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Nolan #5-6
Tough Tender
Has Nolan met his match? MWA Grandmaster Max Allan Collins’ veteran thief faces off against a cold-blooded femme fatale in this double-length adventure originally published as two complete novels and unavailable in stores for three decades.
“Pulp fiction doesn’t get much better.”
Sunday Times
SOMETIMES YOU BURY THE PAST.
SOMETIMES IT BURIES YOU.
Every professional thief knows you never return to the scene of a crime. But what if you’re forced to?
In this intense heist story – appearing in bookstores for the first time in three decades – MWA Grandmaster Max Allan Collins brings veteran thief Nolan and his young partner in crime Jon back to rob the same bank they targeted in their debut novel, TWO FOR THE MONEY, at the behest of an embezzling executive and a femme fatale with dollar signs where her soul should be. And those aren’t the only figures resurfacing from the past either – the ruthless Comfort clan is back to even old scores, and some members of the Outfit are packing bullets with Nolan’s name on them. With all these forces marshalled against him, can even the toughest professional hardcase come out on top?
“Pulp fiction doesn’t get much better.”
Sunday Times
SOMETIMES YOU BURY THE PAST.
SOMETIMES IT BURIES YOU.
Every professional thief knows you never return to the scene of a crime. But what if you’re forced to?
In this intense heist story – appearing in bookstores for the first time in three decades – MWA Grandmaster Max Allan Collins brings veteran thief Nolan and his young partner in crime Jon back to rob the same bank they targeted in their debut novel, TWO FOR THE MONEY, at the behest of an embezzling executive and a femme fatale with dollar signs where her soul should be. And those aren’t the only figures resurfacing from the past either – the ruthless Comfort clan is back to even old scores, and some members of the Outfit are packing bullets with Nolan’s name on them. With all these forces marshalled against him, can even the toughest professional hardcase come out on top?
346 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 1991
18 people are currently reading
87 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
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 29, 2022
Tough Tender offers the readers two of Collins’ classic Nolan novels wrapped in a spectacular new cover and wedged with a new introduction.
The theme behind the novel “Hard Cash” seems to be what happens when a crook retires from the life and his past catches up with him. Nolan and Jon have had a few adventures together in the first four novels of this series (Bait Money, Blood Money, Fly Paper, and Hush Money). In this book, although Nolan and Jon are trying to play it straight, as they walk down the street, the dark shadows from their past are nipping at their heels.
In “Scratch Fever,” the follow up to “Hard Cash,” Jon and Nolan are again trying to retire from their bank robbing days, but retirement just isn’t meant to be for them. Although Nolan and Jon are trying to play it straight, as they walk down the street, the shadows from their past are again nipping at their heels.
Nolan is an ex-mafia guy who, after having his differences with members of the family, went off on his own for some years, getting involved in heists and robberies, well-planned, well-executed heists for that matter. Nolan was considered the best in the business and had never ended up behind bars.
Jon is about as unlikely a guy to be paired with as Nolan could imagine, but their sometimes-partnership works well. Jon’s uncle was known as “The Planner” and, under the cover of being an antiques dealer, the Planner would case jobs and put together packages for jobs consisting of plans and contacts. That is, he did this prior to getting killed when some thieves broke into his antiques shop and stole the $800,000 that Nolan and Jon had reaped from their first job together.
Jon is a twenty-one year old baby-faced kid with little experience in the life. He collects comic books with a passion few could imagine and has as his life’s dream becoming a comic book artist. He hoped that his first job with Nolan would finance his way to pursuing his life’s dream, but it didn’t quite work out that way. Jon has looked up to Nolan as the personification of his action hero fantasies.
The theme behind the novel “Hard Cash” seems to be what happens when a crook retires from the life and his past catches up with him. Nolan and Jon have had a few adventures together in the first four novels of this series (Bait Money, Blood Money, Fly Paper, and Hush Money). In this book, although Nolan and Jon are trying to play it straight, as they walk down the street, the dark shadows from their past are nipping at their heels.
