Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bait Money | 1973 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 2 | True Detective | 1983 | Max Allan Collins | N/A |
| 3 | Blood Money | 1973 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 4 | Fly Paper | 1981 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 5 | Hush Money | 1981 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 6 | Hard Cash | 1981 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 7 | Scratch Fever | 1982 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 8 | Spree | 1987 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 9 | Mourn the Living | 1988 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 10 | Tough Tender | 1991 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 11 | Skim Deep | 2020 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 12 | Double Down | 2021 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
Max Allan Collins’ Frank Nolan series is one of his earliest and longest-running creations. The series began with Bait Money in 1973 and eventually grew to twelve books, with the most recent entries, Skim Deep and Double Down, published in 2020 and 2021. Nolan is a professional thief who operates in a world of heists, mob connections, and dangerous associates. The early books have a lean, pulpy style that reflects the crime fiction of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Collins has said that Nolan was partly inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker character, and the comparison is fair. Both are cold professionals who get the job done, and both series focus on the mechanics and complications of criminal enterprise. What sets Nolan apart is his relationship with a younger partner and the way the series aged with Collins as a writer. The gap between Tough Tender (1991) and Skim Deep (2020) shows how Collins returned to the character decades later with fresh eyes. Readers who enjoy heist fiction and hard-boiled crime stories will find the Nolan series a rewarding long-term read.