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Nameless Detective #8
Scattershot
The "Nameless Detective" finds his career and reputation threatened and his life in jeopardy, when he becomes caught in a web of intrigue, robbery, extortion, and murder
Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Bill Pronzini
625 books235 followersMystery 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 18, 2022
Empezó bien. Pero a medida que se ha ido desarrollando la historia, se ha desinflado. Es una novela interesante y bien escrita, pero no es nada veraz. La veracidad es importante. No puede ser que al personaje principal todo le salga mal, aunque luego su inteligencia y sagacidad le saquen de los problemas. Cansa mucho.
Ni siquiera los retos de la habitación cerrada son medianamente ocurrentes, si no más bien tirando a mediocres.
It started well. But as the story has developed, it has deflated. It is an interesting and well written novel, but it is not true. Truthfulness is important. It can not be that the main character everything goes wrong, but then his intelligence and sagacity get him out of trouble. It tires a lot.
Not even the challenges of the closed room are mildly occurring, but rather really mediocre.
Ni siquiera los retos de la habitación cerrada son medianamente ocurrentes, si no más bien tirando a mediocres.
It started well. But as the story has developed, it has deflated. It is an interesting and well written novel, but it is not true. Truthfulness is important. It can not be that the main character everything goes wrong, but then his intelligence and sagacity get him out of trouble. It tires a lot.
Not even the challenges of the closed room are mildly occurring, but rather really mediocre.
August 7, 2019
I loved this novel. It is certainly my favorite so far in the Nameless Detective series, a series I’m enjoying more and more with each successive volume. The only thing that keeps me from giving it my highest rating is that I fear I may be overreacting just a little. After all, it is not exactly a genre classic, particularly when it comes to style. Still it is an excellent private eye novel, unusual in its structure, and a bit of a tour de force. I think I’ll wait to see if I feel guilty, and later give it five stars.
Our hero, the paunchy, fifty-something Nameless Detective—a serious romantic and a collector of classic pulp fiction—is awash in a sea of minor and major irritations. He’s got a new office he’s not sure he likes, his best friend police detective Eberhardt is in a black mood since his wife left him, Kerry the young woman he loves is refusing to commit, and her father—an old pulp writer who Nameless calls Ivan the Terrible—is doing everything he can to sabotage their relationship.
In addition to all the emotional upheaval, Nameless has not one case to resolve but three: a tail on a husband (the wife is convinced he’s stealing from her business and supporting a girlfriend), a subpoena to be served on a beautiful alcoholic celebrity socialite who is writing a tell-all book, and a job guarding wedding presents at a wealthy estate in Marin County. Can Nameless concentrate on the tasks at hand, and survive his personal problems too?
What Pronzini has done is take what are virtually three short stories (each something Hammett’s Continental Op might have seen assigned to), and combine them into a connected narrative which involves the reader not only because two of them lead to murder and all three are interesting puzzles (each one is a variation on the “locked room”problem!), but because we care about the detective who is solving them and the place he occupies within the novel's world.
In addition, there’s something in the way Nameless tells his story that is unique to this particular novel, an air of comic melancholy which reminds me (just a little) of Ziggy. In this book, Nameless just can’t get a break—even though he solves all those locked room puzzles!—and his plight and his pained frustration makes me love him, whereas I only liked him before.
October 2, 2023
From 1982
Nameless has three typical investigative jobs. They all turn into Locked Room Mysteries, or a Locked Car in one case, and he really has to use his deductive powers. He solves them, but this book ends on a cliffhanger anyway.
Nameless has three typical investigative jobs. They all turn into Locked Room Mysteries, or a Locked Car in one case, and he really has to use his deductive powers. He solves them, but this book ends on a cliffhanger anyway.
October 11, 2018
Will definitely be reading more from this Nameless Detective series. Great read.
April 11, 2014
The Nameless Detective series really hits its stride following up the superb Hoodwink with another great slice of noir. The book opens with Nameless getting down to a bit of jogging. The things folk will do for love. He's still going steady with Kerry and she's suggested he take some exercise to rid himself of some of his extra ampleness. Jogging isn't really his thing though, neither is healthy eating but he's desperate to please his girl. The relationship is heading into a fair bit of turbulance though. Spurred on by the green eyed monster Nameless turns up the pressure on Kerry to get married, which soon makes matters worse. Business is booming though and he soon has three supposedly routine jobs on the go. But the scattershot of the title is about to hit with a fusillade of bad luck that threatens to strip him of everything he loves. Nameless is a born worrier and this time he has plenty to worry about.
With his girlfriend giving him the cold shoulder Nameless sinks into a blue funk and turns to his other true love; the stories from his pulp magazines from titles like Double Detective, Dime Detective, Black Mask etc with classic pulp writers like Norbert Davis, Cornell Woolrich & Judson Philips. His choice of viewing for a four hour movie stint at the theatre is a pair of classic noir oldies - Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe & Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum - both of which featured in my own Christmas noir-fest of 2009.
Pronzini has delivered another of his superb page turners that serves up a trio of locked room mysteries, with varying degrees of cleverness both in the puzzles and the way Nameless attempts to solve them. Scattershot is also an essential title for those of us trying to read them in order to follow our hero's ongoing story. This one's a game changer.
With his girlfriend giving him the cold shoulder Nameless sinks into a blue funk and turns to his other true love; the stories from his pulp magazines from titles like Double Detective, Dime Detective, Black Mask etc with classic pulp writers like Norbert Davis, Cornell Woolrich & Judson Philips. His choice of viewing for a four hour movie stint at the theatre is a pair of classic noir oldies - Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe & Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum - both of which featured in my own Christmas noir-fest of 2009.
Pronzini has delivered another of his superb page turners that serves up a trio of locked room mysteries, with varying degrees of cleverness both in the puzzles and the way Nameless attempts to solve them. Scattershot is also an essential title for those of us trying to read them in order to follow our hero's ongoing story. This one's a game changer.
June 22, 2021
Baaaaaaad things happen to our long-suffering protagonist in this one. What will he do? How shall he overcome? I'll find out by jumping directly into the next one!
Honestly, though, I have other books I've been meaning to read between these, but every time one ends, I cannot help but just immediately start the next.
Honestly, though, I have other books I've been meaning to read between these, but every time one ends, I cannot help but just immediately start the next.
September 12, 2013
Here is a list of all the books (in order) Happy Reading.
1971 The Snatch Random House
1973 The Vanished Random House
1973 Undercurrents Random House
1977 Blowback Ramdom House
1978 Twospot Putman
1980 Laybrinth St. Martin's Press
1980 A Killing In Xanadu Waves Press
1981 Hoodwinked St. Martin's Press
1982 Scattershot St. Martin's Press
1982 Dragonfire St. Martin's Press
1983 Bindlestiff St. Martin's Press
1983 Casefile St. Martin's Press
1984 Quicksilver St. Martin's Press
1984 Nightshades St. Martin's Press
1984 Double St. Martin's Press
1985 Bones St. Martin's Press
1985 Grave Yard Plots St. Martin's Press
1886 Dreadfall St. Martin's Press
1988 Shackles St. Martin's Press
1988 Small Fellonies St. Martin's Press
1990 Jackpot Delacorte
1991 Breakdown Delacorte
1992 Quarry Delacorte
1992 Epitaths Delacorte
1993 Demons Delacorte
1995 Hardcase Delacorte
1996 Spadework Crippen & Landru
1996 Sentinels Carroll & Graf
1997 Illusions Carroll & Graf
1998 Boobytrap Carroll & Graf
1999 Sluths Five Star
1999 Duo Five Star
2000 Crazybones Carroll & Graf
2002 Bleeders Carroll & Graf
2003 Spook Carroll & Graf
2003 Scenarios Five Star
2005 Nightcrawlers Forge
2006 Mourners Forge
2007 Savages Forge
2008 Feaver Forge
2009 Schemers Forge
2010 Betrayers Forge
2011 Camouflage Forge
2012 Hellbox Forge
2012 Kinsmen Cemetery Dance
2012 Femme Cemetery Dance
2013 Nemesis Forge
1971 The Snatch Random House
1973 The Vanished Random House
1973 Undercurrents Random House
1977 Blowback Ramdom House
1978 Twospot Putman
1980 Laybrinth St. Martin's Press
1980 A Killing In Xanadu Waves Press
1981 Hoodwinked St. Martin's Press
1982 Scattershot St. Martin's Press
1982 Dragonfire St. Martin's Press
1983 Bindlestiff St. Martin's Press
1983 Casefile St. Martin's Press
1984 Quicksilver St. Martin's Press
1984 Nightshades St. Martin's Press
1984 Double St. Martin's Press
1985 Bones St. Martin's Press
1985 Grave Yard Plots St. Martin's Press
1886 Dreadfall St. Martin's Press
1988 Shackles St. Martin's Press
1988 Small Fellonies St. Martin's Press
1990 Jackpot Delacorte
1991 Breakdown Delacorte
1992 Quarry Delacorte
1992 Epitaths Delacorte
1993 Demons Delacorte
1995 Hardcase Delacorte
1996 Spadework Crippen & Landru
1996 Sentinels Carroll & Graf
1997 Illusions Carroll & Graf
1998 Boobytrap Carroll & Graf
1999 Sluths Five Star
1999 Duo Five Star
2000 Crazybones Carroll & Graf
2002 Bleeders Carroll & Graf
2003 Spook Carroll & Graf
2003 Scenarios Five Star
2005 Nightcrawlers Forge
2006 Mourners Forge
2007 Savages Forge
2008 Feaver Forge
2009 Schemers Forge
2010 Betrayers Forge
2011 Camouflage Forge
2012 Hellbox Forge
2012 Kinsmen Cemetery Dance
2012 Femme Cemetery Dance
2013 Nemesis Forge
March 1, 2013
#8 in the Nameless Detective series. This 1982 entry has the 53 year old Nameless past his lung cancer scare and still fighting his cigarette withdrawal symptoms. But it's not all smooth sledding - his love life has obstacles in the forms of his jealousy of his girl's boss and the active disapproval of him by her father. Business looks like it's picking up with three new cases in a week, but they all bring unwanted complications and more police contact than desirable.
Nameless Detective series - It was not a good week for Nameless. First, a harmless job of tailing a client's husband turns into a baffling case of disappearance and murder. Then, the simple task of finding a missing socialite takes a bizarre twist into blackmail and another murder. And finally, the apparently breeze job of guarding some valuable wedding presents turns into a messy affair of robbery and deception. As if this weren't enough, his relationship with the woman he hopes to marry has turned sour, a crazy woman sues him for criminal negligence, and he finds not only his career and reputation threatened, but also his life.
Nameless Detective series - It was not a good week for Nameless. First, a harmless job of tailing a client's husband turns into a baffling case of disappearance and murder. Then, the simple task of finding a missing socialite takes a bizarre twist into blackmail and another murder. And finally, the apparently breeze job of guarding some valuable wedding presents turns into a messy affair of robbery and deception. As if this weren't enough, his relationship with the woman he hopes to marry has turned sour, a crazy woman sues him for criminal negligence, and he finds not only his career and reputation threatened, but also his life.
January 2, 2018
Maybe really three stars, but I'm marking it higher because of the ingenious, impossible "locked room" crimes--there are three! In my experience the solutions to these fanciful crimes are almost always implausible in the extreme, but this time two of them might really have worked. I wanted them to be linked in some way, but they weren't: pretty much three independent short stories strung together in the hectic life of the sad-sack, beleaguered, middle-aged detective who is also on shaky ground with his (soon to be ex-?) girlfriend.
September 17, 2019
Questo è il mio primo incontro con Bill Pronzini e devo dire che ero un po' scettico: infatti egli è un famoso autore di hard-boiled, sottogenere non molto nelle mie corde. Però sono venuto a sapere che ha scritto anche romanzi in cui il suo personaggio alla Sam Spade, Senza Nome, affronta casi che s'inseriscono nella tradizione più classica del genere. Per cui ho deciso di provare a leggere qualcosa, anche per cercare di allargare i miei orizzonti librari.
E che sorpresa quando mi sono imbattuto nella notizia che egli ha trattato anche il sottogenere della "camera chiusa", il mio prediletto!
Il primo titolo che ho acquistato è dunque questo, "Triplo bersaglio per Senza Nome" (Scattershot), in cui figurano ben 3 crimini impossibili! Non potevo perdermelo.
E mai scelta fu migliore: Pronzini non solo si dimostra un grande narratore, delineando anche psicologicamente il suo personaggio, rendendolo più "umano" agli occhi del lettore, ma costruisce ben tre gioielli di crimini nel panorama giallistico.
Il romanzo si imposta come una sorta di "raccolta di racconti", nel senso che i tre casi che deve risolvere in queste pagine sono del tutto scollegati tra loro (tranne per l'unica costante che è il detective stesso che vi si ritrova invischiato, spesso come sospettato potenziale). Il primo caso riguarda un pedinamento di un uomo, commissionatogli dalla moglie (una donna odiosa e vendicativa che darà non poche grane a Senza Nome), che ben presto si trasforma in una sparizione impossibile: come ha fatto infatti a sparire da una macchina che era costantemente sorvegliata?
Il secondo riguarda l'omicidio di una donna in una camera chiusa. La colpevole sembra essere la sua padrona, l'unica che si trovasse nella casa, che era sigillata completamente. Eppure non è lei l'assassina.
L'ultimo riguarda un furto commesso in una camera chiusa, di cui viene accusato il nostro detective in quanto l'unico che poteva fisicamente farlo. Ah, e non è stato lui, ovviamente.
Tre storie che pur se scollegate, ben si mescolano anche nel complicare la vita di Senza Nome.
Le soluzione sono tutte davvero meravigliose, frutto di una mente molto creativa e logica. Ho apprezzato molto la sparizione nella macchina, davvero originale e ingegnosa. Carina la soluzione del secondo delitto, come quella del furto.
Inoltre tutte le risposte vengono trovate tramite indizi chiari e con una logica implacabile.
Quindi, chapeau monsieur Pronzini.
E che sorpresa quando mi sono imbattuto nella notizia che egli ha trattato anche il sottogenere della "camera chiusa", il mio prediletto!
Il primo titolo che ho acquistato è dunque questo, "Triplo bersaglio per Senza Nome" (Scattershot), in cui figurano ben 3 crimini impossibili! Non potevo perdermelo.
E mai scelta fu migliore: Pronzini non solo si dimostra un grande narratore, delineando anche psicologicamente il suo personaggio, rendendolo più "umano" agli occhi del lettore, ma costruisce ben tre gioielli di crimini nel panorama giallistico.
Il romanzo si imposta come una sorta di "raccolta di racconti", nel senso che i tre casi che deve risolvere in queste pagine sono del tutto scollegati tra loro (tranne per l'unica costante che è il detective stesso che vi si ritrova invischiato, spesso come sospettato potenziale). Il primo caso riguarda un pedinamento di un uomo, commissionatogli dalla moglie (una donna odiosa e vendicativa che darà non poche grane a Senza Nome), che ben presto si trasforma in una sparizione impossibile: come ha fatto infatti a sparire da una macchina che era costantemente sorvegliata?
Il secondo riguarda l'omicidio di una donna in una camera chiusa. La colpevole sembra essere la sua padrona, l'unica che si trovasse nella casa, che era sigillata completamente. Eppure non è lei l'assassina.
L'ultimo riguarda un furto commesso in una camera chiusa, di cui viene accusato il nostro detective in quanto l'unico che poteva fisicamente farlo. Ah, e non è stato lui, ovviamente.
Tre storie che pur se scollegate, ben si mescolano anche nel complicare la vita di Senza Nome.
Le soluzione sono tutte davvero meravigliose, frutto di una mente molto creativa e logica. Ho apprezzato molto la sparizione nella macchina, davvero originale e ingegnosa. Carina la soluzione del secondo delitto, come quella del furto.
Inoltre tutte le risposte vengono trovate tramite indizi chiari e con una logica implacabile.
Quindi, chapeau monsieur Pronzini.
June 28, 2013
I continue to like the characterization and the continuing plots. This book was also a kind of nice change of pace, because rather than just having one central mystery, it instead interweaved three shorter mysteries (which I expect where previously short stories).
However, there's something that's really bugged me about both this book and the previous entrant in the series, Hoodwink. Pronzini has become suddenly obsessed with locked room mysteries (and though I say "suddenly", keep in mind that I'm talking about books that he wrote twenty-five years ago).
In fact, the five mysteries in these last two books, which included three murders, one disappearance, and one theft are all locked room mysteries, every single one of them. And the Nameless Detective, who's always been an analytical detective who suddenly sees how all the clues fit together, has suddenly become Sherlock Holmes or something. He sees the locked room mystery, considers it for a few moments, then offers the sudden explanation that no one else figured out.
However, there's something that's really bugged me about both this book and the previous entrant in the series, Hoodwink. Pronzini has become suddenly obsessed with locked room mysteries (and though I say "suddenly", keep in mind that I'm talking about books that he wrote twenty-five years ago).
