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True Noir on CD, Love for Fruitcake & A Falcon Nice Review

Tuesday, April 21st, 2026

This week marks the release of the Blackstone/Skyboat four CD-set of True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak (a one-disc MP3-format edition is also available). I’ve talked here often about the amazingly stellar cast (headed up by Michael Rosenbaum) and the direction by my buddy Robert Meyer Burnett. Rob and I both think True Noir is among the best things either of us has done.

You can order it here: https://downpour.com/products/book-101t

[Or here on Amazon. –Nate]

Incidentally, this link accesses 81 titles of mine, in all formats, including Return of the Maltese Falcon.

I get a few inquiries about why True Detective has been adapted under the name True Noir. The obvious (and correct) answer is that HBO used the title on its acclaimed series of a while back. But I like getting the word “noir” in there (and it was my suggestion).

For those of you unfamiliar with this project, here’s what True Noir is: a full-cast, fully scored (by Alexander Bornstein), complete with meticulous sound effects, scripted-by-me adaptation of the first Nathan Heller novel, True Detective. That book won the 1984 Best Novel “Shamus” award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and led to a long-running series (that I may return to one of these days). It really is a movie for the ears, running four and a half hours and providing several evenings of entertainment, or good company on a long road trip.

We hope to do more, but that’s up to you.

A big True Noir event at the Putnam in Davenport, Iowa, is coming up next month. Much more about that later.

* * *

Alisabeth Von Presley and Paula Sands in Death by Fruitcake

My old Ms. Tree cohort Terry Beatty stepped up to inform his Facebook friends about my little movie, Death By Fruitcake, which has just recently been offered here: Xumo (free); Roku Channel (free); Amazon Prime Video (free); YouTube ($2.99); Google Play Movies & TV ($2.99); and Apple TV ($4.99).

Here’s what Terry had to say:

My pal Max Allan Collins’ latest “no budget” movie is now available to stream on Amazon Prime — based on the cozy “Antiques” series of novels written by Max and his wife Barb, under the pen name of Barbara Allan. Well, this one’s based on a novella from an anthology of Christmas themed mysteries — but it features the mother/daughter amateur sleuths from the books. I’ve been providing illustrated maps of the fictional town of Serenity, where the books take place, for the whole run of the series, and just turned in a newly revised map for the next book this morning.

If you’ve been reading the books, you’ll know what to expect here. If “Brandy and Vivian” are new to you, you’ll have fun being introduced to them. As I noted — this is a super low budget movie, so don’t go in expecting Hollywood production values. You also shouldn’t expect a “tough guy” mystery here — this is drawing room/cozy stuff — but with the Collins touch all over it.

You’ll likely have to use Prime’s search function to find it, as they’re busy highlighting bigger budget fare. Enjoy — and don’t eat the fruitcake.

This nice post from Terry elicited this post from Steven Thompson:

HT (hat tip) to Terry Beatty for this morning’s entertainment, a delightful little cozy mystery on Prime written and directed by the estimable Max Allan Collins. The two leads playing mother/daughter small town sleuths are extremely charismatic and both quite well-known in other fields. The non-violent murder mystery is more fun than mysterious, with numerous winks and 4th wall breaks. The dialogue sounds stagey but hey, I talk that way sometimes myself. People tell me I sound odd. Having been an amateur actor myself, too, I certainly recognize that in the film’s entire cast but by no means is that saying they’re bad in any way. As a director, Max makes the most of his low budget quite well indeed, and he even gives a cameo to Dick Tracy, the strip he wrote for years!

Having looked into them now, I see where Paula Sands retired a couple years back from a 40 year career as an Iowa newswoman and talk show host. She is great fun as the theatre director attempting to solve the murder of her much disliked leading lady. Tall and sharply eyelashed Alisabeth Von Presley is really a singer and has appeared on shows like American Idol but she can deliver lines well and she has a wonderful grin and wink. Her relationship with Paula as her mother carries the show.

Highly recommended as long as you don’t expect Oscar-quality anything! A great way to start my morning.

And mine! Though Fruitcake is probably best watched some quiet evening over several glasses of wine with someone you love.

I’m grateful to all of you who have given Fruitcake a try, and especially if you’ve posted at Facebook or elsewhere, including Amazon reviews, where right now we only have two reviews but they are overwhelmingly positive.

* * *

In case you haven’t got round to picking up the current Return of the Maltese Falcon, this review from Matthew Legare should encourage you.

