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Nathan Heller #5
Stolen Away
A $50,000 ransom. No police involvement, or else.
These were the demands. And this was the crime . . .
A man sneaks into the Lindbergh family home and snatches up twenty-month-old baby Charles, Jr. and disappears. So begins the kidnapping that shakes the nation. . . . Two months of torment shared with reporters and police, socialites and psychics, crooks and cranks. . . .
Enter detective Nathan Heller, handpicked by Colonel Lindbergh himself to work on the case. His search for truth takes him from a train station in Chicago to death row in the New Jersey state prison and finally, to a secluded farmhouse in Michigan. It's a twisted trail of deception, betrayal, and danger that ends in the most explosive act of violence Heller has ever seen. . . .
These were the demands. And this was the crime . . .
A man sneaks into the Lindbergh family home and snatches up twenty-month-old baby Charles, Jr. and disappears. So begins the kidnapping that shakes the nation. . . . Two months of torment shared with reporters and police, socialites and psychics, crooks and cranks. . . .
Enter detective Nathan Heller, handpicked by Colonel Lindbergh himself to work on the case. His search for truth takes him from a train station in Chicago to death row in the New Jersey state prison and finally, to a secluded farmhouse in Michigan. It's a twisted trail of deception, betrayal, and danger that ends in the most explosive act of violence Heller has ever seen. . . .
528 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1991
103 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
804 books1,321 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 31, 2022
In 1932, Charles Lindbergh was the nation's hero and the kidnapping of his infant son was considered the crime of the century with every detective and lawman worth his salt checking in on the case and every cheat and conman trying to hone in on the reward money. There are even those who today think the whole thing was an elaborate hoax or publicity stunt. It is hard to imagine today, but, like the 1990's OJ case, everyone in the country knew the names of all the players in the Lindbergh case and followed it daily in the news.
My large print hardcover copy of Stolen Away weighs in at 516 pages including the author's afterword. Apparently other editions have other assorted page lengths. In any event, it is not the longest novel ever written. War and Peace is longer. Atlas Shrugged is longer. We can debate whether it was necessary for Collins to publish something of this length, but it was better than having him chop it up into two or three connected novels as many authors today are wont to do.
Nathan Heller is Collins' fictional creation and has "lived" throughout the twentieth century, interacting with major players and major cases, starting with the Frank Nitti/Chicago Outfit books and heading into Monroe's death (Bye Bye Baby) and the Kennedy Assassination (Ask Not). This is the fifth book in the series and they can each be read as standalone novels.
Here, Heller is still a Chicago police officer and doesn't enter private practice (with the A1 Detective Agency) until later in the book. A few days into the Lindbergh kidnapping, Heller, working a pickpocket detail at a train station, spots a buxom blonde wheeling an infant through the station. Heller figures the blonde isn't the kid's mother and that it is Lindy jr. himself that she is escorting. Acting on his hunch, Heller foils a kidnapping, leaving a few hoods six feet under in the process. The only catch is that the kidnapping he stumbled on isn't Lindbergh's, but it gives Heller headlines and a reputation and the next thing he knows Eliot Ness has grabbed him and they offer to interview Capone in prison, Capone who offers to shake the toddler out from the underworld in return for reducing his sentence to time served.
The story goes on from there with Heller's reputation preceding him and Lindbergh himself requesting his assistance. The story focuses on the shipshod investigation and the failures of the local New Jersey police to preserve footprints or fingerprints. There are more world famous detectives gathered at the Lindbergh estate than one could imagine and each of them thinks his agency should be in charge.
Amidst this bumbling, amatuerish investigation, Heller is tasked with chasing down ridiculous leads, including engaging several psychics, including a sexy woman psychic, who looked like a whore and looked like a Madonna, in a desperate attempt to get some information. The story has Lindbergh and others who sought to aid him, including the richest woman in D.C. who has the Hope Diamond on her dog's collar, paying off conmen and grifters left and right.
Who knows who is legitimate and who is perpetrating a hoax? The story shows the chaos in the Lindbergh house and how Lindbergh cut off avenues of legitimate investigation and pursued ridiculous theories put forward by fortune hunters and other scoundrels.
It is a well written and well researched book and is based largely in history, not fiction, although of course there was no Nate Heller there (or was there?). It is a great read, but set aside a goodsized chunk of time for this one. Collins filled this book with so much detail and information that it is longer by far than most other Heller novels.
For someone like myself who did not know much about the Lindbergh fiasco, it was amazing to read the book and then read the true history and find out how much of the book is based on history, including all the puzzling questions about the Hauptman trial and the allegations of mob involvement.
Heller's involvement in the mystery certainly brought it to life for me. His annoyance with others involved rings true as well as his cynicism about the psychics and other kooks who claimed to have leads on the place the baby was being held. Also ringing true are Heller's dalliances with the sexy psychic and Evalyn McLean, who had money pouring out of her pores and who had a husky voice, "two parts sex, one part chain-smoking" and a ""Gibson Girl figure." These are real people with complications, not simply cartoon cutouts.
My large print hardcover copy of Stolen Away weighs in at 516 pages including the author's afterword. Apparently other editions have other assorted page lengths. In any event, it is not the longest novel ever written. War and Peace is longer. Atlas Shrugged is longer. We can debate whether it was necessary for Collins to publish something of this length, but it was better than having him chop it up into two or three connected novels as many authors today are wont to do.