In “Scratch Fever,” the follow up to “Hard Cash,” Jon and Nolan are again trying to retire from their bank robbing days, but retirement just isn’t meant to be for them. Although Nolan and Jon are trying to play it straight, as they walk down the street, the shadows from their past are again nipping at their heels.
Nolan is an ex-mafia guy who, after having his differences with members of the family, went off on his own for some years, getting involved in heists and robberies, well-planned, well-executed heists for that matter. Nolan was considered the best in the business and had never ended up behind bars.
Jon is about as unlikely a guy to be paired with as Nolan could imagine, but their sometimes-partnership works well. Jon’s uncle was known as “The Planner” and, under the cover of being an antiques dealer, the Planner would case jobs and put together packages for jobs consisting of plans and contacts. That is, he did this prior to getting killed when some thieves broke into his antiques shop and stole the $800,000 that Nolan and Jon had reaped from their first job together.
Jon is a twenty-one year old baby-faced kid with little experience in the life. He collects comic books with a passion few could imagine and has as his life’s dream becoming a comic book artist. He hoped that his first job with Nolan would finance his way to pursuing his life’s dream, but it didn’t quite work out that way. Jon has looked up to Nolan as the personification of his action hero fantasies.
June 16, 2022
Nolan is a bank robber, now retired. With his young accomplice Jon, he's pulled off several heists in previous books. This collects the 5th and 6th novels in the series, Hard Cash and Scratch Fever. The 2 books tell a longer story.
Hard Cash
Nolan is a retired thief. One with a complicated past. Now those complications have come looking for him. One is out for revenge. The other for the money. Nolan will need to survive both.
Scratch Fever
Jon is playing with his band in a bar one night when he recognizes someone who should be dead. Someone who double-crossed Jon and Nolan on their last job. But Jon was recognized as well. Now it's a game of cat and mouse as the two sides jockey for who will survive.
Hard Cash
Nolan is a retired thief. One with a complicated past. Now those complications have come looking for him. One is out for revenge. The other for the money. Nolan will need to survive both.
Scratch Fever
Jon is playing with his band in a bar one night when he recognizes someone who should be dead. Someone who double-crossed Jon and Nolan on their last job. But Jon was recognized as well. Now it's a game of cat and mouse as the two sides jockey for who will survive.
April 22, 2024
2 book in 1!
Hard Cash and Scratch Fever.
Hard Cash started out with a bang and ended mixed success. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Julie is an epic menace that finally gets what’s coming to her in Scratch Fever.
Nolan is smart and so is Jon. Together they make a great team. Both were needed to get revenge on Julie. Poor Harold though 😣😣😣
Hard Cash and Scratch Fever.
Hard Cash started out with a bang and ended mixed success. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Julie is an epic menace that finally gets what’s coming to her in Scratch Fever.
Nolan is smart and so is Jon. Together they make a great team. Both were needed to get revenge on Julie. Poor Harold though 😣😣😣
February 20, 2022
A double novel as the duo of Nolan and Jon find themselves up against Julie, one of the deadliest Femmes Fatale ever.
June 26, 2025
Tough Tender is a reissue of books 5 and 6 in Max Allan Collins’ Nolan series by Hard Case Crime. Originally published as Hard Cash and Scratch Fever in the 1980s. Quarry may be my favorite series by MAC, the stories of a hit man; Nolan may be my second favorite, but surprisingly, I’ve not read all of them, in part because the were not always that easy to find, so thank you Hard Case Crime.
Nolan is a professional thief, and NOT a stickup man. His sidekick, Jon, is still toying with becoming a writer of comic books and a rock musician. Events take place in and around the Iowa City/Quad City areas. Hard Cash starts with Nolan and Jon living a life of “retirement” after Nolan was able to get out of the bad graces of the Chicago mob. [The next sentence is a mild spoiler]. The victim of a previous Nolan heist blackmails Nolan into robbing him again in order to cover up some fiscal wrong doing. The blackmailer comes with a femme fatale in a very classic noir turn. Typical Nolan/Jon mayhem ensues.
