Savages: A Nameless Detective Novel

Nameless is the star character in this book. He did a background check on Brandon Mathias, but couldn't find any dirt to prove that he was a diabolical man that Celeste Ogden's sister Nancy will marry. But, now, Nancy is dead, and Celeste is positive that it is Mathias's fault. Celeste gets Nameless to investigate this murder, even though the police are sure that it was an accidental death as Mathias was out of town the night of the supposed death. While this is happening, one of the agents for Nameless' San Francisco agency, Jack Runyon, serves a subpoena and is immediately entangled in a savage murder and arson case. After 30 years and 31 novels, Bill Pronzini has given the reader a chance to experience the life of Nameless, an unforgettable character who has solved a slew of murder cases while learning what it takes to be a family man by gaining a wife and daughter. Savages is a great book to add to the series, and every page is sure to draw the reader in with every sentence.

"Savages" is the 31st Nameless Detective novel by Bill Pronzini who is my favorite mystery writer working today. This is the 4th novel in which Nameless (whom we now know is named Bill) narrates in first person where he is the focal character, and chapters involving Tamara, his partner, and Jake Runyon, his operative are told in third person. There are 2 main story lines in "Savages". Jake Runyon goes to northern California to serve a subpoena to Jerry Belsize. When he arrives no one is at home. He finds a Latino man dead hanging from the rafters in the barn at the Belsize farm. Then someone hits him over the head with a blunt object knocking him senseless. Runyon learns that someone is setting fires all over the area. Balsize's girlfriend, Sandra Parnell, claims she doesn't know where Belsize is. Runyon's investigation is thwarted by an over eager cop named Kelso. Is Jerry Belsize alive? Did he murder the Latino man? Is he setting the fires? Runyon finally gets answers to all these questions. Nameless is asked by Celeste Ogden to prove that her brother-in-law killed her sister, Nancy Ring Mathias. Nameless had once investigated Brandon Mathias before he married Nancy but found nothing to incriminate him. Nameless continues to investigate when Tamara finds something interesting in Nancy's diary. Nameless and his wife Kerry are having to deal with her breast cancer. "Savages" is a strong entry in this long running series and is highly recommended.

I truly enjoyed the double plots in this novel! As always, Bill writes with such detail I feel as if I am right there with the characters sharing their experiences. I think I have all of the Nameless Novels in my collection - so keep them coming!

First Sentence: On Friday morning, I took Kerry to the U.C. Med Center for her first follow-up appointment with her radiologist and her oncologist. Bill (aka Nameless) has been hired by Celeste Ogden, a wealthy, proper San Franciscan, to investigate her sister's death. Although ruled as accidental, Celeste is certain her sister's husband was responsible for her death. Jake Runyon, one of the agency's operatives, has gone to a small town in Northern California to serve a summons. Instead, he walks into a barn and finds a man who has been hung and the suspect is the young man he was there to serve. We now know "Nameless'" name and the series has evolved over time, but Pronzini still delivers stories that are suspenseful and take the reader down unexpected paths. The "savages" are those people who can hurt or kill without conscience. The offset to that is Bill dealing with his wife's recovery from cancer. The balance is a book that is tight and always interesting. There is nothing predictable about this book except the excellent sense of place, dialogue, character development and Pronzini's always solid writing. I highly recommend "Savages."

Bill Pronzini's "Savages" is a Nameless Detective novel, but the sixty-two year old Nameless is no longer totally anonymous. As readers discovered previously, the protagonist, like his creator, is named Bill. He is also the first person narrator of the chapters dealing with a thorny situation: a wealthy woman, Celeste Ogden, wants Bill to unearth proof that her cold-hearted brother-in-law, Brandon Mathias, caused her sister's death. The late Mrs. Nancy Mathias died after falling down the stairs in her home; however, there is not a shred of proof that her death was anything but a tragic accident. Furthermore, Brandon has an ironclad alibi; he was out of town when Nancy fell to her death. The other portion of the book is written in the third person and concerns Jake Runyon, Bill's investigator, a desolate widower who is still mourning for his deceased wife. Colleen Runyon suffered from ovarian cancer, which claimed her after "six months of pain and fading hopes." On a happier note, Bill and Kerry are encouraged by the apparent success of her treatment for breast cancer. "Savages" refers to cold-blooded criminals--sociopaths who destroy their victims without remorse. Jake Runyon's "routine assignment" involves delivering a subpoena to a witness, but his task turns out to be anything but ordinary. He travels four hours outside of San Francisco to a small farm town called Gray's Landing; he intends to hand over the subpoena and leave soon thereafter. However, Runyon's plans change when he finds the body of a man hanging from a rope in a barn. Jake is then whacked by an unknown assailant and lands in the hospital with a concussion. Long story short, Jake unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a case of murder and arson. He immediately gets on the wrong side of a nasty and arrogant sheriff, but Jake persists in following his investigation to its inevitably bitter end. For his part, Bill reluctantly does Celeste Ogden's bidding. With the help of his partner, Tamara, Bill looks through Nancy's diaries and other papers to learn if she and her husband were having marital difficulties, and he interviews her neighbors to see what they know. It turns out that Mrs. Mathias was a deeply troubled and depressed individual whose self-esteem was being steadily eroded by her overbearing and controlling husband. Brandon may have been a nasty and sadistic man but, Bill points out to Celeste, that doesn't automatically make him a murderer. "Savages" is trademark Pronzini: spare and cleanly written prose, crisp dialogue, a tidy plot and a conclusion that is not completely "happily ever after." The author also provides a sensitive treatment of Bill and Kerry's ordeal dealing with her debilitating cancer treatments. As always, Tamara Corbin stands out; she is a breath of fresh air and her dedication and competence have made her a mainstay of the detective agency. In five years, she has changed from "wiseass militant" to a poised and profes