For his debut column as Kirkus Reviews’ lead blogger in the Mysteries and Thrillers category, he came up with of a list of “'old reliables'—novelists who almost never disappoint," including:Max Allan Collins: Collins has demonstrated proficiency in multiple arenas—writing original novels, penning film novelizations, composing comic books, scripting audio dramas and completing the late Mickey Spillane’s unfinished fiction. I favor Collins’ series starring Nate Heller, who began as a petty peeper confronting gangsters in 1920s Chicago, but has somehow lived long enough to own a prosperous investigative agency. These well-researched yarns place Heller in the muddled middle of famous historical cases, from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping (Stolen Away, 1991) to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart (Flying Blind, 1998) and Los Angeles’ notorious Black Dahlia murder (Angel in Black, 2001). The series’ 13th installment—Bye Bye, Baby, in which Heller probes Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 “suicide”—is scheduled for release in August.Read about the other novelists on Pierce's list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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