Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: hardboiled war novels

From: E.Borgers ( wbac12034@tiscali.be)
Date: 08 Sep 2004


I didn't read THE MILLION DOLLAR WOUND, but I read one month ago another of the Heller series by M A Collins: CARNAL HOURS (1994), set in july 1943 in the Bahamas islands, and wherein Nathan Heller refers many times to his war time as a marine. All along this volume, Collins spread infos about Heller's life and we learn he was discharged a little less than one year before the start of Carnal Hours. But, not because he was wounded but because during a Japanese assault when he was half buried in a beach he got a panic crisis leading to psychoses and deep psychological shock. Psychological shock was the cause of his discharge, and this is repeated more than once in the book. Maybe he was also wounded (?), but apparently it's the psychological sequel that was the official reason for his discharge. Heller repeatedly let know it took him until approx mid 43 to recover. Maybe this sounds less glorious than wounded? But not particular, considering the high number of soldiers that were suffering deep psychological troubles generated by WW2 (I remember a documentary made by some official dept which spoke of 20% amongst American troops).

So, back to Heller: is it Collins mixing up, or what?

E.Borgers Hard-Boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384

jimdohertyjr :

>Max Allan Collins's THE MILLION DOLLAR WOUND. A year or so before
>this book appeared, Edward D. Hoch wrote an article in which he noted
>that, since the hard-boiled PI figure is so identified with
>the '40's, it's odd that no book has ever dealt with the question of
>what private eyes, most of them able-bodied young men, did during the
>most important historical event of that decade. Collins answered
>that question with this book. His series PI, Nate Heller, fresh from
>completing an investigation into labor racketeering in Hollywood,
>enlists in the Marines in time to fight in Guadalcanal. Honorably
>discharged after receiving the titular injury in battle, Heller
>returns home to find that the Hollywood investigation wasn't as
>complete as he thought.
>
>JIM DOHERTY
>
>
>
>
>RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
$9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/kqIolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
  Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rara-avis-l/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     rara-avis-l-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 08 Sep 2004 EDT