Problems Solved

by Bill Pronzini, Barry N. Malzberg

TWO LEGENDS!!!!! Today, Bill Pronzini is famed for his private-eye stories about the "Nameless Detective" and for his Shamus-award winning short stories, and Barry N. Malzberg is one of America’s premier science- fiction writers, but back in their salad days they collaborated on a number of stories, which have now become legendary. Many fans have heard of them, but very few have had the privilege of reading them – until now. Problems Solved collects all their crime and mystery collaborations, mostly written during the 1970's and early 1980's, and a few recent collaborations (including two new stories written especially for this volume). The stories range from suspense ("Night Rider") to irony ("What Kind of person Are You?") to twists-in-the-tale ("Problems Solved") to science-fictional detection, including three stories about an unnamed Luna Immigration Inspector. Others emphasize sports ("What’s a Chicago Cub?" asks an entrepreneur of the future), and one, "Another Burnt-Out Case," is ! in Bill Pronzini’s words, "a weird comic Hitchcockian crime fantasy with a carnival setting, whose last two lines elicit gleeful chortles from both of us to this day." The cover design, illustrating both "Another Burnt-Out Case" and "Night Rider," is by Juha Lindroos, a Finnish artist working in the United States.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

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 (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of quick reads with often a twist ending. I found it somewhat tedious reading them all in a couple of days. Better when read over a long period of time. Liked the Luna Custom stories. Does anyone know if they issued the collection of their sci-fi collaborations?