The Recurring Cast
Reading order · 15 books · 1983 to 2013 · Set in Chicago

Nathan Heller Books in Order

A series by Max Allan Collins

Private eyeHistorical crime

Nate Heller is a Chicago private eye who keeps finding himself at the scene of the great crimes and mysteries of the twentieth century, from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the death of Marilyn Monroe, mixing real history with hardboiled fiction.

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Series facts

Books
15
Published
1983 to 2013
First book
True Detective
Latest
Ask Not (2013)
Setting
Set in Chicago

The reading order

Every Nathan Heller book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.

15 books · Set in Chicago
  1. 1True Detective1983With Nathan HellerIn 1930s Chicago, Nate Heller leaves the corrupt police force to become a private eye, and is drawn into the events surrounding the assassination of Mayor Anton Cermak.Buy on Amazon
  2. 2True Crime1984With Nathan HellerNate Heller is drawn into the death of the outlaw John Dillinger outside the Biograph Theater.Buy on Amazon
  3. 3The Million-Dollar Wound1986With Nathan HellerNate Heller fights at Guadalcanal, and returns to Chicago to tangle with the Mob.Buy on Amazon
  4. 4Neon Mirage1988With Nathan HellerNate Heller goes to Las Vegas and crosses paths with Bugsy Siegel.Buy on Amazon
  5. 5Stolen Away1991With Nathan HellerNate Heller is drawn into the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s baby son.Buy on Amazon
  6. 6Carnal Hours1994With Nathan HellerNate Heller travels to the Bahamas, where a millionaire has been murdered.Buy on Amazon
  7. 7Blood and Thunder1995With Nathan HellerNate Heller is hired to protect the Louisiana politician Huey Long.Buy on Amazon
  8. 8Damned in Paradise1996With Nathan HellerNate Heller travels to Hawaii, where a notorious case of assault and murder has divided the islands.Buy on Amazon
  9. 9Flying Blind1998With Nathan HellerNate Heller is hired to protect the aviator Amelia Earhart before her final flight.Buy on Amazon
  10. 10Majic Man1999With Nathan HellerNate Heller is drawn into the mystery of what crashed at Roswell, and the death of a defence secretary.Buy on Amazon
  11. 11Angel in Black2001With Nathan HellerNate Heller is drawn into the murder of the Black Dahlia in Los Angeles.Buy on Amazon
  12. 12Chicago Confidential2002With Nathan HellerNate Heller is caught up in the Senate hearings into organised crime in 1950.Buy on Amazon
  13. 13Bye Bye, Baby2011With Nathan HellerNate Heller is hired by Marilyn Monroe in the last weeks of her life.Buy on Amazon
  14. 14Target Lancer2012With Nathan HellerIn 1963, Nate Heller uncovers a plot to assassinate President Kennedy in Chicago.Buy on Amazon
  15. 15Ask Not2013With Nathan HellerAfter the death of President Kennedy, witnesses keep dying, and Nate Heller is drawn back into the case.Buy on Amazon

Do you need to read them in order?

Read in order, starting with True Detective. Each case can stand alone.

Who appears in which book

The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.

Who appears in each Nathan Heller book
BookNathan Heller
1 True DetectiveLLead
2 True CrimeLLead
3 The Million-Dollar WoundLLead
4 Neon MirageLLead
5 Stolen AwayLLead
6 Carnal HoursLLead
7 Blood and ThunderLLead
8 Damned in ParadiseLLead
9 Flying BlindLLead
10 Majic ManLLead
11 Angel in BlackLLead
12 Chicago ConfidentialLLead
13 Bye Bye, BabyLLead
14 Target LancerLLead
15 Ask NotLLead

Characters in the Nathan Heller books

1 character from Max Allan Collins’s chart, with the number of Nathan Heller books each appears in.

CharacterBooksFirst in this series
Nathan HellerChicago private eye15True Detective 1983