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Nolan #8
Mourn the Living
The original novel in Max Allan Collins's series about professional thief Nolan. The death of a friend's daughter leads Nolan to a small Illinois college town where the mob has murderous rivals in the drug trade. Says The Big Book of Noir: "There's nobody better at the American crime novel than Max Allan Collins."
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
9 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
820 books1,336 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 19, 2012
Nolan does a favor for a friend and goes to Chelsey to investigate the apparent suicide of his daughter and see if The Outfit had anything to do with it. Nolan quickly gets tangled in a web of drugs and murder. Will he ever find out what happened to Irene Tisor?
While Mourn the Living is the eighth Nolan book, it was the first written and the first book Max Allan Collins ever wrote. I think all of my gripes with the story stem from there. While it's not a bad piece of crime fiction, especially since it was someone's first novel, parts really irked me. Time after time, Nolan does stupid things that aren't in character for a career criminal on the run. He leaves people alive who know who he is, despite the quarter million dollar price on his head. There were two hoods he let live on three different occasions! The twist at the end was telegraphed and wouldn't have been believeable had it been written today instead of in the 1960's.
To sum it up, while Nolan was created to be an homage to Richard Stark's Parker, in this particular volume he'd need a stepladder to kiss Parker's ass. While it was a welcome diversion, it's not essential to the Nolan experience. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Hard Case omnibus of Bait Money and Blood Money instead.
While Mourn the Living is the eighth Nolan book, it was the first written and the first book Max Allan Collins ever wrote. I think all of my gripes with the story stem from there. While it's not a bad piece of crime fiction, especially since it was someone's first novel, parts really irked me. Time after time, Nolan does stupid things that aren't in character for a career criminal on the run. He leaves people alive who know who he is, despite the quarter million dollar price on his head. There were two hoods he let live on three different occasions! The twist at the end was telegraphed and wouldn't have been believeable had it been written today instead of in the 1960's.
To sum it up, while Nolan was created to be an homage to Richard Stark's Parker, in this particular volume he'd need a stepladder to kiss Parker's ass. While it was a welcome diversion, it's not essential to the Nolan experience. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Hard Case omnibus of Bait Money and Blood Money instead.
February 20, 2011
although the latest Nolan novel published, this was the first written and set aside. It was serialized in a magazine, eventually seeing book publication with this edition.
Nolan is forty. He's asked by an old acquaintance, not really a friend, but a man who'd helped him get out of the mob(Nolan believed in paying his debts), to investigate the death of his daughter in a small college town. Word was she'd jumped off a building while tripping on LSD. Her father wanted to know if it was suicide or murder and, while he didn't say it, he wanted Nolan to kill if it was murder. To sweeten the pot, he revealed that, though a small time operation(LSD and pot to the college crowd), the money wasn't collected but every six weeks or so. There should be around forty thousand.
The one bad thing was that it was run by the family of which he'd killed one brother, incurring a quarter of a million contract on his head. it had gone unfulfilled for years.
Ofcourse, as mentioned, Nolan always payed a debt.
Nolan is forty. He's asked by an old acquaintance, not really a friend, but a man who'd helped him get out of the mob(Nolan believed in paying his debts), to investigate the death of his daughter in a small college town. Word was she'd jumped off a building while tripping on LSD. Her father wanted to know if it was suicide or murder and, while he didn't say it, he wanted Nolan to kill if it was murder. To sweeten the pot, he revealed that, though a small time operation(LSD and pot to the college crowd), the money wasn't collected but every six weeks or so. There should be around forty thousand.
The one bad thing was that it was run by the family of which he'd killed one brother, incurring a quarter of a million contract on his head. it had gone unfulfilled for years.
Ofcourse, as mentioned, Nolan always payed a debt.
July 6, 2012
Collins writes in his introduction that this was an early attempt at writing, dating from the late sixties. He was reminded of its existed when fans began asking for more Nolan, the thief, books. Interestingly, it bears a strong resemblance (in a good way) to Richard Stark's Parker series.
Nolan is on the lam from the mob after killing one of the bosses who had ordered a hit on his girlfriend. There is now a huge reward out for Nolan who has decided he'll bankroll himself by stealing from his former bosses. When Sid Tisor calls asking him to look into the death of his daughter who had gone head first off a building, supposedly after taking LSD, Nolan is reluctant to venture back into Illinois where he is known by too many people. But Sid insists and Nolan owes him a debt.
Good series that, while perhaps not as polished as his later books, is enjoyable and competent. I have read all of the Quarry hit man series by Collins and clearly his writing evolved and became tighter and the characters more finely drawn although one can easily see how Nolan morphed into Quarry.
Nolan is on the lam from the mob after killing one of the bosses who had ordered a hit on his girlfriend. There is now a huge reward out for Nolan who has decided he'll bankroll himself by stealing from his former bosses. When Sid Tisor calls asking him to look into the death of his daughter who had gone head first off a building, supposedly after taking LSD, Nolan is reluctant to venture back into Illinois where he is known by too many people. But Sid insists and Nolan owes him a debt.
Good series that, while perhaps not as polished as his later books, is enjoyable and competent. I have read all of the Quarry hit man series by Collins and clearly his writing evolved and became tighter and the characters more finely drawn although one can easily see how Nolan morphed into Quarry.
July 21, 2017
"Mourn the Living" was the final book published in the Nolan series, but chronologically it takes place ten years prior to the events in Bait Money when Jon meets Nolan. This was also the first one created in the series, written while Collins was still in College.