In fact, the five mysteries in these last two books, which included three murders, one disappearance, and one theft are all locked room mysteries, every single one of them. And the Nameless Detective, who's always been an analytical detective who suddenly sees how all the clues fit together, has suddenly become Sherlock Holmes or something. He sees the locked room mystery, considers it for a few moments, then offers the sudden explanation that no one else figured out.
July 27, 2017
Nameless is having a really bad week. Three cases, all of which should be quick, easy money, go awry, landing him in the hot seat. And, to top it off, thing are not going great with his girlfriend.
I don’t really have much to say about the book, even though I definitely enjoyed it. It’s a quick story and I love how Nameless manages to solve the crimes. All three are basically locked room mysteries and getting to the answers take both seeing the clues and having that flash of insight. I also appreciated that even though we do have three mysteries, they’re actually unrelated. Too often in mysteries, everything conveniently ties together; here they don’t, which feels more realistic to me.
I could have done without the moping about the girlfriend. I’m pretty sure that his pressuring her was not helping their relationship.
This is the first full-length Nameless story I’ve read, so I’m not sure how it compares to others, but I’m adding it to the list of series I pick up when I see them at used bookstores.
I don’t really have much to say about the book, even though I definitely enjoyed it. It’s a quick story and I love how Nameless manages to solve the crimes. All three are basically locked room mysteries and getting to the answers take both seeing the clues and having that flash of insight. I also appreciated that even though we do have three mysteries, they’re actually unrelated. Too often in mysteries, everything conveniently ties together; here they don’t, which feels more realistic to me.
I could have done without the moping about the girlfriend. I’m pretty sure that his pressuring her was not helping their relationship.
This is the first full-length Nameless story I’ve read, so I’m not sure how it compares to others, but I’m adding it to the list of series I pick up when I see them at used bookstores.
September 26, 2009
RATING: 4.5
PROTAGONIST: The Nameless Detective
OCCUPATION: PI
SETTING: San Francisco, CA
SERIES: #8 of 29
SUMMARY: Business is booming for Nameless; he's started in on 3 new cases in one week. But every single one of them turns bad some way. 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. The papers are full of bad publicity. After being at the scene of 2 homicides, everyone is suspicious of him. He is at risk of losing his PI license. At the same time, he recently proposed to the woman of his dreams and she is becoming more distant from him every day. Pronzini does a great job on following the 3 cases and providing credible resolution. The book ends with not one but two cliffhangers. Damn, but I love this series.
PROTAGONIST: The Nameless Detective
OCCUPATION: PI
SETTING: San Francisco, CA
SERIES: #8 of 29
SUMMARY: Business is booming for Nameless; he's started in on 3 new cases in one week. But every single one of them turns bad some way. 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. The papers are full of bad publicity. After being at the scene of 2 homicides, everyone is suspicious of him. He is at risk of losing his PI license. At the same time, he recently proposed to the woman of his dreams and she is becoming more distant from him every day. Pronzini does a great job on following the 3 cases and providing credible resolution. The book ends with not one but two cliffhangers. Damn, but I love this series.
February 2, 2018
Scattershot (Nameless Detective Book #8, first published 1982) by Bill Pronzini - I read the first Nameless Detective novel (The Snatch) back in February 2017 and I rated that read as 4 Stars. Since then I have read six more of the Nameless Detective series and I have rated most of them as four or five stars. Pronsini's eighth Nameless Detective book, Scattershot, was another entertaining read. This novel put Nameless in some frustrating, and emotionally depressing situations that challenged his abilities. He was not in need of clients. However, his investigative efforts seemed to work him into more and more questionable and difficult legal situations that he just couldn't deal with. I found the book to be very interesting and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
February 12, 2014
Wow! Nameless is hired for 3 separate jobs, one to serve a subpoena - one to tail an errant husband - and the third to guard a room of wedding gifts. Each one lands him in trouble, but he manages to eventually solve all three mysteries. In spite of that, he's on the verge of losing his PI license and his love life is taking a turn for the worse. The book ends with his cases solved if not resolved and his life looking pretty glum -- on to the next book to see what's in store for our intrepid detective.
December 19, 2012
Nameless, marking time till something happens. Can a PI have a personal life? This one is intent on messing up his, that's for sure. Also, he is involved in three cases, all of which have gone sour and he has become an active suspect in each case.
March 31, 2011
Hell week for Nameless
November 3, 2012
#8 in the Nameless Detective Series
Read
April 6, 2014Old style detective series with excellent writing, plots and characters throughout
June 6, 2015
Another great Nameless detective story
June 28, 2015
Outstanding 3-piece hard-boiled detective drama. Good characterizations and a very human Nameless keep the reader's interest.
