Fortune's World [Paperback]

Michael Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2000

The world of one-armed private investigator Dan Fortune is filled with danger, deceit — and striking contrasts. The 14 stories in Fortune's World range from the mean streets of New York City's Chelsea district, to the bleak winter world of Syracuse, New York, to sunny and sometimes violent South America, to Santa Barbara, California, where Fortune now has his office. And the contrasts are not only in the settings, for Michael Collins is aware of the inequities in modern society, and his stories are dominated by a social conscience rare in popular literature.

Fortune's World contains all the previous uncollected Dan Fortune short stories as well as a new story written especially for this volume. The introduction is by Professor Richard Carpenter, and the book concludes with a complete checklist of Dan Fortune novels and short stories.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Dan Fortune is the one-armed New York investigator who first appeared in novel form in 1967's Edgar-winning Act of Fear . This collection of new and old Fortune stories effectively illustrates the appeal of the series: an intelligent, moody, self-effacing hero; a tactile New York City atmosphere; and plots that reveal as much about human nature as they do specific characters. The highlights include a haunting tale of thievery, murder, and revenge that ends with a bitter twist in a steamy South American jungle town. The first new Fortune story since 1995 is "Family Values," in which a group espousing all the politically correct values is actually a front for selling babies. Whether this collection serves as an introduction to Dan Fortune or a chance to sit down with an old friend, it's certain to please anyone with a noirish bent. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Michael Collins won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar for Best First Novel for the first Dan Fortune book, Act of Fear published in 1967.

Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Crippen & Landru Publishers; 1 edition (August 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885941463
• ISBN-13: 978-1885941466
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,646,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent short story collection, February 4, 2006

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Fortune's World (Paperback)

This is a collection of 14 short stories about PI Dan Fortune, written by the late Dennis Lynds using the pen name Michael Collins. The first thirteen PI short stories written by the author were about PI Slot Machine Kelly (found in a separate collection by that name). After the 13th story, the author changed the PI's name to Dan Fortune (still with one arm, and still with the same background). One of the Dan Fortune stories in this collection, "Eighty Million Dead," is a re-write of a story found in the Slot Machine Kelly collection. After starting the Dan Fortune series, the author moved to Santa Barbara, California, and moved Dan Fortune from New York City to Santa Barbara. Consequently, some stories in this collection are set in New York City, but many are set in California.

The short stories in this collection tend to deal with contemorary social issues. "Role Model" is about a star football player, used by the people around him, pushed through school without really learning anything, used by a pro team, then cast aside with nowhere to go. "Family Values" is about Pro-Choice, and a young woman caught between opposing fanatical groups who are more interested in their missions than in the people they are dealing with. "Can Shoot" deals with PETA issues. "Murder is Murder" deals with euthanasia. Many of the stories are about prejudice in one form or another. "The Chair" deals with an act of bigotry that turns into tragedy. "A Matter of Character" deals with sexual orientation.

Overall, I personally thought the short stories are excellent. Like most short story collections, the stories have considerable variation. Readers may like some better than others. Some stories may offend some readers, but if the shoe fits wear it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, July 15, 2011

By 

DCEEBEE - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fortune's World (Paperback)

I love the Dan Fortune short stories by Michael Collins. This is his second anthology of them (I purchased the first anthology just recently). Dan Fortune is a one-armed private detective who works in New York's Chelsea area (although in later stories he moves out to California). The writing is smooth and the plots are excellent. If you are a fan of short mystery stories, you will be pleased with this collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Reader's fortune, July 11, 2008

By 

RIJU GANGULY "perceptive reader" (India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fortune's World (Paperback)

Michael Collins' creation, the one-armed detective Dan Fortune, is one of the most credible detectives who have walked down the mean street of crime and retribution. In these 14 stories Fortune ostensibly solves mysteries concerning murders, suicides and missing persons. But in reality, the stories are concerned with the human pathos and longing, sometimes dealing with explosively charged themes as in "Angel Eyes" that make the stories very-very special in the pantheon of crime literature. This book is recommended to all lovers of mysteries who perfer to have solid stories with strong prtagonists marked by the subtle flavour of life rather than with liberal sprinklings of blood & sex.