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Nolan #9
Skim Deep
Nolan has spent his life pulling heists, and now he’s ready to retire. But one job after another keeps pulling him back in. Casino robberies, bank jobs, airplane hijackings – it’s all in a day’s work. But when things go wrong and lead starts flying, can the old man and his young partner in crime make it out alive…?
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 10, 2020
32 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
803 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 30, 2020
Collins' Gritty Nolan series, originally a tribute to Westlake's Parker, was the ultimate Buddy crime story, pairing a semi-retired mobster with a hippy-type, comic book collecting twenty-year-old. It was a series of eight novels showing how hard it can be to leave the business and go straight. After all, there's always another score or another guy who thinks you got the better of him or someone he's got some loyalty to. So besides meticulously planned capers you almost always got some goofball bent on revenge. It's a not so well known crime series set in the Seventies.
This new addition to the Nolan and Jon saga is published some three decades later, but in real time ages the characters about four years or so. Nolan's still in his Midwest haunts, but Jon works in Las Vegas and their paths cross when Nolan decides to get hitched. Fans of this series will of course enjoy visiting with their favorite characters, although it takes a while for the action to really get going. Not quite the punch of the original series, but still nice to revisit.
This new addition to the Nolan and Jon saga is published some three decades later, but in real time ages the characters about four years or so. Nolan's still in his Midwest haunts, but Jon works in Las Vegas and their paths cross when Nolan decides to get hitched. Fans of this series will of course enjoy visiting with their favorite characters, although it takes a while for the action to really get going. Not quite the punch of the original series, but still nice to revisit.
June 28, 2022
This is supposedly the last book in the Nolan series, but every series has one more book in it, right?
Nolan's gone straight, and decides to get married to his girlfriend in Vegas. They stay at a mob owned hotel, and meet up with Jon who is trying to buy a comic book store. They get mixed up in a hotel robbery, and taken hostage.
Meanwhile, like the mother of Grendel, the previously unknown matriarch of the Comfort family rears her ugly head, sending her youngest son out to murder Nolan and bring his head back in a basket.
Very good, despite the fact that this series really works best during the "generation gap" years between 1970 and 1976. Jon wasn't in it all that much. Usually he gets his own sub plot and winds up sleeping with someone he shouldn't, but not this time. Also, he was wearing a Blondie T-shirt in 1989. I think not. Blondie had been defunct for a while by then, but not long enough to be retro. 1989 was in the middle of the Heavy Metal years. It was far more likely for him to be wearing a Lita Ford shirt, or if he was going retro, a Runaways.
Recommended.
Nolan's gone straight, and decides to get married to his girlfriend in Vegas. They stay at a mob owned hotel, and meet up with Jon who is trying to buy a comic book store. They get mixed up in a hotel robbery, and taken hostage.
Meanwhile, like the mother of Grendel, the previously unknown matriarch of the Comfort family rears her ugly head, sending her youngest son out to murder Nolan and bring his head back in a basket.
Very good, despite the fact that this series really works best during the "generation gap" years between 1970 and 1976. Jon wasn't in it all that much. Usually he gets his own sub plot and winds up sleeping with someone he shouldn't, but not this time. Also, he was wearing a Blondie T-shirt in 1989. I think not. Blondie had been defunct for a while by then, but not long enough to be retro. 1989 was in the middle of the Heavy Metal years. It was far more likely for him to be wearing a Lita Ford shirt, or if he was going retro, a Runaways.
Recommended.
December 20, 2022
Nolan, Jon and Sherry are back. In a chronological sense, not much time has passed in Nolan's world, while in the real world, the wait was 30 years. I'm glad I didn't have to wait that long, especially rereading the series in the new two-in-ones that Hard Case Crime has been putting out. It's less of a caper tale than the previous novels, but what makes this series so great is the interplay between the characters. I really enjoyed another outing with my favorite team of thieves and it's a great denouement to the series (if that is what it is to be, which it really felt like).
Special Thanks to Hard Case Crime, Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
Special Thanks to Hard Case Crime, Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
April 25, 2024
The last Nolan book???
This time Nolan is getting married to Sherry. The wedding definitely took a backseat to yet another kidnapping. I think every Nolan book has to have one in it. This time it’s Nolan and Sherry that are nabbed.
It’s hard to tell who’s friend or foe in this installment. Being suspicious of everyone and everything has kept Nolan alive all these years and this book is no exception.
Jon was living in Vegas and was Nolan’s best man. He was pivotal in this last installment.
Every one gets what they deserve even the last gasping breath of the Comfort Clan.
This time Nolan is getting married to Sherry. The wedding definitely took a backseat to yet another kidnapping. I think every Nolan book has to have one in it. This time it’s Nolan and Sherry that are nabbed.
It’s hard to tell who’s friend or foe in this installment. Being suspicious of everyone and everything has kept Nolan alive all these years and this book is no exception.
Jon was living in Vegas and was Nolan’s best man. He was pivotal in this last installment.
Every one gets what they deserve even the last gasping breath of the Comfort Clan.
September 26, 2021
It’s been a while since I read a Nolan book; the best way to describe the character is a blend of Parker and Quarry - a whole lot of hard man with a penchant for trouble.
In Skim Deep, the action takes a while to get going but when it does it comes thick and fast - an adrenaline shot of uncut noir.
The events of this book take place directly after Mad Money and whilst Skim Deep can be read as a stand-alone I wish I’d read Mad Money prior as I feel like I missed the impact of the ‘Comfort history’ (bad guys from the earlier story). That said, I still enjoyed this one - 4 stars.
In Skim Deep, the action takes a while to get going but when it does it comes thick and fast - an adrenaline shot of uncut noir.
