Nolan no. 1 Bait Money by Max Allan Collins

Pinnacle Books 1981

Cover artist: Ed Abrams

(Don't feel like reading? There is a video review at the bottom of the post)

Max Allan Collins is a prolific writer in the pop culture world including everything from writing established comics like Dick Tracy and Batman to novelizations of blockbuster movies like Saving Private Ryan, The Mummy and Waterworld, he created the graphic novel series Road to Perdition, which was made into a movie, and music wise was in a 60s psyche garage band called The Daybreakers who had a minor hit with their song Psychedelic Siren. His list of credentials is too much to mention here but it’s incredibly productive. Chances are you have read or watched something that he has had a hand in.

My favorite Max Allan Collins creation is the Quarry series about a Marine sniper who returns from Vietnam and becomes an assassin. So, I was excited when I was at the bookstore and spotted this Nolan no 1- Bait Money as I knew from listening to the Paperback Warrior Podcast that this was Collins professional thief series inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker series.

There are eleven entries in the series so far. Nine in the original run from 1973 to 1991 and then he brought the character back in 2020 and the most recent entry in 2021. So, he’s about due for another, eh?

The basic premise: Nolan is a professional thief in hiding. Sixteen years prior he had a falling out with The Family when he killed the brother of an up-and-coming major player. Nolan is spotted by one of the crew in his hideout town and takes a bullet. Worse than the hole in his body is the family member ransacked his place and got ahold of his false identity which was attached to all of Nolan’s thief retirement money. While holed up healing with a jiggly waitress, Nolan decides it’s time to go back to Idaho and see if he can come to an agreement with his enemy to get his identity back. To save face the mobster says sure, but you owe me 100k and you have to pay me back with stolen money. Which means, one last job.

Even though the cover art on this screams over-produced Men’s Adventure (which I love- not knocking it), the writing in this is levels above the standard machismo fare. Not to say that Nolan isn’t a steel hardened bad ass though. In the story he is described as looking like Lee Van Cleef (on the cover he’s looking a little more like Barney Miller). He’s tough but not too tough. He’s not a superman but is lean and strong, consuming mass amounts of cigarettes and a stray beer here or there. He’s a working-class anti-hero. A classic John Dillinger sort.

The story starts at a mid-point with Nolan recuperating at the woman’s apartment. You have no idea who he is or why he’s shot but the story keeps moving. The plot and the backstory blend together as one wheel rolling forward. It gives the storyline an almost non-linear feel to it.

The book is filled with nefariously enjoyable criminal underworld associates. Mobsters obviously but what was more interesting were the heist world characters. A man that puts the jobs together with the quite literal name of Planner. A reckless and angry revolutionary hippy willing to do whatever to get money to buy his land far from the world. His thrill-seeking girlfriend. And there is one character in particular who Nolan must team up with that I thoroughly enjoyed and that’s Jon the comic book collector. He collects old comic strips and Big Little Books and all this lesser-known ephemera that only someone who collects old stuff would know or be able to relate to. It made me feel like Collins is one of us. He’s a fan also not just a creator. I just personally connected with it. Also, we have a giant ex-football player thug, an arms dealer who runs a vending machine company and a few henchmen with actual personalities. I imagine Guy Ritchie read some of Collins books before he made the movies Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells and Snatch.

Collins flesh’s out his characters so well and has a gift for writing scenes so vividly that after I finished this it felt more like I just got done watching a movie than reading a book.

The pacing is quick, which is surprising considering a chunk of the book is them mapping out the robbery. Nolan is meticulous. The tension obviously rides high on will they get away with it but there are character factors rocking the boat also. Is Nolan’s team dependable? And in the world of thieves, you can only trust your accomplice so far. Not to mention Nolan still has the Family on his back and not all members got the update to not execute on sight.

Definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year.