Nathan Heller is Collins' fictional creation and has "lived" throughout the twentieth century, interacting with major players and major cases, starting with the Frank Nitti/Chicago Outfit books and heading into Monroe's death (Bye Bye Baby) and the Kennedy Assassination (Ask Not). This is the fifth book in the series and they can each be read as standalone novels.
Here, Heller is still a Chicago police officer and doesn't enter private practice (with the A1 Detective Agency) until later in the book. A few days into the Lindbergh kidnapping, Heller, working a pickpocket detail at a train station, spots a buxom blonde wheeling an infant through the station. Heller figures the blonde isn't the kid's mother and that it is Lindy jr. himself that she is escorting. Acting on his hunch, Heller foils a kidnapping, leaving a few hoods six feet under in the process. The only catch is that the kidnapping he stumbled on isn't Lindbergh's, but it gives Heller headlines and a reputation and the next thing he knows Eliot Ness has grabbed him and they offer to interview Capone in prison, Capone who offers to shake the toddler out from the underworld in return for reducing his sentence to time served.
The story goes on from there with Heller's reputation preceding him and Lindbergh himself requesting his assistance. The story focuses on the shipshod investigation and the failures of the local New Jersey police to preserve footprints or fingerprints. There are more world famous detectives gathered at the Lindbergh estate than one could imagine and each of them thinks his agency should be in charge.
Amidst this bumbling, amatuerish investigation, Heller is tasked with chasing down ridiculous leads, including engaging several psychics, including a sexy woman psychic, who looked like a whore and looked like a Madonna, in a desperate attempt to get some information. The story has Lindbergh and others who sought to aid him, including the richest woman in D.C. who has the Hope Diamond on her dog's collar, paying off conmen and grifters left and right.
Who knows who is legitimate and who is perpetrating a hoax? The story shows the chaos in the Lindbergh house and how Lindbergh cut off avenues of legitimate investigation and pursued ridiculous theories put forward by fortune hunters and other scoundrels.
It is a well written and well researched book and is based largely in history, not fiction, although of course there was no Nate Heller there (or was there?). It is a great read, but set aside a goodsized chunk of time for this one. Collins filled this book with so much detail and information that it is longer by far than most other Heller novels.
For someone like myself who did not know much about the Lindbergh fiasco, it was amazing to read the book and then read the true history and find out how much of the book is based on history, including all the puzzling questions about the Hauptman trial and the allegations of mob involvement.
Heller's involvement in the mystery certainly brought it to life for me. His annoyance with others involved rings true as well as his cynicism about the psychics and other kooks who claimed to have leads on the place the baby was being held. Also ringing true are Heller's dalliances with the sexy psychic and Evalyn McLean, who had money pouring out of her pores and who had a husky voice, "two parts sex, one part chain-smoking" and a ""Gibson Girl figure." These are real people with complications, not simply cartoon cutouts.
September 11, 2017
The fifth in the Nate Heller series, this jumps right back to 1932 when Nate is still in the Chicago police. The Heller books are very well researched and cleverly insert him into major events - in this case the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby and the follow up over the next 4 years. A very long book, with many twists and turns, which like the real case, never arrives at a solid conclusion
August 31, 2022
This is the fifth book in Collins' Nate Heller historical crime novels. The book actually takes place in 1932, prior to the first book in the series, TRUE DETECTIVE, and then continues on past the events in the first three books to 1936 and beyond. This makes it a little difficult to read these books in chronological order but does not distract from the telling of a really interesting historical event. The novel tells the story of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping from the perspective of Heller who travels from Chicago to New Jersey at the behest of Charles Lindbergh after hearing that Heller had solved a kidnapping case in Chicago. Heller becomes involved in the details of the kidnapping, the ransom, psychics, scam artists, and connections with the mob. He travels to visit the psychic, Edgar Cayce, who does a reading on the kidnapping. He then gets involved with Evalyn Walsh McLean, a very rich socialite and the last private owner of the Hope Diamond, who is working with a scam artist who claims he is in contact with the kidnappers and persuades McLean to give them $100,000. In the mean time, Lindbergh is working with another group to provide $70,000 for the baby's return. Then hopes are dashed when the baby's remains are found in the woods. Or are they?
Four years later, Heller returns to New Jersey at the behest of the Governor to try to determine if the man charged with the kidnapping, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, is in fact guilty or is he just a patsy? So was the baby found in the woods actually the Lindbergh baby? How is the mob involved in the kidnapping? Was Hauptmann involved? And can Heller get to the bottom of what really happened in this very convoluted case?
I really enjoy the Heller crime novels and this one was no exception. I didn't really know a lot about the Lindbergh case prior to reading this but Collins really did his research. Most of what occurs in the novel really happened and most of the characters were real. After reading this, I do want to read more about the actual case but not sure when or if. I will definitely be reading more of the Heller novels, hopefully soon. I have the next several on my TBR stacks. High recommendation for this series!
Four years later, Heller returns to New Jersey at the behest of the Governor to try to determine if the man charged with the kidnapping, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, is in fact guilty or is he just a patsy? So was the baby found in the woods actually the Lindbergh baby? How is the mob involved in the kidnapping? Was Hauptmann involved? And can Heller get to the bottom of what really happened in this very convoluted case?
I really enjoy the Heller crime novels and this one was no exception. I didn't really know a lot about the Lindbergh case prior to reading this but Collins really did his research. Most of what occurs in the novel really happened and most of the characters were real. After reading this, I do want to read more about the actual case but not sure when or if. I will definitely be reading more of the Heller novels, hopefully soon. I have the next several on my TBR stacks. High recommendation for this series!
February 23, 2009
This was at least 200% longer than it should have been. The writing was painfully self-aware (it not being 1936, doing an unselfconscious Raymond Chandler might actually be physically impossible), the personal relationships were poorly handled, and the whole thing just didn't hang together very well. As I said, at a much shorter length, it might have been very entertaining, and it did have some wholesome midwestern charm, but overall, not so great.
May 2, 2019
"Heller, isn't this getting a little Byzantine?"
No, it's very Byzantine. Late in this book, Nate Heller gives his suggested solution to the crime that is at the center of Stolen Away. That solution is so complicated that it takes twenty pages. This prompts the question above from the Treasury agent to whom Heller is speaking.
And the real case on which the book is based seems to have been equally complex. The case that Heller was investigating was "the Crime of the Century," the 1932 kidnapping and (probable) murder of twenty month old Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of the famous American hero, aviator Charles Lindbergh, and his wife, author Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
Nathan Heller is a continuing character in a series of mysteries by Max Allan Collins. Heller is originally a police officer in Chicago in the early 1930's, who goes on to become a renowned and very successful private investigator. Heller is involved with real crimes and many of the people in the books were also real. Stolen Away is the fifth novel in the series.
The following is excerpted from an article about the kidnapping on Wikipedia:
On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from the crib in the upper floor of his home in Highfields in East Amwell, New Jersey, United States. On May 12, the child's corpse was discovered by a truck driver off the side of a nearby road.
In September 1934, a German immigrant carpenter named Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime. After a trial that lasted from January 2 to February 13, 1935, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Despite his conviction, he continued to profess his innocence, but all appeals failed and he was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey State Prison on April 3, 1936.
Although many of the people in this book are based on people who really lived, only a few would be widely known, I think. Beside the Lindberghs, the most famous folks in the book are gangster Al Capone and lawman Eliot Ness, each of whom appears briefly. Mobster Frank Nitti has a larger role. Another real character with a prominent part in the book is the fabulously wealthy Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the equally fabulous Hope Diamond. She has an affair with Heller; since Heller is fictional, so is the affair.
The fact that most of the real people on which characters in this book are based are not really famous tends to make this story less interesting than other volumes in the series. The famous entertainers, politicians, writers, and others add a lot to these books. It is more fun to read about Heller's interactions with, say, Frank Sinatra and Robert Kennedy than with, in this book, New Jersey Governor Harold Hoffman. Likewise, Heller's affair with Evalyn Walsh McLean does not have the inherent interest of his relationships with Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe.
The main problem with this particular entry in the series is its length. At around 600 pages, it is quite a bit longer than the other volumes so far. However, the last forty or so pages of the book make up the section that I like best, so it is worth sticking with it.
No, it's very Byzantine. Late in this book, Nate Heller gives his suggested solution to the crime that is at the center of Stolen Away. That solution is so complicated that it takes twenty pages. This prompts the question above from the Treasury agent to whom Heller is speaking.
And the real case on which the book is based seems to have been equally complex. The case that Heller was investigating was "the Crime of the Century," the 1932 kidnapping and (probable) murder of twenty month old Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of the famous American hero, aviator Charles Lindbergh, and his wife, author Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
Nathan Heller is a continuing character in a series of mysteries by Max Allan Collins. Heller is originally a police officer in Chicago in the early 1930's, who goes on to become a renowned and very successful private investigator. Heller is involved with real crimes and many of the people in the books were also real. Stolen Away is the fifth novel in the series.
The following is excerpted from an article about the kidnapping on Wikipedia:
On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from the crib in the upper floor of his home in Highfields in East Amwell, New Jersey, United States. On May 12, the child's corpse was discovered by a truck driver off the side of a nearby road.
In September 1934, a German immigrant carpenter named Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime. After a trial that lasted from January 2 to February 13, 1935, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Despite his conviction, he continued to profess his innocence, but all appeals failed and he was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey State Prison on April 3, 1936.
Although many of the people in this book are based on people who really lived, only a few would be widely known, I think. Beside the Lindberghs, the most famous folks in the book are gangster Al Capone and lawman Eliot Ness, each of whom appears briefly. Mobster Frank Nitti has a larger role. Another real character with a prominent part in the book is the fabulously wealthy Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the equally fabulous Hope Diamond. She has an affair with Heller; since Heller is fictional, so is the affair.
The fact that most of the real people on which characters in this book are based are not really famous tends to make this story less interesting than other volumes in the series. The famous entertainers, politicians, writers, and others add a lot to these books. It is more fun to read about Heller's interactions with, say, Frank Sinatra and Robert Kennedy than with, in this book, New Jersey Governor Harold Hoffman. Likewise, Heller's affair with Evalyn Walsh McLean does not have the inherent interest of his relationships with Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe.
The main problem with this particular entry in the series is its length. At around 600 pages, it is quite a bit longer than the other volumes so far. However, the last forty or so pages of the book make up the section that I like best, so it is worth sticking with it.
November 26, 2021
Heller gets himself on the Lindbergh kidnapping case through a fluke.
I've read a lot about this case, although I certainly don't consider myself an expert. This book parallels my thought that virtually nobody involved acted at all rationally. Nobody knew what they were doing. The whole thing was a clusterf---.
And Heller's right in the middle of it.
I've read a lot about this case, although I certainly don't consider myself an expert. This book parallels my thought that virtually nobody involved acted at all rationally. Nobody knew what they were doing. The whole thing was a clusterf---.
And Heller's right in the middle of it.
February 13, 2014
This book hit me like a speed bump as I raced through the Nathan Heller crime history series. I've invested some time getting to know Heller and the series and was looking forward to the continuing changes, development and growth that had taken place in the first four books. The series begins with the "Frank Nitti trilogy" and then moves into a much changed Heller and country post WWII. In the last book, Heller was a witness to the building of Las Vegas by organized crime. But now we drop back more than a decade (this book actually begins BEFORE the first book in the series). Nitti is back. And Heller has not yet been altered by his wartime experience. It seems that Collins wanted to tell the story of the Lindbergh kidnapping so badly that it was worth interrupting the series to go back in time to one of the country's most notorious crimes. It's like a prequel except the second half of the book occurs four years later. So I'm not even sure when I would read this book if I were trying to put the series in order. I found the Lindbergh content interesting and was exposed to a side of the kidnapping I hadn't previously encountered. But the book does nothing to advance Heller or the series, is a bit long-winded and overall hit me as disjointed and distracting.
July 16, 2017
Fascinating series
I really like this series, as I am a fan of well-researched historical fiction. This particular novel is jam-packed with characters and events, almost overwhelmingly so. However, that just adds to the intrigue of the Lindbergh case, which was convoluted and complex. As is true of several of Collins' novels, there is so much information that I believe many authors would have made this into two books. I'm glad he didn't. I feel like I get to know the characters better. I feel invested while reading and satisfied when I finish one because nothing is left unsaid.
I am confused as to why this is #5 in the series, as the events occur before the events of novel #4. My best guess is that the author wanted to keep the mob characters together.
My only complaint about the series is the gratuitous and copious sex scenes that do nothing to advance the plot.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel and the series as a whole. Keller is quirky and clever, and Collins brings history to life.
I really like this series, as I am a fan of well-researched historical fiction. This particular novel is jam-packed with characters and events, almost overwhelmingly so. However, that just adds to the intrigue of the Lindbergh case, which was convoluted and complex. As is true of several of Collins' novels, there is so much information that I believe many authors would have made this into two books. I'm glad he didn't. I feel like I get to know the characters better. I feel invested while reading and satisfied when I finish one because nothing is left unsaid.
I am confused as to why this is #5 in the series, as the events occur before the events of novel #4. My best guess is that the author wanted to keep the mob characters together.
My only complaint about the series is the gratuitous and copious sex scenes that do nothing to advance the plot.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel and the series as a whole. Keller is quirky and clever, and Collins brings history to life.
October 18, 2017
Tall Tale
The Lindbergh kidnapping, Heller style, is one long, complex and Byzantine tale. It has more than one twist too many for my taste, and lacks the dynamism (its over 600 pages) genre thrillers usually take to spill the beans.
Heller himself is still a great character, the twists at the end work very well, but after a great take off, it becomes stuck in an interminable second act. For the uninitiated, MAC writes noir historical fiction taking real events and inserting his half Jewish, half Irish detective in the middle. It usually has a hot love interest -MAC likes his sex - but this one has a pretty flabby female writhing in the middle of things, and if she wasn't really in the tale, he would have had to invent someone else.
Charles Lindbergh comes off as an odd fish, but he is swimming in a pretty densely populated shark pond in this story. Heller is great at the end, but throughout the 620 pages, even he gets bored. The writing is sharp as ever, but the plot is something that could give you a really bad headache.
This is the 5th instalment, easily the longest, and by no means the best of the Heller series. Like the fool I am, I read the whole thing, and almost wished I put it down halfway.
The Lindbergh kidnapping, Heller style, is one long, complex and Byzantine tale. It has more than one twist too many for my taste, and lacks the dynamism (its over 600 pages) genre thrillers usually take to spill the beans.
Heller himself is still a great character, the twists at the end work very well, but after a great take off, it becomes stuck in an interminable second act. For the uninitiated, MAC writes noir historical fiction taking real events and inserting his half Jewish, half Irish detective in the middle. It usually has a hot love interest -MAC likes his sex - but this one has a pretty flabby female writhing in the middle of things, and if she wasn't really in the tale, he would have had to invent someone else.
Charles Lindbergh comes off as an odd fish, but he is swimming in a pretty densely populated shark pond in this story. Heller is great at the end, but throughout the 620 pages, even he gets bored. The writing is sharp as ever, but the plot is something that could give you a really bad headache.
This is the 5th instalment, easily the longest, and by no means the best of the Heller series. Like the fool I am, I read the whole thing, and almost wished I put it down halfway.
May 18, 2022
Good fictional history retelling the Lindbergh kidnapping tragedy of nearly a hundred years ago. Author Max Allen Collins places his fictional detective , Nate Heller, as his “ fly on the wall” giving the reader his insider knowledge of the investigations ( plural) that swirled around the crime. As a Chicago detective who had some mob connections, Heller goes to New Jersey ostensively to see if Al Capone’s gang cronies might have kidnapped the Lindbergh baby.
The first hundred pages of the books sets all this up and draws the reader in. The next 200 pages , filled as they are with a large cast of characters, competing police departments , con men, seers, venal reporters ( but I repeat myself) and other opportunists, slow down the pace of the book. It was a bit of a slog. The book was redeemed somewhat in the last hundred pages as everything is tied together in a startling and satisfying ending. Fiction that may be not too far off the mark- maybe.
“ Stolen Away” is not one of the better books of the Nate Heller series. Mr Collins tried too hard to get all of his research into the story and left excitement until late in the plot
Summary: fair to good kinda true history.
The first hundred pages of the books sets all this up and draws the reader in. The next 200 pages , filled as they are with a large cast of characters, competing police departments , con men, seers, venal reporters ( but I repeat myself) and other opportunists, slow down the pace of the book. It was a bit of a slog. The book was redeemed somewhat in the last hundred pages as everything is tied together in a startling and satisfying ending. Fiction that may be not too far off the mark- maybe.
“ Stolen Away” is not one of the better books of the Nate Heller series. Mr Collins tried too hard to get all of his research into the story and left excitement until late in the plot
Summary: fair to good kinda true history.
November 16, 2020
This was my first Nathan Heller story, chosen more because of the subject matter: the mystery of the kidnapped Lindbergh baby. Set in the 1930s (incident happened in 1932), it captures the mores and value system of the era. Heller is a womanizer, and the role of women, different ethnic groups (Germans come off badly in the era after WWI), and races -- well, that was then, even if it does grate a bit to read it now. The Feds don't come off all that well either, but then the level of corruption (local, state & federal) was huge in the Capone, Nitti, and Luciano days. Organized crime is a much bigger character in the story than I realized. I was also surprised by the many references to Norfolk, and Virginia Beach -- the whole Edgar Cayce angle. In the end, Lindbergh does not come off well, and that was my understanding and belief from the beginning, even before reading the story. The epilogue is useful to let the reader know what happened to all the story's principals into the 1980s.
March 19, 2022
This is a long book, maybe a bit too long, a sort of prequel in the Nathan Heller series by Max Allan Collins.
We start when Heller is still a Chicago cop, before the events of the first book, and discover how Heller gets involved in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the crime of the century. Most of the book takes place in the weeks right after the kidnapping, as Heller and others pursue lead after lead in order to get the baby back. And then we move forward several years, when Heller is a private detective, and the loose ends come back to haunt him.
I have given up on being frustrated with Heller getting involved in every major case in the 20th century and just decided to enjoy it. This story however was a bit too long and didn't get all that interesting until the last third or so. But still looking forward to the next one!
We start when Heller is still a Chicago cop, before the events of the first book, and discover how Heller gets involved in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the crime of the century. Most of the book takes place in the weeks right after the kidnapping, as Heller and others pursue lead after lead in order to get the baby back. And then we move forward several years, when Heller is a private detective, and the loose ends come back to haunt him.
I have given up on being frustrated with Heller getting involved in every major case in the 20th century and just decided to enjoy it. This story however was a bit too long and didn't get all that interesting until the last third or so. But still looking forward to the next one!
September 12, 2020
The Nathan Heller books are my favorite series because of the character himself and I enjoy seeing how he finds his way into some of the most famous crimes of the 20th Century and how he interacts with various notorious individuals. Heller's involvement in the Lindbergh kidnapping case is very complex and as usual takes you down some unlikely paths. But as always, it is a hell of an interesting ride.
August 13, 2024
This is a very long story, often dragging the details behind it.
It is a fictionalized telling of the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby. Many of the real life participants are involved but with a fictional ending.
I am anxious to read other versions of this event now, to see how they compare.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
It is a fictionalized telling of the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby. Many of the real life participants are involved but with a fictional ending.
I am anxious to read other versions of this event now, to see how they compare.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
May 18, 2021
History in the form of a novel
If you enjoy a story that takes you on an odessey, this is for you. It took me awhile to appreciate the story but once I did, it kept my interest. It probably can't be read in 1 sitting so be prepared for a long journey. Its worth it.
If you enjoy a story that takes you on an odessey, this is for you. It took me awhile to appreciate the story but once I did, it kept my interest. It probably can't be read in 1 sitting so be prepared for a long journey. Its worth it.
September 2, 2024
Nathan Heller continues to solve the unsolvable historic mysteries. In this one he attempts to solve the Lindbergh kidnapping. Collins does good research on his stories to get the facts as close as possible to form to the story. Highly recommended.
September 28, 2024
Stolen Away
I remember reading this book a few years ago and always hoped to find another copy. It was worth waiting for!
The story moves fast, and the characters are lifelike!
Stolen Away is a good read! Take a few hours and enjoy it!
I remember reading this book a few years ago and always hoped to find another copy. It was worth waiting for!
The story moves fast, and the characters are lifelike!
Stolen Away is a good read! Take a few hours and enjoy it!
February 22, 2020
Good read, lot of information to digest, but it keeps you want to read more. If you like the Nate Heller books, you'll love this one!
April 24, 2020
This one got reeeeeeally convoluted.
December 27, 2022
My second read of this fast paced book. Reads like a non-fiction. Best of the Lindbergh novels.
March 25, 2024
The historical stuff was interesting. The new twist on this case was also fascinating. The writing was sparse but with the right amount of humor. I got a little lost with all the characters though.
May 6, 2024
Solid entry in the Nate Heller series. Mystery revolves around the Lindberg kidnapping. Not my favorite of the series but I really enjoyed it a lot. Give it a read!
