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Nathan Heller #1
True Detective
11 hrs and 29 mins
In the mob-choked Chicago of 1932, private detective Nathan Heller may be willing to risk his life to earn a Depression dollar, but he never sacrifices his slicing wit. That’s why mystery fans and critics alike rank the historical thriller True Detective at the top of their lists —and why the book swept up a Shamus Award for best novel from the Private Eye Writers of America.
In the mob-choked Chicago of 1932, private detective Nathan Heller may be willing to risk his life to earn a Depression dollar, but he never sacrifices his slicing wit. That’s why mystery fans and critics alike rank the historical thriller True Detective at the top of their lists —and why the book swept up a Shamus Award for best novel from the Private Eye Writers of America.
Now, author Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition) reissues the contemporary classic that introduces the inscrutable, wise-cracking Nathan Heller in all his guts and glory. Mayor Cermak aims to scrub up Chicago’s rancid reputation for the World’s Fair, and that daunting task comes down to the youngest plainclothes cop in town, Nathan Heller of the pickpocket detail.
When the Mayor’s “Hoodlum Squad” brings Heller along on a raid with no instructions but to keep his mouth shut and his gun handy, he finds himself an unwitting, unwilling part of an assassination attempt on Al Capone’s successor, Frank Nitti. Soon, he’s smack in the middle of a power struggle between the mob and the mayor, and it’s up to the young detective to upend a potentially nation-shaking political assassination in Miami Beach. In Collins’ eruptive and evocative large-landscape historical thriller, readers consort with the likes of “Dutch” Reagan, George Raft, and FDR himself, as the author weaves the intricate history of the Chicago’s Century of Progress with a classic noir mystery. Rich in riveting plot turns, including a beautiful female client and a heartbreaking romance, True Detective is one of the most highly entertaining and unlikely coming-of-age stories ever written.
Audible Audio
First published November 1, 1983
430 people are currently reading
1675 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
808 books1,323 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 - 30 of 175 reviews
January 31, 2018
This is the best detective novel I have ever read. It takes place in Chicago in the 1930s.
March 3, 2021
This is not just the first in the Heller series, it is one of the best. Instead of having a hardboiled detective meet an Al Capone type hoodlum, have him meet the real Al Capone in proper historical setting. Meet Nate Heller, who may just be Collins' greatest creation. This is a superb novel with a breadth and depth to place it among the best of the twentieth century classics.
It is a story of drawing lines in a corrupt world, of honesty and trust, and betrayal. It is a coming of age story for a young police officer Nate Heller in the corrupt Chicago of the 1930's. He's no Boy Scout and no virgin, but Heller has some limits and some things he won't do, not even if Mayor Cernak (aka "Ten Percent Tony" because he presided over so many payoffs and underhanded dirty deals) says please.
Nate Heller is not only placed into history with such buddies as world class boxer Barney Ross, who grew up with Heller on Maxwell Street, and Eliot Ness, but he has dealings with a Frank Nitti and Al Capone. How can he pal around with both Nitti and Ness? Well, Heller is not a cardboard character. He is fleshed out here with quite a bit of depth, including his Jewish-Irish background, his family background, his romantic and dating life. The characterizations of the people Heller meets are absolutely terrific. When he meets Nitti, Heller explains that, once having seen him, you wouldn't forget him as he had a fighter's nose, was impeccably groomed, and and was smaller than Frank Nitti was supposed to be. Nitti ran the Chicago outfit when Capone did hard time.
It is a terrific, top notch book that you will want to read more than once to make sure you got everything because this book has everything you could want in a novel.
It is a story of drawing lines in a corrupt world, of honesty and trust, and betrayal. It is a coming of age story for a young police officer Nate Heller in the corrupt Chicago of the 1930's. He's no Boy Scout and no virgin, but Heller has some limits and some things he won't do, not even if Mayor Cernak (aka "Ten Percent Tony" because he presided over so many payoffs and underhanded dirty deals) says please.
Nate Heller is not only placed into history with such buddies as world class boxer Barney Ross, who grew up with Heller on Maxwell Street, and Eliot Ness, but he has dealings with a Frank Nitti and Al Capone. How can he pal around with both Nitti and Ness? Well, Heller is not a cardboard character. He is fleshed out here with quite a bit of depth, including his Jewish-Irish background, his family background, his romantic and dating life. The characterizations of the people Heller meets are absolutely terrific. When he meets Nitti, Heller explains that, once having seen him, you wouldn't forget him as he had a fighter's nose, was impeccably groomed, and and was smaller than Frank Nitti was supposed to be. Nitti ran the Chicago outfit when Capone did hard time.
