Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic literature. His work has been published in several formats, such as his '' Ms. Tree'' series and his '' Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name. He wrote the ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...

'' newspaper strip for many years and has produced numerous novels featuring the character as well.

Biography

Writing career

Collins has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

. He wrote the graphic novel '' Road to Perdition'' (which was developed into a

in 2002), created the comic book private eye '' Ms. Tree'', and took over writing the ''

'' comic strip from creator Chester Gould. Collins briefly wrote the ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' comic book in 1987 and crafted a new origin for the

Jason Todd Jason Peter Todd is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #357 in March 1983, he was created to succeed Dick Grayson as Robin (character), Robin, Batman's partner ...

character. Collins and artist

Terry Beatty Terry Beatty (born January 11, 1958''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107) is an artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the American comic book industry, where he is perhaps best known for his co-creation of the female ...

created

Wild Dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of whi ...

at DC that same year in a self-titled limited series. The character later appeared as a feature in the '' Action Comics Weekly'' anthology. As of 2016, Wild Dog became a recurring character in the ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'' television series and is portrayed by actor

Rick Gonzalez Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (2003 film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network, CW su ...

. Another Collins contribution to the Batman franchise was scripting the English-language translation of '' Batman: Child of Dreams'' in 2003. He wrote books to expand on the '' Dark Angel'' TV series. He has written

books A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

and

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

based on the TV series franchise '' CSI''. In 2006 he wrote ''Buried Deep'' (also released as "Bones Buried Deep"), based on the TV series ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

''. He has written two sequel novels to ''Road to Perdition'': ''Road to Purgatory'' and ''Road to Paradise''. He wrote three more graphic novels starring the characters from ''Road to Perdition''. These graphic novels, called collectively ''On the Road to Perdition'', form the basis of the film. He co-founded the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers with

Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and television producer, producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ...

. The IAMTW is an organization for writers of tie-ins and novelizations. Collins studied in the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. Collins is a fan of the mystery writer Mickey Spillane from childhood and later became close friends with him. The two collaborated on a comic book series in the 1990s called ''Mike Danger''. Upon Spillane's death in 2006, Collins was entrusted to finish various uncompleted works by Spillane including ''Dead Street'', ''The Big Showdown'', and an ongoing series of Mike Hammer novel completions, beginning with ''The Goliath Bone'' in 2008. To date, Collins has completed fifteen Spillane Hammer novels, with the most recent being ''Baby, It's Murder (2025) - The Final Mike Hammer Novel'', published in 2025. In 2021, he and Canadian actor/writer Dave Thomas teamed to write the sci-fi mystery novel ''The Many Lives of Jimmy Leighton''.

Movies and music

In addition to his work as a writer, Collins has written and directed four movies: ''Mommy'', ''Mommy 2: Mommy's Day'', ''Real Time: Siege at Lucas Street Market'', and ''Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life'' (based on his Edgar Award–nominated play). All four were produced independently on location in Collins' hometown of

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...

. The first three are available on DVD—separately or in the ''Black Box'' set—from

Troma Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film studio in the world. The company produces low-budget inde ...

Team Video, and the Ness film is distributed by VCI Entertainment. The DVD release of ''Real Time: Siege at Lucas Street Market'' being notable for being one of the first films to take advantage of the multi-angle feature on DVD players, thus giving viewers the opportunity to watch the story unfold from different viewpoints. Collins has written and performed music with his rock band, Crusin'.

Political views

Collins is a Democrat, describing his political views thus: "I think of myself as slightly left of center, but my father thought of himself as slightly right of center, when he was slightly right of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

. So who knows? I do know that I veer

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

when the

right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

is getting out of hand, which they frequently do."

Personal life

Collins and his wife, Barbara, have a son, Nathan. In 2008, the band he started in 1966 in Muscatine, Iowa— the Daybreakers—was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Ten years later, in 2018, Collins was again inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band Cruisin'.

Awards

Collins received an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

in 1982. He won the Shamus Award in 1984 and 1992.