Scratch Fever, a reference to Ted Nugent’s song, has Nolan and Jon living separately, having gone their own ways after the very messy events from Hard Cash. Jon is touring the Midwest with a rock band as he tries to once again move on from his life with Nolan. Julie, the femme fatale from Hard Cash comes back into their lives, and even more mayhem ensues. Both books contain plenty of violence, and sex, and be forewarned, a dog is killed. The only problem I have with these books is that they are such a fast read, they are over too soon. Part of that is due to the length of the books, but also, very much the result of MAC’s writing style.
Nolan is a professional thief, and NOT a stickup man. His sidekick, Jon, is still toying with becoming a writer of comic books and a rock musician. Events take place in and around the Iowa City/Quad City areas. Hard Cash starts with Nolan and Jon living a life of “retirement” after Nolan was able to get out of the bad graces of the Chicago mob. [The next sentence is a mild spoiler]. The victim of a previous Nolan heist blackmails Nolan into robbing him again in order to cover up some fiscal wrong doing. The blackmailer comes with a femme fatale in a very classic noir turn. Typical Nolan/Jon mayhem ensues.
Scratch Fever, a reference to Ted Nugent’s song, has Nolan and Jon living separately, having gone their own ways after the very messy events from Hard Cash. Jon is touring the Midwest with a rock band as he tries to once again move on from his life with Nolan. Julie, the femme fatale from Hard Cash comes back into their lives, and even more mayhem ensues. Both books contain plenty of violence, and sex, and be forewarned, a dog is killed. The only problem I have with these books is that they are such a fast read, they are over too soon. Part of that is due to the length of the books, but also, very much the result of MAC’s writing style.
May 16, 2023
Tough Tender is the third collection of Hard Case Crime's two-in-one reprints that collect the Nolan series until amazing new covers that capture the series. The first novel, Hard Cash, brings the series back around as the past begins to catch up to our heroes, as they discover it's much harder to leave their thieving behind than they thought. The second novel, Scratch Fever, continues that theme, as even though they move forward, they may just have to move backwards. Nolan and Jon are two of my favorite characters and I loved the chance to continue to revisit them under a new, beautiful cover and a new introduction by MAC.
February 21, 2022
Max Allan Collins has created many colorful characters over the years, but Nolan is still my favorite Collins creation. He's not all that complicated. He's a hard-as-nails no BS professional thief. Both of these books are a hell of a lot of fun. Collins is a master storyteller whose writing chops are on full display here. Maybe Nolan began as a Parker pastiche, but Collins certainly crafted him into someone and something completely different. Nolan's partnership with sidekick Jon is one of my favorite aspects of these books because these characters are so different.
Recommended! 5 stars!
Recommended! 5 stars!
February 14, 2022
“Tough Tender” collects the 5th and 6th novels in Max Allan Collins’ Nolan series, originally written in the mid 1970's - 80's but with a complicated publishing history. Nolan, former member of the Chicago branch of “The Family” and an accomplished master of the heist, is trying to retire. But as another iconic character once said, “Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.” But this time, it’s not The Family that’s pulling Nolan back in again; it’s a former mark.
The first book in this double edition, “Hard Cash” acts as a sequel to the very first book in the series, “Bait Money” in which Nolan works with a group of young would-be thieves to knock over the First National Bank of Port City, Iowa. Now, the very same bank president, prodded by the lovely Julie, hires Nolan to rob it again. Nolan is assisted by his young protégé, Jon and together they must navigate the pitfalls of the operation. Nolan and Jon are plunged into one unexpected twist after another, but a heist is a heist and they never let go of their goal of securing the prize.
