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The Nobody
Cryer once had another name, but he can't remember it.
The man he used to be was stabbed in the head by an assailant. After months of catatonia Cryer awakens in a mental facility to find that his former life is almost completely forgotten. He knows his wife and daughter have been murdered - he saw them die moments before his own assault - but his shattered mind is incapable of retaining their names. Or even his own.
Now Cryer is free again and trying to track down an elusive killer through his own unknown past. But how do you investigate the murders of your loved ones when you can't remember them? When you have no idea who your friends or enemies were? Where you lived and worked? And what secrets you might have once had and failed to keep?
And how is he supposed to deal with the little man who keeps crawling in and out of his skull?
Cryer is a nobody now, but that won't stop him from finding a vicious murderer and making him pay.
Praise for The Nobody
THE NOBODY is a dangerous exploration into the mind and soul of man. Piccirilli’s beautiful prose allows us to take a peek into the abyss of our consciousness and shine a light into those places that warmth has long ago forgot. You cannot read this book and not be changed. --Larry Roberts - Bloodletting Press
Cliché can't live with 'em but, as I discovered when I read this remarkable novella, you can't live without 'em. Part vigilante procedural part hard-boiled PI yarn and part examination-of-post-loss-survival weepie, THE NOBODY is Tom Piccirilli at his uncompromising best. The dialogue is so crisp it's like Leonard on speed, and the second and third pages are the literary equivalent of being hit in the face with a shovel. A roller-coaster ride? You bet. A page-turner, even? Yep, no question. A palpable atmosphere, larger-than-life characterisation and impeccable plotting? They're all there. Like I said - cliché can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. --Peter Crowther - PS Publishing
A revenge tale almost Mythic in its simplicity. Shocking, tragic, beautifully written, insightful and nuanced, mournful and uplifting - everything we've come to expect from Tom Piccirilli, done to perfection. From its brutal opening scene to its heartfelt final pages, The Nobody is Pic at his finest. --RJ Sevin - Creeping Hemlock Press
The man he used to be was stabbed in the head by an assailant. After months of catatonia Cryer awakens in a mental facility to find that his former life is almost completely forgotten. He knows his wife and daughter have been murdered - he saw them die moments before his own assault - but his shattered mind is incapable of retaining their names. Or even his own.
Now Cryer is free again and trying to track down an elusive killer through his own unknown past. But how do you investigate the murders of your loved ones when you can't remember them? When you have no idea who your friends or enemies were? Where you lived and worked? And what secrets you might have once had and failed to keep?
And how is he supposed to deal with the little man who keeps crawling in and out of his skull?
Cryer is a nobody now, but that won't stop him from finding a vicious murderer and making him pay.
Praise for The Nobody
THE NOBODY is a dangerous exploration into the mind and soul of man. Piccirilli’s beautiful prose allows us to take a peek into the abyss of our consciousness and shine a light into those places that warmth has long ago forgot. You cannot read this book and not be changed. --Larry Roberts - Bloodletting Press
Cliché can't live with 'em but, as I discovered when I read this remarkable novella, you can't live without 'em. Part vigilante procedural part hard-boiled PI yarn and part examination-of-post-loss-survival weepie, THE NOBODY is Tom Piccirilli at his uncompromising best. The dialogue is so crisp it's like Leonard on speed, and the second and third pages are the literary equivalent of being hit in the face with a shovel. A roller-coaster ride? You bet. A page-turner, even? Yep, no question. A palpable atmosphere, larger-than-life characterisation and impeccable plotting? They're all there. Like I said - cliché can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. --Peter Crowther - PS Publishing
A revenge tale almost Mythic in its simplicity. Shocking, tragic, beautifully written, insightful and nuanced, mournful and uplifting - everything we've come to expect from Tom Piccirilli, done to perfection. From its brutal opening scene to its heartfelt final pages, The Nobody is Pic at his finest. --RJ Sevin - Creeping Hemlock Press
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Tom Piccirilli
185 books388 followersThomas Piccirilli (May 27, 1965 – July 11, 2015) was an American novelist and short story writer.