Selected bibliography

''Quarry'' series

This series features a former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

turned professional

assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

after returning from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

in 1973. The books are narrated in first person by Quarry (a code name). He maintains his own code of honor, and rationalizes his crimes by taking contracts to kill people who he believes brought about their own demise and will eventually be murdered by one enemy or another (e.g., corrupt politicians, mobsters, exploitative businessmen, drug traffickers). *''Quarry'' (a.k.a. ''The Broker'') (1976) *''Quarry's List'' (a.k.a. ''The Broker's Wife'') (1976) *''Quarry's Deal'' (a.k.a. ''The Dealer'') (1976) *''Quarry's Cut'' (a.k.a. ''The Slasher'') (1977) *''Quarry's Vote'' (a.k.a. ''Primary Target'') (1987) *''Quarry's Greatest Hits'' (contains 'Primary Target' and a short story) (2003) *''The Last Quarry'' (2006) *''The First Quarry'' (2008) *''Quarry In The Middle'' (2009) *''Quarry's Ex'' (2010) *''The Wrong Quarry'' (2014) *''Quarry's Choice'' (2015) *''Quarry In The Black'' (2016) *''Quarry's Climax'' (2017) *''Killing Quarry'' (2019) *''Quarry's Blood'' (2022)

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its sister premium network, HBO (Home Box ...

created a TV adaptation of ''Quarry''. Written by Michael D. Fuller and Graham Gordy based loosely on the book series, the project centers on a Marine marksman who, upon returning home from Vietnam in 1972, finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. The disillusioned vet is quickly recruited into a network of contract killers and corruption spanning the Mississippi River. The show was cancelled in May 2017 after the first season.

''Nolan'' series

This series features a professional thief, similar to and apparently inspired by Richard Stark's " Parker" character, who operates in the Midwest. *''Bait Money'' (1981) *''Blood Money'' (1981) *''Fly Paper'' (1981) *''Hush Money'' (1981) *''Hard Cash'' (1981) *''Scratch Fever'' (1982) *''Spree'' (1987) *''Mourn the Living'' (1999) Collins's first written novel, but not published until 1999) *''Two for the Money'' (omnibus reprint of the first two books ''Bait Money'' and ''Blood Money'') (2004) *''Skim Deep'' (2020) *''Double Down'' (omnibus reprint of the third and fourth books ''Fly Paper'' and ''Hush Money'') (2021) *''Tough Tender'' (omnibus reprint of the fifth and sixth books ''Hard Cash'' and ''Scratch Fever'') (2022) *''Mad Money'' (omnibus reprint of the seventh and eighth books ''Spree'' and ''Mourn the Living'') (2023)

Mallory series

The Mallory series is about a mystery writer in Iowa who solves crimes. *''The Baby Blue Rip-Off'' (1983) *''No Cure for Death'' (1983) *''Kill Your Darlings'' (1984) *''A Shroud for Aquarius'' (1985) *''Nice Weekend for a Murder'' (1986)

Nathan Heller series

Collins' longest running series and arguably his best known work is his Nathan Heller series. Heller is a Chicago private investigator who gets involved in famous crimes and meets famous people from the 1930s to the 1960s, including

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Frank Nitti Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of all money flowing ...

, and Sally Rand. The first novel in this historical fiction series, ''True Detective'', won the 1984 Shamus Award for Best P.I. Hardcover from the Private Eye Writers of America. Collins won his second Shamus in 1992 for the Heller novel ''Stolen Away'', an account of the

Lindbergh kidnapping On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. (born June 22, 1930), the 20-month-old son of Col. Charles Lindbergh and his wife, aviator and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was murdered after being abducted from his crib in the upper floor of t ...

. His 1999 novel '' Flying Blind'' sees Heller investigate the disappearance of

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

, along the way becoming romantically involved with her. With the release of ''Chicago Confidential'', Collins moved the action into the 1950s. ''Target Lancer'', about an alleged attempt to assassinate

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

in Chicago just weeks before the actual assassination in Dallas, was published in November 2012. *''True Detective'' (November 1983) *''True Crime'' (December 1984) *''The Million-Dollar Wound'' (February 1986) *''Neon Mirage'' (February 1988) *''Stolen Away'' (May 1991) *''Dying in the Post-War World'' (October 1991) – Novella *''Carnal Hours'' (April 1994) (about

Harry Oakes Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet (23 December 1874 – 8 July 1943) was a British gold mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He earned his fortune in Canada and moved to the Bahamas in the 1930s for tax purposes. Though American by b ...