The second novel in this double collection, “Scratch Fever” is a direct sequel to “Hard Cash”. It takes place roughly one year later and opens with Jon now the lead in a local club-scene rock & roll band. In the audience, he spies somebody he thought dead, a character from the previous book and somebody who is destined to cause havoc and mayhem in his life. The stakes are high and Jon is soon fighting for his life. Other dangerous characters from previous books show up – hitmen out for revenge. This time it’s Nolan to the rescue in a nail-biting cat & mouse yarn that really keeps the pages turning.
Nolan is a great character and as MAC writes in the introduction, these stories provide “low-life villains who retain a recognizable humanity.” Hard Cash is meant to combine “the caper novel with the James M. Cain sex melodrama”. Nolan is a tough guy, supremely competent, and willing to take whatever steps are necessary. But throughout, he does, indeed, have that inner core of honor that keeps him sympathetic to the reader. Jon, is also a wonderful sidekick character who tends to take on prominent roles in their various schemes all while dreaming of one day being a successful writer and artist in the world of comics. Gotta love it.
All the Nolan novels can technically be read as stand-alones, but I would recommend they be read in order of publication due to some recurring characters and situations, as evidenced by the two novels presented here. Thankfully, Hard Case Crime has committed to producing all the Nolan books in new, beautifully rendered double editions. Can’t wait for the final pairing still to come.
The first book in this double edition, “Hard Cash” acts as a sequel to the very first book in the series, “Bait Money” in which Nolan works with a group of young would-be thieves to knock over the First National Bank of Port City, Iowa. Now, the very same bank president, prodded by the lovely Julie, hires Nolan to rob it again. Nolan is assisted by his young protégé, Jon and together they must navigate the pitfalls of the operation. Nolan and Jon are plunged into one unexpected twist after another, but a heist is a heist and they never let go of their goal of securing the prize.
The second novel in this double collection, “Scratch Fever” is a direct sequel to “Hard Cash”. It takes place roughly one year later and opens with Jon now the lead in a local club-scene rock & roll band. In the audience, he spies somebody he thought dead, a character from the previous book and somebody who is destined to cause havoc and mayhem in his life. The stakes are high and Jon is soon fighting for his life. Other dangerous characters from previous books show up – hitmen out for revenge. This time it’s Nolan to the rescue in a nail-biting cat & mouse yarn that really keeps the pages turning.
Nolan is a great character and as MAC writes in the introduction, these stories provide “low-life villains who retain a recognizable humanity.” Hard Cash is meant to combine “the caper novel with the James M. Cain sex melodrama”. Nolan is a tough guy, supremely competent, and willing to take whatever steps are necessary. But throughout, he does, indeed, have that inner core of honor that keeps him sympathetic to the reader. Jon, is also a wonderful sidekick character who tends to take on prominent roles in their various schemes all while dreaming of one day being a successful writer and artist in the world of comics. Gotta love it.
All the Nolan novels can technically be read as stand-alones, but I would recommend they be read in order of publication due to some recurring characters and situations, as evidenced by the two novels presented here. Thankfully, Hard Case Crime has committed to producing all the Nolan books in new, beautifully rendered double editions. Can’t wait for the final pairing still to come.
May 19, 2022
The reprints of Collins’ Nolan series continue from Hard Case Crime, with another two-for-one packaging featuring the ‘retired’ titular thief and his young heist partner Jon. The series has had a complicated publication history, often out-of-print and relatively difficult to track down. This volume collects the fifth and sixth novels in the series, first published in 1982, Hard Cash and Scratch Fever. Even more-so than previous double collections from HCC, these two novels fit exceptionally well together, linked by a ruthless femme fatale antagonist. Tough Tender simply reads like one complete story in two acts.
The set up for these episodes in Nolan and Jon’s lives follows a standard format, also frequently used in the Quarry series: The criminal protagonist is trying to live a retired life, but previous deeds pull them back in. Usually what brings them back to crime is either the prospect of a really big paycheck, or someone coming out of the woodwork to kill them. The first part of Tough Tender, Hard Cash, offers a slightly different tactic: blackmail.
