More Oddments

by Bill Pronzini

More Oddments features fourteen more detective stories featuring characters such as Fergus O'Hara and the "Nameless" Detective.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories

228 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

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

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

MORE ODDMENTS BY BILL PRONZINI is a compilation of 14 very twisty tales . The ending,in each of the stories , is NOT what you expect it to be which,for me made this audio version a five star audio book! The narrator did a very good job with the characters , giving them a life of their own. Since I have not read very many stories by Mr Pronzini, I found that in the future I will be looking for more of his writings.

I recieved this audiobook free in exchange for a review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular collection of interest in, intriguing and well-written short stories.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Never call them tricks."


review follows

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill Pronzini is a master storyteller. I believe this book must contain various stories he has published through the years and never put into one volume. They are indeed "oddments." Of the 14 stories in the book, I liked the mystery stories best, e.g., "Fergus O'Hara, Detective" (set near SF during the Civil War) and Quicker than the Eye (a magician detective, in which the story told from the perspective of his manager). Some of the stories, such as "Opportunity" about an upright cop faced with temptation, and "Chip," about a man with a sociopath son, were unsettling. A couple of the other stories seemed to be written as conceits, e.g., The Prose Bowl in which two hack writers compose before a large stadium and tv cameras. This story was fun, but more a throwaway than a story you would immerse yourself in. One story, "One of those Cases," features Pronzini's Nameless Detective, so if you are a completist you will probably want this volume for that reason alone. The book has no preface or introduction and there's no information that I could find to indicate whether any of these stories have been published other places . . . but they must have been, surely. They have the feel of stories written at different times and places and I can't imagine that quality stories have been just sitting in Pronzini's file cabinet until now.