Crazybone

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Does it Better!
Review: Bill Pronzini is, in my opinion, the best writer of mysteries out there taday. The "Nameless" detective mysteries are my favorite, and they just keep getting better and better! "Crazybone" is the latest in this fine series. Jack Hunter dies in a car accident with a drunk driver, but his widow, Sheila refuses to accept the $50,000 insurance money. The insurance company hires "Nameless" to investigate. Sheila is not receptive to his questions and wants him out of the investigation. When Sheila disappears with her daughter, Emily, "Nameless" begins learning much of the truth about the Hunters. This is an excellent addition to an excellent series.

Rating:
Summary: Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right
Review: Crazybone marks yet another important turning in the Nameless Detective series, a turning that is seldom seen in mystery fiction. Anyone who is a fan of the series should be sure to read this fine book.

If you have not read any other Nameless books, I suggest that you at least read Hoodwink, Double, Shackles and Hardcase before this one. Much of the pleasure of this book comes from the context of the series. You can enjoy Crazybone without that context, but it will be only a 3 star book if you lack the context. I have reviewed almost all of the books in the series (and tried to avoid spoilers) so feel free to look for those comments. The series begins with The Snatch and follows on in order with The Vanished, Undercurrent, Blowback, Twospot, Labyrinth, Hoodwink, Scattershot, Dragonfire, Bindlestiff, Casefile, Quicksilver, Nightshades, Double, Bones, Deadfall, Shackles, Jackpot, Breakdown, Quarry, Epitaphs, Demons, Hardcase, Spadework, Sentinels, Illusions, Boobytrap, Crazybone, Bleeders and Spook.

Any reader who thinks that most men are lecherous will find that this book mostly confirms their convictions.

As Nameless nears 60, he is becoming more crotchety and less in tune with what's going on. In some ways that's good. He's principled in a world in which many are not. On the other hand, he's also unable to open his assistant's computer to get a message. That's really weird to anyone who enjoys the online world.

In recent books, Mr. Pronzini has been adding more and more humor. In Crazybone, you will find one of the funniest descriptions of attending a spouse's company cocktail party that you can imagine. In the process, Nameless even acquires a name (not really his). It would be fun to see what Mr. Pronzini could do with a whole book of humorous adventures about Nameless.

The plot begins with a fascinating premise: Why would a widow refuse to accept a $50,000 payout on a double indemnity term life policy? Nameless is hired to find out why and to see if the company would gain good publicity by insisting that she take the money.

The quirkiness of the premise is quickly switched into a feeling that something's rotten in Denmark (or in this case, Greenwood, a tony suburb between San Francisco and Silicon Valley) beginning with the male chauvinist insurance agent who sold the policy, Rich Twining. He's more interested in sleeping the widow than delivering a check.

When Nameless meets Sheila Hunter, the widow, she's clearly terrified of something. She inadvertently says "Crazybone" which turns out to be an important connection to the mystery. Her ten-year-old daughter, Emily, takes a liking to Nameless though, and they begin establishing a bond. Emily turns out to be one of the most interesting characters that Mr. Pronzini has ever written about in the series.

Nameless decides that he'll look into matters a little more on his own, even though he won't be paid for it. The insurance company agrees that something is strange and does hire him to continue, so it's a more profitable venture than most for Nameless. With Tamara's help (his assistant), Nameless quickly sees that the surface reality is hiding something more sinister.

At the same time, one of his mother-in-law's friends dies. As a mystery writer herself, she detects possible foul play. She tells Nameless about it, and he begins to investigate. This puts him a little off his feed, because her fictional private detective is a lot smarter and tougher than he is. So he ends up making self-deprecating jokes about what the fictional detective would do in Nameless's place.

With the dual investigations in place, Nameless learns a lot more about greed, deception and infidelity than he ever wanted to find out.

One of the most appealing parts of the book is its ending. I highly commend Crazybone to you.

As I finished the book, I found myself thinking about how we usually treat children better than adults. I wonder how life would improve if we treated adults as well as we do children.

Rating:
Summary: Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right
Review: Crazybone marks yet another important turning in the Nameless Detective series, a turning that is seldom seen in mystery fiction. Anyone who is a fan of the series should be sure to read this fine book.

If you have not read any other Nameless books, I suggest that you at least read Hoodwink, Double, Shackles and Hardcase before this one. Much of the pleasure of this book comes from the context of the series. You can enjoy Crazybone without that context, but it will be only a 3 star book if you lack the context. I have reviewed almost all of the books in the series (and tried to avoid spoilers) so feel free to look for those comments. The series begins with The Snatch and follows on in order with The Vanished, Undercurrent, Blowback, Twospot, Labyrinth, Hoodwink, Scattershot, Dragonfire, Bindlestiff, Casefile, Quicksilver, Nightshades, Double, Bones, Deadfall, Shackles, Jackpot, Breakdown, Quarry, Epitaphs, Demons, Hardcase, Spadework, Sentinels, Illusions, Boobytrap, Crazybone, Bleeders and Spook.