August 17, 2020
Collins brings Nate Heller back to become involved in one of the earlier "Crimes of the Century" the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping. Since the kidnapping took place in March of 1932, the first part of the book occurs while Heller is still a detective with the Chicago P.D. and the later part just after he opened his Heller Detective Agency. Due to his recovery of kidnapped child in the immediate aftermath of and initial investigation of the kidnapping, Lindbergh requests Heller act as a liaison and assist in the investigation (something somewhat similar did happen because of the overtures of Al Capone that he could get the Lindbergh Baby back). So we see the investigation through the eyes of Heller as he interacts with most of the actual players (and a couple that are pastiches). He's later called on by the Governor of New Jersey to see if he can find evidence either exonerating Richard Hauptmann or at least show he didn't work alone.
Collins, as is his want in this series, gives us every possible conspiracy theory. You know full well if you've read any previous Heller novels that, at the very least, Hauptmann didn't work alone, and that he's likely innocent. One of the joys of reading these novels in the internet age is that it's a lot easier to follow Collins down his rabbit holes and get a better view on both the views that Heller is presenting and the conventional wisdom as to what happened. It had been a significan amount of time since I'd done any real reading on the case. My take-away is that, while I don't by any means subscribe to the view of Heller, there's ample evidence that the case was screwed up from the get-go due to incredibly sloppy police work in the initial investigation, the general ineptness of Norman Schwarzkopf, and Lindbergh insisting on controlling the investigation.
The read was a bit of a roller-coaster. At first it seemed like it was going to be standard Heller. About 1/3 of the way in I was thinking that it was actually going to be my least favorite of the series thus far. But then at just past the half-way mark it really turned around and I lost sleep pursuing the second half of the book.
It's a good read. And if it drags at points it is well worth pushing through.
Collins, as is his want in this series, gives us every possible conspiracy theory. You know full well if you've read any previous Heller novels that, at the very least, Hauptmann didn't work alone, and that he's likely innocent. One of the joys of reading these novels in the internet age is that it's a lot easier to follow Collins down his rabbit holes and get a better view on both the views that Heller is presenting and the conventional wisdom as to what happened. It had been a significan amount of time since I'd done any real reading on the case. My take-away is that, while I don't by any means subscribe to the view of Heller, there's ample evidence that the case was screwed up from the get-go due to incredibly sloppy police work in the initial investigation, the general ineptness of Norman Schwarzkopf, and Lindbergh insisting on controlling the investigation.
The read was a bit of a roller-coaster. At first it seemed like it was going to be standard Heller. About 1/3 of the way in I was thinking that it was actually going to be my least favorite of the series thus far. But then at just past the half-way mark it really turned around and I lost sleep pursuing the second half of the book.
It's a good read. And if it drags at points it is well worth pushing through.
July 13, 2019
More than halfway through -- depressing how many jump on the blackmail bandwagon, leading of course to frustrating dead ends. Fast reading, believable.
Very pleased with the resolution to this case.
I'm now intrigued enough to investigate the published material about this crime.
Very pleased with the resolution to this case.
I'm now intrigued enough to investigate the published material about this crime.
December 25, 2021
I have been reading the Heller books in order and i notice that I have given them all 3 stars . Just enough to put the next one in my library to read in the future. The book was too long and I think it is because Heller did a whole lot of research and put in all the details he uncovered from numerous theories presented by a large group of people and melded it into one story. As usual Collins does a very good job of taking as many historical facts as possible, inserting his detective and then adding fictional story lines to flesh out the historical facts and tie them together in a story. Unfortunately i was never all that interested in the Lindbergh kidnapping other than the basic story. I was surprised to see in the epilogue how many sources Keller referenced in his research. I was also surprised at just how much had been written about the case and all the theories developed.
February 18, 2014
Not a single Nathan Heller-book has started off as strong as “Stolen Away” does.
Opening with Heller doing some actual police work, the reader is brought along for the chase of a woman hastily carrying around a baby boy in downtown Chicago. This being 1932 and half of the world being obsessed with the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s baby, Nathan is confident he might actually solve the case as he tracks woman and child through the windy city. It makes for a heart stopping, nerve wrecking passage; and I immediately had high hopes Max Allen Collins had the Heller-series back at the level of brilliance which the first book of the series, “True Detective”, showed so promisingly.
In the end, the baby Heller trails turns out not to be Lindbergh Jr. But his efforts are rewarded nonetheless when Heller is asked to join the actual Lindbergh-investigation after recommendations by Elliot Ness himself.
Shortly after arriving at the scene in New Jersey, Heller discovers an absolute mess. Biggest cause for this turns out to be Charles Lindbergh himself, being obsessed with leading the investigation in order to be fully responsible for the safe return of his son. This however, also leads to an utterly unorganized police force, the press destroying every chance at handling the case discretely and with several underworld figures crawling their way into the scene. With the crucial start of the investigation so horribly screwed up, Heller will have a hell of a time to sort out what went on during that faithful night at the mansion when the boy was stolen away. If he’s able to sort it out at all.
There’s an obsessive tone to the entire investigation, and Heller more than once confesses this case might just make him go mad. Author Max Allen Collins’ experience must’ve been the same. But the massive amount of research Collins (and co.) has done in order to write this novel, shows through in the finished product. The lavish amount of detail, characters and – frankly – number of pages make for a plot in which every possible angle to this twisted, byzantine case is examined. In order to make that work, the reader needs to be as interested in the case as its writer is, though. And that might be asking a bit much.