' murder) *''Blood and Thunder'' (August 1995) (about

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "The Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination i ...

's assassination) *''Damned in Paradise'' (October 1996) *'' Flying Blind'' (August 1998) *''Majic Man'' (September 1999) *''Angel in Black'' (March 2001) *''Kisses of Death: A Nathan Heller Casebook'' (

Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an indepen ...

, June 2001) – Short story collection *''Chicago Confidential'' (June 2002) *''Bye Bye, Baby'' (August 2011) *''Chicago Lightning: The Collected Nathan Heller Short Stories'' (October 2011) *''Triple Play: A Nathan Heller Casebook (April 2012)'' – Includes "Dying in the Post-War World", "Kisses of Death", and "Strike Zone" *''Target Lancer'' (November 2012) *''Ask Not ''(2013) *''Better Dead'' (2016) *''Do No Harm'' (2020) *''The Big Bundle'' (January 2023) *''Too Many Bullets'' (October 2023)

Eliot Ness series

This series of novels is about real life Untouchable

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Bureau of Prohibition, Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone while enforcing Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition in Chicago. He was leader of a team ...

's career as Director of Public Safety in Cleveland. *''The Dark City'' (1987) *''Butcher's Dozen'' (1988) *''Bullet Proof'' (1989) *''Murder by the Numbers'' (1993) *''An Eliot Ness Mystery Omnibus'' (2020) – contains all four novels in one volume *''Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher: Hunting America's Deadliest Unidentified Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology'' (2020) – co-written with A. Brad Schwartz *''Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago'' (2020) – co-written with A. Brad Schwartz

''Dick Tracy'' series

*''Dick Tracy'' (May 1990), film novelization *''Dick Tracy: The Secret Files'' (June 1990), Editor (with Martin H. Greenberg), also contains short story ''Not a Creature Was Stirring'' *''Dick Tracy and the Nightmare Machine'' with Dick Locher (January 1991) – comic strip collection *''Dick Tracy Goes to War'' (February 1991) – novel *''Dick Tracy Meets His Match'' (February 1992) – novel *''Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles Volume 1'' (October 2003) – comic strip collection *''Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles Volume 2'' (October 2004) – comic strip collection *''Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles Volume 3'' (January 2005)- comic strip collection

Novelizations

*'' In the Line of Fire'' (1993) *'' Maverick'' (1994) *'' I Love Trouble'' (1994) *''

Waterworld ''WaterWorld'', also known as ''WaterWorld: A Live Sea War Spectacular'', is a stunt show attraction based on the 1995 film '' Waterworld'' found at Universal Studios Hollywood (1995), Universal Studios Japan (2001), Universal Studios Singap ...

'' (1995) *''

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

'' (1997) *'' U.S. Marshals'' (1998) *''

Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...

'' (August, 1998) *'' The Mummy'' (May 1999) *'' U-571'' (2000) *'' The Mummy Returns'' (2001) *'' The Scorpion King'' (2002) *'' Windtalkers'' (April, 2002) *'' I-Spy'' (October 2002) *''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...

'' (July 2005) *'' American Gangster'' (2007) *'' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' (July 2008) *'' The X-Files: I Want to Believe'' (July 2008) *'' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' (2009) *''G.I. Joe: Above and Beyond'' (2009)

''Road to Perdition'' series

(*) Note: ''Road to Perdition: On the Road'', is a single-volume collection of ''On the Road to Perdition'' Books 1–3.

Disaster series

*''The

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

Murders'' (April 1999) *''The Hindenburg Murders'' (June 2000) *''The

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

Murders'' (May 2001) *''The

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

Murders'' (November 2002) *''The

London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

Murders'' (May 2004) *''The War of the Worlds Murder'' (July 2005)

''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' novels

*Note: ''Mortal Wounds'' is a trade paperback omnibus which collects ''Double Dealer'', ''Sin City'', and ''Cold Burn'' into a single volume.

