reviews

[Chad]

Nolan is a retired thief. One with a complicated past. Now those complications have come looking for him. One is out for revenge. The other for the money. Nolan will need to survive both.

[Dave]

The theme behind the novel “Hard Cash” seems to be what happens when a crook retires from the life and his past catches up with him. Nolan and Jon have had a few adventures together in the first four novels of this series (Bait Money, Blood Money, Fly Paper, and Hush Money). In this book, although Nolan and Jon are trying to play it straight, as they walk down the street, the dark shadows from their past are nipping at their heels.

[Randy]

Nolan and Jon are living the straight life. The money from their last job(Hush Money) had been invested in a high class restaurant owned by an friend of Nolan, a man who had to slow down after two strokes. Their share of the profit was coming in nicely and Nolan's salary for managing the place helped, as well as the antiques Jon's late uncle had collected.

But then George Rigley stepped back into their lives. He was the bank manager from their first big job together(Bait Money) and he'd recognized them. he didn't want them arrested though. He wanted them to rob the bank again!

Old George had him a gold digging young girl friend he;d been embezzling money from the bank to keep up and he knows he's about to be replaced, which will get him discovered. He tries blackmail, with proofs that they pulled the job. That money was gone up in smoke from an old enemy(Blood Money).

It wasn't hard to pull them back into the job. The blackmail didn't work.

But there was another player in the game.

Someone had murdered Breen, their old partner from the last job, then broke into Jon's place the next day, opening the big safe, empty of course, and rifling the living quarters upstairs as Jon came home. he was kicked unconscious as they escaped.

Nolan wanted to postpone the job until he could figure who these people were, but the amateurs were having none of it.

And there was one further double cross set up for them.

[Douglas Castagna]

I had really wanted to like the series and it started off with a bang but seems to be petering out for me. I was disappointed by the last two books and this one was the last straw. I am finished with this series, for now anyway. I found the action forced and the story very contrived, it is also a manipulative story which tries to force the reader into the next installment by leaving many loose ends. Not having it.

[Pepijn]

Another quick, solid and action-packed Nolan & Jon adventure. Pulled into another heist while sort of trying to go straight with their... hard-earned money. This story marks the return of some old friends (very, very sarcastic), which is always fun. A downside of Hard Cash is that it leaves a lot of loose ends, clearly setting up for Scratch Fever, but I personally don't mind that. Also, the femme fatale in this one is amazing and I'm glad she'll return in the next installment.

[Randall Coan]

Another Great Nolan

I love the Nolan series by Max Allan Collins. I'm a huge fan of his work in general, and the Nolan novels rank highly for me among his many works. The pace is quick, hard hitting, with some nice doses of dry humor to lighten the load of the very well done noir heist novel. I very much recommend Hard Cash and the series in general.

[David C Ward]

Not the best Collins - or Nolan. The set up is fine but there's too much exposition - telling not showing -- of the characters backgrounds and mind sets. Although there's a nicely sardonic ending it's hard to believe that Nolan would be beaten by the girl.

[Bruce Nieminski]

8/10

181 pages

[Trevor]

This instalment was entertaining.

[Nick]

4/5
Very quick and fun. The best part about this series is that there really is no time lapse in between books. They kind of start where the other ends. This thief is still very unlucky.

[Jay Rothermel]

"I want you to rob my bank again."

* * *

“Nolan?” Jon said again. Almost whispering. “What are we going to do?”
“Go straight,” Nolan said.

[Chris]

Modern hard=boiled Nolan adventures continue

[Lucas M]

Perfect Noir

What can I say? Max Allan Collins always delivers. This is the third Nolan book I've read and they all deliver satisfying pulpy goodness.