The events of this book take place directly after Mad Money and whilst Skim Deep can be read as a stand-alone I wish I’d read Mad Money prior as I feel like I missed the impact of the ‘Comfort history’ (bad guys from the earlier story). That said, I still enjoyed this one - 4 stars.
February 26, 2021
Nolan's wedding in Vegas is off to a rocky start. First, the security team at the Bourbon Street Hotel & Casino beats him up (an apparent case of mistaken identity). Then, he and his bride get kidnapped at gunpoint (a prelude to a set-up).
There's also a would-be assassin holed up in Nolan's home in Illinois, the brother of a man Nolan once killed, who plans to carry Nolan's head to his mother in a wicker basket… Can Nolan and his protégé Jon save themselves, and Sherry, and perhaps figure out how to score an easy thirty thousand dollars in the bargain?
This is a serviceable crime novel: a breezy plot, a pair of engaging villains, and a few sharp twists.
One thing I like about Nolan, in general, is his above-average intelligence. What would you do if you came across a briefcase of stolen mob money? Most people in these sorts of books would try to appropriate it for themselves--and they'd wind up dead for their trouble. Nolan simply gives it back and humbly asks for a reasonable finder's fee. It may not make for the most exciting sequence in the pantheon of crime literature but, frankly, his clear-headedness is refreshing in a genre that too often settles for the cliché.
Having said that, I was left scratching my head when Nolan took the time to carefully arrange a crime scene to throw the police off his tracks--and then he walked out of the room carrying the gun that killed all six people! I am pretty sure even a tired, lazy, dumb cop would run the ballistics and realize the guns left on the scene don't match the bullets in any of the corpses.
For some reason, Nolan does not capture my attention in the same way as Collins' other series character Quarry. His backstory is not as compelling, and I never bought in to the old-thief-mentors-young-hippie motif that dominated the early books. This coda to the series also suffers from the fact that, while it is less than 200 pages long, the plot does not kick in until page 67; the bodies don't start to pile up until page 130.
So, Skim Deep is serviceable and fun, but not a Max Allan Collins must-read.
There's also a would-be assassin holed up in Nolan's home in Illinois, the brother of a man Nolan once killed, who plans to carry Nolan's head to his mother in a wicker basket… Can Nolan and his protégé Jon save themselves, and Sherry, and perhaps figure out how to score an easy thirty thousand dollars in the bargain?
This is a serviceable crime novel: a breezy plot, a pair of engaging villains, and a few sharp twists.
One thing I like about Nolan, in general, is his above-average intelligence. What would you do if you came across a briefcase of stolen mob money? Most people in these sorts of books would try to appropriate it for themselves--and they'd wind up dead for their trouble. Nolan simply gives it back and humbly asks for a reasonable finder's fee. It may not make for the most exciting sequence in the pantheon of crime literature but, frankly, his clear-headedness is refreshing in a genre that too often settles for the cliché.
Having said that, I was left scratching my head when Nolan took the time to carefully arrange a crime scene to throw the police off his tracks--and then he walked out of the room carrying the gun that killed all six people! I am pretty sure even a tired, lazy, dumb cop would run the ballistics and realize the guns left on the scene don't match the bullets in any of the corpses.
For some reason, Nolan does not capture my attention in the same way as Collins' other series character Quarry. His backstory is not as compelling, and I never bought in to the old-thief-mentors-young-hippie motif that dominated the early books. This coda to the series also suffers from the fact that, while it is less than 200 pages long, the plot does not kick in until page 67; the bodies don't start to pile up until page 130.
So, Skim Deep is serviceable and fun, but not a Max Allan Collins must-read.
January 25, 2021
Pretty good; very pulp-y or neo-pulp because it’s a bit too descriptive (especially the start) for pulp; 3.5 stars. Nolan, the reformed thief, gets married in Vegas and immediately gets blindsided by a pretty desperate scheme to steal from a casino using Nolan as the fall guy. Meanwhile, back home the murderous hill billies, down to one matriarch and her surviving son (Nolan killed the other two), are after him again - if you don’t instantly spot the error the son makes while stalking Nolan you’re as dumb as he is. Both plots are well handled, with a comic touch although Nolan is as serious as a heart attack...
January 11, 2021
I can think of few better ways to usher in a year than cracking the binding on a new book by Max Allan Collins. SKIM DEEP is the latest installment in his long-running Nolan series --- the first in over three decades --- and is one of his best novels ever.
Collins is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. If you have never read a word of his before diving into SKIM DEEP, you will acquire a deep appreciation of why. It is an instant noir classic from an author who has made a career of writing them. While readers may be most familiar with ROAD TO PERDITION or perhaps his turn long ago on the Dick Tracy comic strip, many point to the Nolan series as their personal favorite.
Nolan (one name only) is a career criminal with a skill set to match. However, SKIM DEEP finds him (six months after the events in 1987’s SPREE) immersed in the straight and narrow. Nolan owns a popular and successful night club and is keeping exclusive company with Sherry, a somewhat younger woman who used to be employed by Nolan as a waitress.
Collins wraps one story around another when Nolan uncharacteristically proposes to Sherry. They almost immediately leave their familiar midwestern environs for Las Vegas, not knowing that events related to his past are about to catch up with him. The aging matriarch of a criminal family that Nolan all but decimated is setting a plot in motion to take her bloody revenge upon him and is planning to use her sole remaining son --- a bank officer --- to do it.
Ensconced in Las Vegas in newly wedded bliss with Sherry, Nolan is unaware of this but faces a different set of problems. First, he is mistaken for a grifter --- an understandable error given his appearance and demeanor --- but then he becomes embroiled in a casino skim operation simply by virtue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he will find his way clear of that situation, but what is waiting for him at home in the form of a highly motivated revengeful mother’s son may be worse. Since Nolan is in Las Vegas for a good deal of the book, it’s okay to bet…and wise to do so on Nolan. Such is Collins’ skill as an author that he makes the journey an absolute joy for the reader, so much so that it eclipses the destination.