''CSI: Miami'' novels

''Criminal Minds'' novels

Jack & Maggie Starr series

A mystery series set in and around the American comic book industry during the tail end of the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

*''A Killing in Comics'' (May 2007) – A murder mystery set around a fictionalized version of the Superman ownership dispute *''Strip for Murder'' (May 2008) – A fictionalized version of the

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (w ...

Ham Fisher Hammond Edward "Ham" Fisher (September 24, 1900 ome sources indicate 1901– December 27, 1955) was an American comic strip writer and cartoonist. He is best known for his long, popular run on ''Joe Palooka'', which was launched in 1930 and r ...

feud and Fisher's suicide *''Seduction of the Innocent'' (June 2013) – A murder mystery set around a fictionalized version of Frederic Wertham's crusade against comic books

J.C. Harrow Series

*''You Can't Stop Me'' (2010) *''No One Will Hear You''(2011)

Other television novels

*''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

: Blue Beginning'' (1995) *''

: Blue Blood'' (1997) *'' Dark Angel: Before the Dawn'' (2002) *'' Dark Angel: Skin Game'' (2003) *'' Dark Angel: After the Dark'' (2003) *''

: Buried Deep'' (2006)

With Mickey Spillane

* ''Dead Street'' (2007) * ''The Goliath Bone'' (2008) – Mike Hammer * "The Big Switch" – (2009) – Mike Hammer short story * ''The Big Bang'' (2010) – Mike Hammer * "A Long Time Dead" (2010) – Mike Hammer short story * "Grave Matter" (2010) – Mike Hammer short story in ''Crimes by Moonlight'' * ''Kiss Her Goodbye'' (2011) – Mike Hammer * ''The Consummata'' (2011) * ''Lady, Go Die!'' (2012) – Mike Hammer * "Skin" (2012) – Mike Hammer e-book short story * ''Complex 90'' (2013) – Mike Hammer * "So Long, Chief" (2013) – Mike Hammer short story *''King of the Weeds'' (2014) – Mike Hammer * "It's in the Book" (2014) – Mike Hammer e-book short story * ''Kill Me, Darling'' (2015) – Mike Hammer * "Fallout" (2015) – Mike Hammer short story * ''The Legend of Caleb York'' (2015) *''Murder Never Knocks'' (2016) – Mike Hammer * "A Dangerous Cat" (2016) – Mike Hammer short story * ''The Big Showdown'' (2016) – A Caleb York story * ''A Long Time Dead: A Mike Hammer Casebook'' (2016) – reprints Mike Hammer short stories and e-book short stories * ''The Will to Kill'' (2017) – Mike Hammer * ''The Bloody Spur'' (2018) – A Caleb York story * ''Killing Town'' (2018) – Mike Hammer * ''Murder, My Love'' (2019) – Mike Hammer * ''The Last Stage to Hell Junction'' (2019) – A Caleb York story * ''Hot Lead, Cold Justice'' (2020) – A Caleb York story * ''Masquerade for Murder'' (2020) – Mike Hammer * ''Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek'' (2021) – A Caleb York story * ''Kill Me If You Can'' (2022) – Mike Hammer *''Dig Two Graves'' (2023) - Mike Hammer *''Baby, It's Murder'' (2025) - The Final Mike Hammer Novel

Writing as Barbara Allan (with wife Barbara Collins): Trash 'n' Treasure series

*''Antiques Roadkill'' (August 2006) *''Antiques Maul'' (August 2007) *''Antiques Flee Market'' (September 2008) *''Antiques Bizarre'' (March 2010) *''Antiques Knock-Off'' (March 2011) *''Antiques Disposal'' (May 2012) *''Antiques Chop'' (May 2013) *''Antiques Con'' (May 2014) *''Antiques Swap'' (May 2015) *''Antiques Fate'' (May 2016)

