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Nameless Detective #7
Hoodwink
Former pulp writer and current hack Russell Dancer invites Nameless to the first annual Western Pulp Convention in San Francisco. He wants Nameless to help him locate the person who is trying to blackmail Dancer for a purported plagiarism of a story called "Hoodwink." Arriving at the convention, Nameless discovers that a group of former friends (and now uncomfortable colleagues) who wrote for the pulps called the "Pulpeteers" have all received blackmail notes.
Nameless is in seventh heaven as he meets many of his favorite pulp writers, buys pulp novels for his collection and meets a stunning younger woman who is the daughter of two famous pulp writers. For once, Nameless has some luck with the ladies. But is Kerry Wade attracted to him, or to his job as a private eye? Is he really attracted to her, or to her connection to the pulps?
The convention is unexpectedly disrupted when one of the guests is found dead in a locked room while Russell Dancer is holding a gun that's been recently fired. It looks like an obvious case of murder by Dancer, who has been feuding with the man. Dancer denies his guilt, and only Nameless is willing to believe him. As Nameless tracks down the guilty party, he finds himself faced with a second locked room mystery... and a target for a murderer.
Nameless is in seventh heaven as he meets many of his favorite pulp writers, buys pulp novels for his collection and meets a stunning younger woman who is the daughter of two famous pulp writers. For once, Nameless has some luck with the ladies. But is Kerry Wade attracted to him, or to his job as a private eye? Is he really attracted to her, or to her connection to the pulps?
The convention is unexpectedly disrupted when one of the guests is found dead in a locked room while Russell Dancer is holding a gun that's been recently fired. It looks like an obvious case of murder by Dancer, who has been feuding with the man. Dancer denies his guilt, and only Nameless is willing to believe him. As Nameless tracks down the guilty party, he finds himself faced with a second locked room mystery... and a target for a murderer.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1981
3 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Bill Pronzini
629 books236 followersMystery 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 22, 2019
I didn’t absolutely love this book. The choice of murderer was arbitrary, many of the minor characters forgettable, but how can you not love an ‘80’s detective mystery set in a San Francisco pulp magazine convention that features a plot straight out of Nero Wolfe and features not just one but two locked room mysteries?
The Nameless Detective, our hero, is asked by old pulp writer Russell Dancer to attend the upcoming pulp magazine convention. It seems the eight surviving members of “The Pulpeteers”--a small writer’s club founded in NYC, in the ‘40’s—has received a copy of the novelette “Hoodwink,” along a letter threatening extortion and accusing them of plagiarizing “Hoodwink” and turning it into the successful Hollywood movie Evil by Gaslight. The Pulpeteers want Nameless to hang around the convention, and see if he can unmask the blackmailer. Nameless agrees, probably because he is a big pulp detective fan himself.
The convention begins, Nameless observes certain suspicious behaviors, and—of course—somebody ends up dead. Mysteriously dead. In a Locked Room. What could be more pulp-friendly that that? Now Nameless has real old fashioned mystery on his hands. The Question: What Would John Dickson Carr do?
This is a welcome addition to the Nameless series. Recommended for all Black Mask fans and for John Dickson Carr fans too.
June 17, 2025
Yes I read this again after only two years. It isa complicated book with a good mystery snd other things going on. I’m glad I read it again.
From 1981
Before I read these I was like, but the famous Nameless Detective is The Continental Op. Well in this series, Nameless is obsessed with pulps, collecting actual old pulp magazines. So it is self aware anyway....
In this one we find out that Nameless is Italian. His friend Eb calls him a Wop. ...
Hoodwink brings back, from Undercurrent, the Pulp writer Russell Dancer. There is a Pulp Convention and a locked room mystery. Nameless has to prove Russell's innocence.
From 1981
Before I read these I was like, but the famous Nameless Detective is The Continental Op. Well in this series, Nameless is obsessed with pulps, collecting actual old pulp magazines. So it is self aware anyway....
In this one we find out that Nameless is Italian. His friend Eb calls him a Wop. ...
Hoodwink brings back, from Undercurrent, the Pulp writer Russell Dancer. There is a Pulp Convention and a locked room mystery. Nameless has to prove Russell's innocence.
September 30, 2023
As I can find the older Nameless Detective novels by Bill Pronzini I put them in my collection and try to read them in order. Hoodwink is quite unusual in that it starts out with Nameless being asked by an old friend to track down who has accused him (the friend) of plagarism. Turns out 5 old friends have all been accused and all are heading to an old pulp convention there in SF so Nameless can easily dig around and figure it out while enjoying the convention since he himself is a pulp collector.