It is a terrific, top notch book that you will want to read more than once to make sure you got everything because this book has everything you could want in a novel.
November 17, 2025
This book is a top drawer example of "hard case detective” historical fiction. If you are following me, you may have seen my review of Collins' collected Nate Heller short stories, Chicago Lightning. This current book is where it all began, back in Chicago in the early 1930s.
Very quickly, this book covers a critical period in history:
The ending of prohibition
The election of Franklin Roosevelt
The World's Fair of 1933
Collins does a masterful job of weaving together the rise of Heller, P.I., within this historical context. He gives us a complete fictional character, not a caricature. He has done his research into the details of historical events, biographies and time logs, but unlike some authors, he seems to have no need to trot all of this and put it on display. His scenes ring true because he gives us enough back story for a variety of characters from Al Capone to Mayor Cermak to Nate's uncle, Louis.
Finally, he has a gift of dramatization in prose much like Hitchcock had for the visual. In fact, I was reminded of some of the compelling scenes in "Foreign Correspondent" and "Strangers on a Train" as this novel rushes to its finale.
Collins, who was the author of Road to Perdition, and received screenplay credit for the Tom Hanks movie, has written about a dozen more Heller books.
(I didn’t wait long before grabbing another.....and another after that)
Going back to the first in the series was plain nostalgia for a city I had know well. I have been to the "three B's" mentioned and enjoyed times at each of them:
The Bismarck
The Berghoff and
Binyon's
This time I listened to the Brilliance Audio version with Dan John Miller more that up to the task of the many voices in this novel. If you enjoy this genre, this is the place to start.
Very quickly, this book covers a critical period in history:
The ending of prohibition
The election of Franklin Roosevelt
The World's Fair of 1933
Collins does a masterful job of weaving together the rise of Heller, P.I., within this historical context. He gives us a complete fictional character, not a caricature. He has done his research into the details of historical events, biographies and time logs, but unlike some authors, he seems to have no need to trot all of this and put it on display. His scenes ring true because he gives us enough back story for a variety of characters from Al Capone to Mayor Cermak to Nate's uncle, Louis.
Finally, he has a gift of dramatization in prose much like Hitchcock had for the visual. In fact, I was reminded of some of the compelling scenes in "Foreign Correspondent" and "Strangers on a Train" as this novel rushes to its finale.
Collins, who was the author of Road to Perdition, and received screenplay credit for the Tom Hanks movie, has written about a dozen more Heller books.
(I didn’t wait long before grabbing another.....and another after that)
Going back to the first in the series was plain nostalgia for a city I had know well. I have been to the "three B's" mentioned and enjoyed times at each of them:
The Bismarck
The Berghoff and
Binyon's
This time I listened to the Brilliance Audio version with Dan John Miller more that up to the task of the many voices in this novel. If you enjoy this genre, this is the place to start.
December 7, 2015
I picked this book because the 18th book in the Nathan (Nate) Heller series was nominated for a Nero (Wolfe) award this year. I am so glad that I tried it out.
This book works well on at least two different levels for me. One, as a hard-boiled PI novel, it's hard to beat. The detective is likable and fulfills that itch for a Sam Spade or a Mike Hammer. Two, as a historical. It is obvious that Mr Collins spent a lot of time researching the history of Chicago in the 1930s.
To me, the mystery was almost secondary, Mr Collins did such a great job representing the period (gangster, tail-end of Prohibition) and the place (Chicago, Worlds Fair). There are many real, historical figures in this book: Mayor Cernak, Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Barney Ross, FDR, etc.
Can't wait to read book #2.
This book works well on at least two different levels for me. One, as a hard-boiled PI novel, it's hard to beat. The detective is likable and fulfills that itch for a Sam Spade or a Mike Hammer. Two, as a historical. It is obvious that Mr Collins spent a lot of time researching the history of Chicago in the 1930s.
To me, the mystery was almost secondary, Mr Collins did such a great job representing the period (gangster, tail-end of Prohibition) and the place (Chicago, Worlds Fair). There are many real, historical figures in this book: Mayor Cernak, Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Barney Ross, FDR, etc.
Can't wait to read book #2.
December 11, 2022
I am not sure exactly why I put True Detective by Max Allan Collins (The Road to Perdition) on my tbr list, but I know why i actually read it; Goodreads friend Joe Kraus responded to me when I added it to my list:
“When you do get to this one, please think of me on the first page when the two heavies--Lang and Miller--come in to have their chat with Nate Heller. Miller is my mother's uncle, and reading this book was one of the key experiences that pushed me toward the research that led (after 30 years) to my own book.”
