Nathan Heller Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| True Detective | 1983 | Buy |
| True Crime | 1984 | Buy |
| The Million-Dollar Wound | 1986 | Buy |
| Neon Mirage | 1988 | Buy |
| Stolen Away | 1991 | Buy |
| Carnal Hours | 1994 | Buy |
| Blood and Thunder | 1995 | Buy |
| Damned in Paradise | 1996 | Buy |
| Flying Blind | 1998 | Buy |
| Majic Man | 1999 | Buy |
| Angel in Black | 2001 | Buy |
| Chicago Confidential | 2002 | Buy |
| Bye Bye, Baby | 2011 | Buy |
| Target Lancer | 2012 | Buy |
| Ask Not | 2013 | Buy |
| Better Dead | 2016 | Buy |
| Do No Harm | 2020 | Buy |
| The Big Bundle | 2023 | Buy |
| Too Many Bullets | 2023 | Buy |
Nathan Heller Collections Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Dying in the Post-War World | 1991 | Buy |
| Kisses of Death | 2001 | Buy |
| Chicago Lightning | 2011 | Buy |
| Triple Play | 2012 | Buy |
The Nathan Heller books are a long-running series of hardboiled detective novels by Max Allan Collins. Set mostly in mid-20th-century Chicago, the series features private investigator Nathan Heller as he crosses paths with real historical figures and events, from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the assassination of JFK.
Collins started the series in 1983 with True Detective, and it has continued for four decades with novels, novellas, and short story collections. The books are notable for their careful blending of fiction and history, placing Heller at the edges of famous cases while staying true to the known facts. The companion collections, including Chicago Lightning and Kisses of Death, gather shorter Heller stories that fill in gaps between the novels.