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There are elements in Max Allan Collins\u2019 Mallory mystery novels<\/strong> which could easily have turned me against them. But Collins\u2019 skill in handling sensitive issues is of so high a quality that he turns them into strengths. I thought this admirable element was especially on view in The Baby Blue Rip-Off<\/a><\/i>, originally published in 1983 (which I\u2019m constantly surprised to realize is a long time ago).<\/p>\n Mallory (his first name is never divulged) is a former soldier, former cop, and present mystery writer who has moved back to his home town of Port City, Iowa. When the story begins he\u2019s been talked into doing a little volunteer work, delivering hot meals to elderly people. To his surprise he enjoys it, and becomes very fond of several old ladies on his route.<\/p>\n But on this night he finds a van backed up to one of the meal recipients\u2019 houses. The place has been trashed and several men are carrying valuables out. Mallory gets seriously beaten, but his elderly friend is dead.<\/p>\n Sheriff Brennan warns Mallory not to try investigating on his own, but he does it kind of half-heartedly, having resigned himself to Mallory\u2019s curiosity and his personal stake in the case. As he runs down clues, Mallory gets beaten up again, re-kindles an old romance, and confronts profound questions of love, trust, and betrayal.<\/p>\n What particularly pleased me \u2013 and this is fairly surprising in a book whose narrator unabashedly declares himself a Democrat \u2013 is how deftly author Collins handles the politics. This especially applies to Mallory\u2019s relationship with Sheriff Brennan. The sheriff\u2019s son went off to Vietnam with Mallory years ago, but only Mallory came back. Then Mallory got involved with Veterans Against the War, which Brennan saw as a kind of betrayal. But in this story the two men warily reach out to one another and form a bond.<\/p>\n This is a masterly example of a technique many authors (perhaps even me) can\u2019t seem to get. A failure in this department completely spoiled fellow Iowa author Ed Gorman\u2019s Sam McCain mysteries for me. Gorman couldn\u2019t concede that a Republican could be anything other than an idiot or a scoundrel. Collins, to the contrary, first of all includes a liberal character who is a jerk (which obviously doesn\u2019t mean all liberals are jerks, as Mallory\u2019s a liberal himself), and a conservative character (Sheriff Brennan) who\u2019s a decent human being.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all it takes. You don\u2019t have to pander to the other side. Just grant them a little humanity, and admit there can be faults on your own side. It was enough to charm me completely, and enable me to get behind Mallory with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n Mild cautions for adult material, including Mallory committing adultery with a married woman. Otherwise highly recommended. There are elements in Max Allan Collins\u2019 Mallory mystery novels which could easily have turned me against them. But Collins\u2019 skill in handling sensitive issues is of so high a quality that he turns them into strengths. I thought this admirable element was especially on view in The Baby Blue Rip-Off, originally published in 1983 … Continue reading The Baby Blue Rip-Off, by Max Allan Collins<\/span>
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