That book, by the way, is The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago's Jewish Gangsters, which I have (re)-ordered from my library, having finished this book.
In Chicago 1932, Chicago Police Department detective Nathan Heller decides, after an ethically complex case, to drop out of the CPD and become a private detective. Not a smooth financial move, but hey, chalk up on for the good guys. I’ll call the book historical fiction, as it is situated in Depression/Prohibition/mob-strong Chicago, but Collins’s preface also reveals how he came to the move that distinguishes it from many other PI books: It’s a fictional detective, but one who works on Real World Cases. As in True Crime. So it's a blend of fiction and non-fiction, mixing real with fictional characters and events.
In his job Heller (somehow) gets audience with plenty of real world crime folks, including Elliot Ness, Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Mayor Anton Cermak, and even FDR! Even George Raft, who played many villains in theater and movies. The central case that Heller encounters has to do with something that actually happened in February 1933, the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, though the killer was initially intending to kill FDR. But along the way we get to the Chicago World Fair, to another assassination attempt on Fank Nitti, and. . . you know, he's a hard-boiled detective, so there's dames, lots of dames, natch. Oh, and Al Capone is actually his first client!
Get this in your head first: Heller is broke, he lives in a one-room apartment with a Murphy Bed in it (which is a running joke in the book) (you don't know what that is??! You have google, kids!) and he is very young. Given all that, I am not sure what is the most improbable aspect of the book. So Is it:
1) that he gives up a job with the Chicago Police Force because he doesn’t want to be associated with corruption;
2) that he, a nobody, has open and friendly access to gangster Frank Nitti, Al Capone (in prison!), Mayor Cermak and yes, even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt;
3) that he with no cash and not a real impressive home (Murphy) “beds” several women;
4) that he saves his girlfriend from falling from a Chicago World’s Fair exhibit;
5) that he is a close friend of Elliot Ness?
One thing that stuck out for me--first in a good way, later in some annoyance--is that this is a very deeply researched book about Chicago in the early thirties. Collins, who lives in Muscatine, Iowa, admits he owes much of the Chicago feel of the book to his research partner, who lives in Chicago. At first I liked it, as I am a (admittedly transplant) Chicagoan, and then I thought it was a bit much, all the name- and place-dropping.
But I liked it well enough! True Detective (1983) (not the foundation of the 21st-century tv series) was awarded the Shamus Award for 1984 from the Private Eye Writers of America. There are more than 20 in the series, still running. Buddy Joe Kraus warned me to watch my back around his mother’s uncle, Miller, and I got that message. Jeesh, what a brute!
“When you do get to this one, please think of me on the first page when the two heavies--Lang and Miller--come in to have their chat with Nate Heller. Miller is my mother's uncle, and reading this book was one of the key experiences that pushed me toward the research that led (after 30 years) to my own book.”
That book, by the way, is The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago's Jewish Gangsters, which I have (re)-ordered from my library, having finished this book.
In Chicago 1932, Chicago Police Department detective Nathan Heller decides, after an ethically complex case, to drop out of the CPD and become a private detective. Not a smooth financial move, but hey, chalk up on for the good guys. I’ll call the book historical fiction, as it is situated in Depression/Prohibition/mob-strong Chicago, but Collins’s preface also reveals how he came to the move that distinguishes it from many other PI books: It’s a fictional detective, but one who works on Real World Cases. As in True Crime. So it's a blend of fiction and non-fiction, mixing real with fictional characters and events.
In his job Heller (somehow) gets audience with plenty of real world crime folks, including Elliot Ness, Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Mayor Anton Cermak, and even FDR! Even George Raft, who played many villains in theater and movies. The central case that Heller encounters has to do with something that actually happened in February 1933, the assassination of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, though the killer was initially intending to kill FDR. But along the way we get to the Chicago World Fair, to another assassination attempt on Fank Nitti, and. . . you know, he's a hard-boiled detective, so there's dames, lots of dames, natch. Oh, and Al Capone is actually his first client!
Get this in your head first: Heller is broke, he lives in a one-room apartment with a Murphy Bed in it (which is a running joke in the book) (you don't know what that is??! You have google, kids!) and he is very young. Given all that, I am not sure what is the most improbable aspect of the book. So Is it:
1) that he gives up a job with the Chicago Police Force because he doesn’t want to be associated with corruption;
2) that he, a nobody, has open and friendly access to gangster Frank Nitti, Al Capone (in prison!), Mayor Cermak and yes, even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt;
3) that he with no cash and not a real impressive home (Murphy) “beds” several women;
4) that he saves his girlfriend from falling from a Chicago World’s Fair exhibit;
5) that he is a close friend of Elliot Ness?
