Customer Reviews

Neon Mirage

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the story of how a sleepy little town in Nevada became a mecca for gamblers and other sinful types. It is also the story of Bugsy Siegal, a want to be movie star and mobster. The story is told as the investigation by Nate Heller of a murder back in Chicago. Needless to say, there is a lot of history told here but never a lecture. Collins is one of the greatest in this kind of storytelling. Read the notes at the end of the book to find how much is fact, a whole lot, and what is created for the tale. If you ever heard of a town called Las Vegas, read how it got its start. Truly fascinating, you won't put it down.

I liked the story, just like I liked all the other Nate Heller novels. What's disappointing to me is the physical book itself. I first got introduced to Nate Heller when I wandered into a bookstore where Max Collins happened to be signing. Since he's from a town about 10 miles from my hometown and my mom knew his dad, I thought what the heck. The book was Carnal Hours, and I loved it. I've bought every Nate Heller book since. Unfortunately, the first four books were out of print when I realized I wanted them. I managed to get ahold of all but this one until now. Boy was I happy when I ordered it. And then the big disappointment - it's a weird size and doesn't fit in with the rest of my set. I had no way of knowing that when I ordered. So get the book if you want a good read, but be aware that it's not going to fit on your shelf with your other Heller books.

One of the novels covering the middle years of Nate Heller's career, this is one of the top of the line. As usual, history mixes with fiction to produce a page-turner.

Perhaps Collin's best, it has the distinction of being (like Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye) an excellent novel which also happens to be a detective novel.