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 29, 2018
Cryer is a man with no past. His previous life and his memory were taken when a man broke into his house, brutally butchered his wife and daughter, and left him with a knife in his forehead. Now all he has left is an obsession with finding the man who did it. As with most Piccirilli novellas, it's not a happy tale, but it's still a powerful and affecting one. It was riveting to see a man attempting to sift through and piece together a life he doesn't remember having, and it was pretty interesting to learn about him as a character as he learns about himself. And what a character he is; a man with nothing left but solving the murders of a family he doesn't remember, not necessarily because it would solve anything, but because revenge is the only purpose that remains.
This is powerfully written stuff (especially in that final chapter) and Piccirilli once again proved why he's the king of contemporary noir.
This is powerfully written stuff (especially in that final chapter) and Piccirilli once again proved why he's the king of contemporary noir.
January 27, 2014
A powerful novella about a man who loses everything one fateful night, including his own memories of who he was. When a suicidal cop gives him a speech about what his "mission" in life should be, "CRYER" latches onto that with a single-minded determination.
An evocative, thought-producing work that sucks you in from the get-go with Picirilli's fabulous descriptions, getting you emotionally connected to his protagonist almost effortlessly. 5 Starts for such a memorable work.
Highly recommended!
An evocative, thought-producing work that sucks you in from the get-go with Picirilli's fabulous descriptions, getting you emotionally connected to his protagonist almost effortlessly. 5 Starts for such a memorable work.
Highly recommended!
August 15, 2020
This short novella by the late Tom Piccirilli is fantastic. About the victim of a heinous home invasion that leaves his family dead and him with no memory, the story follows an anti-hero as he seeks revenge without much of a starting point. Mean, quick and aggressive, this story spoke to me. Loved it.
April 10, 2016
Another Piccirilli novella that I couldn't put down. Just a riveting amnesiac seeks murderer and revenge tale. Our narrator comes home to find his daughter dead and his wife dying - this is all described in the most visceral and gruesome way - and the murderer escaping out the bathroom window. He tries to grab the guy and gets a knife stuck into his forehead.
How he goes from being catatonic in an institution to tracking down the murderer is the story. Sifting through the life that he doesn't remember seeking clues. Talking to friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Visiting places he shopped and ate. Learning what his routines and patterns were, because he remembers nothing. Investigating himself as much as tracking down a killer. Seeking redemption as well as revenge.
Crackling maximalist prose throughout as Piccirilli grinds his narrator through a physical, psychological, and emotional wringer.
How he goes from being catatonic in an institution to tracking down the murderer is the story. Sifting through the life that he doesn't remember seeking clues. Talking to friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Visiting places he shopped and ate. Learning what his routines and patterns were, because he remembers nothing. Investigating himself as much as tracking down a killer. Seeking redemption as well as revenge.
Crackling maximalist prose throughout as Piccirilli grinds his narrator through a physical, psychological, and emotional wringer.
January 26, 2018
Revenge
Sweet or no? I would have liked to see it end differently. More details into the killers mind and victims. But well written as always.
Sweet or no? I would have liked to see it end differently. More details into the killers mind and victims. But well written as always.
February 27, 2021
Reminded me of WWJJIH by Lee Thompson. I miss that dudes work. I miss Pic too.
October 28, 2020
Okay, the writing here is phenomenal, no two ways about it. This is my first Tom Piccirilli novel. I started the book and was so impressed I felt compelled to look Tom up. I had no idea he was deceased. But this was weird..,when I looked him up, before I knew he was gone, I found that we were actually Facebook friends. I had no idea because I actually hadn't known who he was prior to having this recommended to me. But the writing community is a pretty small, cozy place, so it's not too big of a surprise that we were connected. So I messaged him, but alas, it was a message he will never receive...