One thing that stuck out for me--first in a good way, later in some annoyance--is that this is a very deeply researched book about Chicago in the early thirties. Collins, who lives in Muscatine, Iowa, admits he owes much of the Chicago feel of the book to his research partner, who lives in Chicago. At first I liked it, as I am a (admittedly transplant) Chicagoan, and then I thought it was a bit much, all the name- and place-dropping.
But I liked it well enough! True Detective (1983) (not the foundation of the 21st-century tv series) was awarded the Shamus Award for 1984 from the Private Eye Writers of America. There are more than 20 in the series, still running. Buddy Joe Kraus warned me to watch my back around his mother’s uncle, Miller, and I got that message. Jeesh, what a brute!
August 19, 2021
First book in MAC's groundbreaking series introduces Chicago PI Nathan Heller, a former policeman who just wasn't corrupt enough for that city. He gets a job working for Al Capone, trying to foil the assassination of the mayor of Chicago in Florida. He fails, but this embroils him trying to find out who was behind it. He's got a lot cooking in this book, but it all comes together. The bit on Chicago's 1933 World Fair becomes a bit of a travelogue, but the rest is really good stuff.
January 10, 2012
The 1933 Chicago world fair, Eliot Ness, Al Capone, Frank Nitti. Hard Boiled detective novel with real people as characters. Max Allan Collins has it down to a science. I checked this book out of the kindle lending library and would like to thank amazon for that service. If you are a fan of the pulps or Sam Spade type novels you will love this one. Highly recommended
June 25, 2017
A fantastic historical novel that blended real people with fictional characters like the PI Nate Heller.
It was like two great books in one, one historical novel that captured the 1930s Chicago,US so vividly,made the people so real that i felt strongly for men that slept on park benches and died of the cold while corruption made some others rich. It was like a historical bio of those times.
It was also a great PI novel that was more like Hammett The OP realism and Heller was not the romantic,hollywood PI hero of those days.
I have even more respect for Max Allan Collins writing than when i read the Quarry series now. Quarry is more pulpy writing, uneven and not near as well written as this novel.
It was like two great books in one, one historical novel that captured the 1930s Chicago,US so vividly,made the people so real that i felt strongly for men that slept on park benches and died of the cold while corruption made some others rich. It was like a historical bio of those times.
It was also a great PI novel that was more like Hammett The OP realism and Heller was not the romantic,hollywood PI hero of those days.
I have even more respect for Max Allan Collins writing than when i read the Quarry series now. Quarry is more pulpy writing, uneven and not near as well written as this novel.
February 6, 2016
Took me quite a while to get into, and even then I wasn't completely interested. Maybe "hard boiled" is not my favorite detective sub-genre.
I did enjoy the fictionalization of real events and people of Chicago in the 1930s.
I did enjoy the fictionalization of real events and people of Chicago in the 1930s.
July 15, 2017
I'm going to give this one 3.5 stars, and round up.
I had an exceptionally hard time getting into this one. I love the hard-boiled private eye genre, and Max Allan Collins is one of my favorite authors, so I'm not sure what happened here. The story seemed to take a really long time to set up, and I didn't feel connected to the main character much.
I did experience a major life event while trying to read this (my dad passed away); maybe that impacted me in more ways than I know. My reading pace has dropped dramatically over the month of June, as well.
Anyway, I am going to go back and reread this one at some point, and continue the series, too.
I had an exceptionally hard time getting into this one. I love the hard-boiled private eye genre, and Max Allan Collins is one of my favorite authors, so I'm not sure what happened here. The story seemed to take a really long time to set up, and I didn't feel connected to the main character much.
I did experience a major life event while trying to read this (my dad passed away); maybe that impacted me in more ways than I know. My reading pace has dropped dramatically over the month of June, as well.
Anyway, I am going to go back and reread this one at some point, and continue the series, too.
April 7, 2019
First Read: True Detective is the first novel in the Nathan Heller series from Max Allan Collins, written in first person giving it a real noir feel and with many historical details adding to the realism of the story. It sets the stage for further Heller novels, describing how Heller chooses to leave the Chicago police force and strike out on his own as a private investigator, and takes the reader through several cases Heller takes on as his new career begins.
True Detective won the 1984 Shamus Award for Best P.I. Hardcover from the Private Eye Writers of America. Collins has followed this novel with 14 (soon to be 15) further novels and several short story collections featuring Heller.
Second Read:
I found this to be a very enjoyable read. Heller is a personality who has enough flaws to be believable but remain sympathetic. He's left the police force because of his unwillingness to be a party to the corruption that exists there, but he doesn't mind a certain amount of involvement with criminals himself as he finds his way as a PI. The relationship he has with Eliot Ness is interesting, and Collins also sprinkles other real-life characters throughout the story, including an appearance by a young Ronald Reagan, who is working as a radio sports announcer, during Heller's visit to his girlfriends hometown, Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and others.
Collins does not incorporate excessive violence (there is actually very little), profanity (some, probably appropriate to the era which was seemingly more polite than our society today), or sex (a small amount but tastefully handled) into his story. The plot is propelled by the strength of the personality of the characters and the drama of the story line. I've never read a period piece like this one. I've never followed Al Capone or any of that time. We learn from people like Roosevelt to see how important he was to that time period. I really liked it on so many levels. I thought it was quite terrific. He handles his relationships, his work and career and how they development. It was just really a good book. He held me on so many levels. I highly recommend.
It's a very satisfying read, and I plan to explore the further Heller novels as a result. RECOMMEND.
True Detective won the 1984 Shamus Award for Best P.I. Hardcover from the Private Eye Writers of America. Collins has followed this novel with 14 (soon to be 15) further novels and several short story collections featuring Heller.
Second Read:
I found this to be a very enjoyable read. Heller is a personality who has enough flaws to be believable but remain sympathetic. He's left the police force because of his unwillingness to be a party to the corruption that exists there, but he doesn't mind a certain amount of involvement with criminals himself as he finds his way as a PI. The relationship he has with Eliot Ness is interesting, and Collins also sprinkles other real-life characters throughout the story, including an appearance by a young Ronald Reagan, who is working as a radio sports announcer, during Heller's visit to his girlfriends hometown, Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and others.
Collins does not incorporate excessive violence (there is actually very little), profanity (some, probably appropriate to the era which was seemingly more polite than our society today), or sex (a small amount but tastefully handled) into his story. The plot is propelled by the strength of the personality of the characters and the drama of the story line. I've never read a period piece like this one. I've never followed Al Capone or any of that time. We learn from people like Roosevelt to see how important he was to that time period. I really liked it on so many levels. I thought it was quite terrific. He handles his relationships, his work and career and how they development. It was just really a good book. He held me on so many levels. I highly recommend.
It's a very satisfying read, and I plan to explore the further Heller novels as a result. RECOMMEND.
January 9, 2016
At first glance this first Nate Heller novel would appear to be another hard boiled detective story set in Chicago during the 1930's. But what sets it apart is that it's also a historical novel.
The story revolves around actual events and real people. After Al Capone was put in jail by Eliot Ness, Chicago was more or less run by Frank Nitti. The main character, Nate Heller starts out as a cop and gets dragged into the plot by Mayor Cermak to send Harry Lang and Harry Miller to kill Frank Nitti.
I listened to this as an audio book and the narration by Dan John Miller was also excellent.
The story revolves around actual events and real people. After Al Capone was put in jail by Eliot Ness, Chicago was more or less run by Frank Nitti. The main character, Nate Heller starts out as a cop and gets dragged into the plot by Mayor Cermak to send Harry Lang and Harry Miller to kill Frank Nitti.
I listened to this as an audio book and the narration by Dan John Miller was also excellent.
October 26, 2016
It's the old story of how honest people are taken advantage of by the corrupt because they always think they are smarter and tougher. A good fast action thriller with some good twists.
August 11, 2019
True Detective is a hard-boiled historical detective novel with a difference. Set in 1930s Chicago, it is chock full of real people and events. Nathan Heller is an off-the-peg wisecracking cop who hands in his badge and turns private detective in the times of the depression and prohibition. The biggest problem I had with the story is that too often things come to a halt while something is over explained. The ending drags on forever while "Heller" painstakingly gives a history lesson with a blow by blow account of what happened next to every character. However, I enjoyed True Detective, and will give the next one in the series a try to see how it goes.
December 21, 2009
Start with this one and enjoy the hell out it. This book is far more historical than you think. Sure, the main character, Nate Heller, is fiction, but you get the real inside info on all the mob guys. And, to prove it, the author has provided a five page bibliography.
Once you've finished True Detective, you can move on the True Crime. And there's five or six more Nate Heller books, each with a bibliography.
Once you've finished True Detective, you can move on the True Crime. And there's five or six more Nate Heller books, each with a bibliography.
October 16, 2012
My first Max Allen Collins. Enjoyable and entertaining, with historical personalities mingling with fictional characters. It's a premise that makes for interesting reading, particularly if the subject matter is familiar.
I didn't see the final twist coming. Did I miss something? Either way it's good reading.
I didn't see the final twist coming. Did I miss something? Either way it's good reading.
