Demons

Nameless Detective #21

by Bill Pronzini

For the "Nameless Detective," inves­tigations involving matters of the heart are to be avoided. But when an old poker buddy asks him to help frazzled and distraught Kay Runyon, whose husband, Victor, is having a clandestine affair with a mystery woman named Nedra, Nameless relents. After all, it seems like a simple Find out just who Nedra is so Kay can confront her in a last-ditch effort to save her marriage.But Nameless soon discovers that there is much more at stake than a simple affair. Nedra is a modern-day Circe who attracts men who become obsessed with her, in some cases dangerously so. Victor Runyon is the latest in a long line; others whose paths Nameless crosses include a violent ex-convict, Nedra's jealous ex-husband, and a powerful San Francisco politician.Victor's obsession with Nedra takes a bizarre twist when she suddenly vanishes without a trace. Did she disappear willingly or was she the victim of one of her lovers' private demons? Nameless must find out before it's too late to save Victor and Kay from tragic ends. And he must do so while trying to cope with a very personal and private demon of his own.Demons is a powerful tale of psychological suspense that builds inexorably to a chilling and shocking climax.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Detective

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1993

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 4 out of 5]

Demons, the twenty-second entry in the “Nameless Detective” series, is one of Bill Pronzini’s best. The detective’s initial quest engages the reader’s attention, the incidental characters are credible, the complications are often surprising, and the resolution is both believable and satisfying.

The book starts out with what looks like a run-of-the mill case: Kay Runyon is convinced her husband Victor is cheating on her, and she wants Nameless to discover the identity of other woman, whom her husband refers to as “Nedra”. Nameless is reluctant, says he doesn’t do divorces, but Mrs. Runyon says she doesn’t want a divorce, isn’t looking for photographic proof of infidelity. No, she’s just worried about her husband: a straight arrow, faithful for nineteen years, he now seems unhealthily obsessed with Nedra. And recently she has started to gett threatening phones from some man, who seems to be obsessed with Nedra too.

Nameless soon discovers the woman’s name—Nedra Merchant—and also discovers she is missing. He begins to search for her, of course, and that search brings surprising consequence and puts Nameless himself in considerable danger.

For the Nameless fans out there, Demons is an essential book in the continuing saga. Nameless begins to come to grips with the loss of his partnership and his estrangement from his former partner Eberhardt, and his relationship with Kerry undergoes a crisis—a crisis that points toward possible resolution.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read a detective story where the mystery is so intriguing yet the detective is so dull. This is the first. The mystery kept me guessing all the way through. All the suspects (and the mostly absent lead female character) were well defined. On the other hand, I couldn't care less about the nameless detective. His thoughts, his relationship with his girlfriend, his descriptions of San Francisco. All these are the complete opposite of the case he's involved in. Cliches galore. They seemed so detached from the rest of the story. In fact, they felt like a filler.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book went slow...it's in the car and guess I didn't do much driving. No loss to me though.

My first Pronzini read, the Nameless Detective, was ok. Just barely ok.

And the detective, in my opinion, is a whiny wuss. Especially when it came to his love life, wa-wa-wa. He investigates whether his girlfriend is two-timing him???

I have a second Prozini audio but wondering do I want to read (hear) it at all? Depends on whether I leave the house today. And I have a hundred reasons to stay here, the weather being the first. So probably not. Just didn't like it that much.

When I started, I asked the question 'why haven't any of my friends read this guy?' And now I know. It's because he's not as good as some of the authors we do read!

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#21 in the Nameless Detective series. An absorbing read and quite unusual for the genre. Nameless is talked into investigating a wayward husband but not to provide divorce fodder. As a secondary plot, he finds that his lover, Kerry, is seeing another man. There is no murder in this 1993 novel, but Nameless spends an extraordinary amount of time in introspection, mulling the dissolution of his partnership with Eberhardt and the status of his relationship with Kerry.

Nameless doesn't like divorce cases, which usually mean chasing down men in the hopes of photographing them in flagrante . Kay Runyon, however, doesn't want her husband caught in bed, but, rather, saved from an obsession. Nameless learns that the object of that obsession, Nedra Merchant, has a string of broken hearts to her credit. As described by her ex-husband and various former lovers, Nedra emerges as manipulative, cold and with a history of dumping men just after they've committed themselves totally to her. But now she has disappeared. And, in a subplot, is Nameless losing his beloved Kerry? Solid detective technique takes Nameless to a gruesome solution that echoes his plight in Shackles (1988).

