Max Allan Collins has published 103 novels, 2 novellas, 1 short story collection, 1 non-fiction book, 1 children's book and 8 other books, beginning with Waterworld (1995). 14 feature Nathan Heller, 10 feature Mike Hammer and 4 feature Mallory. The best-known is Criminal Minds (2007). The latest is Johnny Dynamite: Underworld (2025).
Updated September 2026
Books featuring Nathan Heller (14)
True Detective (1983)
True Crime (1984)
The Million-dollar Wound (1986)
Neon Mirage (1988)
Stolen Away (1991)
Carnal Hours (1994)
Blood and Thunder (1995)
Damned in Paradise (1996)
Flying Blind (1999)
Majic Man (1999)
Angel in Black (2001)
Chicago Confidential (2002)
Ask Not (2014)
Better Dead (2016)
Books featuring Mike Hammer (10)
One Lonely Knight (1984)
The Goliath Bone (2008)
The Big Bang (2010)
Kiss Her Goodbye (2011)
Lady, Go Die! (2012)
Complex 90 (2013)
Mike Hammer: King of the Weeds (2014)
A Long Time Dead (2016)
Mike Hammer (2016)
Murder Never Knocks (2016)
Books featuring Mallory (4)
No Cure for Death (1983)
The Baby Blue Rip-Off (1983)
Kill Your Darlings (1984)
Nice Weekend For A Murder (1986)
Books featuring Gil Grissom (3)
Csi: Crime Scene Investigation (2001)
Binding Ties (2005)
Snake Eyes (2006)
Where to start with Max Allan Collins
Start here
Criminal Minds
Max Allan Collins's most-read book.
Newest
Johnny Dynamite: Underworld
Published 2025.
Standalone novels in order
Blood Money (1973)
Midnight Haul (1986)
Spree (1987)
The Dark City (1987)
Butchers Dozen (1988)
Dick Tracy Goes to War (1991)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Maverick (1994)
Nypd Blue (1995)
Waterworld (Jul 1995)
Air Force One (1997)
Mommy (1997)
Vengeance Is Hers (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
U.S. Marshals (1998)
Mourn the Living (1999)
The Mummy (1999)
The Titanic Murders (1999)
The Hindenburg Murders (2000)
U-571 (2000)
Flesh and Blood (2001)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
The Pearl Harbor Murders (2001)
Windtalkers (2001)
Before the Dawn (2002)
Dark Angel (2002)
Road to Perdition (2002)
The Scorpion King (2002)
After the Dark (2003)
Cold Burn (2003)
Dick Tracy (2003)
Florida Getaway (2003)
Quarry's Greatest Hits (2003)
Skin Game (2003)
Grave Matters (2004)
Road to Purgatory (2004)
The London Blitz Murders (2004)
Two For The Money (Hard Case Crime) (2004)
Road to Paradise (2005)
The War of the Worlds Murder (2005)
Bones (2006)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Case Files Volume 1 (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (IDW)) (2006)
My Lolita Complex and Other Tales of Sex and Violence (2006)
A Killing in Comics (2007)
American Gangster (2007)
Bones Buried Deep (2007)
Criminal Minds (2007)
Deadly Beloved (Hard Case Crime) (2007)
Mortal Wounds (2007)
Strip for Murder (2008)
The X-files (2008)
X-files 2 (2008)
Quarry (2010)
You Can't Stop Me (2010)
The Consummata (2011)
Regeneration (2012)
Return to Perdition (2012)
Seduction of the Innocent (2013)
What Doesn't Kill Her (2013)
Supreme Justice (2014)
The Wrong Quarry (2014)
The Legend of Caleb York (2015)
Quarry in the Black (2016)
The Big Showdown (2016)
Quarry's Climax (2017)
The Bloody Spur (2018)
The Last Stand (2018)
Spillane ARC (2022)
Johnny Dynamite: Underworld (2025)
Novellas in order
Dick Tracy: Tracy's Wartime Memories (1986)
Daylight (1996)
Short story collections in order
The Dick Tracy Casebook (1990)
Non-fiction in order
The Best of Crime & Detective Tv (1988)
Children's books in order
Batman (2015)
Other books in order
Gil Elvgren (1996)
For the Boys (2000)
Oasis (2003)
Dark Angel 2 (2010)
It's in the Book (2013)
Quarry's Deal (2016)
Ms. Tree (2021)
Quarry's Blood (2021)
Film and TV adaptations
- Waterworld (1995)Film · from Waterworld
About Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic literature, screenplays and comics. His best known work includes the Ms. Tree and Road to Perdition comics, and his long-running literary series characters such as steely hitman Quarry, hardened thief Nolan, and antiheroic private investigator Nate Heller. He wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for many years and has produced numerous novels featuring the character as well.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Max Allan Collins FAQ
- How many books has Max Allan Collins written?
- Max Allan Collins has published 103 novels, 2 novellas, 1 short story collection, 1 non-fiction book, 1 children's book and 8 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Max Allan Collins's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Criminal Minds.
- What is Max Allan Collins's latest book?
- Johnny Dynamite: Underworld (2025).
- What is Max Allan Collins's most famous book?
- Criminal Minds (2007) is Max Allan Collins's most widely read book.
- Which Max Allan Collins books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Waterworld (film, 1995).
Authors like Max Allan Collins
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.