Bones

Rating:
Summary: BARE BONES
Review: " Nameless" is at the top of his game when solving murder mysteries. Recent murders are difficult but not unsolvable. This time Nameless is called upon to solve a murder that happened four decades ago. Called to do the impossible, he takes the case merely because the victim was a pulp writer. Nameless of course is is a pulp fan. Pronzini gives us a fair story as we follow Nameless in his quest of trying to quell the questions of a neurotic son determined to find out how his writer-father really died. Was it a suicide or murder? Come with Nameless as he attempts to uncover this mystery but in the meantime he must deal with his partner's brainless girlfriend and her impact on his beloved Kerry. This is not one of Prozini's best in the Nameless series but it will hold your attention.

Rating:
Summary: A Pulp Connection, Two Earthquakes and Kerry's Italian Sauce
Review: In 1971, author Bill Pronzini was 27 when he wrote The Snatch, building on a shorter and different version of the story that appeared in the May 1969 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine under the same title. With the publication of The Snatch, one of detective fiction's great characters was born with full fledged power and authenticity. If you have not yet read the 25 plus Nameless Detective novels by Mr. Pronzini, you have a major treat ahead of you. Many of these are now out-of-print, so be sure to check your library for holdings in near-by cities.

The Nameless Detective is referred to that way because Mr. Pronzini never supplies a name until Twospot, several books prior in the series, when police lieutenant Frank Hastings tells what his poker playing friends call Nameless, employing a first name. But it's never acknowledged by Nameless that this is his name . . . so it's probably a nickname. That name is not then used again until much later in the series in Nightshades. In Double, fictional detective Sharon McCone supplies her own nickname for Nameless. You can learn about why Nameless has no name in an author's note in Case File, a collection of short stories that precedes this book in the series.

Mr. Pronzini presents a world in which people take evil actions to further selfish interests, and many innocents struggle because of that selfishness. The police and private investigators suffer along with the victims, for evil-doing has painful consequences for everyone. Mr. Pronzini's plots are complex, yet he provides plenty of clues to help you identify the evil-doer on your own. Despite the transparency of many of the early plots, he successfully uses plot complications to keep the action interesting and fresh. Beginning with Labyrinth, the plots became less simple. In many cases, there are locked room mysteries.

But the reason to read the books is because of the character development for the Nameless Detective. Nameless is a former police officer in San Francisco who collects pulp fiction about tough private detectives. Overcome by the evil he sees as a police officer and drawn to the complex imagery of the strong, silent hero who rights wrongs, Nameless tries to live that role as a private detective. But he has trouble getting clients, and operating as a one-man shop causes him to lead a lonely existence. In his personal life, his career keeps women at a distance. Beginning with Hoodwink, he has a love interest, Kerry Wade, who is the daughter of two ex-pulp authors. Like a medieval knight errant, he sticks to his vows and pursues doing the right thing . . . even when it doesn't pay. At the same time, he's very aware of art, culture and popular trends. And he doesn't like much of what he sees. He's also skeptical about technology, and doesn't want to become a snooper using electronic gadgets. He's a proud Italian in his 50's, could stand to lose some weight, and is really messy. So there's an element of Don Quixote here, too.

The books are also written in a more sophisticated version of the pulp fiction style, employing a better writing style and greater range through language and plot. The whole experience is like looking at an image in a series of mirrors that reflect into infinity.

These books are a must for those who love the noir style and the modern fans of tough detectives with a heart of gold like Spenser . . . and can live without the wise cracks and repartee. Beginning with Scattershot though, the books increasingly contain witty references to early mysteries and their characters.

Nameless is asked to solve an impossible case . . . why a famous pulp author, Harmon Crane, took his own life 35 years earlier. Nameless would normally have passed on such an assignment, but his appreciation for Crane's work makes the difference. In the middle of his research, an earthquake uncovers a skeleton that turns out to be related to the case. There's an eerie sense to the book that makes it chilling. The emotional tension and suspense are very fine.

With very few characters involved, you probably will soon have an idea of who did what to whom and why. But the means will escape you until you hear Nameless's ideas on the subject of how. As usual, Mr. Pronzini shows his mastery for setting up and explaining locked room mysteries.

In the same way that Shakespeare offered comic relief with his fools during tragedies, Mr. Pronzini provides us with his partner, Eberhardt, and his latest flame . . . a sales lady from Macy's named Wanda. Wanda turns out to be owner of a loud and nonstop mouth, an enormous chest and questionable taste in Italian restaurants. After a few drinks, Kerry Wade has enough . . . and the scene plays out to a very satisfactory conclusion. Eb sees the light in the end.

I was reminded of Hamlet as I read this book. "To be or not to be. That is the question." Mr. Pronzini seems to feel instead that "as long as there is life, there's hope" . . . which is a good riposte to Hamlet's famous question.

Rating:
Summary: Wanda Provides Plenty Of Humor
Review: Michael Kiskadon hires Nameless to find out the truth about his father's suicide in 1949. Kiskadon was only four years old in 1949, and he had always been told that his father had died in Korea. Michael's father was Harmon Crane, who had been a popular pulp magazine author before graduating to slicker magazines and novels. Before the suicide, Harmon Crane had been despondent and drinking heavily for several weeks. A suicide note was found at the scene. With these few clues, Nameless sets out to get some answers.Eberhardt and Nameless are partners in this story since Eberhardt is now retired from the police department. Eberhardt's girl friend Wanda Jaworski provides enough humor to make the book worthwhile.