An executive at a bank that Nolan and Jon robbed previously in the series shows up at Nolan’s restaurant with an offer for another heist, this time with inside cooperation. Nolan wants no part in the risks or the executives eager ignorance. Facing the choice of either going along to hear more about the executives plans or killing him to prevent him from turning Nolan in, Nolan opts for restraint, taking Jon for a meeting to hear more about the heist plan, and the executive’s threats. There, they learn that the real drive and brains behind this plan is a sultry and dangerous woman name Julie, who has the married executive wrapped around her finger in adultery. Still not liking any bit of being ‘forced’ into a heist, Nolan and Jon choose to proceed, cautiously, expecting a double-cross.
In Scratch Fever, the second half of Tough Tender, Jon has returned to his life of comics and rock and roll, while Nolan is back at his restaurant/motel. As Jon’s band performs in a local backwoods music venue, he is shocked to see femme fatale Julie among the audience, a woman that he and Nolan thought was dead. Even worse, her deadly regard notices him. Jon manages to get a message of warning to Nolan, but not without also become captured by the jaded girlfriend of one of Jon’s old flames, a confused girl who has become ensnared by Julie’s destructive sexual allure.
Of the two components, Scratch Fever works best, offering a more unique scenario within the series than Hard Cash and focusing equally on Jon as on Nolan, in alternating chapters. Hard Cash also suffers from poorly inserting the Comfort family series antagonists into the plot. Though Jon shot the Comfort patriarch in the previous entry to the series, the old coot managed to survive, and is off with one son to get revenge on the guys who stole from them. The plot line only becomes possible due to a stupid slip up by Nolan and Jon in the previous novel, and Collins’ ��oh, he actually wasn’t really dead!” ploy. This would be forgivable, but the Comfort plot in here really goes nowhere, with an evaporating resolution by mere chance as this B plot intersects with the main heist plot.
The other aspect that reads off in these novels would be Nolan and Jon’s automatic reaction to Julie (from first meeting) as “that bitch”. There’s a harshness to Nolan in particular that does not play well at all, particularly in 2022. Similarly, Jon’s relationship with the lesbian girlfriend who kidnaps him in Scratch Fever plays out in an unbelievable way that in today’s age would have to be depicted more delicately and realistically.
Then again, these were written in the 1970s – published in the early 1980s – and they are noir pulp. So readers who go for this fare shouldn’t be entirely surprised or put off even when things run counter to contemporary sensibilities or reader beliefs. The fact is that Tough Tender serves as a solid continuation to the Nolan series. Still not as refined or engaging as the Quarry novels, but essential for fans of Collins’ neo-noir and the HCC label.
The set up for these episodes in Nolan and Jon’s lives follows a standard format, also frequently used in the Quarry series: The criminal protagonist is trying to live a retired life, but previous deeds pull them back in. Usually what brings them back to crime is either the prospect of a really big paycheck, or someone coming out of the woodwork to kill them. The first part of Tough Tender, Hard Cash, offers a slightly different tactic: blackmail.
An executive at a bank that Nolan and Jon robbed previously in the series shows up at Nolan’s restaurant with an offer for another heist, this time with inside cooperation. Nolan wants no part in the risks or the executives eager ignorance. Facing the choice of either going along to hear more about the executives plans or killing him to prevent him from turning Nolan in, Nolan opts for restraint, taking Jon for a meeting to hear more about the heist plan, and the executive’s threats. There, they learn that the real drive and brains behind this plan is a sultry and dangerous woman name Julie, who has the married executive wrapped around her finger in adultery. Still not liking any bit of being ‘forced’ into a heist, Nolan and Jon choose to proceed, cautiously, expecting a double-cross.
In Scratch Fever, the second half of Tough Tender, Jon has returned to his life of comics and rock and roll, while Nolan is back at his restaurant/motel. As Jon’s band performs in a local backwoods music venue, he is shocked to see femme fatale Julie among the audience, a woman that he and Nolan thought was dead. Even worse, her deadly regard notices him. Jon manages to get a message of warning to Nolan, but not without also become captured by the jaded girlfriend of one of Jon’s old flames, a confused girl who has become ensnared by Julie’s destructive sexual allure.