Again, the writing itself was terrific. I love the concept, too. However, I felt like Piccirilli was in a real rush to reach the end, and I feel like the protagonist got there well before he should have. There was also what appeared to be a minor gaffe in a scene in which the protagonist cannot remember anything solid from his past (but is sometimes reminded of things when he sees faces) but in conversation casually mentions his being attacked by a dog as a child. But that's a really small gaffe.
I wanted to give the book a higher review, but again, the protagonist really found the killer way too quickly (and unnaturally so, I'd say) for my tastes and there was no real feeling of satisfaction in his finding the person because it felt like it was over almost as quickly as it began.
Having said all that, I plan to read more Tom Piccirilli because I really admire the writing itself. If you are an "enjoy the journey" reader, I would heartily recommend the book. But again, I rather disliked the conclusion.
Again, the writing itself was terrific. I love the concept, too. However, I felt like Piccirilli was in a real rush to reach the end, and I feel like the protagonist got there well before he should have. There was also what appeared to be a minor gaffe in a scene in which the protagonist cannot remember anything solid from his past (but is sometimes reminded of things when he sees faces) but in conversation casually mentions his being attacked by a dog as a child. But that's a really small gaffe.
I wanted to give the book a higher review, but again, the protagonist really found the killer way too quickly (and unnaturally so, I'd say) for my tastes and there was no real feeling of satisfaction in his finding the person because it felt like it was over almost as quickly as it began.
Having said all that, I plan to read more Tom Piccirilli because I really admire the writing itself. If you are an "enjoy the journey" reader, I would heartily recommend the book. But again, I rather disliked the conclusion.
September 3, 2018
An absorbing novella, but I don't quite get all the five-star reviews. For me, the reason THE NOBODY works as well as it does is because Tom Piccirilli channeled some very dark and very personal emotion into it. Story-wise, it's your typical revenge thriller, reminiscent of DEATH WISH, THE CROW, and everything in between.
I could have done with a stronger mystery and a bit less gore. The killing of the wife and daughter was so cartoonishly over-the-top, I was expecting THE NOBODY to be a work of splatterpunk. I wasn't expecting noir, which is what the book turned out to be.
Piccirilli is a master of the noir genre, and though THE NOBODY isn't one of his best efforts, it's still well-worth a read.
I could have done with a stronger mystery and a bit less gore. The killing of the wife and daughter was so cartoonishly over-the-top, I was expecting THE NOBODY to be a work of splatterpunk. I wasn't expecting noir, which is what the book turned out to be.
Piccirilli is a master of the noir genre, and though THE NOBODY isn't one of his best efforts, it's still well-worth a read.
September 24, 2020
Piccirilli's writing is fine (more than fine, really; it's evocative and compelling and raises the right emotions for the story), but the subject matter of the story just isn't my thing. This kind of extreme horror would have been right in my wheelhouse when I was younger, but now I'm looking for stories that are more subtle, a bit more engaging.
June 21, 2022
A quick revenge tale that moves so briskly along, it's practically impossible to hate.
Also as someone who has been stabbed in the head, props to the author for understanding the post stab confusion.
Also as someone who has been stabbed in the head, props to the author for understanding the post stab confusion.
February 14, 2020
One man loses everything but the love for his family
Well narrated and heart wrenching highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
Well narrated and heart wrenching highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
November 23, 2020
Another awesome Piccirilli novella. I really like this author.
December 19, 2015
‘Mr. Nobody’ is about a man who suffers from amnesia after he was brutally stabbed in the head by a murderer who had slayed his family. After a conversation with a policeman who calls him Cryer, he embarks on a quest to seek revenge and justice.
The author successfully portrayed Cryer as the sort of character he’s meant to be – confused, lacking information, feeling disoriented and numb yet struggling to figure out his true identity. From the beginning, it’s hard not to root for Cryer to find the perpetrator and punish him for taking away his loved ones. However, this complicated quest turned out to be way too easy for my liking as people were quick to help him and provide information. He didn’t have to do much actually.