Any reader who thinks that most men are lecherous will find that this book mostly confirms their convictions.

As Nameless nears 60, he is becoming more crotchety and less in tune with what's going on. In some ways that's good. He's principled in a world in which many are not. On the other hand, he's also unable to open his assistant's computer to get a message. That's really weird to anyone who enjoys the online world.

In recent books, Mr. Pronzini has been adding more and more humor. In Crazybone, you will find one of the funniest descriptions of attending a spouse's company cocktail party that you can imagine. In the process, Nameless even acquires a name (not really his). It would be fun to see what Mr. Pronzini could do with a whole book of humorous adventures about Nameless.

The plot begins with a fascinating premise: Why would a widow refuse to accept a $50,000 payout on a double indemnity term life policy? Nameless is hired to find out why and to see if the company would gain good publicity by insisting that she take the money.

The quirkiness of the premise is quickly switched into a feeling that something's rotten in Denmark (or in this case, Greenwood, a tony suburb between San Francisco and Silicon Valley) beginning with the male chauvinist insurance agent who sold the policy, Rich Twining. He's more interested in sleeping the widow than delivering a check.

When Nameless meets Sheila Hunter, the widow, she's clearly terrified of something. She inadvertently says "Crazybone" which turns out to be an important connection to the mystery. Her ten-year-old daughter, Emily, takes a liking to Nameless though, and they begin establishing a bond. Emily turns out to be one of the most interesting characters that Mr. Pronzini has ever written about in the series.

Nameless decides that he'll look into matters a little more on his own, even though he won't be paid for it. The insurance company agrees that something is strange and does hire him to continue, so it's a more profitable venture than most for Nameless. With Tamara's help (his assistant), Nameless quickly sees that the surface reality is hiding something more sinister.

At the same time, one of his mother-in-law's friends dies. As a mystery writer herself, she detects possible foul play. She tells Nameless about it, and he begins to investigate. This puts him a little off his feed, because her fictional private detective is a lot smarter and tougher than he is. So he ends up making self-deprecating jokes about what the fictional detective would do in Nameless's place.

With the dual investigations in place, Nameless learns a lot more about greed, deception and infidelity than he ever wanted to find out.

One of the most appealing parts of the book is its ending. I highly commend Crazybone to you.

As I finished the book, I found myself thinking about how we usually treat children better than adults. I wonder how life would improve if we treated adults as well as we do children.

Rating:
Summary: the john d mcdonald syndrome
Review: I've liked most all the "Nameless" series of the prolific Bill Pronzini, and as the character has aged and the circumstances of his own life become more prominent in the plots, have liked the books even more. His past problems with his partner made for surprising and tense books; his ongoing relationship with Kerry, his own aging, his life in Sanfrancisco are all of a texture that make all the books' generally limited plots enjoyable. Here the "mystery" is not much of one, the action of the search for a solution as to why an insurance settlement is refused is pretty predictable and the outcome summary; but the domestic part of the book, a young child drawn into Kerry and "Nameless'" life makes for real emotion. So, it's a good book, about the same as most in the series. But what is increasingly less enjoyable in these books (and those by several other writers) is what I call the Travis McGee/John D. McDonald syndrome: lots and lots of social comment, mostly bleak reflections on the decline of American culture into the abyss: lamentations on modern architecture, art, strip malls, juvenile behavior, and on and on. I suppose it's in part an attempt to give the books social substance. It may be a unconscious tribute to Raymond Chandler--but if it is that, it misses the point. Chandler observed the world around him; Nameless and kin are grumpy old curmudgeons, whining about what they don't have, have lost, or don't want. Nor do I like a lot of the emblems of the modern age that they skewer and resent, but muttering and mewling without humor, balance, or, really, relation to the plot at hand is at best distracting, at worst rather pathetic. These are thin books, quick reading; they needn't be so sour.

Rating:
Summary: the john d mcdonald syndrome
Review: I've liked most all the "Nameless" series of the prolific Bill Pronzini, and as the character has aged and the circumstances of his own life become more prominent in the plots, have liked the books even more. His past problems with his partner made for surprising and tense books; his ongoing relationship with Kerry, his own aging, his life in Sanfrancisco are all of a texture that make all the books' generally limited plots enjoyable. Here the "mystery" is not much of one, the action of the search for a solution as to why an insurance settlement is refused is pretty predictable and the outcome summary; but the domestic part of the book, a young child drawn into Kerry and "Nameless'" life makes for real emotion. So, it's a good book, about the same as most in the series. But what is increasingly less enjoyable in these books (and those by several other writers) is what I call the Travis McGee/John D. McDonald syndrome: lots and lots of social comment, mostly bleak reflections on the decline of American culture into the abyss: lamentations on modern architecture, art, strip malls, juvenile behavior, and on and on. I suppose it's in part an attempt to give the books social substance. It may be a unconscious tribute to Raymond Chandler--but if it is that, it misses the point. Chandler observed the world around him; Nameless and kin are grumpy old curmudgeons, whining about what they don't have, have lost, or don't want. Nor do I like a lot of the emblems of the modern age that they skewer and resent, but muttering and mewling without humor, balance, or, really, relation to the plot at hand is at best distracting, at worst rather pathetic. These are thin books, quick reading; they needn't be so sour.

Rating:
Summary: Humane and compassionate detective yarn
Review: The Nameless Detective is handed an unusual assignment in this book;at the behest of an insurance company he is seeking to persuade a widow ,whose husband has died in an automobile accident, to change her mind and accept a fifty thousand dollar insurance settlement that she has refused.They feel such an action would result in their receiving favourable publicity.
The woman is Sheila Hunter ,and she is characterised by the local realtor as a sexually voracious adulteress.Nameless finds her a frightened and insecure woman deathly afraid of someone or something she calls "Crazybone".She flees the area ,taking her 10 year old child Emily having refused the money for fear it would attract publicity and tip off Crazybone to her whereabouts
Nameless uncovers the fact that she and her late husband were involved in a scam involving a low rent loan shark "Cotter",the eponymous Crazybone from whose vengeance she is seeking to escape
She soon turns up dead and the book then concerns itself with the solution of the case and the fate of her child the winsome Emily.The unravelling is polished and professional and the writing clear and uncluttered
There is a subplot involving the death of an elderly resident at a retirement community but this seems tacked on.
Pronzini is a writer whose books always deliver and this is polished and proficient.As ever it is the character of Nameless ,a decent compassionate man ,that helps the book stand out from the crowd.He despairs at the dumbing down of society,which in his view has reached epidemic proportions,and has sharp words about the way we all seek to deny individual responsibilty in favour of litigation and blame

Well plotted and deftly written as it is I still have a couple of worries and they can be summed up in what seems to me to be the creeping"Spencerisation "of the series.His relationship with his advertising executive wife is looking worryingly like Spencer's affiliations to the tiresome Susan in the Robert B Parker books and it is stromgly hinted that they will adopt Emily
Domestic bliss is bad for the PI.See Chandler and the fate of Marlowe for the best(worst!)example.I just donrt want it to get mushy,
Good solid book and fans of the P.I genre will appreciate it

Rating:
Summary: YOU MUST BE CRAZY
Review: What woman in her right mind would refuse a $50,000 insurance settlement upon the death of her spouse? So what if she is affluent? Fifty-thousand is a nice piece of change. Intercoastal Insurance Company is concerned about this inconsistency. Out of the goodness of their hearts they are willing to give the widow the money without the usual hassle of filling out forms. Of course the family must be squeaky clean and be willing to endorse the goodness of the company.

So Intercoastal sends Nameless down to investigate this grieving widow. Poor Nameless finds more than grief. He ends up stepping in a cesspool of deceit, abuse , negligence and a bond scam that hides itself in the widow's life and community. A few deaths and misplaced identities further muddies the waters for Nameless. In the midst of this is the widow's innocent young daughter who immediately takes a liking to Nameless.

This isn't one of the best of the Nameless series but provides decent entertainment. There are too many murders going on and we're side-tracked with a mystery that Nameless's mother-in-law is trying to solve. In any case you will get into some of the suspenseful action. It could be better.

Rating:
Summary: I've read all the Nameless books and wish there were more!
Review: When I started reading Bill Pronzini's Nameless Detective series earlier this year, 27 books seemed like an awful lot to plow through. When I finally finished "Crazybone," though, I wished there were 27 more! I feel like I know "Nameless" and Kerry better than some of my own relatives! Happily, "Crazybone" is one of the best entries in this series; I loved the subplot with Nameless' mother-in-law (author of a private eye series starring tough-guy detective Samuel Leatherman) trying to snoop into the suspicious death of one of her elderly neighbors. I heartily recommend going back to "The Snatch" and reading all 27 Nameless books in order; what a wonderful thing Bill Pronzini has accomplished by writing this series.

Rating:
Summary: The Best One Yet
Review: Why wouldn't a wife accept a $50,000.00 insurance payment from her dead husband's policy? When "Nameless" is hired by the insurance company to find out, and to convince her to take the money, he is greeted by a reaction from the widow that causes him to investigate further, even against his own better judgment (which, by the way, he never follows).

The mystery is first-class Pronzini. There are also digressions into "Nameless'" impending curmudgeonhood which, in the hands of another author would be a real distraction, but from Pronzini are a hilarious insight into the hero's view of life. The description of an advertising agency's cocktail party was laugh-out-loud funny.

The resolution of the story adds an element which is significantly going to interplay with that impending curmudgeonhood over the next several years. I can't wait; please, Bill, write them faster.