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read by Pronzini. If you haven't discovered him yet, you are in for a treat. I especially like his "Nameless Detective" series which are written in the style of Mickey Spillane. He writes westerns, too, but that's not a favorite genre of mine. Prozini crafts a story so well that you are drawn into it right away. This story is (as most of his books) set mostly in San Francisco, so people who are familiar with the city & area will enjoy it. And now with Internet maps anyone can "see" what the character is seeing. I was going to wait awhile before reading another in the series, but this one ended so that I've got to see what happens next in the life of the Nameless Detective!

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Nameless Detective
SETTING: San Francisco
SERIES: #22 of 41
RATING: 4.0
WHY: Nameless is hired by the wife of Victor Runyon who has developed an obsession with an enchantress named Nedra Merchant. Nedra hasn't been seen for several months, and Runyon is falling apart, slipping into mental illness. Nedra has a history of attracting men who become obsessed with her. Is she dead or alive? At the same time, Nameless is experiencing his own romantic travails. He suspects that his significant other, Kerry Wade, is seeing someone else. Is there happily ever after for anyone?

[Eliana]

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

[John Grazide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. With this I didn't know what was more stressful - the case or his relationship. This one finds Nameless taking a case "to help a friend" and they usually do not end well. Namless is hired to find his clients mistress. Just to talk to her and find out what has her husband so hooked. But her husband isn't the only one who may have felt slighted. But as the case progresses the mistress can't be found, and Nameless starts to wory for her life. And it's been a while but Kerry and Nameless are possibly on the rocks again.

[John Biddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just OK, not up to the normally high standard Bill Pronzini has met in all the other Nameless Detective novels of his I've read. I still like the way he narrates the action and explains what he's thinking about the situations / people he comes in contact with.

It's the story I didn't care for this time. It's told well and moves along fine and I can't really explain without spoilage so this is all I'll say.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot all about this one sitting on my shelf from 1993. Pronzini's Nameless Detective takes on a case of obsession and it veers in many different directions. Enjoyed it now and remembered why I read these books back then.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 2013

[D. Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be an outstanding series. Interesting mysteries, Northern California travelogue, and psychological analysis keep Nameless at his best.

[Karrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't hold up in the more gender-sensitive world we now live in.

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

Yet another great entry into the Nameless Detective series. FIND THAT LADY, NAMELESS!

[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

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unnamed detective is asked by a friend to help out worried Kay Runyon, whose husband, Victor is having an affair. Although he doesn't like marriage problems, the detective agrees. He quickly finds the house where the woman, Nedra, lives, and finds out she has been gone since May. Victor has made a shrine for her in the house, and is obviously obsessed. It appears that Victor isn't the only one obsessed; others include her former husband, a violent ex-convict, and a powerful politician. Meanwhile, the detective is worrying about his own girl friend who appears to be seeing someone else, and the ex-convict is going after Victor's family. It isn't until almost the end that we find out where Nedra has gone and what has happened.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another blur of a read with Nameless taking on as a favor a cheating case against his better judgment. It's a mundane case with an obsessed married middle aged man losing it over the other woman. Who is the other woman? Nameless embarks on another investigative odyssey with lots of diversions( an obsessive ex-con, an ex-husband who still pines for the other woman, and the "other woman" is missing too) on the way to a surprising conclusion. At the same time demons seem to be plaguing him in his personal relationships.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good series. The detective solves the case quickly and smartly but you don't know his name. He is the nameless detective and that is what the series is called. In this installment he is hired by Kay Runyon to locate Nedra, the woman her husband is having an affair with. She wants to talk her into leaving him so she can get her husband back. Nameless soon finds the woman but then she disappears and his job gets a little harder. It seems that the woman's husband is absolutely obsessed with Nedra and is still pining for her. This is a good one.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't get much done today because I was listening to this book. I got so engrossed in the story I lost track of time! The characters are developing nicely and Nameless got some insight into why his relationship with his long-time friend, Eberhardt, broke up. He and Kerry go through a rough patch and Nameless solves the case of the philandering husband. Such a good feeling when a good story ends and you know there's another one in the series!

[MaryAlice · Rating 2 out of 5]

"What keeps any of us going in this life, when you get right down to it, but hope?"

I found this quote on a document I created in August, 2017. No longer remember the novel, nor exact date I read it.

[Cherie Waggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nearly all the Nameless Detective Series, except for the most recent, which I wish I did have. I have be rereading the books I have, and found it's been so long, it's like reading them for the first time. I loved them first time around, and I still love them.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good read, the nameless detective. Good story.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

good nameless installment

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist says he hates jobs that deal with affairs of the heart, but this has been my favorite of the six or so I've listened to from the series.

[Harry Addington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent case for the Nameless Detective with a personal stake too.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read one of these in this series. I really enjoyed it. I would read others in this series.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable Nameless Detective book. The people in it are fascinating and horrible, trending more toward noir than Pronzini usually does, and this awfulness invades Nameless' live in a very believable way. Overall a quick read and an interesting book.