Collins, Barbara 1948- (Barbara Allan, a joint pseudonym)

PERSONAL:

Born 1948; married Max Allan Collins (a novelist); children: Nathan.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Muscatine, IA.

CAREER:

Writer. Served as production manager on the M.A.C. Productions films Mommy, 1995, Mommy II, 1996, and other M.A.C. Productions films.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

(Editor, with Robert J. Randisi) Lethal Ladies, Berkley (New York, NY), 1996.

Too Many Tomcats and Other Feline Tales of Suspense, edited and introduced by husband, Max Allan Collins, Five Star (Unity, ME), 2000.

FICTION; WITH MAX ALLAN COLLINS

Regeneration, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Murder—His and Hers (short stories), Five Star (Unity, ME), 2001.

Bombshell (novel), Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2004.

(Under joint pseudonym Barbara Allan) Antiques Roadkill ("Trash ‘n’ Treasures" mystery series), Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2006.

(Under joint pseudonym Barbara Allan) Antiques Maul ("Trash ‘n’ Treasures" mystery series), Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to short-story anthologies, including Murder for Mother, Signet (New York, NY), 1994; Murder for Father, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Signet (New York, NY), 1994; Lethal Ladies II, edited by C. Matthews, Berkley (New York, NY), 1998; and Death Cruise: Crime Stories on the Open Seas, edited by Lawrence Block, Cumberland House, 1999.

SIDELIGHTS:

Barbara Collins is a noted short-story writer who has also written books with her husband, Max Allan Collins, sometimes under the joint pseudonym Barbara Allan. In Bombshell, written by both Barbara and Max Allan Collins under their own names, the authors tell a "Cold-War" story featuring the late U.S.S.R. leader Nikita Khrushchev coming to the United States and meeting Marilyn Monroe, who sets out to save Khrushchev from an assassination plot by his own security agents. Wes Lukowsky, writing in Booklist, noted the novel's "wonderful characterizations" and the author's ability "to re-create an era within the context of a delightful comic adventure." Library Journal contributor Rex Klett commented that the story is "told with warmth, attention to historical detail, and serious tone."

The author and her husband both contribute nine short stories to Murder—His and Hers, including two they wrote together. Both authors also wrote their own introductions to the collection. In the collaborative story "Eddie Haskell in a Short Skirt," the authors tell the tale of Becky Knight, a private detective accused of murdering a friend. The story occurs in flashbacks as Becky waits in jail while her partner-and-father tries to find the real killer. BVS Reviews Web site contributor Bruce Von Stiers called "Dead and Breakfast," a solo story by Barbara Collins, about a family staying in a mysterious bed and breakfast, "reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock shows on television." Referring to Murder—His and Hers as an "entertaining collection," Wes Lukowsky also wrote in Booklist that each story "boasts a plot twist that Hitchcock or even Rod Serling fans will savor."

Collins and her husband also write the "Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery" series together under the pseudonym Barbara Allan. In Antiques Roadkill, the authors introduce Brandy Borne, who returns home after getting divorced to discover that her dramatic mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder, essentially has been robbed by the local antiques dealer. Outraged, Brandy sets out to recover family heirlooms after the dealer bought them all for a pittance. Her search for justice, however, becomes complicated when the antiques dealer is murdered and her mother runs over the dead body in her car. Brandy and her mother decide to find the killer, ignoring the local police's commands to stay out of it. Marilyn Weigel, writing on the Romantic Times Online, noted that the authors "create a fabulous and intimate voice for this novel's heroine." Oline H. Cogdill wrote in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "The story moves at a brisk pace, aided by Brandy's engaging voice, a realistic view of small towns and an astute look at family friction."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2001, Wes Lukowsky, review of Murder—His and Hers, p. 1356; May 1, 2004, Wes Lukowsky, review of Bombshell, p. 1503; July 1, 2006, Sue O'Brien, review of Antiques Roadkill, p. 35.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2006, review of Antiques Roadkill, p. 546.

Library Journal, April 1, 2004, Rex Klett, review of Bombshell, p. 128.

Publishers Weekly, May 1, 2006, review of Antiques Roadkill, p. 40.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 25, 2006, Oline H. Cogdill, review of Antiques Roadkill.