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Schemers (Nameless Detective #34)
A new Nameless Detective story from the 2008 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master...
A locked room mystery that goes from stolen books to stolen lives and the hunt for a phantom stalker with a penchant for pouring acid to make his point give Nameless and his partner Jake more than enough work to earn their fees—as long as neither turns his back at the wrong moment.
Namele...more
A locked room mystery that goes from stolen books to stolen lives and the hunt for a phantom stalker with a penchant for pouring acid to make his point give Nameless and his partner Jake more than enough work to earn their fees—as long as neither turns his back at the wrong moment.
Namele...more
ebook, 304 pages
Published
March 31st 2009
by Forge Books
(first published 2009)
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This mystery is really two mysteries in one. The first mystery involves the theft of rare books from a locked library. Nameless agrees to conduct an investigation into the theft of rare books for Great Western Insurance. The investigation seems relatively simple: a multimillionaire rare books collector had reported the theft of eight volumes, worth a half million dollars. From a locked library. To which he has the only key. The books were all crime fiction and suspense, a locked room mystery abo...more
Hey pretty good. The book features 2 plots, either of which would have been a fantastic short story, but since they are stitched together the individual taste of each is nullified. It's as if you mixed two different jello powders in one bowl expecting the best of both flavors, but once the thing is set it turns out bland. I still read the book though, i didn't do anything else today, I wanted to find out what was what, whodunit so to speak. One of the story lines is also more intriguing than the...more
Two stories in one--parallel and virtually no overlap; I didn't find the structure particularly appealing. The settings made the book for me--San Francisco, north coast, Vacaville--and Sacramento. Nameless' case is a closed room library drama set in SF, while a colleague solves the more psychotic case, which involves poking through old memories and more. Pronzini and his wife, Marcia Muller, are being highlighted in by the Sacramento Bee Book Club this month, so I'm glad to have read his title....more
I'm reading these in reverse order-yes, backwards. This one was another page turner with two scheming perps: one a mentally ill man and the other an arrogant, rich jerk who collected first edition crime fiction. Jake Runyon deals with the mentally ill guy and Nameless deals with the rich collector who has filed an insurance claim for his missing editions. Nameless' plot sounds like something out of a Columbo episode. These are short, sweet, and page turning.
I do not normally read contemporary American detective fiction, but I needed a book and this one caught my eye. I actually began reading it while at a cemetery, which was kinda creepy since that is where the book begins. There are actually 2 cases here, and both are engaging enough to hold your attention. The book swings from one to the other, with chapter titles indicating which character you are following. I would have liked to have had a more complete resolution to one of the mysteries (it in...more
Don't quite get the rating (from Visual Bookshelf at the time I entered my comments): ""only if you're bored."" All the reviews were pretty positive. I don't read a lot of Pronzini, but I had to pick this one up because of the locked room scenario as well as the mystery novel theft theme. I wasn't disappointed--a good read and one I raced through to finish. Three and a half stars.
This is the first of Pronzini's Nameless Detective books I've delved into, and it was a pleasant surprise -- interesting characters, interesting situations, a wicked sense of humor, and even a dash of the highly unlikely in one of the two concurrent plots. I'm looking forward to other entries in the series.
A short detective novel that's a really quick read. There were two mysteries-a locked room mystery and mystery crazy person going after a family. Both were nicely resolved. I'll probably go back and read some of the previous stories since this is the first one I've read.
First off, I'm a big fan and have been for years. This is the best Nameless P.I. title I've read in a while. Two stories are going on: Jake Runyon and Nameless (aka Bill) in alternating viewpoints solve two different cases. Less ink is devoted to Nameless' family life and more on the cases. Great use of CA setting, especially in Frisco.
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3.5 Old reliable nameless detective never disappoints although some books are a little thinner than others. I like Pronzini and I like his politics and view of the world, at least as nameless embodies them.
Clear writing, sympathetic characters. But wow, what turmoil Nameless's staff has in their personal lives! I did enjoy the locked room mystery and of course could not figure out the whodunit!
Book 37 (!!!!) of the NAMELESS detective series. After reading 36 of them, I could never give Pronzini a bad review. For all I know, this may not be the best of the series, but reading it is comforting like hanging with an old friend.
It was ok. The whole things seemed a bit obvious from the beginning in terms of who did it, but the story does unfold the "how" but I would still stay it is just an ok book
There was nothing especially wrong with this book, but I finished it about two weeks ago, and I've already forgotten what it is about. In a word: forgettable.
my first 'nameless' read was fun enough for it's extremely short length and large print. I better try a couple more before I throw out the sweeping generalizations. :)
An intriguing locked room mystery coupled with a case of a puzzled family being stalked & harrassed keeps Nameless & his staff busy.
Predictable! Every CSI episode I've seen was fresher than this. I knew where both story lines were going from the get-go.
There are two consecutive mysteries - one is a very intriguing case of the "locked room murder", that definitely had me guessing. Quick, interesting read.
Found this in the "New Fiction" section and enjoyed it...now I'm going to go back and read some of the previous books in this series.
Good, ending somewhat ambiguous.
Another good one by Pronzini
enjoyable and plots are well laid out
another very good quick read
Good
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Mystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collab...more
More about Bill Pronzini...
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collab...more
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