First serialized in 1929, The Maltese Falcon is one of the mystery genre’s most enduring titles. It’s been adapted, parodied, and inspired countless writers. But now, it gets a sequel in the form of Max Allan Collins’s Return of the Maltese Falcon.

Not an official sequel, mind you, but since Dashiell Hammett’s original novel entered public domain this year, any writer can use it however they wish. It’s a bit dicey, since only the original novel is public domain, not the famous 1941 film with Humphrey Bogart, probably the single most influential piece of media for film noir and the hardboiled PI genre. Whenever a stock or cliché gumshoe detective shows up, they’re imitating Bogie as Sam Spade, not the original novel.

(MAC: Hard disagree. The novel itself was already the seminal influence on the private eye novel when the Huston/Bogart film appeared.)

As such, the sequel’s Sam Spade is described as he is in the original novel, i.e. a “blond Satan” and distinctly opposite to Bogart. What’s more, it’s written in Hammett’s distinctive, staccato prose, and all in third-person. That’s a detail I appreciate as too many mystery novels are first person à la Spillane and Chandler, but I’m biased as I always prefer third-person.

The 1941 film (as well as the less famous 1931 adaptation) actually follow the novel pretty closely, so Collins’s sequel actually works pretty well if you’ve only seen the movie and never read the book. Even the cover (a glorious piece of art by the legendary Hard Case Crime imprint) is more evocative of the original novel, with Sam Spade younger and more hawkish than his film versions, the femme fatale a sultry flapper, and the black bird itself more spindly than its bulky movie counterpart.

It starts off shortly after the events of the novel, set in late 1929 (Hammett never specified a date but 1929 is a perfect year in my opinion), Sam receives another mysterious femme fatale in the form of Rhea Gutman, daughter of the villainous Caspar Gutman aka the Fat Man and mastermind of the original novel.

(MAC: a gentle correction. The novel takes place in December 1928 as the text says.)

She’s convinced the Maltese Falcon is not only real but still in San Francisco. If you will remember, the Falcon was procured by a shadowy Russian officer, General Kemidov, who duped Gutman and his two criminal associates, Joel Cairo and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, with a lead phony.

Spade isn’t so sure, but he believes Rhea’s money and visits Cairo and Brigid in jail, asking where Kemidov’s whereabouts may be. Cairo, who was probably the best character in the original novel after Spade himself (famously played by the legendary Peter Lorre) is used sparingly here, which is unfortunate, but there really was no way to get him out of jail after being arrested in the original novel I suppose.

Regardless, Spade does what he does best, snooping for clues and getting into trouble. Sketchy characters emerge out of the San Francisco fog, like our old pal Wilmer Cook, Caspar’s boy gunsel, who has a few violent run-ins with Spade.

Added to the mix are a few other characters like Dixie Monahan, briefly mentioned in the original novel as a dangerous Chicago gangster, who is now also looking for the Falcon. Stewart Blackwood, a refined Englishman from a museum who has, apparently, already paid for the Falcon. Also there’s Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s sister, trying to find the black bird to help pay for legal fees. Kemidov himself features prominently in this novel with his invisible presence felt everywhere, something I appreciate since he was just a name and plot device in the original novel.

Spade juggles multiple clients and leads, along with a mysterious dead body he’s asked to identify, until he finally gets on the Falcon’s scent. Not a decoy, not a misdirect, but the actual Maltese Falcon. This time there’s no going back, but the dangers get even more perilous for Spade – Wilmer Cook keeps popping up but even more troubling, the Police check up on Rhea’s backstory and it turns out, Caspar Gutman never had a daughter.

Everything is wrapped up in the classic “exposition room” scene with all the suspects together and facts laid out. Cliché, but it works.

The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorite novels and Hammett’s prose has influenced me in ways I am forever grateful. It’s a masterpiece and a great piece of American literature, albeit pulp fiction. There are definite problems, some important characters mentioned (like Kemidov) never show up and some of the plot seems rushed together, and the fate of several characters are explained to us off screen. However, all the elements flow together into a beautiful canvas by the end. If you’ve never read it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

(MAC: These are excellent observations. Hammett famously claimed not to have plotted the book in advance, rather writing it by the seat of his pants, as we pulp writers put it, which explains some of what Matthew has to say here.)

Max Allan Collins is what I call a “working man’s writer.” This guy has been writing for decades, across multiple platforms – novels, novelizations, comic books, comic strips (he used to write the official Dick Tracy strip) – and shows no signs of slowing down. He has over two hundred novels to his name with multiple series like the historical detective Nathan Heller, the hitman Quarry, and has collaborated with the legendary Mickey Spillane to finish off the Mike Hammer books. You can tell this man loves the crime genre with a passion and if there’s one living writer worth, and dedicated enough, to write its sequel, it’s Collins.

Return of the Maltese Falcon is a worthy addition to American pulp fiction and worth your time.

It’s incredibly gratifying to receive a smart review like this. I try not to be influenced by either good or bad reviews. I regard the good ones as positive publicity and the bad ones as negative publicity; but don’t allow myself to be influenced by either…though, like most people in the arts, I remember the bad reviews vividly while the good ones are a blur.

* * *

My son Nate and grandson Sam have been watching Cowboy Bebop on Blu-ray. It’s a favorite of Nate and mine, and it was a joy revisiting this incredible s-f/crime anime after so long a time. I would rank it with the original Star Trek and Lexx (a show criminally off my recent “favorites” list) as among my very favorite science fiction series (call it Number 6, although I should probably put The Prisoner there and give Lexx the Prisoner’s slot on the five favorites).

One of the things that characterizes the series is its outstanding music by composer Yoko Kanno and her band the Seatbelts. They just a few weeks ago performed in the United States. Here they are performing the opening theme of Cowboy Bebop (a theme rivaled only by Peter Gunn and James Bond). Enjoy!

M.A.C.

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Falcon Nice Reviews (Get It?)

Tuesday, January 13th, 2026

I am happy to report that the reviews for Return of the Maltese Falcon thus far have been overwhelmingly positive. While proud of the book, and delighted to have had the chance to write it, I have braced myself (at my smart wife’s instructions) for what might be reviews in the “who do you think you are?” category.

That reaction is understandable.

My only justification is that the novel was written out of love and respect for Dashiell Hammett and his great novel. I was writing it essentially for the adolescent I’d been who desperately wanted to read another Sam Spade novel.

When I began reading mystery fiction, and became obsessed with Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer, I knew that Mickey hadn’t written a Hammer novel in almost ten years. Imagine my delight and astonishment when in 1961 (nine years after Kiss Me, Deadly) Mickey gave his readers The Girl Hunters.

I knew, with The Maltese Falcon coming into the public domain, that Sam Spade would inevitably be subjected to the kind of nonsense that Winnie the Pooh, Popeye the Sailor and Steamboat Willie have, by way of “inspiring” bottom-feeding horror features. Higher up the food chain, but not necessarily involving writers who understood and respected the material they were drawing upon, new Sam Spade stories would almost certainly emerge. Paging James Patterson.

I wanted to be first and (at least try to) do it right.

Here is a review at Book Reporter that I particularly liked seeing, as the reviewer seemed to understand and appreciate what I was up to.

You may be interested in checking out this interview from Alex Dueben at CrimeReads, which is different from most of the many other interviews I’ve given over the years. Frankly, I usually request questions in writing and will respond accordingly – e-mail interviews. I can control what gets out there.

This interview, however, was actually transcribed and presented as spoken. It is long, and I thought pretty good, if exposing my loquaciousness (like that needed exposure). I was given the opportunity to go over it, and corrected a couple of things, but mostly got out of Alex’s way. I wasn’t happy with how long-winded I was, but relieved I spoke in actual sentences…a novelty these days.

There is a quite gratifying post on Linked-in from a longtime fan (he used to write into the Ms. Tree letters column, SWAK, frequently) – Wylie Wong. I love that name. It has music.

Anyway, I’m going to share his nice write-up with you.

I need to fanboy for a bit. Max Allan Collins – best known as the author of Road to Perdition – is the reason I grew up wanting to be a writer. And he just sent me an autographed copy of his latest novel, Return of the Maltese Falcon.

As a teen, I devoured his Ms. Tree comic books and mystery novels. I loved his work so much that I wrote him a 12-page fan letter. Somewhere in my gushing praise, I mentioned I couldn’t find two of his out-of-print novels. A month later, Collins responded with the coolest Christmas gift: those two books – autographed.

Later, I met him at San Diego Comic-Con and went full geek with a backpack full of his books to sign. He graciously spent 20 minutes chatting and signing, then told me he was publishing a condensed version of my letter in Ms. Tree. That fan letter became the first thing I ever had published.

When I went to college, I double-majored in creative writing and journalism, curious about a career in either fiction or non-fiction. Collins influenced my writing in unexpected ways – I even fell in love with the em dash because of him – and I’ve used it ever since. (So screw you, AI. I used it first.) But I enjoyed journalism too much, so I dropped creative writing and focused on telling true stories instead. No regrets.

Fast forward to 2024: Collins announced he was writing a sequel to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. I loved the original book. I loved the movie. A sequel from my favorite author? I’m all in.

When the book came out this week, Collins offered free copies to the first 20 people who promised to write an Amazon review. I wrote to him saying I’d already pre-ordered a copy but would love to be included. I told him I was still a big fan and shared that after college, I lived on Leavenworth Street in San Francisco, two blocks from where Hammett lived and supposedly finished the Falcon. On cold, foggy nights, like SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, I’d imagine Sam Spade tromping up and down the hills.

Collins responded saying it was a “terrific email” and he’d send me the book and to “feel free to read the hell out of your other copy.”

I don’t know if he even remembers me. But receiving this book brings me right back to my teenage years, reading voraciously and learning good storytelling.

Oh, and for the record: I have the real Maltese Falcon in my home office. Photo as proof.

Thank you for this, Wylie. Good reviews, and particularly rave reviews, feel great – but a piece like yours goes way beyond anything of those.

M.A.C.

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Death by Fruitcake an Official Film Festival Selection

Tuesday, June 24th, 2025

Death by Fruitcake, my latest indie movie, is going out to a limited number of film festivals, mostly in Iowa, which will better enable us to attend ourselves. (A slightly revised version of our poster is shown here.)

As you will see below, the Star City Film Festival has chosen us as an Official Selection, as well as screening the film in a prime spot on Saturday night August 2nd. Thirty-three other films are showcased in the festival, so this in itself is a nice honor.

We have already done nicely at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards and hope to do well at Star City. As I said, we are mostly going out to Iowa festivals and limiting the number of fests we’re entering to half a dozen. They say getting one acceptance out of a ten entries is a good result, and we have two out of six (so far).

Work continues to get Death by Fruitcake onto a streaming service. It’s unlikely we’ll have a DVD and/or Blu-Ray until the 2026 holiday season.

Here’s the press release about the Star City Festival:

The Star City Film Festival Returns to Waukon, Iowa for Its 8th Season – Celebrating Film, Creativity, and Community – July 31 to August 3, 2024

Special Guest of Honor: Max Allan Collins

Waukon, Iowa – The Star City Film Festival is excited to announce its return for the 8th season, taking place from July 31 to August 3, 2024, in the charming town of Waukon, Iowa. Founded and directed by filmmaker, musician, and writer, Dr. Katie O’Regan, this year’s festival promises to be an unforgettable celebration of filmmaking, featuring 40 diverse films, live performances of three new film scripts as radio plays, a glamorous red carpet premiere, and engaging talk-backs with attending filmmakers.

This year’s festival will honor Iowa’s very own Max Allan Collins, a celebrated figure in the world of film noir and a best-selling author, producer, and director. Max will premiere his new film Death by Fruitcake, which he wrote and directed, on Saturday evening of the festival. Following the screening, he will participate in a live talk-back session, providing the audience with insights into his creative process and the making of the film.

Max is renowned for his work on the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of his graphic novel, *Road to Perdition*. He has been recognized by the Mystery Writers of America as a Grand Master and has received an impressive twenty-three “Shamus” nominations, with notable wins for his Nathan Heller thrillers. His extensive body of work includes acclaimed novels, contributions to comics, film criticism, and several successful screenplays, including the Lifetime film Mommy and the HBO World Premiere The Expert. His creativity also extends to documentaries, with Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane featured in the Criterion Collection.

Joining Max at this year’s festival is his wife, Barbara Collins, an esteemed short story writer and production manager for various independent film projects. Together, they have co-authored bestselling novels that showcase their unique storytelling abilities.

The Star City Film Festival aims to create a platform for filmmakers and audiences alike to connect, inspire, and celebrate the art of cinema. Attendees can look forward to a lineup of films that highlight emerging talent, as well as discussions that delve into the creative process behind the stories told on screen.

Join us in Waukon for a celebration of film, creativity, and community, with activities including a live street dance and outdoor music during “Corn Days,” happening simultaneously!

For more information about the festival, ticketing, and programming details, please visit [](http://www.sacrednoisesociety.org).

By the way…our previous indie movie, Blue Christmas, is available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon and other cyber retailers. It’s also streaming, and this link will give you a rundown on where you can see it free (often but not always with commercials) and can rent it.

I do beg you to understand these are micro-budget films (micro-budgets defined as “a movie made with very limited financial resources, typically under $250,000, and sometimes even under $100,000 or $50,000.”

* * *

I seem to be a more or less regular segment on Robert Burnett’s Let’s Get Physical show on You Tube (usually airing at 2 pm on Sunday afternoons, Central.) I talk about recent releases on Blu-ray and 4K discs having to do with crime/mystery movies.

This week Rob’s co-host Dieter Bastian had a work conflict and I was asked, at the last minute, to sub. Nobody can adequately fill in for the unique presence of Deets (as Dieter is called), but I did my best.

Director Rob and I shamelessly plugged our ten-episode audio drama, True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak, every change we got, pretty much making a running joke out of it. (Nonetheless, we encourage you to go to truenoir.co and order it, if you haven’t already.)

The show often runs very long, and this week – as Rob and I went down numerous rabbit holes – lasted over three hours. Here it is, but be warned: I’m not kidding about that how long it went.

Here’s a great write-up on the forthcoming Blu-ray of The Two Jakes, which includes a commentary by my pal Heath Holland and me. Thrilled to be part of this release as Two Jakes is one of my favorite films.

Heath and I also did a commentary for Rustler’s Rhapsody, well written up here.

M.A.C.

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Quarry Up for an Award, Mike Hammer’s Big Announcement

Tuesday, June 17th, 2025

Things have been popping around here. First came news that Quarry’s Return has been nominated for the Best Paperback Novel “Shamus.” The Shamus is an award that means a lot to me, because my late friend Bob Randisi and I, and a few others, were grousing to each other about the Mystery Writers of America ignoring private eye novels in their Edgar awards. Bob was not one to let the grass grow under his feet and very soon he’d created the Private Eye Writers of America and the Shamus awards.

Arguably, the Shamus awards became the second most-prominent and prestigious honor of its kind in mystery fiction. Others have come and gone, and some may lay claim to being more important now; but I know and remember what it meant to me.

In 1983 my novel True Detective was published and got quite a bit of attention in its approach to merging the PI story with historical crime, and for being the longest private eye novel ever written (later my novel Stolen Away would eclipse it). I was, predictably, ignored by the Edgars but got a Shamus nomination. I was a long shot to say the least, because I was up against a Murderer’s Row of mystery writers: James Crumley, Stanley Ellin, Loren Estleman and Robert B. Parker. But my book won, and I was boosted considerably in the business…and both Nate Heller and I are still around. Stolen Away won the Best Novel in 1992. The series went on to be the most-nominated in the history of the organization.

Anyone who says awards don’t matter (like me, when I lose) are full of it. If Bob Randisi hadn’t started up the PWA, I wonder if Heller and I would still be around.

Nate Heller and True Detective are the basis, of course, of True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak, director Robert Meyer Burnett’s ten-episode audio drama from my adaptation. (truenoir.co)

Quarry has been nominated for the Shamus several times (my hitman even got an Edgar nomination last year for Quarry’s Blood) but I don’t recall him ever winning. Kind of makes sense in the PWA, because to make a private eye out of Quarry, you have to squint and look sideways. But the books are very much built on the private eye novel paradigm.

In other private eye news…

Matthew McConaughey is serious talks with Skydance about reuniting with True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto in the Mike Hammer movie that has been threatening to happen for a decade or so.

Matthew McConaughey and Nic Pizzolatto

The film is based not just on Mickey’s work but draws upon the entire series (including the collaborative novels and short stories that share a Spillane/Collins byline). I have read the script and it’s solid; as an executive producer, I was able to provide notes, to get the characters and concepts in line with Mickey’s and my work.

This news exploded all over the Internet. I lost count at 21 articles. Here’s a typical one from Deadline.

It was everywhere, from Variety to the Hollywood Reporter. I am optimistic but I never believe this kind of thing till I’m on set and the cameras are rolling. But it has a real feel to it.

You will note a certain irony here: the title of my novel True Detective is of course the title of the (later) HBO series that brought together actor McConaughey and writer Pizzolatto – a highly rated and regarded series that I have never seen, since the use of the title irked me. On the other hand, I plucked the title from the vintage true-crime magazines that were on the newsstands when Heller was starting out in the other True Detective.

* * *

Here’s a cool review of The Last Quarry.

My band the Daybreakers has a Wikipedia page! And I didn’t submit it much less write it (a few inaccuracies, but hey).

M.A.C.

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