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True Detective: Nathan Heller Series, Book 1

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In the mob-choked Chicago of 1932, private detective Nathan Heller may be willing to risk his life to earn a Depression dollar, but he never sacrifices his sardonic wit. Now, author Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition) reissues the contemporary classic that introduces the wise-cracking Nathan Heller in all his guts and glory.

When Mayor Cermak’s “Hoodlum Squad” brings Heller along on a raid with no instructions but to keep his mouth shut and his gun handy, he becomes an unwitting, unwilling part of a hit on Al Capone’s successor, Frank Nitti. As a result, Heller quits the force to become a private eye. His first job: head off a nation-shaking political assassination in Miami Beach. With the Chicago World’s Fair as a backdrop, Heller encounters a ragtag array of crooks and clients, including Al Capone, George Raft, “Dutch” Reagan, and FDR himself.

Rich in riveting plot turns, including a heartbreaking romance, True Detective is one of the most highly entertaining and unlikely coming-of-age stories ever written. That’s why mystery fans and critics alike rank this historical thriller at the top of their lists – and why the book swept up a Shamus Award for the best novel from the Private Eye Writers of America.

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3 thoughts on “True Detective: Nathan Heller Series, Book 1

  1. The BEST Crime Book of the ’30s Era From the first few words, I knew that Max Allan Collins had written one of the best crime/detective novels I had ever read. Before long, I dropped “one of” and decided it is THE BEST! Characters rise off the pages into “real” life, while the action grabs you and carries you along. If you like the tough, but believable, private eye, this is a landmark book for you. Don’t just read it. Buy it!

  2. Enjoyable crime story with some history I wasn’t familiar with This is a solid read, and a promising start to a detective series that I’ll probably try more of in the future. It’s a hardboiled mystery, but generally avoids feeling too much like a cliche by using characters with a little more complexity than your typical crime fiction. The meticulous attention to historical detail adds a level of realism to the book. If it errs anywhere, it may be in cramming in so many historical references. By the last third of the novel, some of the celebrity cameos…

  3. True True True I read True Detective after reading several of Collins’ later Nathan Heller books. Collins writes this series as an amalgam of historical accuracy with his protaganist (current private eye, former Chicago police detective Nathan Heller) interacting with the real characters of the era depicted. In this one we are in Chicago and meet the likes of mobsters like Capone and Nitti, crooked cops, grafting politicians, and good guys like boxer Barney Ross and Elliot Ness to balance the score…

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