Scattershot

Rating:
Summary: Bad Week for 'Nameless'
Review: "Scattershot' is a week in the life of Bill Pronzini's "Nameless Detective." And what a bad week it is. He fears he's losing his girlfriend (introduced in the previous novel, "Hoodwink"), has a crazy client's husband murdered right under his nose, and finds himself accused of both negligence AND theft. Not to mention that he hates his new office space. Overall, this edition of the Nameless series is good, but not amoung the best. Part of the problem is that the three seperate mysteries compete for time with the personal stuff in a book that's relatively brief at just over 200 pages in trade paperback form. As a result, the cases are a bit by-the-numbers and far too easilly resolved. Nameless fans will probably enjoy it, but I would recommend newcomers start with either "Hoodwink" or "Shackles" instead.

Rating:
Summary: Crisis time for the Nameless Detective
Review: After penning seven Nameless Detective novels and countless other books, short stories & novellas (some under pseudonyms), Bill Pronzini aims for a tour de force -- Nameless is confronted with three unrelated crimes to solve, all in under 200 pages! The San Francisco's PI's deductive abilities are so incredible that I admit it strained my credulity a bit. However, it's an interesting idea (usually, when a PI is faced with unrelated cases, they turn out to be linked in some way -- not so here, thank goodness) so give Pronzini credit for trying something different. The hardships faced by Nameless in this book (the loss of his professional license, trouble with his girlfriend Kerry) made me eager to proceed to Book 9 to see if there are better days ahead for our hero.

Rating:
Summary: Pivotal Transition Novel in the Nameless Detective Series
Review: In 1971, author Bill Pronzini was only 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 this book, one of detective fiction's great characters was born with full fledged power and authenticity. If you have not yet read the 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, three 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. You can learn about why Nameless has no name in an author's note in Case File, which comes later 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, two books prior in the series, the plots become less simple. Beginning with Hoodwink, the last prior book in the series, locked room mysteries became important.

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's 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 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 do contain witty references to early mysteries and their characters.

In Scattershot, Nameless meets his match. He runs into three "impossible" crimes in one week. In the first, a husband disappears from a car that Nameless has been following. In the second, a woman is mysteriously murdered while Nameless stands outside her bungalow. In the third, a valuable ring disappears from a locked room that Nameless has been guarding.

And that's just the beginning of the challenge. His first client decides to sue him after her husband is found dead. The papers are full of bad publicity.

At the same time, his new girl friend, Kerry Webb, is having second thoughts about their relationship. Nameless is so busy working on the crimes that he doesn't have time to work things out with her.

Through an amazing series of deductions, Nameless solves the three cases . . . but not before annoying the police chief, who thinks that Nameless is getting too much publicity. What's the benefit Nameless receives? His private investigator's license may be pulled after the police chief decides to recommend that Nameless be suspended. Nameless hires hire an attorney to help him fight the case, but it doesn't look good.

Fans of locked room mysteries will enjoy this book very much. I especially liked the misdirection in the ring disappearance.

Fans of the earliest Nameless books will probably not enjoy this book and the ones that follow as much as the earlier ones. These books focus more on Nameless's personal life, have much more of a focus on the mystery and involve complicated, imaginative solutions. In making these changes, the books are moving away from the classic hardcore genre into the classic California private detective mystery style of the 1970s and 1980s. Those who enjoy Sue Grafton novels will probably be big fans of Scattershot and the following books.

I was reminded by this book that living in virtue may not be enough reward. We are all only human, after all. Even in serving others, we need to pay a little attention to our own well-being . . . if only so that we can be effective in the future in serving others.