July 15, 2024
This is the third Nathan Heller I've read. All have been good.
Good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story, no theme. And per usual a history lesson. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and knew I would enjoy this. And I did.
Good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story, no theme. And per usual a history lesson. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and knew I would enjoy this. And I did.
September 4, 2019
I've read quite a bit of work by Max Allan Collins. But it was all comic books. Starting out with the wonderful Ms. Tree. Continuing into the not so wonderful Wild Dog and his terrible run on Batman/Detective. And on to the truly excellent Road to Perdition. I always meant to sample his prose work but just never got around to it. So many books. So little time.
At one point I had intended to start with Quarry...but since I'd recently finished the Parker novels I didn't want to jump right back in to a series that was clearly informed by those books. I went with Heller because I did recently finish up Toby Peters and wanted another historical detective type book. And I'm glad that I slotted this into a "historical fiction" slot instead of a "noir" slot because this reads far more like a historical fiction novel than a hadboiled detective or a noir novel. Not that Heller doesn't kick a few cans and take some names. And there are noirish elements. But this isn't the kind of lean writing that we expect from those genres. There's a lot more background and exposition that makes this feel more like a historical novel than what we used to get from the Black Mask boys and the gents from Gold Medal Paperbacks.
There's a lot to like here. Heller is an interesting character with a nicely filled in background. He's semi-clean in a very dirty city, but soiled enough to be interesting. The novel itself has a few different plot-lines that end up tying back together. Collins meshes Heller with actual historical figures in a pretty organic way that feels less forced (though maybe a bit less fun) than Kaminsky did with Toby Peters. There's a benefit to reading books like this in this day and age with Wikipedia at your fingertips. It's fun to see Barney Ross as a pal of Heller's and then look at him from a historical stand-point as well.
The multiple plot-lines in the book tying up in the end made this feel a bit like an HBO drama a la Boardwalk Empire or The Sopranos. And that's not a bad thing. This really feels like a blueprint for a great first season story arc. As it is...it's a fun book. And I'll be back for the second in a couple of months.
At one point I had intended to start with Quarry...but since I'd recently finished the Parker novels I didn't want to jump right back in to a series that was clearly informed by those books. I went with Heller because I did recently finish up Toby Peters and wanted another historical detective type book. And I'm glad that I slotted this into a "historical fiction" slot instead of a "noir" slot because this reads far more like a historical fiction novel than a hadboiled detective or a noir novel. Not that Heller doesn't kick a few cans and take some names. And there are noirish elements. But this isn't the kind of lean writing that we expect from those genres. There's a lot more background and exposition that makes this feel more like a historical novel than what we used to get from the Black Mask boys and the gents from Gold Medal Paperbacks.
There's a lot to like here. Heller is an interesting character with a nicely filled in background. He's semi-clean in a very dirty city, but soiled enough to be interesting. The novel itself has a few different plot-lines that end up tying back together. Collins meshes Heller with actual historical figures in a pretty organic way that feels less forced (though maybe a bit less fun) than Kaminsky did with Toby Peters. There's a benefit to reading books like this in this day and age with Wikipedia at your fingertips. It's fun to see Barney Ross as a pal of Heller's and then look at him from a historical stand-point as well.
The multiple plot-lines in the book tying up in the end made this feel a bit like an HBO drama a la Boardwalk Empire or The Sopranos. And that's not a bad thing. This really feels like a blueprint for a great first season story arc. As it is...it's a fun book. And I'll be back for the second in a couple of months.
January 11, 2019
An auspicious start to the series, a Shamus Award-winner in fact. Collins is especially good at transitioning between scenes with the real personages of the day and conveying their distinct personalities, and at pacing in general. His style evoked Hammett's Continental Op for me. I sensed the author was in the midst of finding his voice. The American Graffiti-style summation makes me wonder whether this was originally intended as a series.
August 9, 2012
Nate Heller is a detective, private or city licenced - either way, it's in his blood, it's what he's good at. In 'True Detective' Max Allan Collins introduces Heller alongside gangsters of the Al Capone and Frank Nitti era in the windy city and hot beaches of Florida. The events that take place in this historical detective mystery compound Heller's desire for justice and unwillingness to flinch at even the toughest opponents while tiptoeing on either side of the blue line of the law.
I liked the dynamic protagonist for all his flaws and tough guy attitude. Unlike many private dicks, Heller comes with a heap of baggage which is well documented in 'True Detective'. From a less than ideal childhood to relationship problems, and ultimately lawful mistrust in the eyes of his fellow officers - Hellers molehill of a world has problems the size of a mountain.
