Nightshades

Nameless Detective #12

by Bill Pronzini

The Nameless Detective is hired to investigate an accidental death and finds himself caught between greedy land developers and the handful of citizens of an isolated ghost town in northern California

Genres: Mystery, Detective, Fiction

148 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1984

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

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Nightshades—another enjoyable “Nameless Detective” mystery—our hero is hired by an insurance company to investigate the fire which killed Monroe Randall, the president of the North Development Corporation, a company determined to develop a Gold Rush ghost town by the name of “Ragged-Ass Gulch.” But the North Development folks were in trouble: not only were there financing a little shaker, but it so happened that the current inhabitants of “Ragged Ass”--an ornery, truculent lot—adamantly opposed Northern turning their town into a tourist trap. So was the fire that killed Monroe Randall or was it murder? Insurance adjustor Barney Rivera needed to know.

Thus begins an exciting adventure for our hero and his gal Kerry that involves—among other things—adultery, chicanery, another murder, a few not-so-idle threats, and two near-death experiences for Nameless. There is also some unfinished business for our two lovebirds—each of whom has been keeping a secret from the other—and an exciting conclusion in which Kerry solves an important part of the mystery.

Another diverting entry in in this excellent series of mysteries.

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1984
Nameless gets an investigative job for an insurance company and he and his girlfriend Kerry go to Northern California, to a place called Mullet Creek, formerly Ragged Ass Creek. It’s a ghost town in a valley where the people who live there are fighting developers.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read and enjoyed Pronzini's westerns but this is the first mystery I've read by him. This is actually #12 in the Nameless Detective series and I really enjoyed it. Pretty much read it at one sitting. It's a short, tight work, well written, with interesting characters. The mystery was complex enough to keep you involved but it was more for the characters that I kept reading. Will definitely look for more in this series.

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is still going strong, and this time Nameless lets his ladylove do a bit of detective work too!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Great Western Insurance company had a problem. One of its clients has invested heavily in a back-country California almost-ghost town in the hope of turning the place into a gold-rush-era theme park. Problem is, the folks around Ragged Ass Gulch don’t want their little almost nonexistent town turned into anything more than it is, and they’ll do anything they can to stop the project. But can that “anything” include murder? That’s what the “nameless detective” must find out. He sees it as a great opportunity--get away from San Francisco for a while and maybe even do a little fishing. “Nameless” figured he’d take his girlfriend along. He and Kerry had been going through a bit of a rough patch, and he figured she could use a break, too.

It was a fire that killed the president of the development company that had planned to create the theme park. But was the fire an accident? Before the book ends, “Nameless” nearly dies twice, and it is Kerry who helps solve a major part of the mystery.

I normally enjoy these books; I just couldn’t get into this one much. I thought the dialogue was more abrupt and coarse than is usually the case with these books. “Nameless” seems to come across as a bit of an ass in a place or three—at least that’s how it felt.

[Cherie Waggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As many may know by now, Bill Pronzini is my most favorite author, and his Nameless Detective series my most favorite of his books, and he has many in all genres. He has been writing for well over 30 years and is a master of suspense and mystery. I recently have been unearthing some of my books that have been packed away, and am rereading them. It's been a while and I'm reading them again as for the first time. I really encourage readers to check out all the Bill Pronzini books, not just his mysteries, but westerns, suspense, and paranormal books as well.

[Morgan McGuire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I prefer in some cases to let the author speak for themselves in a review:

"It looked like nothing so much as an upside-down grappling hook surrounded by clusters of brass testicles...I considered the thing to be a fitting symbol of my life and work." (Nightshades p10)

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Not bad. Always wanted to read one of Bill Pronzini's novels... I hope to read more.

[D. Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good example of Pronzini's take on the P.I. genre. Likable characters, decent plot.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#12 in the Nameless Detective series. Nameless has a timing conflict between an insurance investigation and a scheduled vacation with girl friend Kerry in this 1984 series entry. The conflict is solved by taking Kerry on the investigation but her involvement adds character development and disgruntles Nameless. Good addition to the series.

