Heller - The Big Bundle

The latest entry in the Nate Heller historical mystery series is based on a 1953 kidnapping and murder. Heller is hired to assist in recovering a young boy who has been kidnapped. A $600,000 ransom is delivered but the kidnappers don't return the boy. Following a hunch, Heller uses his underworld contacts to find and expose the kidnappers, facilitating their capture and conviction for a terrible crime. But only half the ransom was found. Five years later, Heller is drawn back into the case by Jimmy Hoffa, Robert Kennedy, and the boy's father who wants to know the truth.

Collins is an expert in weaving a fictional tale from historical events and personalities. Even though I wasn't familiar with the actual event, I was absorbed in Heller's investigation, the incompetent kidnappers, the accommodating mobsters and bent cops, and a grieving family. If you're a fan of private eye novels, this is a book for you.

I received an ARC of The Big Bundle by Max Allan Collins from the publisher.