'True Detective' brings many a good thing to the table; the establishment of Heller's own business the A1 Detective Agency, a deep and interesting backstory to Heller, a glimpse at the founder of the Untouchables in Eliot Ness, a transference to a time where Capone still had influence (albeit behind bars), corrupt city officials, missing person cases, political assassination, and a dame worth a damn.
Reading more like a TV series than a single novel - Max Allan Collins mashes multiple plot threats into a single interlocking story which opens like a bullet to the gut - right off the bat we're introduced to a couple of cops in Miller and Lang who set out to murder Frank Nitti, throwing Heller into the mix unwillingly. Shortly after Heller forms his own agency, cops a case to track a missing person, gets in bed with a few gangsters, and flies a few bullets, all in a days works. Adding to the allure is the wonderfully written cast of well known personalities from 1930's in Ness, Nitti, FDR, and Capone to name but a few. This is a damn good book and a great start to the Nate Heller series - 4 stars.
I liked the dynamic protagonist for all his flaws and tough guy attitude. Unlike many private dicks, Heller comes with a heap of baggage which is well documented in 'True Detective'. From a less than ideal childhood to relationship problems, and ultimately lawful mistrust in the eyes of his fellow officers - Hellers molehill of a world has problems the size of a mountain.
'True Detective' brings many a good thing to the table; the establishment of Heller's own business the A1 Detective Agency, a deep and interesting backstory to Heller, a glimpse at the founder of the Untouchables in Eliot Ness, a transference to a time where Capone still had influence (albeit behind bars), corrupt city officials, missing person cases, political assassination, and a dame worth a damn.
Reading more like a TV series than a single novel - Max Allan Collins mashes multiple plot threats into a single interlocking story which opens like a bullet to the gut - right off the bat we're introduced to a couple of cops in Miller and Lang who set out to murder Frank Nitti, throwing Heller into the mix unwillingly. Shortly after Heller forms his own agency, cops a case to track a missing person, gets in bed with a few gangsters, and flies a few bullets, all in a days works. Adding to the allure is the wonderfully written cast of well known personalities from 1930's in Ness, Nitti, FDR, and Capone to name but a few. This is a damn good book and a great start to the Nate Heller series - 4 stars.
March 27, 2016
I am oh-so-very certain that the author spent a lot of time researching Chicago and the era. Why am I certain? Because he will NOT shut up about it. Seriously, how many tiles on how floors of how many buildings is it necessary to describe? And the clothes--the only thing more annoying than the incessant blathering on about the architecture was the incessant blathering on about the clothes. Every article that every character wore had to be described in detail.
Gimme a break with the main character! He either knows or has access to every important person: Walter Winchell, FDR, Al Capone, Elliot Ness, Mayor of Chicago, Other Mayor of Chicago, Big-time Banker Guy, Big-time Politico. The list goes on and on. It was so ridiculous I finally gave up with trying to remember the names or who they were.
As for Heller coming off as a tortured and flawed character...Nope. When he has any dimension at all, it's just to show what a creep he is. I mean come on! He's an 'honest' cop who has quit the force because of all the corruption. Wow! How original is THAT!
Oh, and then there's the "surprise" ending, the big twist, the shocker, the thing I (and probably half the readers) figured out about halfway through the book. One of the reasons I muddled through this mess was because I didn't think there was any way I was right about the ending. Surely it wasn't going to be that trite and predictable. Should have known better. It was exactly that trite and predictable.
Now for the big question: Will I be reading any more in this series?
Not unless someone holds a loved one hostage and forces me to.
Gimme a break with the main character! He either knows or has access to every important person: Walter Winchell, FDR, Al Capone, Elliot Ness, Mayor of Chicago, Other Mayor of Chicago, Big-time Banker Guy, Big-time Politico. The list goes on and on. It was so ridiculous I finally gave up with trying to remember the names or who they were.
As for Heller coming off as a tortured and flawed character...Nope. When he has any dimension at all, it's just to show what a creep he is. I mean come on! He's an 'honest' cop who has quit the force because of all the corruption. Wow! How original is THAT!
Oh, and then there's the "surprise" ending, the big twist, the shocker, the thing I (and probably half the readers) figured out about halfway through the book. One of the reasons I muddled through this mess was because I didn't think there was any way I was right about the ending. Surely it wasn't going to be that trite and predictable. Should have known better. It was exactly that trite and predictable.
Now for the big question: Will I be reading any more in this series?
Not unless someone holds a loved one hostage and forces me to.
