The Big Bundle

The 18th book in this long-running series is as strong as any of the others. It satisfies both long-time readers and first-timers.Collins once again shows that he is a master of weaving fact and historical fiction together in a way that somehow makes it feel more real.

Author Max Allan Collins has outdone himself with the latest entry in the Heller series offering what is destined to become a classic in the private eye genre.For those unfamiliar with the series, Nate Heller is a private eye, and depending on the novel one will encounter him in one of many decades, dealing with a mystery that has the fictional detective encountering historical figures in stories true to the events and periods.This novel takes place in the 50’s. The first section has the head of the A-1 Detective Agency hired to bring a kidnap victim home safely. After these events play out the novel jumps five years where Heller is back around the same case, this time trying to locate missing ransom money that was never returned.Along the way, Heller rubs elbows with persons known and notorious in the period as well as well known historical figures such as Bobby Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa. The plot alone is worth the read, but the author’s writing craft is what makes this story come alive.Collins knows how to bring the reader out of a dark period and re-engage said reader with the story. After a darker conclusion to the first section he opens up the second in a different setting that lifts the story back onto a level that brings the book back to a thrilling page turning.Finally, Heller’s first person voice is one of the best in private eye literature. His comments and observations are a delight to read and asides, whether over crying or Cadillacs had me laughing out loud.The good news about the Heller novels is that they do not have to be read in order (chronological or published) and the reader can pick up any one of these books and be fully up to speed with what is going on. If this is your first one or not, enjoy it. The Big Bundle is now my favorite in the series and one I look forward to reading again. It is that good.

Max Allan Collins' historical detective Nate Heller returns in THE BIG BUNDLE. The subject on this outing is the kidnapping of six-year-old Bobby Greenlease, Jr., a horrifying crime that was huge news in 1953 and which resulted in the largest paid ransom in American history to that point. Collins drops his fictional detective into the midst of things, focusing on the abduction in the front half of the book and a significant loose end in the back half that intersects with Bobby Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa among other real-life players in 1958.One of the great pleasures of any Heller novel is watching Collins take all of his extensive research on the crime at hand and offer his own solution to cases that are officially unsolved or have lingering questions. THE BIG BUNDLE is no different and the final pages of the book are a delight as a master of the form puts all the pieces together. Characterization is fine throughout. Collins’ portrayal of Bobby’s father—and Midwestern Cadillac magnate—Robert Greenlease, Sr. was particularly well-drawn and moving.A riveting book and highly recommended.

I have adored the Nate Heller novels since the very first and this is a welcome read. While I miss the depth and atmosphere of the first three, Collins finds a way to weave Heller into some of the most fascinating crimes of the 20th century. A nice glimpse into the past with an experienced hardened PI, who avoids cynicism, keeping him engaging.

The Greenlease kidnapping is a case that I had previously heard little about, so I went into this new Nate Heller novel virtually unaware of most of aspects of the case and those involved. One thing, among so many, that I love about the writing of Max Allan Collins is that even via fiction, he brings a wealth of studious research and historical facts which he weaves seamlessly into the fiction, creating a riveting, well crafted crime novel that often reads like full-on true crime. The Big Bundle is, in my estimation, one of the best entries in a series that is stocked with great novels and engrossing, hardboiled writing that really puts you in the time and place during which the story is set, and the characters, real, imagined or an amalgamation, come to you as real as if they are right there with you. If you have previously read Max Allan Collins, you know exactly what I mean. If you have not read his work, I urge you to start with The Big Bundle.