True, there is a lot of story to cover, which in Heller/Collins’ case spans almost 60 years. But the way it’s set up, demands the reader to either keep notes or have him/her read the book in one sitting, if you want to keep track of all the people (or in this case, Colonels) mentioned in this story. There are no recaps, so attention is required all the way through. Which is irritating at times, since not all people brought on stage turn out to be essential to the plot. In that case, “Stolen Away” might be well over a hundred pages too long.
Yet during its best moments, “Stolen Away” is the greatest Heller-book ever written. Even though it occasional cracks under its own weight, that doesn’t make the book any less impressive or gripping as a whole. People interested in true crime, and the Lindbergh-kidnapping in particular, will be greatly entertained by this work.
Opening with Heller doing some actual police work, the reader is brought along for the chase of a woman hastily carrying around a baby boy in downtown Chicago. This being 1932 and half of the world being obsessed with the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s baby, Nathan is confident he might actually solve the case as he tracks woman and child through the windy city. It makes for a heart stopping, nerve wrecking passage; and I immediately had high hopes Max Allen Collins had the Heller-series back at the level of brilliance which the first book of the series, “True Detective”, showed so promisingly.
In the end, the baby Heller trails turns out not to be Lindbergh Jr. But his efforts are rewarded nonetheless when Heller is asked to join the actual Lindbergh-investigation after recommendations by Elliot Ness himself.
Shortly after arriving at the scene in New Jersey, Heller discovers an absolute mess. Biggest cause for this turns out to be Charles Lindbergh himself, being obsessed with leading the investigation in order to be fully responsible for the safe return of his son. This however, also leads to an utterly unorganized police force, the press destroying every chance at handling the case discretely and with several underworld figures crawling their way into the scene. With the crucial start of the investigation so horribly screwed up, Heller will have a hell of a time to sort out what went on during that faithful night at the mansion when the boy was stolen away. If he’s able to sort it out at all.
There’s an obsessive tone to the entire investigation, and Heller more than once confesses this case might just make him go mad. Author Max Allen Collins’ experience must’ve been the same. But the massive amount of research Collins (and co.) has done in order to write this novel, shows through in the finished product. The lavish amount of detail, characters and – frankly – number of pages make for a plot in which every possible angle to this twisted, byzantine case is examined. In order to make that work, the reader needs to be as interested in the case as its writer is, though. And that might be asking a bit much.
True, there is a lot of story to cover, which in Heller/Collins’ case spans almost 60 years. But the way it’s set up, demands the reader to either keep notes or have him/her read the book in one sitting, if you want to keep track of all the people (or in this case, Colonels) mentioned in this story. There are no recaps, so attention is required all the way through. Which is irritating at times, since not all people brought on stage turn out to be essential to the plot. In that case, “Stolen Away” might be well over a hundred pages too long.
Yet during its best moments, “Stolen Away” is the greatest Heller-book ever written. Even though it occasional cracks under its own weight, that doesn’t make the book any less impressive or gripping as a whole. People interested in true crime, and the Lindbergh-kidnapping in particular, will be greatly entertained by this work.
August 11, 2016
Well, this is a pleasant shift. Collins starts off with P.I. Nate Heller actually showing his detective chops. We find some real sleuthing and reasoning before and after Nate gets a recommendation from Eliot Ness to help out the Lindberghs.
Just a reminder: Time Magazine lists the kidnapping of the Lindbergh's baby as the top crime of the 20th Century. http://content.time.com/time/specials...
In the depths of the Depression, 1932, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh awoke to find their only child, Charles Jr., missing. Several ransoms were paid with no results. Clandestine meetings with various people, claiming to have contact with the "kidnappers", were held. "Evidence" was manufactured by criminals, cops and reporters. Two years of investigation went on, with millions of dollars spent by enforcement agencies including police in NY, NJ, IL, the FBI, the Treasury Department, before Bruno Richard Hauptmann was incarcerated.
This may be Max Allan Collins' most ambitious effort. I am trying to avoid spoilers while giving you a clear idea about what this mystery thriller/historical novel is all about. It is obvious without reading Collins' credits that he assembled an extensive research team that reviewed as much of the historical record as is possible before the writing began.
Among the issues still in dispute are:
Was Hauptmann the real killer?
If so, did he act alone?
If not, was he even involved with the the murderer?
Was organized crime involved?
Did Lindbergh override police and frustrate the search for his child?
Did Lucky Lindy perjure himself at the Hauptmann trial?
What were the "real" motives behind the kidnapping?
Was the body in evidence really that of Charles, Jr.?
Sorry, if I made you nod off with this list. The reason why I bestow 5 stars on this book is because Collins has written a pot-boiler whose action rarely pauses while tackling these issues and giving the reader a sense of the chaos that permeated the attempts to recover this baby for his parents. You know that Heller has to fail at this, because history says that the Lindberghs moved on and Hauptmann was executed. But, this yarn is compelling and, even if you don't know Nate Heller from his other Collins' adventures, you can read this and soak up much of the times and troubles of the 1930s.
Just a reminder: Time Magazine lists the kidnapping of the Lindbergh's baby as the top crime of the 20th Century. http://content.time.com/time/specials...
In the depths of the Depression, 1932, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh awoke to find their only child, Charles Jr., missing. Several ransoms were paid with no results. Clandestine meetings with various people, claiming to have contact with the "kidnappers", were held. "Evidence" was manufactured by criminals, cops and reporters. Two years of investigation went on, with millions of dollars spent by enforcement agencies including police in NY, NJ, IL, the FBI, the Treasury Department, before Bruno Richard Hauptmann was incarcerated.