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October 29, 2022Collins is a fantastic storyteller. I've long been a fan of his Nolan, Quarry, Mallory, Elliot Ness, and Road to Perdition series but had somehow never read any of the books in the Nathan Heller series. Well, hell. That was a huge mistake. This book is the finest of the many Collins books I've read. If this first book in the series is an indicator of the rest of them, I can see I'm going to be in for one hell of a ride. Again, this book is really, really good. I can't say enough good things about it.
September 27, 2011
This is a solidly researched, well-written, enjoyable story of rough and tumble Chicago in the 1930s, the era of Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and assorted gangsters, politicians, and ancillary types: molls, boxers, pickpockets, and the like. At first I was afraid the author was getting carried away with local color and authenticity, but I finally realized he had it well under control and it ended up perfectly setting the tone for the story. The story, by the way, is not the conventional rising/falling action of the typical detective story, nor does it wallow in sensationalism. For my money, the more realistic treatment is the way to go. It's tightly plotted nonetheless, and the characters are well done.
September 30, 2011
A classic detective novel, apparently re-released in Kindle format this year. Set in 1932/1933 Chicago, in the time of Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Elliot Ness, and the Chicago World's Fair. The story fits well into the historical setting, with the detective, Nate Heller, taking an active role in that history. Unpretentious, with good "street chops," in my opinion. The author, Max Collins, wrote the Dick Tracy comic strip for years and wrote the graphic novel that is the source of the movie "Road to Perdition."
February 2, 2022
I’ve read many books by Max Allan Collins. All of them have been very enjoyable and this first Nate Heller was one of his best. I couldn’t put this down.
Exciting, suspenseful and tragic with a liberal dose of Chicago history. Highly recommended!
Exciting, suspenseful and tragic with a liberal dose of Chicago history. Highly recommended!
April 23, 2022
I hesitated to start this one for a while because I thought that, with a cast of real-life people, the story might be a bit more down to earth than the normal hardboiled stories that I enjoy. Luckily, this turned out to be a fun and action-packed ride.
September 17, 2017
Excellent start to a series; enough material here for two separate hard-boiled books. The twist here is an alternative explanation for Giuseppe Zangara's attempted assassination of FDR.
September 10, 2019
Oddly boring 😕
I was waiting for it to catch.
But I gave it 3 hours/25+%.
I’ve got other books to read.
I was waiting for it to catch.
But I gave it 3 hours/25+%.
I’ve got other books to read.
August 16, 2017
Detective Genius
MAC's first Heller book is hard boiled and delicious. He mixes real 1930's people (Nitti, Capone, Ness, Reagan, Barney Ross, etc) with his protagonist in a super detective story about his girlfriend's missing brother and the hoodlums he gets mixed up with. MAC has created a great, first person character in Nate Heller. The journey from cop to private eye is covered in the opening pages, and Heller's evolution to hard boiled hero is effortless as the writing.
I enjoyed the Quarry books, but these are better. True Crime and Million Dollar Wound are the three Nitti/Heller books, and this is the kick off. Despite its 453 pages, it grips from the beginning and doesn't let go. MAC can write rings around most people, yet you hardly ever notice his artful skill. He appears to just let it all hang out, but he seems capable of constructing a complex, intelligent and involving story which packs a punch. The end of this has more than a hint of deus ex machina, but I didn't mind too much. It was that good.
Marvellous kick off to a great series.
MAC's first Heller book is hard boiled and delicious. He mixes real 1930's people (Nitti, Capone, Ness, Reagan, Barney Ross, etc) with his protagonist in a super detective story about his girlfriend's missing brother and the hoodlums he gets mixed up with. MAC has created a great, first person character in Nate Heller. The journey from cop to private eye is covered in the opening pages, and Heller's evolution to hard boiled hero is effortless as the writing.
I enjoyed the Quarry books, but these are better. True Crime and Million Dollar Wound are the three Nitti/Heller books, and this is the kick off. Despite its 453 pages, it grips from the beginning and doesn't let go. MAC can write rings around most people, yet you hardly ever notice his artful skill. He appears to just let it all hang out, but he seems capable of constructing a complex, intelligent and involving story which packs a punch. The end of this has more than a hint of deus ex machina, but I didn't mind too much. It was that good.
Marvellous kick off to a great series.
September 6, 2023
This is a fact based novel about a young detective, the gangs, life, and times of Chicago in about 1933. The story itself is good with the intertwining of historical facts. The slang terms went over my head making the story less interesting. For itself, the story took some time to get going and made the book a little hard going at times.
Nate Heller, was he a devil or hero or something in between? A little difficult to quite understand how he survived. Good enough for 3 stars.
Nate Heller, was he a devil or hero or something in between? A little difficult to quite understand how he survived. Good enough for 3 stars.
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