True Detective

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 Cermaks 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 Capones 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 Worlds Fair as a backdrop, Heller encounters a Ragtime 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 written.

Thats why mystery fans and critics alike rank the history thriller True Detective 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.