this is the 214th in my series of forgotten or seldom read books
Carnal Hours by Max Allan Collins, Signet, paperback 1995, mystery – 6th Nate Heller
“The low-flying seaplane made a shimmering mosaic of the tropical waters beneath: blue turning bluer, then graying, even whitening over coral or sand. Islands, tiny, scraggly, apparently unpopulated keys dabbed the sea with more color like a bold impressionist painter.”
A few years ago, this was the first book by Collins I read. I had several on the shelf, and I plucked this one at random from among them. Neither the title nor the color of the spine influenced my choice, it was a blind grab. From what I’d heard of the Nate Heller books, there’s no reason to read them in any particular order, so what the heck.
This one takes place in the Bahamas in 1943, putting Heller in the role of private investigator looking into the murder of Sir Harry Oakes. Heller has been hired by Oakes to get the dirt on his daughter’s husband whom Oakes believes is philandering. But soon Oakes is killed, the son-in-law arrested for the crime and Heller is asked by Sir Harry’s daughter to exonerate her husband. As Heller tries to put the facts together he runs into political interference by influential persons from the Duke of Windsor to the Attorney General. He must deal with two Miami cops, brought in to handle the case, who are bent and connected. During his investigations Heller is pursued and made love to by several women, some of it ardently described. It didn’t add much to the novel for me. By the way, the title comes from the native Bahaman term for the hours between sunset and sunrise.
Based on facts, a fictionalization of real events, with real people populating the book (Earle Stanley Gardner, Ian Fleming, the above mentioned Duke of Windsor) the book beckoned to many tastes. I wasn’t familiar with the actual Oakes case so I had no problem with anything Collins presented here. The locale was adequately – if perhaps a bit tritely – described, the events happened in logical, understandable sequence, the characters seemed pretty well portrayed.
Collins gave us chapter and verse about what happened to all the major players from the end of the case to “present day”, which is, or was when this was written, typical of a Heller novel, and I like it. However, it could have been done an Afterword and let the novel end in the more logical place. Still the book was entertaining and the characters, especially Heller, nicely drawn. I kept turning the pages and will read another soon.
Tip the Wink 
Despite the rather rubbish title (in my opinion), I do enjoy Collins’ mixtures of fact and fiction – thanks chum.
This review was originally written for another venue a few years ago, and I’ve yet to try another in the Heller series, though I have several on the shelf. So many books…
I haven’t read this one but I am familiar with the Oakes case. I like the afterwords telling fact from fiction and what happened to the real people.
I liked the “after” information too, Jeff, just thought it might have been better in an afterword than as actual last chapters of the book itself.
I found this one (and the Heller book about Roswell) to be the weakest in an excellent series. Even a weak novel by Collins stands head and shoulders above most of the pack.
The next Heller I read, when I do, will probably be the one about Amelia Earhart.
The only thing I’ve read by him so far is a King Kong book
I didn’t know he’d done one on KK, Charles.
Haven’t read this one, nor the majority of the heller stories…sounds good, perhaps even akin to Loren Estleman (not too unlikely, nor novel, a comparison for Collins, I suspect. Wonder if the actual case inspired William Buckley’s series character, at least his name…
Not sure that a comparison to Estleman works, but then I’ve only read one of his books too. As for inspiration for Buckley’s character Oakes, I read that information once, but it’s long gone from my memory.
I’m getting ready to read Collins’s QUARRY series that HARD CASE CRIME is reprinting. I’ve read a dozen or so of Collins’s various series. The books have good quality control, but some are better than others.
I have several books by Collins but have not read them yet. I do want to read this series, at least a few of them.
Tracy, from what I read and the other comments, this may be one of the weaker ones, but the Heller series is a good one.