I’ve read several of Max Allan Collins’s Nathan Heller novels and enjoyed them all. In his Introduction, Max Allan Collins delineates how he came up with the idea of Nathan Heller Private Detective, his character (with a bit of Mike Hammer mixed in), the time period (from the Thirties to the Sixties), and the element of historical facts in every case.
Marilyn Monroe shows up in “Kisses of Death.” Heller finds a way to commit the perfect crime in “The Perfect Crime.” Heller investigates the deaths of homeless people (and others) who had been insured shortly before they died–another real spam from that time period. “Screwball,” set in Miami Beach in 1941, features gangsters, a stand-up comic who tells dirty jokes, and a pair of young women who liked to party.
My favorite story in Kisses of Death is “Strike Zone” where Heller is hired by Bill Veeck to guard the midget Veeck used to bat in a major league baseball game. Mixing historical incidents with Collins’s clever brand of fiction made these stories a delight to read! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION — 9
Kisses of Death — 13
Kaddish for the Kid — 57
The Perfect Crime — 80
Natural Death, Inc. — 102
Screwball — 124
Shoot-Out on Sunset — 145
Strike Zone — 171
AFTERWORD: I OWE THEM ONE — 197
A MAX ALLAN COLLINS CHECKLIST — 199
As you know, I am a big Collins fan. The first Heller novel, TRUE DETECTIVE, knocked my socks off and Heller’s been a constant companion ever sine. (Can it really be almost four decades now? Wow.)
Every story in KISSES OF DEATH hit the mark for me.
Jerry, like you I’ve been a big fan of Max Allan Collins and his oeuvre. I love the way Collins weaves historical characters and incidents into his Heller mysteries!
Ditto, though I haven’t read all the novels. I read this when it first came out from Crippen & Landru over 20 years ago (!). I do remember that Bill Veeck story too. I think I even read Veeck’s book, VEECK AS IN WRECK, after I read it.
Jeff, that Veeck story was one of my favorites! I marvel at how Max Allan Collins works with historical incidents to deliver a satisfying mystery.
He is one of the best of our time.
Patti, I’m impressed at the high quality of Max Allan Collins’s work…and how prolific he is!
Eddie Gaedel was the midget baseball player whose career lasted for one at bat.