Schemers

"The Holmesian dictum. If you eliminate the impossible, then whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." I liked this well-written detective novel because it kept me guessing.

I love the new covers of the "Nameless" Detective novels by Bill Pronzini. They're mocked up to look like file folders and make it simple to recognize these books at a glance. I've been reading this series since The Snatch came out in the 1970s. In that time, Nameless has gone through a lot of changes. We've even learned his first name: Bill. But I'll always think of him as Nameless. I'd read in the beginning that the author wanted to strip down the private detective motif down so much that the character had no name and the only way he was recognized was through his work. In the beginning, I thought that was pretty cool. Still do. But I like the way Nameless has gone from being a single act to an ensemble group and now has a family life. Lately, Pronzini has divided up the legwork in Nameless's cases. He's been joined by Tamara Corbin, the agency's computer guru, and Jake Runyon, an ex-Seattle cop who's dealing with personal trauma from losing his wife to cancer. When Tamara first started edging into the books as a viewpoint character, I wasn't too sure about how I liked the idea. Then I got used to it and now I see it as a plus in the series. The opening prologue of the book instantly guarantees the reader's attention. I couldn't think of a more brutal thing to kick off an attack on a family, but it's there. Nameless takes the case on and hands it over to Runyon. All of them are aware that a killer is waiting out in the shadows, one that isn't going to hesitate to kill when he's ready. The second mystery is an old school locked room. I loved those kinds of stories when I was a kid. The scenario gets bumped up and shot full of steroids when the story involves a collector of Golden Age mysteries. I loved all the name-dropping that went on during the conversations. I couldn't help ticking off the books and authors I'd read. Nameless is an avid collector of pulp magazines, a medium I also love. As always, Pronzini keeps his mysteries moving, dodging back and forth between cases as well as through the investigations and the private lives of his investigators. I'd figured out most of the locked room mystery by the time I reached the final few pages, but it was gratifying to see that I was right about most of it. There were still a few twists I hadn't caught. The story with Runyon and the Hendersons was more suspenseful, more hardboiled, but it kept me flipping pages in anticipation. Overall, this was a solid entry into this long-lived series.

"He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer." -- Proverbs 24:8 The two main plot lines in Schemers are driven by vengeful characters who could have just stepped out of the Old Testament. Their schemes are puzzling even to those who are affected by them. What is the ultimate plan? A lot of the suspense in this book is trying to anticipate what the schemers plan to do. If you are a fan of detective fiction (both novels and short stories), you'll appreciate this book much more than if you just read the surface story. Author Bill Pronzini has drawn deep into the heritage of detective fiction to adapt classic tales into a modern-day setting. One story line involves not one, but two, locked-room mysteries. The other story line evokes the many stories of a hidden avenger who wants his victims to know that they are being hunted before dispatching them. The noir tone of the book is best captured in two subplots that aren't related to the main story lines -- Tamara finds a man whom she enjoys making love to and Bryn and Jake take a look at what they might mean to one another. These are so beautifully done it's worth reading the book just to enjoy them. Either one would be a prize-winning short story. The noir tone is best captured in the main plot lines by the extreme feelings that the characters have for one another, and don't make much of an attempt to cover up. The puzzles are decent ones, but they aren't intended to confuse you so much as amuse you. Enjoy them! So what's it all about? Nameless normally doesn't work on Mondays, but he's pressed into covering for Tamara and receives a summons from an old "friend" he isn't sure he wants to see. With the prospect of a fat bonus, he takes on a case of locating eight missing rare books for the insurance company of a monomaniacal collector. Jake's heart is moved by the story of two brothers who are being stalked by a man who has turned violent, and Nameless gives him the case. In the first mystery, all the characters hate one another and blame one another. Sorting out the reasons for all that hate turn out to be critical to solving the mystery. In the second mystery, there's a difference between what the public reputation is and the reality. Jake has to descend into the reality to find the stalker. I didn't start the book until after one a.m. and I couldn't put it down. I was up until well past three thirty with a huge smile on my face. Take it from me. Start earlier in the evening than I did.

I love all of the Nameless books and they just seem to be getting better. At first I wasn't sure if I would like the additon of the others in his office, but now I see that they are a good part of the stories. If you haven't read any of Pronzini's Nameless books, I would recommend that you find the older ones and start at the beginning of his story.

Rare detective fiction is missing. To solve the crime, Nameless has to also deal with muder in a locked room. Something about the murder just doesn't ring true. Jake Runyon investigates a family facing threats. But why? Runyon has to delve into the past. Tamara finds a man who makes her happy. Is he everything that he seems? The Nameless series has run for more than thirty years by allowing characters to grow and change. Enjoy.