Widely recognized as a grandmaster of detective fiction, author Max Allan Collins shares his thought process behind developing private detective Nathan Heller to be a little more “real” than other fictional detectives of the noir genre. That’s just one of several topics Max covers as he discusses historical events and characters found in the episode “Visiting Hours.”

In this and every episode of the “History Behind The Mystery” series, Creator/Producer Max Allan Collins provides some context to the events that take place in the 10-episode, immersive audio drama, TRUE NOIR: The Assassination of Anton Cermak.

TRUE NOIR: The Assassination of Anton Cermak is an audio drama set in Chicago at the end of the Prohibition Era (in the early 1930s) and tells the story of private eye Nathan Heller as he tracks down the killer of the Mayor of Chicago at a political rally. But this isn’t your ordinary assassination. Mayor Anton Cermak was in a nearly constant power struggle with organized crime in his city … and he played just as dirty.

In this video:

00:15 – How did you come to create Nathan Heller?

01:38 – How does Nate Heller differ from other classic, fictional private eyes like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade?

03:24 – Why is this story set in Chicago?

04:14 – What characters in this chapter are real?

05:53 – Will Eliott Ness return in future Nathan Heller stories?

The nearly 6-1/2 hour audio drama stars Michael Rosenbaum (SMALLVILLE, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2) as Detective Nathan Heller, David Strathairn (LINCOLN, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK) as Frank Nitti, and a host of other actors from television and film.

TRUE NOIR was created by Mike Bawden, Robert Meyer Burnett, and Max Allan Collins. For more information about Imagination Connoisseurs Unlimited, please visit our website: www.icu.co