The Nameless novels have all been good and this was no exception. It got a little confusing at times but that was probably me since I was listening to the audiobook wile doing other things.
The Nameless novels have all been good and this was no exception. It got a little confusing at times but that was probably me since I was listening to the audiobook wile doing other things.
November 17, 2010
Very solid and readable detective story featuring the detective with no name. I get the feeling 'nameless' is pretty much Bill Pronzini - if he had time to be a detective. This one is a bit different as it takes place at a 'pulp' convention, which along with being the detective's passion is also Pronzini's inspiration for the character and genre. There is even a scene where 'nameless' just about meets Pronzini. Nameless isn't the usual hard-boiled tough guy though. He's actually a very nice bloke, who is as happy with a beer and a quiet night reading his beloved pulps, as his heroes would be with a bottle of bourbon and and the doubtful charms of the latest femme fatale, though there is time for a bit of romance in this one . Most of all he's a very well drawn character. It's just a shame that it's so hard to find the early books in this series now but I suppose everything can't stay in print forever.
May 11, 2021
This is the 7th "Nameless Detective" story I've read and it was a big letdown after "Labyrinth " which was my favorite of the series so far. The pulp convention and love interest didn't add anything to an overly convoluted plot that I had trouble staying interested in.
August 18, 2025
Nameless is sitting in his office reading a comic book, currently jobless, when an old friend of his asks for his help. The friend is an aging alcoholic hack writer named Russell Dancer, down on his luck but excited about an upcoming three-day convention in San Francisco for pulp writers. He shows the Nameless Detective a blackmail threat that Russell and five other writers have received, so-called proof that thirty years prior they had each plagiarized a detective story called "Hoodwink."
"Hoodwink" (1981) starts off almost as an homage to Pronzini's forebears, him being a long-time classic westerns and noir detective mysteries author a few generations past the golden eras. Nameless meets the various folks at this convention, lets us see how the small group of writers interact with each other, makes eyes with the daughter of one, lays out the strange blackmail mystery for us to solve, and then jumps into a fun locked-door murder mystery.
Verdict: A short and fun detective mystery.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
"Hoodwink" (1981) starts off almost as an homage to Pronzini's forebears, him being a long-time classic westerns and noir detective mysteries author a few generations past the golden eras. Nameless meets the various folks at this convention, lets us see how the small group of writers interact with each other, makes eyes with the daughter of one, lays out the strange blackmail mystery for us to solve, and then jumps into a fun locked-door murder mystery.
Verdict: A short and fun detective mystery.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
October 7, 2019
Bill Pronzini si dimostra di nuovo di essere un eccellente scrittore di mystery classici. Sono al secondo libro di questo autore, sempre sul genere della camera chiusa, e devo dire che sicuramente leggerò altro dell'autore. Uno stile fresco ma allo stesso tempo profondo, toccando anche tematiche forti, con una grande caratterizzazione del protagonista. Questa è un'opera che l'editoria italiana dovrebbe tradurre, perché davvero ne vale la pena.
Avrei dovuto prima leggere questo libro che "Tre bersagli per Senza Nome", che è cronologicamente successivo(lo si capisce dal suo rapporto con Kerry, che qui è agli esordi, mentre nell'altro era già consolidato).
Dal punto di vista giallistico non ho nulla da dire: due camere chiuse solide e ben ricostruite con logica e buon senso (ottima la soluzione della seconda). Un assassino insospettabile e una catena di deduzioni impeccabile. Forse l'unica pecca è la scarsa caratterizzazione di alcuni personaggi, ma non è tale da inficiare col voto di eccellenza.
Avrei dovuto prima leggere questo libro che "Tre bersagli per Senza Nome", che è cronologicamente successivo(lo si capisce dal suo rapporto con Kerry, che qui è agli esordi, mentre nell'altro era già consolidato).
Dal punto di vista giallistico non ho nulla da dire: due camere chiuse solide e ben ricostruite con logica e buon senso (ottima la soluzione della seconda). Un assassino insospettabile e una catena di deduzioni impeccabile. Forse l'unica pecca è la scarsa caratterizzazione di alcuni personaggi, ma non è tale da inficiare col voto di eccellenza.
December 25, 2022
I haven't read a Pronzini book in a long time. It was not as entertaining as I thought it would be but it was a very clever whodunnit. I was looking for something a little more old-school and instead it was more of a cozy mystery wrapped up in a hard-boiled environment.
March 20, 2017
Nameless Detective.