So does Nolan work without the juxtaposition of the seasoned criminal with the young, naive Jon. You bet it does. In some ways, with Nolan operating as a lone wolf in a strange town, particularly a college town,it does feel more like a Quarry novel than a Nolan one.
What's great about this book is that it takes place shortly after Nolan makes his break from the Chicago outfit (a resignation given in bullets) and you get all the details laid out. Also, you can see how much a thorn in the side of the Outfit Nolan had quickly become.
So does Nolan work without the juxtaposition of the seasoned criminal with the young, naive Jon. You bet it does. In some ways, with Nolan operating as a lone wolf in a strange town, particularly a college town,it does feel more like a Quarry novel than a Nolan one.
What's great about this book is that it takes place shortly after Nolan makes his break from the Chicago outfit (a resignation given in bullets) and you get all the details laid out. Also, you can see how much a thorn in the side of the Outfit Nolan had quickly become.
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March 21, 2023Even though this is the last book in the series, it was written first. It is not the conclusion but rather a very early Nolan. Keep that in mind when reading. It is written by a younger, less experienced, less mature writer.
April 10, 2021
The first Nolan story written in the 1960s and put aside.
Nolan is on the run from the mob, when an old favor gets called in, and Nolan pays his debts. A hood's daughter committed suicide while high on LSD, or was she murdered? Nolan visits a small college down in Illinois to find out.
But this town is being run by the mob, and Nolan still has a price on his head. Someone's not going to make it out of this in one piece, and there's going to be a lot of collateral damage. Will Nolan figure out what's going on before they figure out who he is?
For fans of Nolan's other stories as well as fans of Westlake's Parker or Block's Keller.
Nolan is on the run from the mob, when an old favor gets called in, and Nolan pays his debts. A hood's daughter committed suicide while high on LSD, or was she murdered? Nolan visits a small college down in Illinois to find out.
But this town is being run by the mob, and Nolan still has a price on his head. Someone's not going to make it out of this in one piece, and there's going to be a lot of collateral damage. Will Nolan figure out what's going on before they figure out who he is?
For fans of Nolan's other stories as well as fans of Westlake's Parker or Block's Keller.
August 31, 2023
Collins actually wrote this Nolan novel first, back when he was in college but it didn't get published until the 90's. Nolan is only around 40 and you actually get to see why he's on the outs with the Chicago mob. The story itself takes place in a small Illinois college town for rich kids. Nolan's looking into the death of the daughter of someone he owes a favor to. Even without Jon this is great stuff.
April 1, 2025
The last of the Nolan series by the master of “Quad Cities Noir,” Max Allan Collin’s…It’s at the end of the series even though its events take place way before some of the rest of the series…Nolan, to pay for a friend’s help in escaping the Chicago Outfit, investigates his daughter’s decay, while away at college…While investigating, he comes face to face with some old enemies and new allies…The usual good noir from Collin’s!!!
January 7, 2024
8/10
182 pages
182 pages
November 1, 2024
The first draft of the Nolan character. No Jon character.
July 29, 2021
Fast-paced, efficient noir thriller. Nothing flashy or particularly memorable here--just a satisfying jolt of hardboilded literary goodness. The fact that Collins wrote this back in college just shows he was born to write stuff like this. Sure, he was ripping off Robert B. Parker when he created the Nolan character, but that doesn't make MOURN THE LIVING any less entertaining. Great title, too.
August 23, 2012
#8 in the Nolan series. This is the third of the hard-to-find Nolan series that I have read (after #1 & 2). One of Collins' virtues is the ability to channel '40s pulp magazine characters - he might do well in colloberation with Bill Pronzini. I hope in this case I suffered from not having read the preceding entries in the series. The novel was an enjoyable, quick read - but really nothing special from Collins, who has so much to offer.
Nolan series - A gang called the Boys has put a $250,000 price on Nolans head because he whacked one of their own. So Nolan stays away from Chicago until Sid Tisor, who hid him when needed, asks him to investigate his daughter Irene's death during an LSD trip. In Chelsey, close to Chicago, Nolan runs smack into the Boys, an enforcer for the Commission, a connected cop, and the odd babe, including Irene's roomie, Vicki Trask, and Lyn the hippie, who, like Irene, hung around the drug-dealing musician Broome at the Third Eye nightclub.
Nolan series - A gang called the Boys has put a $250,000 price on Nolans head because he whacked one of their own. So Nolan stays away from Chicago until Sid Tisor, who hid him when needed, asks him to investigate his daughter Irene's death during an LSD trip. In Chelsey, close to Chicago, Nolan runs smack into the Boys, an enforcer for the Commission, a connected cop, and the odd babe, including Irene's roomie, Vicki Trask, and Lyn the hippie, who, like Irene, hung around the drug-dealing musician Broome at the Third Eye nightclub.
November 17, 2015
A bit of a Parker rip-off but lively enough.
Lively plot that probably crosses the line between homage and copycat. Nolan shares so many characteristics with Westlake's Parker that it is hard not to be a little irritated. Other than that a decent read.
Lively plot that probably crosses the line between homage and copycat. Nolan shares so many characteristics with Westlake's Parker that it is hard not to be a little irritated. Other than that a decent read.
February 25, 2019
Definitely reading Nolan out of order, but I don't think its affecting my enjoyment
April 13, 2016
written when Collins was an undergraduate, it does read like an early novel, but the Nolan character is strong and the plot has a great twist at the end - overall an enjoyable read
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews