Snatch

First Sentence: Tamarack Drive was one of these oak- and elm- and eucalyptus-shaded affairs that are supposed to make you think of rustic country lanes. "Nameless" is hired by a financial speculator whose son has been kidnapped. This job, deliver the $300,000 ransom. This supposedly simple task leads to a murdered man and 27 stitches for our detective. Now he's investigating who kidnapped the boy in the first place. To complicate his life, "Nameless'" lady love has issued an ultimatum for his to choose between her and his job. Although he had written several short stories, it's fun to go back and read the second full book by Pronzini, and the first in the "Nameless" series. It was interesting to see how Pronzini created the character, fully developed but without taking a lot of the story to so do. There is a particular section toward the end which explains why being a PI is so important to the character. One of Pronzini's great strengths is his ear for dialogue. The plot is quite good and even though I suspected the villain, I enjoyed watching the investigation unfold and I completely missed one of the clues that brought the investigation to it's conclusion. It is interesting to read a book set in a time when people had answering services and had to look for a pay phone, and the cars included a Plymouth Valiant and a Chevy Corviar, but that only added richness to the story. Even with this early book, it is clear to see why Pronzini is one of the masters of the detective genre.

In 1971, author Bill Pronzini was only 27 when he wrote The Snatch, building on a shorter and different version of the story that appeared in the May 1969 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine under the same title. With the publication of this book, one of detective fiction's great characters was born with full fledged power and authenticity. If you have not yet read the Nameless Detective novels by Mr. Pronzini, you have a major treat ahead of you. Many of these are now out-of-print, so be sure to check your library for holdings in near-by cities.The Nameless Detective is referred to that way because Mr. Pronzini never supplies a name until late in the series. I won't reveal that name here.Mr. Pronzini presents a world in which many men take evil actions to further selfish interests, and many women and children suffer because of that selfishness. The police and private investigators suffer along with the victims, for evil-doing has painful consequences for everyone. Mr. Pronzini's plots are complex, yet he provides plenty of clues to help you identify the evil-doer on your own. Despite the transparency of many plots, he successfully uses plot complications to keep the action interesting and fresh.But the reason to read the books is because of the character development for the Nameless Detective. Nameless is a former police officer in San Francisco who collects pulp fiction about tough private detectives. Drawn to the complex imagery of the strong, silent hero who rights wrongs, Nameless tries to live that role. But he has trouble getting clients, and operating as a one-man shop causes him to lead a lonely existence. In his personal life, his career keeps women at a distance. Like a medieval knight errant, he sticks to his vows and pursues doing the right thing . . . even when it doesn't pay. At the same time, he's very aware of art, culture and popular trends. And he doesn't like much of what he sees. The books are also written in the pulp fiction style, but with greater style of language and plot. The whole experience is like looking at an image in a series of mirrors that reflect into infinity.These books are a must for those who love the noir style, and the modern fans of tough detectives with a heart of gold like Spenser. In The Snatch, wealthy real estate developer Louis Martinetti contacts the Nameless Detective when Martinetti's nine-year-old son is kidnapped and held for a $300,000 ransom that Martinetti doesn't have the money to pay. The kidnapper has insisted that the money be delivered by a third party, and Nameless has been recommended as being reliable. Nameless knows that Martinetti should get the police involved, but reluctantly agrees to deliver the money (after Martinetti raises it by borrowing from a friend).That decision leads him into a dangerous path full of danger, betrayal and righting wrongs. Perhaps because the story was rewritten so thoroughly, the dimensions of the mystery are deliciously mor

"The Snatch" is the first Nameless Detective mystery, even though the series doesn't become known as the "Nameless Detective" series until some time later. Gary Martinetti, son of wealthy Louis Martinetti, is kidnapped. The kidnapper leaves a message that the ransom money of $300,000 be delivered by a third party. Martinetti hires Nameless to be the third party. When the next call comes Nameless takes the money and drives to an isolated spot where he is supposed to make the drop. As he leaves, he hears a terrible cry, goes back and finds a man, Paul Lockridge, murdered. Someone had also taken the ransom money. Nameless' mission is twofold; he must find Lockridge's murderer and find Gary Martinetti before it is too late. Pronzini is a master of suspense, and even though this is the first novel in the series (written in 1971), the plot is strong. No one can put the reader at the scenes with the detective like Bill Pronzini. I believe he is the best writer of mystery fiction working today.