Synopsis/blurb………
It's a lazy
mid-August Sunday afternoon. The "Nameless Detective" and his old
friend Lieutenant Eberhardt are relaxing on the patio, drinking beer and
shooting the breeze, when the doorbell rings. As Eberhardt answers the door,
Nameless hears two sharp echoing reports - gunshots; they could only be
gunshots. Rushing into the house, Nameless glimpses the bloody body of his
friend sprawled on the floor - just before he feels a bullet strike his own
chest.
While Eberhardt lies
in a coma, Nameless is released from the hospital and hits the San Francisco
streets, determined to track down the gunman. Facing the toughest case of his
career, Nameless doggedly pursues the secret behind his friend's shooting -
only to find himself plunged into an action-packed intrigue involving murder,
bribery, violence, and the forces of organized crime in San Francisco's
Chinatown.
The inimitable
Nameless Detective, an overweight private eye of Italian descent with a
penchant for pulp magazines, is in top form in this gripping, fast-paced tale.
"Pronzini is a
pro."
- The New York Times
My 9th outing
with Bill Pronzini and his PI - Nameless was a blast. Is there
anything better than a lazy Sunday and reading a great tale cover to cover over
the course of a day?
Probably fair to say I enjoyed this one a bit more than the
last couple I read, perhaps it was slightly more straightforward as there was a
focus on a single case – the shooting of Eberhardt and Nameless – rather than a
few cases being juggled by our main man. I was less irritated by the
re-emergence of Kerry – Nameless’ on-off, latterly off love interest as a
possible on again back story. Perhaps it was Nameless himself being less of a
sad-sack love-lost puppy dog that had me reaching for the sick-bag in the last
couple of books. This time around he seems more assured and determined.
Nameless digs around Chinatown to get to the bottom of the
mystery and butts heads with some of the less salubrious members of the Chinatown
community. All this set against the back drop of an official police investigation
getting nowhere and Nameless currently with his PI license suspended.
Roll on
book 10 in the series! (Bindlestiff from
1983)
4.5 from 5
Bought copy – second hand a couple of years ago.
Col, I'll take this as the ninth reminder for reading Bill Pronzini's novels.
ReplyDeletePrashant - hopefully you'll be treated to a double digit one next month!
DeleteThis one sounds great (and I don't remember anything about it except the beginning). If I did not have a goal to read the ones I have not read yet... I would reread this one.
ReplyDeleteYes already there are a couple in the series I wouldn't mind trying again, but hey that won't happen....
DeleteI wish I wasn't quite so intimidated by the number of this series I haven't read.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you suffer from the completist compulsion I seem to have, so maybe just dip in and dip out sampling a couple from each decade...
DeleteNo doubt about it, Col; Pronzini's Nameless is a great character, and this is a top series. I'm very glad you enjoy it as much as you do. Admittedly, I think some are better than others, but overall? An excellent series.
ReplyDeleteYes I've enjoyed some more than others definitely, but nothing has truly stunk. I've liked the character's story as much as the solving of the mystery. Mostly he's likeable - but like people you know and like and love in real life, he irritates at times!
DeleteI have a whole stack of Pronzinis waiting to be read; I really ought to get round to them soon. Trouble is, I also have whole stacks of lots of other authors too . . .
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you enjoyed this one!
Cheers John - I think you mentioned you picked some up for tuppence-halfpenny from a library sale! Good reading ahead when the time comes.
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