Of the two components, Scratch Fever works best, offering a more unique scenario within the series than Hard Cash and focusing equally on Jon as on Nolan, in alternating chapters. Hard Cash also suffers from poorly inserting the Comfort family series antagonists into the plot. Though Jon shot the Comfort patriarch in the previous entry to the series, the old coot managed to survive, and is off with one son to get revenge on the guys who stole from them. The plot line only becomes possible due to a stupid slip up by Nolan and Jon in the previous novel, and Collins’ ��oh, he actually wasn’t really dead!” ploy. This would be forgivable, but the Comfort plot in here really goes nowhere, with an evaporating resolution by mere chance as this B plot intersects with the main heist plot.
The other aspect that reads off in these novels would be Nolan and Jon’s automatic reaction to Julie (from first meeting) as “that bitch”. There’s a harshness to Nolan in particular that does not play well at all, particularly in 2022. Similarly, Jon’s relationship with the lesbian girlfriend who kidnaps him in Scratch Fever plays out in an unbelievable way that in today’s age would have to be depicted more delicately and realistically.
Then again, these were written in the 1970s – published in the early 1980s – and they are noir pulp. So readers who go for this fare shouldn’t be entirely surprised or put off even when things run counter to contemporary sensibilities or reader beliefs. The fact is that Tough Tender serves as a solid continuation to the Nolan series. Still not as refined or engaging as the Quarry novels, but essential for fans of Collins’ neo-noir and the HCC label.
April 11, 2022
Reading the series like the Star Wars trilogy but still loving it. Read Book 9, then books 3-4 and now book 5-6!
This is my second Hard Case Crime Nolan double feature. I read Double Down a few weeks ago and just finished this one in 3 days. I'm a sucker for heist series (love the Parker novels) and Collins series (Love Quarry series and read first 5 Heller books) so Im definitely biased but I'm hooked on this series and just waiting for Two For the Money to hit my local library. If like gritty 70's heist scene you will like, Mid-West America can get pretty hairy especially for a tight fisted heister! Highly recommended
This is my second Hard Case Crime Nolan double feature. I read Double Down a few weeks ago and just finished this one in 3 days. I'm a sucker for heist series (love the Parker novels) and Collins series (Love Quarry series and read first 5 Heller books) so Im definitely biased but I'm hooked on this series and just waiting for Two For the Money to hit my local library. If like gritty 70's heist scene you will like, Mid-West America can get pretty hairy especially for a tight fisted heister! Highly recommended
January 18, 2023
I tend to enjoy Quarry books more than Nolan books and that holds true for this pair of novels.
In Hard Cash, I didn't care much for the Comforts to begin with and their reappearance feels like its either fan service or else Collins needed something for the ending and thus shoe-horned them into the story.
The character of Julie is more interesting to me, and its nice to see her develop into somewhat of a rival or nemesis for Nolan, but her overconfidence leads her to making mistakes enough that she is never really a serious threat.
In Hard Cash, I didn't care much for the Comforts to begin with and their reappearance feels like its either fan service or else Collins needed something for the ending and thus shoe-horned them into the story.
The character of Julie is more interesting to me, and its nice to see her develop into somewhat of a rival or nemesis for Nolan, but her overconfidence leads her to making mistakes enough that she is never really a serious threat.
March 23, 2022
Another Great Nolan!
This is a reprint of two Nolan novels (Hard Cash and Scratch Fever) put together to read as one long story, which means double the action and double the bad guys (or in this case, a lethal femme fatale). If you like the other Nolans, you'll love this. If you never read him before, it's okay to start here than read the others. Max Allan Collins never disappoints!
This is a reprint of two Nolan novels (Hard Cash and Scratch Fever) put together to read as one long story, which means double the action and double the bad guys (or in this case, a lethal femme fatale). If you like the other Nolans, you'll love this. If you never read him before, it's okay to start here than read the others. Max Allan Collins never disappoints!
March 15, 2022
This is another double shot of the Nolan series by Max Allan Collins. The book combinea the two novels "Hard Cash" and "Scratch Fever". Both stories are excellent! A must read for fans of Nolan and Jon!
April 11, 2022
A delightful double feature of Nolan and Jon. Each story is incredibly entertaining with Nolan and Jon both drawn back into the lives they’ve lead, forced to confront the past each time in a different way.
April 25, 2022
Old school crime done right
Good story, believable characters. Old fashioned crime novel with all the trimmings. No detectives involved, just crooks, pros and amateurs, good guys and bad guys. And money.
Good story, believable characters. Old fashioned crime novel with all the trimmings. No detectives involved, just crooks, pros and amateurs, good guys and bad guys. And money.
August 14, 2024
I liked the way the first book ended - “Go straight,” Nolan said.
The second book starts with waaaaay too much Jon and his rock band. Way too much! Nolan doesn’t enter the story until chapter six. After he does, the survivor of the first book in this collection comes back to haunt Nolan and Jon. And, this being a Nolan book, someone close to him is kidnapped, and he must rescue them.
The first book is better than the second, but both are a decent enough read to pass these remaining days of summer!
The second book starts with waaaaay too much Jon and his rock band. Way too much! Nolan doesn’t enter the story until chapter six. After he does, the survivor of the first book in this collection comes back to haunt Nolan and Jon. And, this being a Nolan book, someone close to him is kidnapped, and he must rescue them.
The first book is better than the second, but both are a decent enough read to pass these remaining days of summer!
March 29, 2022
Tough Tender contains two Nolan novels, Hard Cash and Scratch Fever. Max Allan Collins’ hard-boiled prose at its finest!
November 9, 2022
Terrific hard boiled crime procedural by a master of the genre. Reminiscent of the Richard Stark stories by Donald Westlake. Two novels in one volume: Hard Cash and Scratch Fever.
December 28, 2022
MAC attack
I read MAC's Nolan before I read Richard State's Parker series. Nolan is breezier quick Parker is more noirish. I like them both.
I read MAC's Nolan before I read Richard State's Parker series. Nolan is breezier quick Parker is more noirish. I like them both.
January 10, 2023
More hardships for one of our favorite crooks just trying to make it day to day.
February 26, 2024
Re-issue of two classic Nolan stories
November 6, 2025
Wow! SCRATCH FEVER is very homophobic.
May 18, 2023
This omnibus collects the 5th and 6th novels in the Nolan series.
Hard Cash (1981)
“I’ve reached fifty years of age and never spent a day of it in jail, even though for the better part of the last twenty I was robbing banks like yours. And do you know how I managed that? Managed to stay alive and not behind bars? By being careful. By having certain rules. By demanding certain conditions… ideal conditions… for any heist I was part of.”
George Rigley, the bank president Nolan stole from in Bait Money, is now blackmailing the thief. He threatens to turn Nolan into the police, unless Nolan agrees to rob his bank a second time…
Rigley’s personal life is domineered by two women: Cora, his rich, aging, alcoholic wife who is past her prime and all passion; and Julie, the beautiful mistress whose avarice knows no limit…
Sam Comfort is on the loose in the shadows. He survived the bullet wounds he received in Fly Paper. Now he is tracking Nolan and Jon to avenge the death of his son…
Max Alan Collins delivers another heist novel that is heavy on suspense and atmosphere. I dislike the decision to bring back Sam, because it is a sudden cure-all for Jon’s guilt over having killed a man. However, I do enjoy the manner in which the Comfort family storyline ultimately affects the Rigley/Cora/Julie plot line.
Scratch Fever (1982)
“She would have to run. There was no other choice. Nolan was here; his breath was on her neck; and this time he wouldn’t go soft and spare her, like that time at the cottage. This time he would kill her.”