April 16, 2016
A good straight ahead private detective tale with no frills but solid characterizations and plotting.
July 10, 2016
Traditional mystery novel with a bit of crime noir. A page turner with fast pacing story development yet one can still see characters.
February 26, 2017
This one was hectic! Talk about your bad weeks?! Nameless finds himself with three simple looking jobs, but they turn out to be anything but. A simple paper serving job turns to murder and extortion, a cheating spouse also turns to murder and finally a guard job turns out to be a cover for a sneaky thief. all this puts his license in jeopardy. and with all that going on his relationship is turning rocky. The writing is flawless and the scenarios are tight making this one, although very tense, one of the better - so far...
September 5, 2020
Another enjoyable read.
December 8, 2025
numero del llibre 41 Es molt interessant
December 7, 2022
Seguim les vicissituds d’un investigador privat que treballa en diferents casos a l’hora. La resolució dels casos és enginyosa; com d'endevinalla o de truc de màgia. Però també ―m’ha semblat― forçada i inversemblant.
Penso que és una bona novel·la, adient per entretenir i sorprendre, però una mica superficial i tòpica. No hi he sabut trobar aquell missatge subjacent, ni la atmosfera fascinant o els personatges profunds i complexos d'altres novel·les.
Penso que és una bona novel·la, adient per entretenir i sorprendre, però una mica superficial i tòpica. No hi he sabut trobar aquell missatge subjacent, ni la atmosfera fascinant o els personatges profunds i complexos d'altres novel·les.
June 21, 2023
Bill Pronzinis Serienheld, der namenlose Detektiv, erlebt die härteste Woche seines Lebens. Gleich drei schwierige Fälle bereiten ihm Sorgen. Dabei wirkten sie anfangs wie Routineangelegenheiten. Nameless soll eine reiche Frau aufspüren, die einen schweren Unfall mit Fahrerflucht verursacht hat und seitdem abgetaucht ist. Das hört sich nach einer einfachen Sache an, denkt er sich – ein paar mal telefonieren, ihre Bekannten aushorchen und ihr dann die Vorladung zustellen.
Auch seine zweite Aufgabe klingt einfach: Eine Klientin gibt ihm den Auftrag, ihren Ehemann zu beschatten, der angeblich fremdgeht. Der klassische Job für jeden Privatdetektiv.
Und dann wird er noch gebeten bei einem hohen Tier den Sicherheitsmann zu spielen und wertvolle Hochzeitsgeschenke zu bewachen. Das mutet nach einer erniedrigenden Arbeit an, nach langweiliger, seelenloser Plackerei, aber Nameless ist kein Sherlock Holmes, der sich seine Fälle aussuchen kann. Das Geld ist knapp und wenn die Klienten unsympathisch sind, muss man ihre Tiraden über sich ergehen lassen.
Alle drei Aufträge münden in Verbrechen, die jedes Mal der unmöglichen Variante angehören: Es kommt zu einem unmöglichen Verschwinden, es geschieht ein Mord in einer verschlossenen Wohnung und jemand entwendet aus einem streng bewachten Raum einen wertvollen Ring.
Parallel dazu hat Nameless Beziehungsprobleme. Seine Freundin weist seinen Heiratsantrag zurück und deren Vater hält ihn für ihn einen Versager. Sein Selbstwertgefühl ist reichlich angekratzt.
Pronzini hat einen Helden geschaffen, der wenig Heroisches an sich hat. Kaum einer würde den übergewichtigen Mann im mittleren Alter als cool oder geschweige denn gefährlich bezeichnen. Wie viele Italiener kocht er gerne und sein liebstes Hobby ist das Lesen alter Groschenromane, die er wie einen Schatz hütet. 53 Jahre zählt der Detektiv hier, 1984, bereits, wenn man in Betracht zieht, dass die Reihe bis heute fortgesetzt wird, kann man davon ausgehen, dass er, ähnlich wie der berühmte Hercule Poirot, irgendwann in der Zukunft wohl aufhören wird zu altern.
Ein großartiger Stilist ist Pronzini sicher nicht. Er überzeugt auch weder mit einer besonders dichten Atmosphäre oder schlagfertigen Dialogen. Bei ihm ist die Handlung König. Wie sehr man Trauerarbeit genießt, hängt dann auch ganz davon ab, wie sehr man den Plot-orientierten Rätselkrimi mag, der sich gerade heute einer eher überschaubaren Beliebtheit erfreut.
