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The Million-Dollar Wound (Nathan Heller Novels) Paperback – September 13, 2011

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 566 ratings

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Chicago P.I. Nate Heller returns home from duty in Guadalcanal a decorated, damaged, and dangerous hero—and drops directly from one war into another: the gangland coup to topple Frank Nitti as he tries to strongarm the Hollywood unions.
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In 1942, Chicago P.I. Nate Heller and his childhood pal, boxer Barney Ross, join the Marines and see bloody action together at Guadalcanal. Upon his return to gangland Chicago, the shell-shocked Heller—more dangerous than ever—is thrust into the midst of an inter-gang war to depose Capone’s successor Frank Nitti, whose minions are infiltrating Hollywood movie unions. In this crushing finale to rough-and-tumble Nate Heller’s Frank Nitti trilogy, Max Allan Collins delves into the damaged psyche of war veterans as a full-on gangland war threatens to explode. As tempers in Hollywood flare-up, Heller attempts to solve a murder committed behind enemy lines, and deal with the drug addiction of his friend Barney. But not even the company of fan dancer Sally Rand can ease Heller’s conscience as he is haunted by the events at Guadalcanal even as he’s surrounded by the murder and mayhem of Nitti’s final, violent days.

“A serious social chronicle of Chicago’s turbulent history as the ‘30s and ‘40s gangland capital of America. It’s also serious fun…a terrific sense of vitality.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times

About the Author

Max Allan Collins has earned fifteen Private Eye Writers of America "Shamus" nominations, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective and Stolen Away, and receiving the PWA life achievement award, the Eye. His graphic novel, Road to Perdition, which is the basis of the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks, was followed by two novels, Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise. His suspense series include Quarry, Nolan, Mallory, and Eliot Ness, and his numerous comics credits include the syndicated Dick Tracy and his own Ms. Tree. He has written and directed five feature films and two documentaries, including "The Expert," a HBO World Premiere. His coffee-table book The History of Mystery received nominations for every major mystery award and Men’s Adventure Magazines won the Anthony Award. Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on seven novels and numerous short stories, and are currently writing the “Trash ‘n’ Treasures” mysteries.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ AmazonEncore (September 13, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1612180957
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1612180953
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.34 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 566 ratings

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Max Allan Collins
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Max Allan Collins is a New York Times bestselling author of original mysteries, a Shamus award winner and an experienced author of movie adaptions and tie-in novels. His graphic novel ROAD TO PERDITION was made into a major motion picture by Tom Hanks's production company, Playtone.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
566 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book. They found the historical details believable and enjoyed the old-fashioned hardboiled detective story with a historical fiction twist. The characters were described as real and fun. Readers appreciated the well-written writing and decent pace of the book.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

34 customers mention "Readability"34 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an entertaining read in the style of Nate Heller. The historical recreation is compelling and worth considering. Readers describe the mystery as addictive and keep you interested until the end.

"...The complete Trilogy covers the years from 1932 - 43, is an absolute joy to read, and is structured as Heller’s memoires, told in the first person...." Read more

"...A good book that saw a lot of changes in the mob scene in Chicago as well as Nathan Heller after facing the hell of Guadalcanal." Read more

"...Very entertaining read." Read more

"...WW II after Pearl Harbor, and their exploits are both grueling and compelling. Once again I stayed up way too late, enthralled." Read more

27 customers mention "Historical fiction"24 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the historical fiction. They find the back story and historical details believable. The book is described as an old-fashioned hardboiled detective story with a historical fiction twist. Readers appreciate the author's ability to weave historical facts and well-known figures into these works. They enjoy the great plot and characters, though some feel the sex scenes are forced.

"...The complete Trilogy covers the years from 1932 - 43, is an absolute joy to read, and is structured as Heller’s memoires, told in the first person...." Read more

"This is historical fiction. It’s a good story intended for adults woven into mostly but somewhat quasi fact...." Read more

"Another great Nate Heller mystery. After Pearl Harbor Nate Heller and his buddy Barney Ross get drunk, lie about their ages and join the Marines...." Read more

"...Detective story fans will love this, as will Nathan Heller fans. Very entertaining read." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters in the book real and fun. They appreciate the historical figures brought to life and their complex relationships with Nitti.

"...Nate Heller is an ongoing, fun character that Max Allen Collins presents in an entertaining fashion. It is my plan to read the entire series...." Read more

"...Like all of the books it is well written, lots of fun, plenty of historical figures, and at least two conspiracy theories." Read more

"...The historical figures come to life, and Heller's complex relationships with Nitti and Elliot Ness (and Lindbergh) are deep and believable...." Read more

"...the rest of the book contained the usual interesting development of the real life characters...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readable writing"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the readable writing style of the book. They find the story enjoyable and praise the author's storytelling abilities.

"...Like all of the books it is well written, lots of fun, plenty of historical figures, and at least two conspiracy theories." Read more

"...The writing is excellent. But, honestly, I find the plots themselves pretty boring...." Read more

"...and such well-known figures into these works of fiction make them highly readable and page turning...." Read more

"...Heller as the protagonist, this book was thoroughly enjoyable, readable and distracting...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pace"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pace. They find it decent and able to set it down and read something else before picking it up again. Readers say they read all three books in quick succession and enjoyed them immensely.

"...In closing all I can say is that I read all three books in quick succession and enjoyed them immensely; I would highly recommend them to lovers of..." Read more

"Decent speed to the book but I was able to set it down and read something before I finished it. I seemed bogged-down in minutia too often...." Read more

"While I found the back and forth pace of the ......" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016
    This is a composite review of True Detective, True Crime, and The Million-Dollar Wound, the first three books of the Nathan Heller series, also known collectively as the “Frank Nitti Trilogy.”

    It’s fair to say that Film Noir and hardboiled detective stories are my favorite movie genres, Double Indemnity is my favorite film of all time, and I was intrigued to read the blurb on the first book in the Heller series, “True Detective” when it turned-up on a BookBub email.

    During the early 70’s Max Allan Collins was fascinated by the noir/hardboiled detective genre, but to his mind they were a product of their time, the Roaring 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and he couldn’t figure out how to write a contemporary version of the archetype. So he had the genius idea of taking his fictional character, PI and ex-cop with-a-conscience Nathan “Nate” Heller, and placing him in 1930’s and 40’s Chicago, where he would become involved with real historical events and people, starting with the attempted hit on Frank Nitti by corrupt Mayor Anton “10% Tony” Cermak.

    The complete Trilogy covers the years from 1932 - 43, is an absolute joy to read, and is structured as Heller’s memoires, told in the first person. As well as Nitti and Mayor Cermak, we get to enjoy Heller interacting with such historical figures as Elliot Ness, Al Capone, boxer Barney Ross, George Raft, Louis Campagna, Paul Ricca, Melvin Purvis, John Dillinger, Ma Baker and her boys, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Alvin Karpis, burlesque dancer Sally Rand, Robert Montgomery, journalist **Walter Winchell, J Edgar Hoover, and even FDR… phew!!!

    The amount of research that has gone into creating this series of historical detective stories is, quite frankly, astonishing. The era, as well as the extensive cast of characters, both real and fictional, come alive on the page; the city of Chicago, and the 1933 World’s Fair, dubbed “The Century of Progress,” are evocatively drawn, and even the sun, wind, rain and snow, are characters in and of themselves! In addition the book contains photos of some of the main characters, both well known and otherwise, plus locales, which only adds to the sense of veracity.

    A quick internet search shows that Nitti’s story did not end well; the Feds were closing in with RICO charges, his health was failing, and he was being squarely blamed by his associates for the coming legal storm that would see most of them pulling 10yr stretches.

    The official story is that with the pressure building on him, and seeing no way out from under either the Feds or the mob, Nitti dressed himself smartly, sent his wife off to church, then went for a walk along a railway embankment near his home where he drunkenly fired his gun at the crew of a train moving through the area, before stumbling to the ground and putting two bullets into his own head. An ignominious end to be sure, and one the authorities pushed; Nitti was, after all, just a Hoodlum, a thug, who took the coward’s way out instead of facing his punishment like a man.

    *Minor Spoiler Ahead.*

    But in the story Heller, called to the scene and looking at the same evidence and series of events as the police, and taking into account his own inside knowledge regarding the last meeting between Nitti and his lieutenants, comes up with an alternative explanation that gives the mobster a slightly, shall we say, less ignoble, ending, something the authorities refuse to consider.