Other Barbara Allan books

*''Regeneration'' (1999) *''Murder: His and Hers'' (2001) *''Bombshell'' (2004)

Writing as Patrick Culhane

*''Black Hats'' (April 2007) – A novel featuring

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

and

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...

in 1920s New York *''Red Sky in Morning'' (August 2008) – A historic mystery set in San Francisco during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, shortly after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

Miscellaneous

*''Midnight Haul'' (1986) *''Mommy'' (1997) *''Mommy's Day'' (1998) *''Protect and Defend'' (1992) *''Blue Christmas and other Holiday Homicides'' (2001) – short story collection *'' Tales of the Slayer'' (2002) – co-author, short story collection *''My Lolita Complex'' (2006) – short story collection *''Deadly Beloved'' – A Ms. Tree Novel (See Comics Section) (2007) *''What Doesn't Kill Her'' (2013) *''Early Crimes'' (2013) *''Supreme Justice'' (2014) *''Fate of the Union'' (2015) *''Murderlized'' (2020) with Matthew V. Clemens, 11 short stories *''Shoot the Moon (and More)'' (2021) unpublished crime novel (written in 1974) and two short stories *''Reincarnal & Other Dark Tales'' (2021) stort stories * ''The Many Lives of Jimmy Leighton'' (2021) with Dave Thomas

Comics

Aardvark-Vanaheim

* ''A-V in 3-D'' #1 (1984) * '' Ms. Tree'' #10–18 (1984–1985)

AiT/Planet Lar

* '' Johnny Dynamite: Underworld'' #1 (2003)

Big Entertainment/Tekno Comix

* '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger'' #1–11 (1995–1996) * ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger'' vol. 2 #1–10 (1996–1997)

Dark Horse Comics

* ''Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor'' #1 (1995) * ''Johnny Dynamite'' #1–4 (1994)

DC Comics

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

Weekly'' #601–609, 615–622, 636–641 (1988–1989) * ''

'' #402–403, #408–412, ''Annual'' #11 (1986–1987) * '' Batman: Child of Dreams'' (2003) * ''Batman: Scar of the Bat'' #1 (1996) * ''Ms. Tree Quarterly'' #1–8 (1990–1992) * ''Ms. Tree Special'' #9–10 (1992–1993) * ''On the Road to Perdition: Detour'' (2004) * ''On the Road to Perdition: Oasis'' (2003) * ''On the Road to Perdition: Sanctuary'' (2004) * ''Road to Perdition'' (1998) * ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional ch ...

'' #10 (1991) * ''

'' #1–4, ''Special'' #1 (1987–1989) * ''Wild Times: Grifter'' #1 (1999)

Eclipse Comics

* '' Eclipse Magazine'' #1–6 (1981–1982) * ''Ms. Tree'' #4–9 (1983–1984) * ''Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures'' #1–3 (1983)

First Comics

* '' Grimjack'' #11 (1985) * ''P.I.'s: Michael Mauser and Ms. Tree'' #1–3 (1985)

IDW Publishing

* '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' #1–5 (2003) * ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Bad Rap'' #1–5 (2003) * ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Demon House'' #1–5 (2004) * ''CSI: NY – Bloody Murder'' #1–5 (2005)

Marvel Comics

* ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

: Red, White & Blue'' HC (2002)

Renegade Press

* ''Ms. Tree'' #19–50 (1985–1989) * ''Ms. Tree Summer Special'' #1 (1986) * ''Ms. Tree's 1950s Three–Dimensional Crime'' #1 (1987) * ''Ms. Tree 3-D'' #1 (1985)

Titan Comics

*''Quarry's War'' (2018) *''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer: The Night I Died'' (2018)

References

External links

* * Th
Max Allan Collins Papers
are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives. * * *
BlogTalkRadio interview with Rodger Nichols (Feb. 2018)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Max Allan 1948 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American comics writers American male novelists American mystery writers Anthony Award winners Writers of historical mysteries Dick Tracy Inkpot Award winners Living people Novelists from Iowa People from Muscatine, Iowa Shamus Award winners University of Iowa alumni 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers