FLYING BLIND: A Novel of Amelia Earhart
Max Allan Collins
By 1970, the former head of the Chicago based A-1 Detective Agency, Nathan Heller, enjoys retirement in Florida. However, his idyll relaxation ends when he meets the Texan, J.T. "Buddy" Busch. The Texan offers an opportunity for the sixty-four year old Nathan to finally learn what truly happened to his old friend, Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the horizon over three decades ago. Nathan cannot resist looking for the aviator, who he provided security for back in 1935. Thus, Nathan steps out of retirement and begins his greatest quest of all: to learn what happened to Ms. Earhart.
The ninth novel in the Heller historical mystery series is a great tale that brilliantly blends fact and reasonable speculation into a wonderful fiction novel. The research is obviously meticulous and adds authenticity to the novel, proving that Max Allan Collins is not FLYING BLIND with this tale, which ought to be required reading for history students. Nathan remains refreshing and charming, and the support cast, especially Amelia, is a welcome addition to the book. Mr. Collins is clearly one of the top writers of historical mysteries and fans of the sub-genre should read all nine Heller books for some of the best mysteries on the market today.
Harriet Klausner
Writing for Painted Rock Reviews