Bleeders

Nameless Detective #27

by Bill Pronzini

A simple case gets murderously complicated when "Nameless," Bill Pronzini's seasoned private-eye, exposes a nasty scam that involves junior account executive Jay Cohalan, his unhappy wife, and a mistress with a serious drug problem. It's the kind of case "Nameless" likes, because bleeders—the blackmailers, extortionists, small-time grifters, and other opportunists who prey on the weak and gullible—top his list of worthless human parasites. So there's nothing he enjoys more than putting another one or two of them out of commission and returning the $75,000 in blackmail cash to its rightful owner. "Nameless," though, cannot so easily close his Cohalan file—not when he finds his client face down in the middle of a four-poster bed with a bloody, powder-scorched hole behind the right ear. And only by a hair's breadth does "Nameless" himself escape a similar cold-blooded fate. His mind and gut wrenched by his brush with death, "Nameless" embarks on a relentless hunt for his unknown assailant in San Francisco's shadowy underworld. There he encounters bleeders of every ilk before he finds his quarry—and confronts his own demons—in a climax as powerful as it is shocking and unexpected.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Detective

213 pages, Hardcover

First published December 19, 2001

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]

This particular entry in the Nameless Detective series is one of the best, unified by the theme announce in the title. Nameless’ ordeal is filled with “bleeders” in two senses of the world: the grifters and other sociopaths who bleed their victims of their financial wealth and emotional resources, and the victims of their ruthless actions who keep bleeding long after the cutting is done.

The novel starts out with Nameless representing one member of a married couple in a blackmail scam against another, tracking the dropped-off cash to see where it lands. But things soon get way more complicated than that. Nameless himself is the victim of a vicious, violent attack, an attach witnessed by his recently adopted (and already traumatized) daughter Emily. And then Nameless finds himself and his whole family bleeding too.

Our detective travels to various places—a old time boxing gym, a fleabag residence hotel, a Salsa club, a fishing shack on a river, a general store in Hollister called the Outback Oasis—but with a single purpose: to stop the bleeding and end the cycle of violence.

Recommended to all lover’s of the genre.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did Nameless really donate the $75k to a charity?

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Nameless Detective
SETTING: California
SERIES: #30 of 44
RATING: 3.75
WHY: The client is being blackmailed and is using his wife's money to pay the tab. Before too long there's a lot of double crosses and death, and a frightening close call for Nameless. He's 60 years old and has an adopted daughter who needs him. The crime plot is fine, but what is really absorbing is to see Nameless assess his life. Looks like big changes ahead.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Pronzini writes interesting mysteries that alway keep you involved. In this installment in the life of "Nameless," he again meets with life-threatening events. There are also changes in his domestic life, and at the end of the book it seems he is about to make another change. I love these books. I only hope I don't reach the end of the series before Pronzini stops writing them.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nameless recent case sent him on a mission to find the man who nearly killed him with his daughter watching. The man ran off when his gun jammed. Bleeders was a good read and Gregory Gorton did a good job in storytelling.

[John R Urry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed the 6-7 Nameless Detective books I've read so far ..........this one was a bit slow because of the inner turmoil he was going thru.........I guess in a few of the other books with Jake and Tamara involved in the investigations it puts a little more excitement in the stories for me...............I'm reading them out of order so I'm thinking the newer ones are more my speed.......

[John Grazide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, seemed a little slow in spots. With Nameless really questioning his life and job makes me wonder if he pulls the pin. Good to see Emily getting more comfortable.

[Jjean · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mystery that keeps you involved - from blackmail to murder to personal - the 3 rating is only because it really got "slow" reading in a few places.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 2013

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blackmail, crossed and double crosses. Good read

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

A turning point for our old Nameless friend, who may or may not be "getting too old for this sh!t."

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

BLEEDERS is the 27th novel in the Nameless Detective series by Bill Pronzini. Normally, I won't start in the middle of a series like this - this is the first I've read from the series.

Our Nameless Detective is the narrator of BLEEDERS. He's 60ish with a wife and a newly adopted ten-year-old daughter.

The novel opens with Nameless waiting with his client, Jay Cohalan, for a call from a blackmailer. Cohalan has hired Nameless to stop the blackmailer who is supposedly "bleeding" him dry. But when Cohalan turns out to be the blackmailer, we learn that Nameless is actually working for Cohalan's wife who suspected Cohalan was pulling the stunt to steal her inheritance that he wouldn't have a legal right to if they divorced. This all happens at the very start of the novel. And while Nameless's case is technically over, he signs on to find the culprit when Cohalan and his wife are murdered. He has a personal stake in bringing the murderer to justice.

Gregory Gorton read BLEEDERS and I think he did an excellent job of portraying a 60-something character who is starting to consider "scaling back" on his physical responsibilities as a private investigator.

There wasn't a lot of mystery to this novel and the pace was a slower one. The focus of this novel is more the psychological aspects for Nameless. And this is where starting in the middle of a series puts you at a disadvantage. Nameless is starting to think about cutting back, that he isn't capable of doing the things he did "twenty years ago."

The plot was pretty anti-climatic for me. There really wasn't anything that made me think, "WOW!" And on the flip side, there wasn't anything that made me think, "Oh man, this is terrible." Is that the point of Nameless? He doesn't stand out in any way...just a face in the crowd?

For the most part, the supporting characters play pretty insubstantial roles. However, I did very much enjoy Nameless's assistant, Tamara. She has a lot of spunk and made a great foil for Nameless. She also adds some humor to the mix.

Overall it was an average book. It wouldn't be something I'd recommend everyone run out and read right this minute, but I wouldn't discourage folks from reading it either. I didn't finish it and think, "I could have been reading something else with this time." I'm glad I took the opportunity to check it out.

[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 3 out of 5]

The book begins with a suck-you-in-hard slamming action in which "Nameless" is awaiting a call from a blackmailer on behalf of a client. The client is a nervous wreck, and when the call comes in, the client is instructed to leave the brief case with $75,000 in it in a specific place.

"Nameless" goes after the blackmailer, only to realize that he will ultimately be unsuccessful. Naturally, the client is outraged by the escape of the blackmailer, but things aren't as they seem.

It is his own almost-murder that both motivates "Nameless" to push forward and to simultaneously think about whether this should be his last case. He and his wife have an adopted 10-year-old girl in their lives now, and the child needs "Nameless" more than ever.

I enjoyed the way this got resolved. It serves as a reminder of Pronzini's exceptional talent, and it felt great to visit the "Nameless" universe again after having taken a long break from the series.

The profanity index runs moderate to high in places here in the event that you use that as a measure for deciding whether to read the book. The action is compelling, the mystery element will keep you reading, and the support characters are an integral part of the book's success.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#27 in the Nameless Detective series.

Nameless Detective series - Hired to safeguard a blackmailed husband's final payoff, Nameless is almost killed and his client is murdered. In addition, the money, the husband, the husband's mistress and a vicious killer all go missing. Nameless has patrolled the mean streets of San Francisco for a long time, and nobody knows them better or performs the traditional PI role better. But age is telling, and his near-death experience has Nameless re-evaluating his relationship with lover Kerry and orphaned Emily. However, before he can resolve his future, Nameless must descend once more into the San Francisco underworld of drug dealers, grifters, users and other "bleeders."

[Grey853 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Pronzini's easy, old-fashioned style of writing. It reminds me of the hardboiled detective writers of the 50s and 60s, but it's set in present time. It's amazing to me that he's written so many books and his detective is still "Nameless".

In this book, Nameless nearly gets killed during a blackmail case that goes horribly wrong. It rattles him and he spends most of the book not only trying to get justice for his client, but to find his nerve again.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: "Nameless" detective; after foiling an extortion plot, Nameless is almost killed but the assailants gun fails and now the detective is looking to track him down while contemplating his future

[Brett Wallach · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's true that Pronzini s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s the paper thin plot as far as he can to get to 200 pages. But the characters seem real and alive, as does the Northern California backdrop, and the poignant last few pages pushed me up to four stars.

[Richard]

the nameless one gets closer to retirement...
I can relate.

[Al Stoess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good standard Pronzini. Always worth reading.

Second reading in March of 2013. Good but not his best.

[Toesnorth's mom]

so-so

[Eliana]

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

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

might have enjoyed this more if I hadn't skipped the previous 4 books of the series. My library didn't have them in audiobook format for my commute listening.

[Harry Addington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery with the added value of watching this character reach a turning point in his long career as a private detective.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small story, lots of thinking, still liked it a lot.