Max Allan Collins is a very prolific mystery writer who has written comics and graphic novels including Road to Perdition and scores of crime novels including several mystery series. These include his Quarry, Nathan Heller, Nolan, and Disaster series. I have read several of his novels and really enjoy them, especially the Heller series which is about a Chicago private investigator who gets involved in famous crimes and meets famous people of the 1930s and 1940s and gets involved in such cases as the Lindbergh kidnapping, the Black Dahlia, and the Amelia Earhart disappearance. The novels continue on into the 1960s with Bye Bye, Baby which deals with the death of Marilyn Monroe.
In this novel, Heller is a friend of Marilyn's who hires him to bug her residence because of her conflict with her studio, Twentieth Century Fox, over her supposed delaying of the movie, Something's Got to Give. But Marilyn is involved with much more including dalliances with both John and Bobby Kennedy where she may have learned secrets that cannot be made public. The mob is also concerned because of their involvement in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro which may be a secret Marilyn is privy to. Other players include Frank Sinatra and his buddy Peter Lawford who is married to a Kennedy. Joe Dimaggio, Marilyn's ex, is also in the novel along with Hugh Hefner and others. And then Marilyn is found dead â a possible suicide. But was it suicide or was she murdered to coverup her secrets? If so, who was behind it? The Kennedys or the mob or someone else? Heller of course looks into this and comes up with a probable answer.
I enjoyed this novel in the Heller series which as usual is filled with historical facts and characters. Marilyn Monroe was probably murdered and she did have affairs with both Bobby and Jack Kennedy but were they involved in her death? Of course this was a work of fiction but Collins makes a convincing case for how this tragedy occurred. I have several other Heller novels on my TBR shelves that I'll hopefully get to sometime soon.
In this novel, Heller is a friend of Marilyn's who hires him to bug her residence because of her conflict with her studio, Twentieth Century Fox, over her supposed delaying of the movie, Something's Got to Give. But Marilyn is involved with much more including dalliances with both John and Bobby Kennedy where she may have learned secrets that cannot be made public. The mob is also concerned because of their involvement in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro which may be a secret Marilyn is privy to. Other players include Frank Sinatra and his buddy Peter Lawford who is married to a Kennedy. Joe Dimaggio, Marilyn's ex, is also in the novel along with Hugh Hefner and others. And then Marilyn is found dead â a possible suicide. But was it suicide or was she murdered to coverup her secrets? If so, who was behind it? The Kennedys or the mob or someone else? Heller of course looks into this and comes up with a probable answer.
I enjoyed this novel in the Heller series which as usual is filled with historical facts and characters. Marilyn Monroe was probably murdered and she did have affairs with both Bobby and Jack Kennedy but were they involved in her death? Of course this was a work of fiction but Collins makes a convincing case for how this tragedy occurred. I have several other Heller novels on my TBR shelves that I'll hopefully get to sometime soon.
Even though I despise the Kennedys---read "The Dark Side of Camelot" if you don't agree---I found Collins' mystery about Marilyn Monroe's murder overly complicated, drawn-out and even disrespectful to her. However, like many, I don't believe Monroe killed herself, even accidentally.
As for being disrespectful, Collins continually has Nate Heller---his hero---calling Marilyn a "nice girl," but he also describes in detail Marilyn performing oral sex on Heller. Of course, this wasn't that much of a surprise. In his books, Collins has Heller having sex with more female celebrities than I can remember. In fact, I'm surprised Heller never had sex with Eleanor Roosevelt. :-)
As for being disrespectful, Collins continually has Nate Heller---his hero---calling Marilyn a "nice girl," but he also describes in detail Marilyn performing oral sex on Heller. Of course, this wasn't that much of a surprise. In his books, Collins has Heller having sex with more female celebrities than I can remember. In fact, I'm surprised Heller never had sex with Eleanor Roosevelt. :-)
