Customer Reviews

Chicago Confidential (Mysteries & Horror)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Max Allan Collins is probably one of the best mystery writers who's never really broken out from the pack, and wound up on bestseller lists regularly, like Sue Grafton or Robert B. Parker. He's sort of the king of the also-rans. It's not really a bad place to be, though. He's best known (perhaps) for writing novelizations of movies and TV shows (he did all the CSI books, and Saving Private Ryan, among others) and for writing Road to Perdition, which was made into the Paul Newman/Tom Hanks movie of a couple of years ago.

That being said, among mystery fans he's known for something else. He's been writing the Nathan Heller novels for maybe 20 years now (his son is actually named Nathan in real life) and they're clearly what he enjoys doing the most. The character is a hoot, bedding women right and left, shooting bad guys with considerable skill, and solving every mystery imaginable from the middle of the last century. There's the suspension-of-disbelief factor that I've mentioned before: it takes a bit of an imagination to believe in a character who's involved in all of these different crimes, and solves them all. Once you're over that, they're very entertaining and fun.

In the current installment, the year is 1950, and Heller's in LA hiding from the Kefauver commitee, which is exploring organized crime in America. The Mafia, of course, doesn't officially exist, courtesy of executive fiat from Director Hoover of the FBI. Heller knows better, of course, but he doesn't want to testify, because as he puts it, he knows where the bodies are buried, and in some cases helped bury them. So he's hiding in LA, but he has to return to Chicago to get one of his employees out of trouble, and that starts things going.

There isn't the single high-profile crime here that there is in many of his other books. He's done several like this before, where what murders there are don't measure up, and I don't think it hurts things that much, to tell you the truth. The story has more than enough historical characters and flavor, and the action is intelligent and fun. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.

Sorry, Steve 731, I respectfully disagree. I think this is one of the BEST Nate Heller books. The "crime" itself may not be as sensational as "The Black Dahlia" or the Lindbergh kidnapping, but most readers will be well aware of the McCarthy hearings and Kefauver hearings into organized crime (and this book provides a fascinating-- if theoretical-- inside look at both).

I do agree, though, that with a cameo appearance by Jack Ruby (and the fact that Frank Sinatra and mobster Sam "Mooney" Giancana are major characters in this book) it's only a matter of time until Max Allan Collins/Nate Heller tackle the JFK assassination (I can hardly wait!).

It took less than a week to read Chicago Confidential but I almost didn't finish it because the first half is real slow. I stayed with it to see who Heller met and all that, and when the action picked up in the middle, I was hooked.

The case Heller takes on may not be very well known but it's an important part of the Heller story and well worth your time. Collins, as always, has done a great job. --Brian

"Chicago Confidential" is the twelfth Nathan Heller novel from Max Allan Collins.

It is a deft blending of true crime and mystery fiction---an astonishing mix of fact and fiction. His theories and conclusions are most convincing

It is not a whodunit---rather it is about a famous time in crime. It is 1950 in Chicago as the initial congressional inquiry into organized crime is starting up.

Heller runs the A-1 Detective Agency and is not mobbed up, but still has no desire to testify before Kefauver's committee.

Heller's ability to work with the underworld figures as well as the law is what makes his agency successful.

Ambitious politicos, rancorous gangsters and a couple of honest cops are the central figures Heller must deal with.

Snappy dialog, menacing action sequences and scrupulous historical research make this hard-boiled thriller a treat.

Among the real characters interacting with the concocted ones: Jayne Mansfield, Frank Sinatra, Drew Pearson, Sam Giancana, Senator Joe McCarthy.

Over the years, as writer Max Allan Collins has gotten older, his signature character Nate Heller has gotten mellower. And I think I like it. When I was a young firebrand, Nate Heller (in the early novels) was a smart-mouth roughneck. As my tastes matured, Heller mellowed out and got involved in fewer shoot-outs and savage beatings. I like the evolution of Heller; from poormouth private eye (in the 30s) to minor celebrity private eye to the stars (in the late 40s). Chicago Confidential (the title comes from a period muck-raking book of the same name; it is not a rip-off of James Ellroy's LA Confidential) isn't about any particular crime like the other Heller novels. Instead, it is a novel about a particular era; the 1950s gangland witch-hunt by a crusading senator. A good, brooding story from a master of hard-boiled fiction. My only complaint is that the Joe McCarthy angle wasn't explored as deeply as I wanted. I was sort of looking forward to Heller being paranoid and concerned about the malevolent government establishment, like in Majic Man.

Chicago Confidential is the 12th full length adventure of Nate Heller, an ex-Chicago cop, WWII veteran, and now a very well connected hard-boiled Windy City PI - President of the A-1 Detective Agency. Although reminiscent of Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Heller is a little less jaded, has a much more active love life and is less hesitant to take the law into his own hands than his iconic predecessor.

Initially Nate worked within the environs of 1930's Chicago, but as the series has progressed so have Heller's horizons - both geographically and chronologically. Combining historical fact with fiction, the author places Nate "on the spot", rubbing elbows with well-known historical figures, as well investigating famous true crime cases - Amelia Earhart's disappearance, the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the "Black Dahlia" murder - to name a few. And the frosting on the cake - Heller's investigations provide alternative solutions/explanations to these historical conundrums.

In this book, the year is 1950. Senator Estes Kefauver has taken to the road with his congressional inquiry into organized crime, hoping to convince the country and J. Edgar Hoover that the mafia is real - and also gain enough publicity for a run for the Oval Office. (Kefauver succeeded brilliantly in exposing organized crime, but only made it as far as Adalai Stevenson's VP running mate in his quest for the White House.) Because of his past and connections, Nate soon finds himself a "target" of the Kefauver hearings and somewhat between a rock and a hard place - in a difficult spot with both sides of the law, each side concerned as to what beans he may or may not spill.

Because Heller is not on a single case the story-line here is less focused than the previous books and unfortunately - at times - borders on farce. The central plot - the Kefauver hearings - works well as Heller walks the proverbial tightrope - schmoozing Chicago underworld figures such as the Fischetti brothers and Sam Giancana; cajoling Kefauver and his investigative staff; and gauging the trustworthiness of his former peers - some corrupt - in Chicago law enforcement. His trip to, and connections in Washington, DC - muck-raker Drew Pearson and Senator Joe McCarthy - are an interesting sub-plot and still plausible. The inclusion of Frank Sinatra and a very young Jayne Mansfield into the story - although entertaining - serve no real purpose except to titillate and provide middle-aged Nate with a bed partner - The romantic interludes with the vivacious "Vera" Mansfield bordering on juvenile or adolescent.

There's also another very young "damsel in distress" in Chicago with whom Nate becomes "involved", who besides being aggravating is also extraneous - simply proving our hero still has his mojo working and underneath his tough exterior is really a "teddy bear".

If I'm coming across as unduly hard-nosed, it's because this is a pretty good series and Chicago Confidential simply doesn't measure up to its predecessors.

Max Allan Collins' fictional PI Nate Heller narrates this 1950 period piece based in Chicago with short sojourns to Los Angeles, Washington DC and Acapulco. Unlike some other Nate Heller novels, Chicago Confidential is not about a specific high profile crime. Rather, as Collins himself points out in the afterword, it's about "a famous time in crime". That is to say those long ago weeks and months when Senator Estes Kefauver and the Congressional Crime Committee he chaired came to Chicago to shine a light on organized crime.

Intermingling fact with fiction, Collins spins a tale which succeeds in illustrating the stubborn pervasiveness of crime and corruption in Chicago. Interacting with the novel's fictitious characters are a number of real life celebrities of the time. These include: Jayne Mansfield, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, mobster Sam Giancana, Drew Pearson, Senator Joe McCarthy and of course, Estes Kefauver himself.

Extensive research went into creating Chicago Confidential. From geographical landmarks, to details about celebrities lives, to the nuts and bolts of Kefauver's committee there's a lot of interesting information to be derived from this book. By contrast, the plotting is less compelling. Which is to say, the storyline Collins has created is far less interesting than the backdrop against which it takes place.

For this reader, at least, Collins could have written a much more valuable book if he had left out Nate Heller and used the reams of research he and his associates uncovered to compose a nonfiction study of the same subject matter. This is one case where the truth really is stranger and far more interesting than fiction.

Detective Nathan Heller knows better than to get involved in the Kefauver hearings on organized crime. He knows plenty--but the only way to stay alive is to keep what he knows under his hat. He tries to tell his friend Bill Drury the same thing, but Bill is intent on taking the Chicago Mafia down. When Drury gets killed in a Mafia hit, Heller knows he has to get involved--but how can he manage that without ending up as dead as Drury?

Author Max Allan Collins delivers a convincing account of Chicago during the 1950s. The American Mafia has begun its climb toward respectability, helped by the FBI's assurances that there is no organized crime in America. Chicago is controlled by a combination of its political machine and the mob, with dirty police more common than not.

Collins makes Heller acquainted with both major mob figures and with popular icons such as Frank Sinatra and Jayne Mansfield, giving the reader occasional brushes with the famous. What makes CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL powerful, however, is Heller's emotional strength as he battles between doing what is safe and what is right--in a Chicago-pragmatic way.

CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL is an enjoyable novel and Nathan Heller a convincing and sympathetic 'tough guy' hero.

I have constantly devoured Mr. Collin's work over the years and have especially enjoyed the Nate Heller series. I think this latest entry is possibly the weakest of the series.

Perhaps it's the fact that the "true crime" reported on in this story is not at all recognizable to anyone except possibly the most devoted crime buffs. Previous stories of the Lindbergh kidnapping, the Black Dahlia, Huey Long etc. struck more of a chord with me than the murder of an obscure Chicago policeman.

But there is hope. Jack Ruby makes a very brief appearance, could it be that sometime in the future Nate will become involved with the Kennedy assassination?

I really enjoy the Nat Heller series by Max Allen Collins. The fictional detective is placed into actual historical situations. Fun.