#12 Nameless Detective series - Nameless is introduced to Musket Creek, an old Gold Rush mining town that was then known as "Ragged-Ass Gulch." There's a conflict, though. Nameless is due to go on vacation with Kerry Webb. The case seems simple enough. He's supposed to check out an accidental death before the insurance company pays off on the double indemnity policy. Kerry is open to the idea of coming along, and Nameless takes the case.
Arriving in the area, Nameless finds he's in the middle of a classic California conflict . . . land developers against the local, long-term residents of a beautifully unspoiled area. The accidental death has taken the life of the president of the land development company. The residents clearly hate the developers. Could the two situations be connected?
The residents don't want to have anything to do with Nameless, but Kerry is able to make progress by bending the rules. Nameless finds that he doesn't enjoy her "help" and their relationship begins to fray. The situation isn't at all what it seems, and as the danger builds Nameless finds himself in fear for both Kerry's and his life.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one began life as a short story 'The Ghosts of Ragged-Ass Gulch.' Pronzini expands on it and adds another murder mystery that overlap Nameless' original assignment dragging the page count up high enough to satisfy his publishers.
Contrary to expectations Nameless' new partnership with best friend Eb is actually working out with the two men able to split up the work load and even fill in for each other when required. Nameless' plans for a holiday with Kerry to Santa Barbara gets scrapped when he gets roped into an insurance investigation at Ragged-Ass Gulch and the couple decide to mix business with pleasure. The area is one of natural beauty though the habitation itself has become a ghost town, once part of the gold rush and now a disputed heritage site that land developers want rid of.
Nothing ever goes quite to plan where nameless is involved. Kerry is acting very strangely. One minute she's fine and the next moody or hostile. Nameless never deals well with situations like this.
Even with the expansions this one is still pretty short and barring our squabbling couple there's not a lot of interesting characterisation going on.
Nice to see another real location though I'm not confident, should I google-fu it, that the place hasn't been developed as a playground for the rich in the intervening years.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book showed me both what I like and what I don't like about the Nameless Detective.

On the one hand, it's pretty good procedural, with the protagonist slowly moving through an investigation, finding out things as he does. On the other hand, there's one murder by ingenious death trap, hearkening back to the writer's flirtation with Holmesian deduction.

And this is really typical for Nameless: "Things began to stir inside my head. Then they began to run around, tumbling together like little rocks in a landslide. Things I should have added up before. Things that got me a little excited because maybe, just maybe, they were some of the answers I had been looking for."

(At which point Nameless typically stumbles off after the killer(s), get caught, gets almost killed, escapes, then explains what he figured out--which was indeed what happened in this volume.)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, short yarn set in Redding and the Shasta area dealing with development and an isolated reclusive community. One of the developers ends up dead in a fire and Nameless working for a life insurance company goes up to investigate if it's an accident like everyone says it is. He was supposed to go on vacation to Santa Barbara with Kerry but ends up taking her along. He gets into trouble and there's another death. Another plot in which the obvious thought is everything is related but hold on, there's infidelity, greed, and craziness to complicated matters. Kerry takes a hand in helping much to Nameless' disapproval and later reluctant thanks.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't going to read this novel because I'd read the novelette "The Ghosts of Ragged Ass Gulch" and thought it was just the same thing all over again. In the preface to SCENARIOS the author explains the novelette was originally written for a volume published only in Japan and he says "I confess to having expanded and substantially revised the story into the novel 'Nightshades'." Afraid I might miss out on some back story, I decided to read it even though I knew "whodunit". Fortunately, the author threw in another murder for me so it wasn't a waste of time! I'm glad I took the time to read it and now I can move on to the next volume which is co-written with his wife, Marcia Muller.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Nameless Detective
SERIES: #13 of 41
RATING: 3.75
WHY: Talk about spare writing - in 145 pages, Pronzini constructs a well-told tale. He's investigating an insurance case that could or could not be murder. He is dealing with a greedy development company and an entrenched mining community. He's brought his love with him, Kerri Wade, but things are not rosy in their relationship. Pronzini has created a winner with this one - well written, touches of humor and a satisfying tale.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you ever have this happen to you? I borrowed this title from the library, schlepped the book home, flumped down, and began reading. Yep. I'd already read the story, years ago, before Good Reads ever existed. But I do recall liking it. I remain a big fan of the Nameless Detective series. Good thing I have another one on deck to rescue my reading break from watching the idiot box.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, fun private-eye novel. Published in 1984 but seems older. Characters use such expressions as "phooey" and "Little Miss Roundheels."

[Jan C]

I was never able to get into this. Maybe if I had started with #1 it would be a different story.

But I have no desire to read any more of this book than I have already read.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story really flowed along

[Colleen Lahey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good detective novel but again...not a challenging read.

[Sally Plunkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

#12 of The Nameless Detective Series

[Eliana]

Old style detective series with excellent writing, plots and characters throughout

[Michael Moats · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read. always enjoy the nameless detective.

[John Grazide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nameless can't seem to catch a break. Ready for vacation and a case comes in. On the surface (as always) it seems like an easy enough insurance investigation, but it's not. And when one of the other partner, of the victim, bodies turns up murdered things get crazy. On top of that his girlfriend is hiding something. Not a good weekend for Nameless.