Besides that, at the right moment, he magically remembered who exactly the killer was. His sudden recollection made sense but I didn’t appreciate it as this was too convenient. It would have been far more realistic to see Cryer attempting to blend in with society, after months of catatonia and being cooped up in a mental facility. Plus, it would have been more interesting and exciting if there were more challenges that Cryer had to face, such as having to protect himself from the killer who comes back to finish him off (missed opportunity).
The motive of the murderer was never revealed either and this was disappointing. In some stories and under certain circumstances, this can work perfectly but it didn’t here. Overall, ‘Mr. Nobody’ was a decent, quick read but it failed to deliver what ultimately could have been a thrilling and bittersweet story.
The author successfully portrayed Cryer as the sort of character he’s meant to be – confused, lacking information, feeling disoriented and numb yet struggling to figure out his true identity. From the beginning, it’s hard not to root for Cryer to find the perpetrator and punish him for taking away his loved ones. However, this complicated quest turned out to be way too easy for my liking as people were quick to help him and provide information. He didn’t have to do much actually.
Besides that, at the right moment, he magically remembered who exactly the killer was. His sudden recollection made sense but I didn’t appreciate it as this was too convenient. It would have been far more realistic to see Cryer attempting to blend in with society, after months of catatonia and being cooped up in a mental facility. Plus, it would have been more interesting and exciting if there were more challenges that Cryer had to face, such as having to protect himself from the killer who comes back to finish him off (missed opportunity).
The motive of the murderer was never revealed either and this was disappointing. In some stories and under certain circumstances, this can work perfectly but it didn’t here. Overall, ‘Mr. Nobody’ was a decent, quick read but it failed to deliver what ultimately could have been a thrilling and bittersweet story.
September 20, 2012
The story follows a man recovering from a knife to the head after his family was brutally killed. He has little memory of his life before the horrific incident but decides to track down the killer and ends up on a journey of self-discovery which is haunting and wonderfully written.
This is an amazing novella that is cleaver, chilling and unique, I won’t say too much about the storyline as you need to read it yourself and let it unfold to truly experience this wonderful tale.
This is an amazing novella that is cleaver, chilling and unique, I won’t say too much about the storyline as you need to read it yourself and let it unfold to truly experience this wonderful tale.
June 27, 2014
I've been reading so many bad books lately, I was starting to get discouraged - but this story made up for them. A powerful novella about a man left for dead by the man who killed his wife and daughter. He has no memory of what happened or his family, but he finds the killer and gets his revenge. It's a very good story, well told. A few editing errors.
March 31, 2016
While the plot is nothing new, family is murdered, man loses memory and then seeks vengeance, it's in the telling of the story that the magic happens. You really need to read this one for yourself to see what I mean. I had heard of the author and found that he more than lives up to his reputation.
August 18, 2016
Pretty powerful novella about murder, redemption, family and what is the essence of a human being.
Cryer was the lone survivor when a maniac killed his wife and daughter. The murderer stabbed him in the head resulting in loss of memory, but not death.
How does one get revenge, find a killer, when you can't even remember your own name?
An interesting concept and a well devised plot.
Cryer was the lone survivor when a maniac killed his wife and daughter. The murderer stabbed him in the head resulting in loss of memory, but not death.
How does one get revenge, find a killer, when you can't even remember your own name?
An interesting concept and a well devised plot.
November 21, 2012
Another amazing story by Tom Piccirilli. The beauty of this Novella is how much you care about Cryer and he has become so emotionless since we meet the character. An excellent story about an amnesia stricken individual trying to find himself and discover who murdered his wife and daughter.
May 31, 2011
finally got time to sit down and read again, after about six weeks of workin every single day. piccirilli does it again, he never fails to disappoint.
February 3, 2012
I read this book a long time ago. I will never forget the creative ending.! One of Mr Picirilli's best.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews