Majic Man (Nathan Heller Novels) (ISBN 0451199456)

Excellent historical mystery:
In 1949, a weary Secretary of Defense James Forrestal knows he must resign, but before he does, he hires his long term friend, private investigator Nathan Heller. Forrestal wants Nathan to determine if communist elements of the federal government have targeted him for special surveillance and perhaps intend to murder him. Nathan begins his inquiries that lead him to the Majestic Twelve, a strange but deadly militia with a conspiratorial plan. Other radical groups with specific agendas also surface. However, the investigation takes a wild twist as the alleged UFO incident at Roswell, New Mexico keeps surfacing. As Nathan tries to figure out what the threats to Forrestal have to do with an alien spacecraft, he runs into silence and roadblocks. It is obvious that someone want him to drop the case. MAJIC MAN is a superb entry in the wonderful Heller historical mystery series. The intermingling of real persona and events within a fast-paced story line brings home the paranoia that shaped the toddler years of the baby boomers. The Roswell theory developed by Max Allan Collins is plausible and should interest individuals who devour any reference to 1947 New Mexico. Mr. Collins will probably attain best seller status as well as critical acclaim and awards for his tenth Heller tale. Harriet Klausner

another journey to the past with Nathan Heller:
I love the Nathan Heller Series. I find the blend of fiction with actual events to be great reading. The research into the past that Collins does makes the books totally credible. He is an author on my buy in hardcover list. In this book we are taken to Roswell, and we follow Nate while he investigates the UFO rumors. As usual, we get to meet some real people from the past, and it's great fun. Nate is a man's man, and a stereotypical PI of the times. And reading it is a real joy. And the beauty of this series is that you can read it out of order. So don't wait, dive in!!! Jon

Great private eye story.:
Max Allan Collins latest, "MAJIC MAN" is a great read. Mr. Collins' ability to weave his detective hero, Nate Heller, into the fabric of what happened at Roswell is impressive.

Another fine entry in the Heller saga:
Nate Heller may have been at his best in the gangster era Chicago, but he's aging well and still coming up with imaginative "solutions" to the great historical mysteries he gets involved with. I just hope Nate has reason to be in Dallas in November 1963, he should be able to come up with a good story on that conspiracy.

A quality writer:
Collins is a quality writer as always, but this series was more interesting when it was realistic. The Nitti Trilogy (True Detective, True Crime, and The Million Dollar Wound) rank among the best detective novels of all time in my view. And "Neon Mirage" is a fine novel period. The publishers should leave Collins alone, and not push him to write only about famous incidents and people.