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Eliot Ness #2
Butcher's Dozen
The former Untouchable teams up with a rookie cop, a headline-hungry reporter, and a beautiful woman in order to catch a crazed killer whose butchery has Cleveland in terror
263 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
5 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
812 books1,327 followersReceived 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 26, 2023
Butcher’s Dozen, Max Allan Collins [Wolfpack Press].
Inspired by real events, Butcher’s Dozen is a historical fiction crime novel by Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition. Elliott Ness, Public Safety Commissioner of Cleveland stakes his career and reputation to personally investigate a series of murders committed by a killer, dubbed by the press, The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
***
Max Allan Collins is one of America’s most lauded writers of hard boiled detective fiction. A 25 time recipient of the Shamus Award from Private Eye Writers of America. He is the author of the Nolan series, as well as the Quarry novels. He has completed and continued Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels. He’s written numerous media tie-ins including adaptations of Saving Private Ryan, CSI, Bones, and Dick Tracy.
***
Butcher’s Dozen was first published as a paperback original in 1988 by Bantam Books. It has been reprinted in a revised edition by Wolfpack Press in 2020.
Inspired by real events, Butcher’s Dozen is a historical fiction crime novel by Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition. Elliott Ness, Public Safety Commissioner of Cleveland stakes his career and reputation to personally investigate a series of murders committed by a killer, dubbed by the press, The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
***
Max Allan Collins is one of America’s most lauded writers of hard boiled detective fiction. A 25 time recipient of the Shamus Award from Private Eye Writers of America. He is the author of the Nolan series, as well as the Quarry novels. He has completed and continued Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels. He’s written numerous media tie-ins including adaptations of Saving Private Ryan, CSI, Bones, and Dick Tracy.
***
Butcher’s Dozen was first published as a paperback original in 1988 by Bantam Books. It has been reprinted in a revised edition by Wolfpack Press in 2020.
January 30, 2026
This is the second of Max Allan Collins' excellent Eliot Ness novels--fictionalized versions of some real-life cases Ness worked while he was Safety Director in Cleveland. (A job he took after his Untouchables days--he was in charge of the police and fire departments.)
In this one, Ness and his hand-picked detectives are looking into the Torso Murders--the work of a particularly vicious serial killer who dismembers his victims before disposing of the bodies. There's not a lot for Ness to work with. The bodies are often found without heads and most of them are unidentified. But Ness and his crew keep digging for clues.
Collins' characterization of Ness and the other characters (many of them composites of real-life people) are strong and his police-procedural plot keeps the reader engrossed in a superbly-told story.
In real life, the Torso Killer was never officially caught, though the killings did eventually stop. In the novel, the case is resolved in a satisfying manner, with there being reasons to keep the solution from the public. Collins' research into the case is impressive and he presents a solution that very well might mirror the actual events.
Collins is a great novelist and I'm continuing to enjoy his take on Eliot Ness. This one (and, in fact, the entire four-book series) is highly recommended.
In this one, Ness and his hand-picked detectives are looking into the Torso Murders--the work of a particularly vicious serial killer who dismembers his victims before disposing of the bodies. There's not a lot for Ness to work with. The bodies are often found without heads and most of them are unidentified. But Ness and his crew keep digging for clues.
Collins' characterization of Ness and the other characters (many of them composites of real-life people) are strong and his police-procedural plot keeps the reader engrossed in a superbly-told story.
In real life, the Torso Killer was never officially caught, though the killings did eventually stop. In the novel, the case is resolved in a satisfying manner, with there being reasons to keep the solution from the public. Collins' research into the case is impressive and he presents a solution that very well might mirror the actual events.
Collins is a great novelist and I'm continuing to enjoy his take on Eliot Ness. This one (and, in fact, the entire four-book series) is highly recommended.
September 12, 2021
Collins returns to Eliot Ness during his time as Safety Director for the City of Cleveland as Ness takes on the most important criminal case in Cleveland history, The Torso Murders. Ness was historically involved in the Torso Murders and Collins does a good job of weaving historical fact in with the fictional narrative. The murders went unsolved, though Ness believed he found the murderer, but would have been unable to have obtained a conviction. Here, Collins uses a fictional proxy for Ness' preferred killer, one that is almost as politically connected as the individual that Ness believed was the killer.
Collins is a master at the historical detective novel. And while the Ness books aren't on par with his Heller novels, they're still a good read that deftly blends history and fiction.
Collins is a master at the historical detective novel. And while the Ness books aren't on par with his Heller novels, they're still a good read that deftly blends history and fiction.
November 4, 2020
I received my signed copy of this novel as giveaway from the author with the request that I provide a review. I am a big fan of Max Allan Collins. I have read all of the Quarry novels, Ms. Tree, many of his Mickey Spillane adaptations and one of Nathan Heller books. I am not as fond of his historical adaptations. I gave this novel 4 stars.
The first third of the book was a little slow as Collins established the historical background and factual basis of the story.
Once we get about from midway through to the end, the story and writing grab you in typical Collins fashion. My rating is a blend of a 3 for the first third and 5 for the rest of the book. I knew nothing about the historical case that the book is based on before reading the book. Strongly recommended for fans of the Devil in the White City.
The first third of the book was a little slow as Collins established the historical background and factual basis of the story.
Once we get about from midway through to the end, the story and writing grab you in typical Collins fashion. My rating is a blend of a 3 for the first third and 5 for the rest of the book. I knew nothing about the historical case that the book is based on before reading the book. Strongly recommended for fans of the Devil in the White City.
February 25, 2019
The Eliot Ness tales are interesting, much more details than the Untouchables ever gave
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews