Chicago Lightning: The Collected Nathan Heller Short Stories

Written by Max Allan Collins

Narrated by Amy McFadden, Dan John Miller and Mikael Naramore

Tough, cynical, and clever, Nathan Heller has been called “the perfect private eye,” the best investigator that Chicago (where ‘lightning’ means gunfire) has to offer. Created by New York Times bestselling novelist and Road to Perdition creator Max Allan Collins, the classic P.I. comes vibrantly to life in this collection of thirteen stories, all based on real cases of the 1930s and ‘40s. In “The Blonde Tigress,” Heller encounters a vicious hold-up crew with a brutal female leader, while in “Scrap” he investigates a union shooting that has national implications. In “The Perfect Crime” he goes Hollywood to protect the lovely Thelma Todd, with tragic results. The private eye finds himself tangling with notorious mobster Mickey Cohen in a “Shoot-out On Sunset” and with Al Capone’s successor, Frank Nitti, in “Screwball.” Heller’s friendship with Eliot Ness finds the two men working together in both “The Strawberry Teardrop,” in which Heller encounters America’s first serial killer, and “Natural Death, Inc.” Heller tackles each case with his trademark cynicism and humor, digging into the grimy underbelly of twentieth-century America to uncover the truth at any cost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Oct 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781455835744

Max Allan Collins

<p>Max Allan Collins is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. He is the author of the Shamus Award-winning Nathan Heller thrillers and the graphic novel <em>Road to Perdition</em>, basis of the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks. His innovative Quarry novels led to a 2016 Cinemax series. He has completed a dozen posthumous Mickey Spillane mysteries, and wrote the syndicated <em>Dick Tracy</em> series for more than fifteen years. His one-man show, <em>Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life</em>, was an Edgar Award finalist. He lives in Iowa.</p>

Reviews for Chicago Lightning

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good crime noir, but not better than the masters! In this group of short stories, Detective Nate Heller combs through a series of crimes, all based on real life cases. He is based in Chicago, but ends up in L.A., Cleveland, and Florida. And he rubs shoulders with Elliot Ness, Frank Nitti, Jack Ruby, and Micky Cohen. A tough nosed guy, good with the ladies, but nothing too new or exciting, other than the fact that Heller is involved with true tales from the crime annals.

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of Nathan Heller short stories is arranged chronically. The stories are set in Chicago and in California with main characters ranging from mobsters to Hollywood’s glamorous residents. The research is, as usual, excellent and the stories are well told.

[reannon_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Max Allan Collins is one of my favorite writers, and Nathan Heller my favorite character of his. Heller is a private detective in stories set from the 1930s to the 1960s. Heller in the course of his work gets to know major historical figures and events. Some of his novels have centered around the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, the Lindbergh kidnapping, and the death of Marilyn Monroe. When Heller begins he is in Chicago in the heyday of the mobsters, and Heller knows the mobsters, primarily Frank Nitti - who seems much more interesting than Capone - as well as Elliot Ness.One reason Collins is a favorite of me, the person with two degrees in history, is that his books are meticulously researched. He uses as much as he can of the history, makes reasonable speculations when the facts aren't known, and uses it all in the service of a marvelous story with very human and believable characters.Short stories are not my favorite form of literature, but I'll take all the Heller I can get, and the stories are up to the usual Collins standard of excellence. The stories show Heller at different times and places in his career. If you've never read any of the Heller books, this is a good place to start and try the character on for size. But do then move on to the novels. I envy you the beginning of a terrific reading experience.