Max Allan Collins received the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award in 2017, considered the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing. He has earned an unprecedented twenty-threePrivate Eye Writers of America (PWA) Shamus Award Nominations, winning three times, twice for his Nathan Heller novels True Detective and Stolen Away. Collins is also the recipient of a PWA lifetime achievement award. His graphic novel Road to Perdition was the basis for the 2002 Academy Award–winning film. His suspense series include Nolan, Mallory, Jack and Maggie Starr, Eliot Ness, and Quarry, the latter now a Cinemax TV series.

A cofounder of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, Collins has written numerous film and TV tie-in novels for series including CSI, Dark Angel, and Criminal Minds. Comics credits include the syndicated Dick Tracy strip, Batman, and his own Ms. Tree and Wild Dog.

Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on twelve novels, including the popular Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery series.