SKIM DEEP contains everything that aficionados of noir crime fiction love, including sex, violence, gunshots and double-crosses. Readers no doubt will want more, and Hard Case Crime is obliging by collecting and reissuing the other books in the series in four volumes --- TWO FOR THE MONEY, DOUBLE DOWN, TOUGH TENDER and MAD MONEY --- over the next several months. But don’t wait to read SKIM DEEP, which is available right now.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Collins is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. If you have never read a word of his before diving into SKIM DEEP, you will acquire a deep appreciation of why. It is an instant noir classic from an author who has made a career of writing them. While readers may be most familiar with ROAD TO PERDITION or perhaps his turn long ago on the Dick Tracy comic strip, many point to the Nolan series as their personal favorite.
Nolan (one name only) is a career criminal with a skill set to match. However, SKIM DEEP finds him (six months after the events in 1987’s SPREE) immersed in the straight and narrow. Nolan owns a popular and successful night club and is keeping exclusive company with Sherry, a somewhat younger woman who used to be employed by Nolan as a waitress.
Collins wraps one story around another when Nolan uncharacteristically proposes to Sherry. They almost immediately leave their familiar midwestern environs for Las Vegas, not knowing that events related to his past are about to catch up with him. The aging matriarch of a criminal family that Nolan all but decimated is setting a plot in motion to take her bloody revenge upon him and is planning to use her sole remaining son --- a bank officer --- to do it.
Ensconced in Las Vegas in newly wedded bliss with Sherry, Nolan is unaware of this but faces a different set of problems. First, he is mistaken for a grifter --- an understandable error given his appearance and demeanor --- but then he becomes embroiled in a casino skim operation simply by virtue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he will find his way clear of that situation, but what is waiting for him at home in the form of a highly motivated revengeful mother’s son may be worse. Since Nolan is in Las Vegas for a good deal of the book, it’s okay to bet…and wise to do so on Nolan. Such is Collins’ skill as an author that he makes the journey an absolute joy for the reader, so much so that it eclipses the destination.
SKIM DEEP contains everything that aficionados of noir crime fiction love, including sex, violence, gunshots and double-crosses. Readers no doubt will want more, and Hard Case Crime is obliging by collecting and reissuing the other books in the series in four volumes --- TWO FOR THE MONEY, DOUBLE DOWN, TOUGH TENDER and MAD MONEY --- over the next several months. But don’t wait to read SKIM DEEP, which is available right now.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
March 25, 2023
It's probably my favourite of the Nolan's but only because he's final learned to kill people who will obviously come back and fuck with him if he doesn't.
January 10, 2021
Nolan is back, although Jon kind of lingers in the wings.
Max Allan Collins adds a new book to his Nolan series (first in 33 years!) and it's like he never left.
I recommend reading the earlier novels so you'll know more about all the moving parts of this story.
Max Allan Collins adds a new book to his Nolan series (first in 33 years!) and it's like he never left.
I recommend reading the earlier novels so you'll know more about all the moving parts of this story.
February 20, 2022
My first Nolan book, definitely wont be my last. 60s/70s heist novel which is right in my wheelhouse. Plan on devouring this series!
December 21, 2020
Nolan is back after 33 years and leading a legit life until his past reputation catches up to him. Part heist, part mystery with colorful characters and the light of Vegas in the 1970's, what can be better than this? This is the first Nolan i've read and definitely not the last (it didn't matter that I hadn't read the earlier others, a good story is a good story). Reminded me a lot of Richard Stark's Parker series. If you like Parker, you'll love Nolan. Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 33 years for Max Allan Collins to write another one. More, please!
November 22, 2020
Wow - I remember waiting for Spree, the previous Nolan novel, to arrive on the shelves 33 years ago. And now prolific author Max Allan Collins has returned to his first series after all these years with Skim Deep which definitely feels like a coda to the master thief's exploits.
Collins plays it straight with his Nate Heller and Eliot Ness series which need to adhere to the historical record, his Mallory, Reeder and Rogers, and Krista Larson series are straightforward as well.
The side of Collins that I really enjoy, his gonzo side, emerges with his Nolan and Quarry series. These series are laced with dark humor, pulpy violence, raunchy sex, twisty plotting, and immoral yet heroic main characters. The Nolan books also include the main characters recurring nemeses, the Comfort family who come straight out of hell by way of Dogpatch.
Nolan gets hitched to longtime younger girlfriend Sherry and the story moves from the Quad Cities to Sin City as Nolan meets up with his former partner, comic book artist and musician Jon.
Nolan and Jon don't engage in their usual heist planning, instead they find themselves caught up in a scam not of their making.
A subplot throughout the novel involves a member of the Comfort clan forced to plot deadly revenge on Nolan - a subplot which is funny and sad because the plotter is so pathetic and hapless.
If Skim Deep turns out to be the farewell to Nolan and Jon, I am totally satisfied and okay with that since Collins has this hardass character depart on a high note.
Highly recommended for fans of hardboiled crime stories.
Collins plays it straight with his Nate Heller and Eliot Ness series which need to adhere to the historical record, his Mallory, Reeder and Rogers, and Krista Larson series are straightforward as well.
The side of Collins that I really enjoy, his gonzo side, emerges with his Nolan and Quarry series. These series are laced with dark humor, pulpy violence, raunchy sex, twisty plotting, and immoral yet heroic main characters. The Nolan books also include the main characters recurring nemeses, the Comfort family who come straight out of hell by way of Dogpatch.
Nolan gets hitched to longtime younger girlfriend Sherry and the story moves from the Quad Cities to Sin City as Nolan meets up with his former partner, comic book artist and musician Jon.
Nolan and Jon don't engage in their usual heist planning, instead they find themselves caught up in a scam not of their making.
A subplot throughout the novel involves a member of the Comfort clan forced to plot deadly revenge on Nolan - a subplot which is funny and sad because the plotter is so pathetic and hapless.
If Skim Deep turns out to be the farewell to Nolan and Jon, I am totally satisfied and okay with that since Collins has this hardass character depart on a high note.
Highly recommended for fans of hardboiled crime stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2021
Hard Case Crime has released all of Max Allan Collins' "Quarry" novels over the last years. Quarry is a professional killer and the stories are excellent tough guy adventures.
They have announced that they will now be releasing Collins' "Nolan" books. Nolan is a high end thief. Collins says that the series began as a one time homage to Donald Westlake's "Parker" books and it turned into a series. In an Author's note to this volume, Collins says, "As I reminded Don many times, "homage" is French for "rip-off".
This is a fun adventure. Nolan has retired and agrees to marry his young girlfriend in Las Vegas. His past shows up to interfere. A crazy hillbilly family from an old job wants to kill him. Somebody else kidnaps him and his new wife. Old friends double cross him. We get good fights and clever plotting.
Collins is a master at the lean fast writing that comes from the 1950s paperback originals.
I had one big issue and one personal quirk issue. The big issue is that as far as I can tell this story is the third in a three volume arc. The first two parts of the story haven't yet been re-issued by Hard Case. The result is that a big chunk of this book is trying to explain the background story from the first two books. It gets confusing at times.
I get the marketing value of releasing "The first new Nolan Novel in 33 Years", but it would have been easier if the other two previously released parts of the story had been released first. I also think they will be not as much fun when they are released, because we know how it ends.
The other negative is just a personal quirk. This novel is another example of the Woody Allan fallacy. Beautiful young college girls do not fall madly, permanently and blindly in love with 50 year old guys. It only happens in movies and books. Once you start to notice how many older male authors use that plot, it becomes impossible to ignore it.
My suggestion is to wait until the two books before this are released and then read them in order. In the meanwhile, read the Quarry books, in order.
They have announced that they will now be releasing Collins' "Nolan" books. Nolan is a high end thief. Collins says that the series began as a one time homage to Donald Westlake's "Parker" books and it turned into a series. In an Author's note to this volume, Collins says, "As I reminded Don many times, "homage" is French for "rip-off".
This is a fun adventure. Nolan has retired and agrees to marry his young girlfriend in Las Vegas. His past shows up to interfere. A crazy hillbilly family from an old job wants to kill him. Somebody else kidnaps him and his new wife. Old friends double cross him. We get good fights and clever plotting.
Collins is a master at the lean fast writing that comes from the 1950s paperback originals.
I had one big issue and one personal quirk issue. The big issue is that as far as I can tell this story is the third in a three volume arc. The first two parts of the story haven't yet been re-issued by Hard Case. The result is that a big chunk of this book is trying to explain the background story from the first two books. It gets confusing at times.
I get the marketing value of releasing "The first new Nolan Novel in 33 Years", but it would have been easier if the other two previously released parts of the story had been released first. I also think they will be not as much fun when they are released, because we know how it ends.
The other negative is just a personal quirk. This novel is another example of the Woody Allan fallacy. Beautiful young college girls do not fall madly, permanently and blindly in love with 50 year old guys. It only happens in movies and books. Once you start to notice how many older male authors use that plot, it becomes impossible to ignore it.
My suggestion is to wait until the two books before this are released and then read them in order. In the meanwhile, read the Quarry books, in order.
November 26, 2020
Another entertaining novel from Max Allan Collins! This is the first Nolan novel I have read, and I was thoroughly impressed. Skin Deep is the ninth Nolan novel, but I never felt like I was missing something because I had not read the previous books. That being said, I will definitely be reading the new editions of the Nolan books that Hard Case Crime will be releasing over the next year. Skim deep is equal parts thriller and mystery, and I think fans of either genre will be happy that they give this book a chance.
February 22, 2021
I've been a fan of the Hard Case Crime series for awhile now, and like the media-tie-in series that I follow, I've been trying to keep up with reading each of the new releases under its banner. On occasion there is one that I really don't care for, but the majority I find wonderfully entertaining, in that light reading kind of way. They span a variety of the mystery/crime/thriller genre with both classic reprints, new additions to series, and completely new creations from modern-day noir writers. They all have that tinge of noir pulp that I adore, even when it comes across as dated.
Shamus-award winning and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Max Allan Collins is probably a name familiar to anyone who reads the genre. Some bit of his prolific output in prose and graphic novels is likely familiar to an even broader swatch of the pop culture population. His Road to Perdition comic series was made into a film with Tom Hanks, and his Quarry novel series more recently appeared as a Cinemax TV series. I've read most all - if not all - of the Quarry novels from Hard Case Crime, and reviewed one awhile back. I remember enjoying these to varying degrees, so the news of a new Collins novel was something to celebrate and anticipate.
Now, I'm less familiar with Collins' Nolan series, featuring the Lee van Cleef lookalike professional thief Frank Nolan. I may have read Two for the Money, put out by Hard Case Crime in its early days (#5), but it's too long to remember. The good thing is, it doesn't really matter if you know anything about Nolan. or if you have read any of the previous eight books featuring him, to enjoy Skim Deep.
At this stage the thief has gone straight, running a restaurant/nightclub in the midwest with his lover Sherry, a former showgirl. He's made peace with mafia powers that he formerly clashed with, and has been allowed to step aside to settle into a civilian's life away from crime. Deciding to take things one step further and marry Sherry, the couple leaves on a whim for a Vegas ceremony. There they stay at the French Quarter Hotel (a thinly veiled Orleans), where Nolan's friend and former accomplice Jon now works, also having gone straight, in the dreams of opening his own comic shop.