Gerade mal 150 Seiten hat Pronzinis Ermittler, um drei komplizierte Fälle zu lösen und trotzdem bleibt auch noch Platz für privates Beziehungsgeplänkel. Dabei haben die drei Verbrechen an und für sich wenig miteinander zu tun, so, dass man das Gefühl hat, man bekäme hier eher drei Kurzgeschichten geboten als einen durchgehenden Roman. Aber wer pure Krimis mit wenig Fett auf den Knochen mag und bereit ist auf größere psychologische Tiefe zu verzichten, kommt hier auf seine Kosten.
Auch seine zweite Aufgabe klingt einfach: Eine Klientin gibt ihm den Auftrag, ihren Ehemann zu beschatten, der angeblich fremdgeht. Der klassische Job für jeden Privatdetektiv.
Und dann wird er noch gebeten bei einem hohen Tier den Sicherheitsmann zu spielen und wertvolle Hochzeitsgeschenke zu bewachen. Das mutet nach einer erniedrigenden Arbeit an, nach langweiliger, seelenloser Plackerei, aber Nameless ist kein Sherlock Holmes, der sich seine Fälle aussuchen kann. Das Geld ist knapp und wenn die Klienten unsympathisch sind, muss man ihre Tiraden über sich ergehen lassen.
Alle drei Aufträge münden in Verbrechen, die jedes Mal der unmöglichen Variante angehören: Es kommt zu einem unmöglichen Verschwinden, es geschieht ein Mord in einer verschlossenen Wohnung und jemand entwendet aus einem streng bewachten Raum einen wertvollen Ring.
Parallel dazu hat Nameless Beziehungsprobleme. Seine Freundin weist seinen Heiratsantrag zurück und deren Vater hält ihn für ihn einen Versager. Sein Selbstwertgefühl ist reichlich angekratzt.
Pronzini hat einen Helden geschaffen, der wenig Heroisches an sich hat. Kaum einer würde den übergewichtigen Mann im mittleren Alter als cool oder geschweige denn gefährlich bezeichnen. Wie viele Italiener kocht er gerne und sein liebstes Hobby ist das Lesen alter Groschenromane, die er wie einen Schatz hütet. 53 Jahre zählt der Detektiv hier, 1984, bereits, wenn man in Betracht zieht, dass die Reihe bis heute fortgesetzt wird, kann man davon ausgehen, dass er, ähnlich wie der berühmte Hercule Poirot, irgendwann in der Zukunft wohl aufhören wird zu altern.
Ein großartiger Stilist ist Pronzini sicher nicht. Er überzeugt auch weder mit einer besonders dichten Atmosphäre oder schlagfertigen Dialogen. Bei ihm ist die Handlung König. Wie sehr man Trauerarbeit genießt, hängt dann auch ganz davon ab, wie sehr man den Plot-orientierten Rätselkrimi mag, der sich gerade heute einer eher überschaubaren Beliebtheit erfreut.
Gerade mal 150 Seiten hat Pronzinis Ermittler, um drei komplizierte Fälle zu lösen und trotzdem bleibt auch noch Platz für privates Beziehungsgeplänkel. Dabei haben die drei Verbrechen an und für sich wenig miteinander zu tun, so, dass man das Gefühl hat, man bekäme hier eher drei Kurzgeschichten geboten als einen durchgehenden Roman. Aber wer pure Krimis mit wenig Fett auf den Knochen mag und bereit ist auf größere psychologische Tiefe zu verzichten, kommt hier auf seine Kosten.
September 18, 2008
Beginning with a Sunday, Nameless spends a week,being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He takes on three cases, and all end up newsworthy--bad news, not good. On top of all that, his girlfriend is questioning their relationship, which Nameless wants to take to the commitment level. As his career is threatened by the bad publicity, the book ends on the following Sunday with more questions than answers. Interesting ending, and the title, SCATTERSHOT, was appropriate to all that went on in the book.
September 6, 2021
OK but too "scattered". May have been better as 3 short stories. I have mixed feelings about Pronzini. I liked Labyrinth, The Jade Figurine and Panic! a lot but didn't enjoy Hoodwink or Dead Run very much. This is my 8th Nameless Detective novel and it's just an OK series, nothing special.
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