Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780786710867
ISBN number: 0786710861
Label: Carroll & Graf
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 224
Printing Date: December 15, 2002
Publishing house: Carroll & Graf
Sale Popularity Level: 844680
Studio: Carroll & Graf
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Product Description:
Roll out the blue carpet. Uncap a bottle of decent beer. Nameless is back, and Bill Pronzini's much-praised Bleeders did not conclude a series that Booklist calls 'a stunning and unique achievement in crime fiction' and 'one of the greatest-ever detective series.' Instead, in Spook, the pivotal new twenty-eighth novel in the remarkably successful award-winning Nameless series, Pronzini, working at the top of his form, takes his seasoned private-eye hero to a new phase of a still-evolving thirty-year career. Shaken after a hair's-breadth escape from death, Nameless has made changes in his professional life, but he's not put himself out to pasture. Again he enters San Francisco's shadowy underworld, this time in a search for the identity of a gentle, mentally disturbed homeless man who has been found dead in an alley doorway. Clues are few, but eventually they bring the Nameless Detective to the small California town that drove the nameless victim tragically to murder and madness.
Amazon.com Review:
Deaths among the homeless don't usually provoke background probes. But when a transient known as Spook (because 'he had ghosts living inside his head') is shot outside the offices of a San Francisco film-industry supplier, employees there want to know why. 'He didn't have a mean bone in his body,' one staffer assures Bill Pronzini's Nameless Detective in Spook. So was this just the random slaying of a street crazy, or had someone from Spook's unknown past--maybe Dot or Luke, the apparitions he was always jabbering to--finally come gunning for him?
In Nameless' 28th novel-length outing, but his very first since the pivotal Bleeders (in which he almost hung up his gumshoes for good), Pronzini's classically wrought sleuth is preparing for semiretirement, turning over responsibilities to his young PI partner, Tamara Corbin. He's also breaking in a new investigator, reserved ex-cop and widower Jake Runyon, to whom he hands off the identity search--little knowing how quickly that case will turn ugly, linking the 'gentle, friendly' Spook to the murder of another homeless man and a long-ago triple homicide in the California Sierras. Meanwhile, Nameless finishes up a high-profile dig into questionable practices among city employees. This secondary plot lacks the intrigue of Runyon's task; however, both investigations generate action, including a hostage situation and a not-so-merry chase during a Christmas benefit. More than two decades after this series' initial installment, The Snatch, Nameless's assignments have become less conventional, and he's been mellowed by age, marriage, and too much death. Yet, even at age 61, he's more vital than many newer, less deservedly cynical competitors. --J. Kingston Pierce
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
As a newcomer to Pronzini's Nameless Detective, my reaction may differ from serious fans, but overall I found this work very enjoyable. The plot seemed rather thin & straightforward to me, but the characterizations (though to a degree stereotypical) were engaging as were the characters themselves. In this work the author divides the chapters among 3 characters' activities (which he lists at the start of the chapters)--I can't fault someone for trying out a different approach. I thought it worked out okay--and it may be indicative of a shift in the author's intentions for future novels as well. I did very much enjoy his inclusion of a cross-over (similar to TV between two similar program series--there was just one on CSI (part 1) and Without a Trace (part 2) recently. This cross-over subplot was with his wife Marcia Muller's protagonist Sharon McCone including most of her supporting cast as well. Muller also sometimes includes references and appearances of Nameless in her books. I think I've read all of them--they're great IMHO. That's why I picked up this Pronzini--who dedicated this book to her. By the way, they've written three terrific books (Duo (Five Star First Edition Mystery Series), Double : a "Nameless Detective" Sharon McCone Mystery, &
Beyond the Grave (Pronzini, Bill)) and edited several story collections (e.g. She Won the West and Witches' Brew: Horror and Supernatural Stories by Women (Macmillan midnight library)) together.
Rated by buyers -
The Nameless Detective is clearly starting to feel his age in this one. The gritty, rundown parts of the city are starting to depress him. So are the seedy and hopeless people he often has to deal with. This particular case involves the senseless and brutal murder of a homeless man named Spook. But instead of handling the case himself, as he has done for many years, Nameless has now enlisted the help of two assistants.
One of his helpers is an assertive and streetwise grey woman named Tamara who has become a full partner in Nameless's detective agency. In keeping with Tamara's promotion, several sections of the book are now seen through Tamara's eyes exclusively. Nameless has also hired an assistant named Jake Runyon, whose personal problems are reminiscent of the problems that Nameless himself has experienced in the past. Runyon, too, now has several sections of the book turned over to him.
This is a somewhat startling change from previous Nameless novels, which were told through a first-person narrator who refused to reveal his own name. That meant everything that happened in previous novels was seen through the eyes and mind of this anonymous detective. Not so with this one.
Like his other Nameless novels, however, Pronzini's hand is still the guiding force behind this long-lived series. And once again, he has filled the story with an interesting assortment of colorful characters with names like Pinkeye, Big Dog, and Lightfoot. He also includes a grey classical cellist named Horace. And speaking of names, one of the surprises in this story is that Pronzini finally, subtly, and quietly reveals the name of Nameless.
Typical of Pronzini's other novels, Spook has a number of interesting subplots that always add unexpected twists and turns to the story. One of the subplots in Spook includes both Nameless and another P.I. named Sharon McCone. What's interesting is that Sharon McCone is the lead character in another popular detective series, this one written by Pronzini's own real-life wife, Marcia Muller. So in this instance we have two fictional characters from two different P.I. series, and they're both working together on the same fictional case. It's kind of like having the Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy working together to solve a bank heist.
Pronzini is clearly one of the old-time masters of the hard-boiled P.I. genre. All of his characters are exceptionally well drawn, real, and true-to-life. His descriptions are brief, stark, and easy to visualize. And his well-structured, solid, and suspenseful framework will keep you turning the pages, long after you should have turned out the light.
The saddest part of Spook is the realization that an excellent series is coming to an end. Don't miss this one. It's still Pronzini at his best.
Russ Heitz
www.russheitz.com
Rated by buyers 
-
The Nameless Detective Series has always been characterized by
sure-footed plotting, engaging characterization and a pace that,
while not breathless, is swift. These are, by and large, books that
you read and the plane and then take with you to give to a friend.
(By the way, the Nameless Detective's name is Bill, but don't let
that distract you.)
Spook is loosely plotted-the detecting hangs on a faded clipping
found in the victim's wallet. The motivation is weak too. It's
hard to believe the fellow who puts up the money to find Spook's
killer. Worse yet, the characterization is flawed. Tamara, Bill's
new associate is perfectly wooden in spite of Pronzini's attempts
to animate her. Her boyfriend, the cellist is more animated, but
not a central part of the story.
My suggestion: try some of Pronzini's earlier stuff.
Lynn Hoffman author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and the forthcoming
novel bang-BANG from Kunati Books.
Rated by buyers -
I love the Nameless series, and this review won't bore you by giving you the plot (again).
The mystery itself is intriguing, but what I did not like about this book is the narrative breakdown to 3 parts--Nameless, Tamara and the new guy, Jake Runyon. The strength of the Nameless series is Nameless himself: his thought process, his brooding. You lose some of that with this book.
Tamara is a bore. She's supposed to be so intelligent, with good business instincts, a computer hacker extraordaire. If I were a client contacting this agency for detective work, her bad attitude and nasty mouth would be enough to send me elsewhere. And I don't see how she could develop any working relationships with other agencies--she comes across as quite a b***h.
I get the feeling Runyon (or should we call him Eeyore) is being groomed by Pronzini to take over the Nameless spot when Nameless (okay, Bill) retires. Quite frankly, I'm frustated with the whole daddy scene.
This is not the Nameless we know and love. Dump the kid (Emily), fire Tamara, and get another woman for Jake...
Rated by buyers -
A homeless bum is found dead in the doorway of a company. Like many nameless denizens of the street he will be chalked up as another John Doe to be buried in a pauper's grave. The owner of the company decides this man shouldn't be forgotten. He calls on Nameless to investigate the death. His mission is simple, identify the name of the corpse, see that the family is notified, and do it in three days.
Welcome back Nameless. A case that appears so simple and clear cut leads our favorite hero into the realms of murder and the world of the homeless. This time Nameless is not going at it alone. Now semi-retired our hero makes Tamara his partner in the business and hires a full-time operative named Jake. The lone "Wolf" now has a team that frees him up to be the husband to Kerry and father to Emily. Nameless is settling down. At least we think he his.
Pronzini has introduced new blood into his old character who recognizes his limitations and is willing to allow others to take the lead. You see a mellow detective who takes on a mentoring/management role rather than being out there taking action on the streets. Such a change makes an interesting take on a detective that we think that we know so well.
I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story as it exposed the good, bad and ugly side of homelessness. You gain an insight about what makes people fall apart to the point of being destructive to themselves and others. Each main character tells the story from his and her point of view which make the story more interesting.
The major criticism that I have of Pronzini is his stereotyping of Tamara and Jake. Tamara is depicted as a loud mouth ignorant Black woman who can't get her love life together. Her attitude and dialogue is so stereotypical to the point of being unbelievable. Jake comes across as a younger version of Nameless. His personality is also too macho and wooden in his intereactions with others.
Other than those two challenges the book is a good read. You will even find Nameless's name. Good Luck.
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