Unfortunately, Nolan's former reputation gains unsolicited notice from some in Vegas, including an acquaintance who decides to use Nolan's surprise appearance to further his own criminal plans. In the meantime, the matriarch of a criminal family sets her youngest son with a mission to kill Nolan and bring her his head, in retribution for Nolan's prior role in her eldest son's death. Even if Nolan and Sherry manage to make it out of Vegas alive, an assassin awaits the new husband and wife at their doorway.
Skim Deep suffers most from the execution of its plot. The set up is a good one, but it proceeds predictably. This might not be a real terrible thing for this kind of pulp read, if the plot could have included more twists toward those predictable conclusions, or if the antagonists of the novel showed any modicum of competence as threats to Nolan, Sherry, or Jon. Two separate threats emerge in the novel against Nolan, but the perpetrators of each are almost comically inept. They also both are unwilling antagonists, acting not out of any particular dislike of Nolan, but feeling forced into the situation for want of money - and ultimately for want of keeping a hot wife. The stakes never seem particularly high for the 'good guys' of the novel, and each threat becomes dispatched with little fanfare.
Sherry does serve a role in the novel, albeit with dated pulp tones of misogyny (e.g. honor and obey the husband); she's a cheerleader and emotional support for Nolan as well as representation of the one thing he loves, a person who only chose to be associated with crime indirectly through a relationship with him. On the other hand, Jon seems largely dispensable to what occurs in the novel. I gather he is a larger part of previous novels in the series, serving as a young, nerdy and loyal foil to the classic principled and noble tough guy that is Nolan. There's unfortunately little in Skim Deep featuring that, or to give Jon purpose and import in events.
Despite these flaws, Skim Deep works with the simple fact that Collins can write. The noir tone and Nolan's personality shine in the dialogue and descriptions from the former thief's point of view. Further, even if the survival of the hero is certain or they never really feel in danger, the story still flows in the enjoyment of the righteous justice against those who dared think they could hurt the noble Nolan or the innocent Sherry.
Like any criminal protagonist that writers ask audiences to get behind (your Boba Fetts), Nolan may be a thief, but he has a code of honor and respect. He is not evil, nor does he compromise on principals to take the easier path or gain reward. The antagonists of Skim Deep may not be evil either, but they have weak resolves and lack self confidence. They fear losing things they don't think they necessarily even deserved in the first place. They don't want to accept what might come, and they will hurt others to selfishly benefit. Nolan may not deserve Sherry. But he knows that he has her love and respect. And she knows she has the same from him. If he did something of his own fault to change that, he would not destroy more lives for his shortcomings. The contrast between these character traits between the protagonists and antagonists is at least interesting in Skim Deep, even if it does then contribute to the sheer lack of potency in those villains as credible threats.
After all this I feel kind of silly trying to analyze the novel. Even with shortcomings, it is a fine entertaining crime read, exactly what I'm looking for when I crack open a Hard Case Crime, and as usual Collins makes even the predictable fun. If you are already a Collins or Hard Case Crime fan, you're sure to love this too. Fans of the genre who don't know Collins or the Nolan novels would still find this worth checking out. The opportunity to discover more of the Nolan novels is also coming soon, as Hard Case Crime will be rereleasing the earlier books in the series in the coming month; you could always wait to start with those too. I'm intrigued to meet the Nolan of his more wild days that brought him here to Skim Deep.
Shamus-award winning and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Max Allan Collins is probably a name familiar to anyone who reads the genre. Some bit of his prolific output in prose and graphic novels is likely familiar to an even broader swatch of the pop culture population. His Road to Perdition comic series was made into a film with Tom Hanks, and his Quarry novel series more recently appeared as a Cinemax TV series. I've read most all - if not all - of the Quarry novels from Hard Case Crime, and reviewed one awhile back. I remember enjoying these to varying degrees, so the news of a new Collins novel was something to celebrate and anticipate.
Now, I'm less familiar with Collins' Nolan series, featuring the Lee van Cleef lookalike professional thief Frank Nolan. I may have read Two for the Money, put out by Hard Case Crime in its early days (#5), but it's too long to remember. The good thing is, it doesn't really matter if you know anything about Nolan. or if you have read any of the previous eight books featuring him, to enjoy Skim Deep.
At this stage the thief has gone straight, running a restaurant/nightclub in the midwest with his lover Sherry, a former showgirl. He's made peace with mafia powers that he formerly clashed with, and has been allowed to step aside to settle into a civilian's life away from crime. Deciding to take things one step further and marry Sherry, the couple leaves on a whim for a Vegas ceremony. There they stay at the French Quarter Hotel (a thinly veiled Orleans), where Nolan's friend and former accomplice Jon now works, also having gone straight, in the dreams of opening his own comic shop.
Unfortunately, Nolan's former reputation gains unsolicited notice from some in Vegas, including an acquaintance who decides to use Nolan's surprise appearance to further his own criminal plans. In the meantime, the matriarch of a criminal family sets her youngest son with a mission to kill Nolan and bring her his head, in retribution for Nolan's prior role in her eldest son's death. Even if Nolan and Sherry manage to make it out of Vegas alive, an assassin awaits the new husband and wife at their doorway.
Skim Deep suffers most from the execution of its plot. The set up is a good one, but it proceeds predictably. This might not be a real terrible thing for this kind of pulp read, if the plot could have included more twists toward those predictable conclusions, or if the antagonists of the novel showed any modicum of competence as threats to Nolan, Sherry, or Jon. Two separate threats emerge in the novel against Nolan, but the perpetrators of each are almost comically inept. They also both are unwilling antagonists, acting not out of any particular dislike of Nolan, but feeling forced into the situation for want of money - and ultimately for want of keeping a hot wife. The stakes never seem particularly high for the 'good guys' of the novel, and each threat becomes dispatched with little fanfare.