This may be Max Allan Collins' most ambitious effort. I am trying to avoid spoilers while giving you a clear idea about what this mystery thriller/historical novel is all about. It is obvious without reading Collins' credits that he assembled an extensive research team that reviewed as much of the historical record as is possible before the writing began.
Among the issues still in dispute are:
Was Hauptmann the real killer?
If so, did he act alone?
If not, was he even involved with the the murderer?
Was organized crime involved?
Did Lindbergh override police and frustrate the search for his child?
Did Lucky Lindy perjure himself at the Hauptmann trial?
What were the "real" motives behind the kidnapping?
Was the body in evidence really that of Charles, Jr.?
Sorry, if I made you nod off with this list. The reason why I bestow 5 stars on this book is because Collins has written a pot-boiler whose action rarely pauses while tackling these issues and giving the reader a sense of the chaos that permeated the attempts to recover this baby for his parents. You know that Heller has to fail at this, because history says that the Lindberghs moved on and Hauptmann was executed. But, this yarn is compelling and, even if you don't know Nate Heller from his other Collins' adventures, you can read this and soak up much of the times and troubles of the 1930s.
June 9, 2015
Mystery novel based on the Lindbergh kidnapping case, populated with real-life characters like Eliot Ness and Al Capone, as well as the Lindberghs.
Charles Lindbergh does not fair well here, with his micro-mismanaging of the investigation and the New Jersey State Police come in for a fair share of abuse for their incompetence.
Collins assertion is that the kidnapping was masterminded by Al Capone from prison to give him the chance to "solve" the crime and earn his way out of prison. But when it didn't work, two groups of extortionists,neither of whom was involved in the kidnapping or knew where the boy was, started negotiating the ransom! In the end, Bruno Hauptmann was wrongly accused, convicted, and executed for the crime (in an attempt, again masterminded by Capone, to bring the case to a close and draw attention away from the baby), when in fact the the Lindbergh baby was adopted and raised by former mob parents on a farm in Michigan and then somewhere in the midwest, and still apparently alive at the time of the writing of the novel in 1991!
OK, so maybe it is mystery novel claptrap, but it appears to be fascinatingly plausible the way Collins tells it. And it passed my critical mass test with flying colors and bleary eyes: about half the way through the 593-book, I knew I would have to read it straight through to the end, which I did, finishing up about 1:45 am.
Just missed the What a classic! rating due to more PG-13 sex and R swearing than necessary.
Charles Lindbergh does not fair well here, with his micro-mismanaging of the investigation and the New Jersey State Police come in for a fair share of abuse for their incompetence.
Collins assertion is that the kidnapping was masterminded by Al Capone from prison to give him the chance to "solve" the crime and earn his way out of prison. But when it didn't work, two groups of extortionists,neither of whom was involved in the kidnapping or knew where the boy was, started negotiating the ransom! In the end, Bruno Hauptmann was wrongly accused, convicted, and executed for the crime (in an attempt, again masterminded by Capone, to bring the case to a close and draw attention away from the baby), when in fact the the Lindbergh baby was adopted and raised by former mob parents on a farm in Michigan and then somewhere in the midwest, and still apparently alive at the time of the writing of the novel in 1991!
OK, so maybe it is mystery novel claptrap, but it appears to be fascinatingly plausible the way Collins tells it. And it passed my critical mass test with flying colors and bleary eyes: about half the way through the 593-book, I knew I would have to read it straight through to the end, which I did, finishing up about 1:45 am.
Just missed the What a classic! rating due to more PG-13 sex and R swearing than necessary.
December 23, 2012
I first started reading this book in 1992, the year it was released. Half-way through, I came down with a nasty case of the flu. the book sat unread again, bookmark in place, for months. Over the next few years, I tried several times to finish it, but I had lost the narrative thread.
Twenty years later, I have started again from the beginning, and this time I have finally finished reading Stolen Away. It has aged well.
The Lindburgh kidnapping was a convoluted debacle, one of the all-time great shames of law enforcement. Collins, in this novel, dives head-first into this mess of history and comes up with a solution that's so crazy it just might make sense. There's no way in hell it could ever be verified, but what the hell, it's satisfying as a semi-solution to one of the Twentieth Century's great mystery. And along the way, Collins has crafted yet another excellent mystery novel, full of humor and thrills and characters (both real and fictional) that are full of life.
The book drags a bit along the mid-way point, because PI Nate Heller seems to investigate too many meaningless leads, but every apparent dead end in the investigation comes to fruition in the novel's final quarter. It's a fantastic novel. Don't miss it, and don't take 20 years to read it like I did.
Twenty years later, I have started again from the beginning, and this time I have finally finished reading Stolen Away. It has aged well.
The Lindburgh kidnapping was a convoluted debacle, one of the all-time great shames of law enforcement. Collins, in this novel, dives head-first into this mess of history and comes up with a solution that's so crazy it just might make sense. There's no way in hell it could ever be verified, but what the hell, it's satisfying as a semi-solution to one of the Twentieth Century's great mystery. And along the way, Collins has crafted yet another excellent mystery novel, full of humor and thrills and characters (both real and fictional) that are full of life.
The book drags a bit along the mid-way point, because PI Nate Heller seems to investigate too many meaningless leads, but every apparent dead end in the investigation comes to fruition in the novel's final quarter. It's a fantastic novel. Don't miss it, and don't take 20 years to read it like I did.
March 28, 2013
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.
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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