    But Collins’ version of Nitti is so convincingly drawn, and the relationship between him and Heller so well developed, that I certainly found myself thinking that if this was not the way it was, then perhaps, it was the way it should have been.

    *Spoiler Ends.*

    In closing all I can say is that I read all three books in quick succession and enjoyed them immensely; I would highly recommend them to lovers of Noir, hardboiled detective fiction, as well as historical fiction… and I can safely say that these certainly won’t be the last Heller novels I’ll be reading!

    **Burt Lancaster’s vicious and spiteful “JJ Hunsecker,” from the superlative Sweet Smell of Success, which also features a magnificently craven performance by a young Tony Curtis, is said to be based on Walter Winchell.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
    This is historical fiction. It’s a good story intended for adults woven into mostly but somewhat quasi fact. Nate Heller is an ongoing, fun character that Max Allen Collins presents in an entertaining fashion. It is my plan to read the entire series. I love the character.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2013
    Another great Nate Heller mystery. After Pearl Harbor Nate Heller and his buddy Barney Ross get drunk, lie about their ages and join the Marines. They end up on Guadalcanal. Suffering from malaria Heller is pinned down while on patrol. Ross is wounded as are several others. Heller suffers battle fatigue and is honorably discharged after he recovers. After he is discharged he has to reacquaint himself with a case that he had worked on years before.

    This one is a little more raw than the prior two. The novel has a lot of threads, Heller fighting on Guadalcanal. Heller investigating mob connections to unions in the late 30s. Heller dealing with both of those issues as he recovers from malaria he contracted on Guadalcanal. The threads interweave themselves throughout the book. Like all of the books it is well written, lots of fun, plenty of historical figures, and at least two conspiracy theories.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
    This book sees Heller and his boxing friend Barney Ross fighting with the Marines in Guadalcanal. Heller is wounded and returns to his detective agency in Chicago cago but has a hard time putting his experiences behind him. Soon he finds himself drawn into the outside edges of mob business due to a couple of cases that he takes on. Even as Heller tries to distance himself from any ties to the mob the government tries to bring him back as they want him to testify against the Chicago mob bosses.

    A good book that saw a lot of changes in the mob scene in Chicago as well as Nathan Heller after facing the hell of Guadalcanal.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2012
    I got hooked on Nathan Heller through a collection of short stories called Chicago Lightning : The Collected Nathan Heller Short Stories (Nate Heller). That collection spanned Heller's entire career, some before his service as a Marine, and some after. None of them really discussed what happened while Heller was on Guadalcanal, so this book really filled in that gap for me.

    In addition to filling in the missing info, it was just another great Heller story. Plenty of action, witty comments, amped up hyperbole, and beautiful women. My favorite movies, shows, and books all have someone I want to BE in them. Han Solo, Sealy Booth (from TV series Bones), Dirk Pitt (Clive Cussler's first hero), and now Nathan Heller are on that list.

    Detective story fans will love this, as will Nathan Heller fans. Very entertaining read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
    Jumped from ww2 to the mob. Kind of confusing. Never could decide what the book was about. Too many characters.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2024
    Great mystery woven around Nate Heller PI in and after WWII and Mob in Chicago.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024
    Detective Nate Heller and his buddy the boxing champ enlist in WW II after Pearl Harbor, and their exploits are both grueling and compelling. Once again I stayed up way too late, enthralled.

Top reviews from other countries

  • don22754
    5.0 out of 5 stars Knockout.
    Reviewed in Australia on May 27, 2016
    There is almost nothing negative to be said about this brilliant book.As a starter for this prolific author,none better.
  • Mr. Stephen F. Male
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2012
    I'm working my way through all the Nate Heller novels and so far not one dud. I do like the way Max Allan Colins interweaves a fictional account in a factual backdrop, no one does it better. If you like Dashiel Hammett or Raymond Chandler these are the books or you.
  • John McCallum
    4.0 out of 5 stars Like all the others in this series
    Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2016
    Like all the others in this series, a fun, enjoyable read, this one a little more complex than others. Kind of a modern day Raymond Chandler set back into the Chandler era with enough of a current perspective without getting in the way.
  • Philip
    2.0 out of 5 stars A boring novel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2013
    I did not find it inspiring or interesting. Too many mafia type boring and repetitive characters. Sorry! Not my type of novel.