Sherry does serve a role in the novel, albeit with dated pulp tones of misogyny (e.g. honor and obey the husband); she's a cheerleader and emotional support for Nolan as well as representation of the one thing he loves, a person who only chose to be associated with crime indirectly through a relationship with him. On the other hand, Jon seems largely dispensable to what occurs in the novel. I gather he is a larger part of previous novels in the series, serving as a young, nerdy and loyal foil to the classic principled and noble tough guy that is Nolan. There's unfortunately little in Skim Deep featuring that, or to give Jon purpose and import in events.
Despite these flaws, Skim Deep works with the simple fact that Collins can write. The noir tone and Nolan's personality shine in the dialogue and descriptions from the former thief's point of view. Further, even if the survival of the hero is certain or they never really feel in danger, the story still flows in the enjoyment of the righteous justice against those who dared think they could hurt the noble Nolan or the innocent Sherry.
Like any criminal protagonist that writers ask audiences to get behind (your Boba Fetts), Nolan may be a thief, but he has a code of honor and respect. He is not evil, nor does he compromise on principals to take the easier path or gain reward. The antagonists of Skim Deep may not be evil either, but they have weak resolves and lack self confidence. They fear losing things they don't think they necessarily even deserved in the first place. They don't want to accept what might come, and they will hurt others to selfishly benefit. Nolan may not deserve Sherry. But he knows that he has her love and respect. And she knows she has the same from him. If he did something of his own fault to change that, he would not destroy more lives for his shortcomings. The contrast between these character traits between the protagonists and antagonists is at least interesting in Skim Deep, even if it does then contribute to the sheer lack of potency in those villains as credible threats.
After all this I feel kind of silly trying to analyze the novel. Even with shortcomings, it is a fine entertaining crime read, exactly what I'm looking for when I crack open a Hard Case Crime, and as usual Collins makes even the predictable fun. If you are already a Collins or Hard Case Crime fan, you're sure to love this too. Fans of the genre who don't know Collins or the Nolan novels would still find this worth checking out. The opportunity to discover more of the Nolan novels is also coming soon, as Hard Case Crime will be rereleasing the earlier books in the series in the coming month; you could always wait to start with those too. I'm intrigued to meet the Nolan of his more wild days that brought him here to Skim Deep.
April 7, 2021
Max Allan Collins has long been one of America’s best and most prolific action/adventure/crime novelists and he’s created several highly popular, character-based series, the best known of which are probably his QUARRY and NATHAN HELLER series. I’m a fan of those series, but I have a special fondness for his Nolan character, so I was happy when Collins released a new Nolan novel, SKIM DEEP. It has been three decades since the last one was published. The first, BAIT MONEY, came out in 1973. Collins has said it was a conscious homage to the PARKER character and series written by Donald Westlake (as Richard Stark) and there are clear similarities between Parker and Nolan. That’s a good thing for Parker fans like me. But although Parker and Nolan are both professional heist experts and both effectively violent when needed, Nolan is a distinct and fascinating character in his own right. After six Nolan novels were published, there was a long hiatus. Then in 2020, Collins wrote a new Nolan novel, SKIM DEEP, for Hard Case Crime. In the intervening decades, Collins has continued to hone his writing skills. In fact, I think SKIM DEEP is one of the best novels he’s written (which is saying a lot). You don’t need to have read the previous Nolan novels to enjoy it. Collins provides enough of Nolan’s past history in SKIN DEEP to prevent that — though you’ll probably want to read the earlier Nolan novels if you start with SKIM DEEP. It starts out with a chapter that’s a master class in character description and plot framing. However, the character is not Nolan. It’s Mabel Winifred Comfort, the demented, vicious mother of a clan of rural criminals. She wants Nolan’s head — literally — for killing one of her sons when he double-crossed Nolan after a heist and sends one of her sons to collect it. That sets up one of the main storylines in the novel. The other involves a trip Nolan takes to Las Vegas with the young woman he’s decided to marry. That trip puts them on a collision course with some scheming mobsters who want to kill Nolan and his bride for their own reasons. The two storylines intertwine and both lead to satisfyingly surprising and bloody conclusions. And, it all involves further master class level writing in terms of characters, plot and action. I give SKIM DEEP an enthusiastic 5 stars and highly recommend it.
October 23, 2024
When Max Allan Collins decided to dip back into the trajectory of his Nolan stories and publish a new novel with Hard Case Crime, he chose a fascinating nexus point. Mabel “Maw” Comfort was the matriarch of a family of criminals, including one son who “disappeared” after blackmailing Nolan so that the former thief, now gone straight, had to do one last job. That job went wrong and “Maw” wants her revenge.
Nolan now owned and operated a restaurant/night club. Indeed, he had just opted to marry his long-time live-in girlfriend. They opt to get married in Vegas and the famous wedding chapel with surprise guests (and, I guess in a Nolan novel, it’s a surprise that these were musical celebrities rather than gun-toting goons). But even though revenge awaits Nolan back home, Vegas offers its own challenges.
He is accosted on behalf of some of the mafiosi for whom he had worked in Chicago. He ends up being abducted along with his new wife and the nephew of Planner (his former partner).He suddenly realizes that he is being set up for a patsy in a scheme to boost the casino’s “skim.” Hence, the title, Skim Deep. The action sequences play out at an old motel where people could get a nice view of the mushroom clouds during the years of above-ground testing (apparently halfway between Las Vegas and the Nevada test site). Predictably, some of the individuals involved are suffering from the consequences of radiation, but that isn’t all there is to the scene at the Mushroom Motel.