The last time we saw Julie, she was in the back seat of a police cruiser along with the ill-gotten proceeds of the Port City bank robbery, presumably headed off to jail. Nolan and Jon got away with their freedom still in tact but without their share of the dough. It felt an appropriate ending to Hard Cash.
But there is so much more that happened; that original ending is now retconned in order to set up the plot of this direct sequel. Julie never went to prison. She seduces the sheriff, fakes her death, and sets herself up as a legitimate business owner in a new city.
Until she and Jon run into each other by accident a year later. She knows Nolan will come after her, so she hastily tries to set up a preemptive strike…
She arranges for Jon to be kidnapped and sends two mob enforcers to take Nolan out. They fail (of course!), but they hurt his girlfriend Sherry and they kill his dog. Now it’s definitely personal…
The retcon aspect of this novel feels awkward, but once it’s out of the way, this becomes one of the stronger Nolan entries. Jon’s new girlfriend Tori is a snarky, sexy hoot. The new cast of befuddled bad guys (aka canon fodder) are funny and memorable—Ron, Sally, Infante, Darlene and Harold. Julie’s Machiavellian manipulations are amped up, so it is fun watching the noose slowly tighten around her.
The reader knows all along Nolan is a force that just cannot be stopped.
Hard Cash (1981)
“I’ve reached fifty years of age and never spent a day of it in jail, even though for the better part of the last twenty I was robbing banks like yours. And do you know how I managed that? Managed to stay alive and not behind bars? By being careful. By having certain rules. By demanding certain conditions… ideal conditions… for any heist I was part of.”
George Rigley, the bank president Nolan stole from in Bait Money, is now blackmailing the thief. He threatens to turn Nolan into the police, unless Nolan agrees to rob his bank a second time…
Rigley’s personal life is domineered by two women: Cora, his rich, aging, alcoholic wife who is past her prime and all passion; and Julie, the beautiful mistress whose avarice knows no limit…
Sam Comfort is on the loose in the shadows. He survived the bullet wounds he received in Fly Paper. Now he is tracking Nolan and Jon to avenge the death of his son…
Max Alan Collins delivers another heist novel that is heavy on suspense and atmosphere. I dislike the decision to bring back Sam, because it is a sudden cure-all for Jon’s guilt over having killed a man. However, I do enjoy the manner in which the Comfort family storyline ultimately affects the Rigley/Cora/Julie plot line.
Scratch Fever (1982)
“She would have to run. There was no other choice. Nolan was here; his breath was on her neck; and this time he wouldn’t go soft and spare her, like that time at the cottage. This time he would kill her.”
The last time we saw Julie, she was in the back seat of a police cruiser along with the ill-gotten proceeds of the Port City bank robbery, presumably headed off to jail. Nolan and Jon got away with their freedom still in tact but without their share of the dough. It felt an appropriate ending to Hard Cash.
But there is so much more that happened; that original ending is now retconned in order to set up the plot of this direct sequel. Julie never went to prison. She seduces the sheriff, fakes her death, and sets herself up as a legitimate business owner in a new city.
Until she and Jon run into each other by accident a year later. She knows Nolan will come after her, so she hastily tries to set up a preemptive strike…
She arranges for Jon to be kidnapped and sends two mob enforcers to take Nolan out. They fail (of course!), but they hurt his girlfriend Sherry and they kill his dog. Now it’s definitely personal…
The retcon aspect of this novel feels awkward, but once it’s out of the way, this becomes one of the stronger Nolan entries. Jon’s new girlfriend Tori is a snarky, sexy hoot. The new cast of befuddled bad guys (aka canon fodder) are funny and memorable—Ron, Sally, Infante, Darlene and Harold. Julie’s Machiavellian manipulations are amped up, so it is fun watching the noose slowly tighten around her.
The reader knows all along Nolan is a force that just cannot be stopped.
January 17, 2024
I really enjoyed reading these two stories. Great climax on the second one, wow!
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