To make matters worse, Nolan has to angle a pretty nice bluff to wriggle free of potential problems caused by having him set up as the patsy. It’s an interesting gambit and would only work if the person he was bluffing was at a certain level in relation to organized crime. Indeed, it might not work at all, but it was interesting to read.
Finally, we get to the main course. Nolan has to intercept and thwart the last brother of the Comfort family. “Maw” has sent him off to perform multiple dastardly deeds and “Maw” reaps the prize she deserves. One has the feeling this will be the last Nolan novel, but it was quite enjoyable—especially since it had only been a few months since I had read Two for the Money which precedes this adventure.
Nolan now owned and operated a restaurant/night club. Indeed, he had just opted to marry his long-time live-in girlfriend. They opt to get married in Vegas and the famous wedding chapel with surprise guests (and, I guess in a Nolan novel, it’s a surprise that these were musical celebrities rather than gun-toting goons). But even though revenge awaits Nolan back home, Vegas offers its own challenges.
He is accosted on behalf of some of the mafiosi for whom he had worked in Chicago. He ends up being abducted along with his new wife and the nephew of Planner (his former partner).He suddenly realizes that he is being set up for a patsy in a scheme to boost the casino’s “skim.” Hence, the title, Skim Deep. The action sequences play out at an old motel where people could get a nice view of the mushroom clouds during the years of above-ground testing (apparently halfway between Las Vegas and the Nevada test site). Predictably, some of the individuals involved are suffering from the consequences of radiation, but that isn’t all there is to the scene at the Mushroom Motel.
To make matters worse, Nolan has to angle a pretty nice bluff to wriggle free of potential problems caused by having him set up as the patsy. It’s an interesting gambit and would only work if the person he was bluffing was at a certain level in relation to organized crime. Indeed, it might not work at all, but it was interesting to read.
Finally, we get to the main course. Nolan has to intercept and thwart the last brother of the Comfort family. “Maw” has sent him off to perform multiple dastardly deeds and “Maw” reaps the prize she deserves. One has the feeling this will be the last Nolan novel, but it was quite enjoyable—especially since it had only been a few months since I had read Two for the Money which precedes this adventure.
February 24, 2021
It was nice revisiting Nolan. I enjoyed the story in Skim Deep. He moved the character forward. He wrapped up a bit of a dangling plot thread. We caught up with his partner John too. In the forward to this novel Collins thanks Donald Westlake and mentions ripping him off a little for his Parker books. I am not sure that I agree with him even if he says so. I feel that Nolan is his own man with his own story and is not nearly the hard edged character that Parker was. Parker was a thieves version of Jack Reacher to me. Nolan is gritty sure but he has character. He has a life and a girl. Yes, I know that Parker has a girl too but I often thought of her as an after thought where Sherry is an active participant in the story here. I like the crime. I like how Collins' links the crime to Nolan. I like how Nolan deals with everything. It is well told. The characters react like they are supposed to act. I enjoy Collins' crime novels more than any of his other writing. It is where I think he is most at home. Please bring us more Nolan and I look forward to the next Quarry novel this fall. Now Quarry reminds me of Parker....
June 17, 2021
I gave it a 3, but 3.5 might be closer. Fairly good, but not as good as the Quarry books. This one is new, but set about 1987 as that is when the other Nolan books are set. Collins wrote the Nolan books in the late 80's and this one was written to re-introduce the character. It also serves as reason to re-print the older Nolan books.
Warning: As with the early Quarry books, Hard Case Crime and Max Allan Collins re-released them with different titles. So be warned. I really dislike it when authors and/or publishers do this.
I have never read the earlier Nolan novels and doubt that I will since I have now read the "finale" to the series.
One other thing I dislike about Hard Case Crime is that they have the "pulp fiction" type covers which are nice, but the women never look anything like the women in the books. Apparently the painters either never read the books or completely disregard them.
Warning: As with the early Quarry books, Hard Case Crime and Max Allan Collins re-released them with different titles. So be warned. I really dislike it when authors and/or publishers do this.
I have never read the earlier Nolan novels and doubt that I will since I have now read the "finale" to the series.
One other thing I dislike about Hard Case Crime is that they have the "pulp fiction" type covers which are nice, but the women never look anything like the women in the books. Apparently the painters either never read the books or completely disregard them.
January 10, 2021
Double Trouble and Betrayal
If Nolan wasn’t such a cheapskate he might have to survive just one treat to his life that comes from the Comfort clan. Maw wants his head in a nicely weaved basket and she dispatches Daniel her youngest and only surviving son to do the deed. While Daniel works up the courage to carry out his grisly mission, Nolan has taken his main squeeze Sherry to Vegas to get married. Nolan probably has the bucks to book a respectable hotel, but to lower the cost he opts for a place with mob connections. The room is comfy and the amenities plentiful. He’s now a respectable businessman. How could he possibly get sucked back into his old life?
Four stars because the narrative drags in spots.
If Nolan wasn’t such a cheapskate he might have to survive just one treat to his life that comes from the Comfort clan. Maw wants his head in a nicely weaved basket and she dispatches Daniel her youngest and only surviving son to do the deed. While Daniel works up the courage to carry out his grisly mission, Nolan has taken his main squeeze Sherry to Vegas to get married. Nolan probably has the bucks to book a respectable hotel, but to lower the cost he opts for a place with mob connections. The room is comfy and the amenities plentiful. He’s now a respectable businessman. How could he possibly get sucked back into his old life?
Four stars because the narrative drags in spots.
March 21, 2021
This is my introduction to Nolan, inspired by / homage to / rip-off of Westlake's Parker series. Frank Nolan decides to go straight after life of crime. Not only does he go straight, but he's in love and decides to get married.
Maybe going to Vegas and staying in a mob-run hotel wasn't the greatest of ideas. First Nolan gets beaten up as he's recognized as a thief (oops!). Then he gets kidnapped and caught up in a plot to rob the casino. How often can the past catch up with these guys?
At least one more time. Because waiting at home for the honeymooning couple is the brother of one of Nolan's victims, a thief who blackmailed Nolan and paid the price. Will the happy couple survive another attack?
Good, quick, pulp noir action.
Maybe going to Vegas and staying in a mob-run hotel wasn't the greatest of ideas. First Nolan gets beaten up as he's recognized as a thief (oops!). Then he gets kidnapped and caught up in a plot to rob the casino. How often can the past catch up with these guys?
At least one more time. Because waiting at home for the honeymooning couple is the brother of one of Nolan's victims, a thief who blackmailed Nolan and paid the price. Will the happy couple survive another attack?
Good, quick, pulp noir action.
January 12, 2023
My first Nolan book and I didn’t love it. It took me a couple books to really warm to Quarry to though. The book before this was a Mike Hammer that Collins finished after Spillane died so it had a lot to compare to. Not a bad book. The one thing I couldn’t figure out was that there were two distinct stories. After the opening Nolan gets on a plane for Vegas has a complete story for the bulk of the novel then flies back and the opening story is concluded. The two tales literally could have been on the beginning and end of any book they were so unrelated. Both this story and the larger middle one were good but I was unclear why they co-existed. I like Collins enough to give Nolan another go.
April 26, 2023
The Nolan novels are very, very, good. Nolan keeps trying to move away from his criminal career and continues to be drawn back. This is the latest in the series and sadly, not the best. Somewhere along the line, Collins has lost part of the feel for the original. The plot and characterization is typical Nolan, but the writing has a much more modern feel to it. In addition, it offers several sexually explicit interludes that do not enhance the story-- but rather provide a modern touch that takes away from the nostalgic crime setting.
Don't misread me-- it still is a fun foray in what will perhaps be the final novel of the series. It's just that the first novels in this series, written decades ago, are much, much better.
Don't misread me-- it still is a fun foray in what will perhaps be the final novel of the series. It's just that the first novels in this series, written decades ago, are much, much better.
Read
June 28, 2024“Skim the skim?”
“Skim the skim.”
That’s about the size of it! Nolan is trying to go legitimate - owns a restaurant, getting married, and honeymooning in Las Vegas! But it's hard to get out, once you've been in! Old friends, former mob connections, and that pesky ol' Comfort family aren't quite ready for Nolan to be in the clear. And they aren't too subtle about how they feel!
It's a good follow up to the previous books, and has Nolan as feisty as ever! There is far too much written about Daniel and his casing of Nolan and Sherry's place - far too much. Hopefully, that'll be the last of that family!
But, just in case, do check your mailbox for a postcard from the Mushroom Motel!
“Skim the skim.”
That’s about the size of it! Nolan is trying to go legitimate - owns a restaurant, getting married, and honeymooning in Las Vegas! But it's hard to get out, once you've been in! Old friends, former mob connections, and that pesky ol' Comfort family aren't quite ready for Nolan to be in the clear. And they aren't too subtle about how they feel!
It's a good follow up to the previous books, and has Nolan as feisty as ever! There is far too much written about Daniel and his casing of Nolan and Sherry's place - far too much. Hopefully, that'll be the last of that family!
But, just in case, do check your mailbox for a postcard from the Mushroom Motel!
June 21, 2024
This is fine, for what it is- a return to a character the author hadn't written about in decades. It's flawed in some ways, but has enough of a storyline to it and some fun side characters that were brief amusements. A couple of criticisms- every character in the book gets shot in the head. Logistically, hitting someone in the head purposefully without aiming first is pretty unlikely, and to do it again and again is just cartoonish. The whole "Nolan can do no wrong and always winds up with a pile of money" schtick is overdone. His cheapness is sort of bonkers as well. But if you don't care about the details particularly, it has some entertainment value.
February 27, 2021
I am *so* happy Max Allan Collins decided to finally grace us with another Nolan novel. This was fantastic. As a writer, just like the characters themselves, Collins picked up right where the last novel left off. I know it will never happen, but I would love to see Collins' two series protagonists, Nolan and Quarry, cross paths in some sort of crossover. But hey, I'm just happy to have the chance to read another Nolan and a good one at that. Collins and Nolan did not let us down after all these years.
April 23, 2021
Always happy for new Max Allan Collins, and honestly, can't say that I was ever expecting a new Nolan novel. That said, Nolan has always been my least favorite of Collins' series leads, give me Heller or Quarry any day. Still, this is classic Nolan, hard boiled in all the right places, a little light on character and a little short. Also, it really feels like two related short stories stuck together, rather than a regular novel, but overall still an enjoyable read. If you are a Collins/Nolan fan, you are sure to enjoy.
April 27, 2021
The main story is breezy entertainment and feels more like a blip in the radar than a large affair, but I thought that Maw Comfort and Daniel stole the spotlight. I couldn't stop laughing at Maw Comfort's thoughts on her granddaughter starring in dirty pictures, and Max nails Daniel's sad sack energy to a tee. The way Max describes the sex between Daniel and Heather is so pathetic that I don't remember the last time the word "dick" carried so much inadequacy. By the time Nolan gets to him, it's like fate granted him his release!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2021
Disappointing. I've read and enjoyed other books by Collins, but this one didn't work for me - at all. Exposition and character background for over 70 pages before anything substantive happens. By then I was bored, and didn't care. Also, the relationship stuff and puerile humor was off-putting, as if it was written in the '60s and not 2020 (are you listening John D MacDonald?). Collins should take a lesson from Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) or Robert Heinlein and begin his next novel in media res.
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