Tokoh detektif tanpa nama. Dari awal saya menemukan review yang membahas serial Nameless Detective ini, saya langsung tertarik dengan konsep tokoh detektif yang tidak dibeberkan siapa namanya itu. Yang membuatnya lebih menarik adalah, menilai dari dialog antar tokoh di dalam novel, karakter-karakter in-universe tahu siapa nama Nameless Detective ini. Hanya saja kita, pembaca, tidak diberi informasi/petunjuk tentang namanya itu.
'So when Dancer had mentioned my name to them, the consensus was that it might not be a bad idea to have somebody around who was both a detective by profession and a knowledgeable pulp collector by avocation.'
'When I told him my name, he smiled broadly, letting me see an uneven set of dentures, and pumped my hand as if the two words were a hot tip on an Italian horse.'
' "Call me Lloyd. Glad you could come. I've heard about you -- before Russ Dancer mentioned you'd be coming, I mean. Spotted your name in the papers a few times. Like to see your collection one of these days. Got any good duplicates for trade?" '
Bikin kesel kan? Who the hell is his name, dammit?!
Well, that's it for introduction.
***
Premis cerita dari Hoodmink ini sendiri diawali dari permintaan salah satu teman Nameless yang merupakan seorang penulis pulp fiction untuk menyelidiki sebuah surat ancaman pemerasan. Dalam surat tersebut Russ Dancer dituduh telah memplagiat sebuah naskah novellette berjudul 'Hoodwink' ke dalam naskah film box-office yang cukup laku beberapa tahun sebelumnya. Tak hanya itu, surat ancaman pun dikirimkan ke beberapa rekan Russ sesama penulis pulp fiction yang tergabung ke dalam sebuah grup 'The Pulpeteers' yang jaya sekitar 30 tahun yang lalu.
Untuk menyelidiki permasalahan ini, Nameless mengunjungi acara 'Western Pulp Con'. Acara konvensi untuk pecinta pulp fiction. Nameless, yang juga seorang fanboy sekaligus kolektor majalah pulp fiction menerima tawaran pekerjaan dengan senang hati.
Hanya saja perkara yang dihadapinya menjadi rumit ketika terjadi sebuah pembunuhan lengkap dengan misteri ruang tertutup di sebuah kamar hotel tempat konvensi itu berlangsung. Permasalahan semakin rumit ketika penyelidikan Nameless menuntunnya pada pembunuhan kedua yang juga adalah sebuah misteri ruang tertutup.
***
Novel ini ditulis dengan gaya penulisan tipikal cerita-cerita private eye dengan sedikit nuansa hard-boiled di dalamnya. Saya jarang membaca novel hard-boiled karena memang bukan selera saya. Tapi bukan berarti saya memiliki masalah dengan penulisan semacam ini, hanya saja yang saya cari dalam sebuah novel detektif adalah misteri yang menarik dan juga fairplay. Novel hoodwink ini sendiri, meskipun ditulis dengan gaya hardboiled mampu menyuguhkan misteri yang menarik sekaligus fairplay. And i like it..
Terlihat sangat jelas bahwa Bill Pronzini adalah seorang yang mengaggumi misteri a la golden-age novel. Struktur misterinya benar-benar tipikal misteri a la golden-age. Terlebih lagi dengan dua misteri ruang tertutup dalam satu novel. Benar-benar nilai plus bagi saya.
But.. There's always a but(t).
Misteri ruang tertutup yang disuguhkan tidak memiliki solusi yang 'wow', terutama bagi saya. Misteri yang pertama cukup bisa dipahami, variasi dari solusi yang biasa muncul. Yang kedua.. meh.. terlalu teknikal dan kurang mengena.
Yah, kedua hal tadi memang bisa dimengerti karena novel ini tidak fokus pada misteri ruang tertutup. Beda dengan novel2 JDC atau Paul Halter, yang berfokus pada hal tersebut.
Tapi secara overall, Hoodwink menyuguhkan misteri yang cukup menarik, fairplay, dan ditulis dengan gaya penulisan yang segar untuk dibaca. 3 Stars!
Tokoh detektif tanpa nama. Dari awal saya menemukan review yang membahas serial Nameless Detective ini, saya langsung tertarik dengan konsep tokoh detektif yang tidak dibeberkan siapa namanya itu. Yang membuatnya lebih menarik adalah, menilai dari dialog antar tokoh di dalam novel, karakter-karakter in-universe tahu siapa nama Nameless Detective ini. Hanya saja kita, pembaca, tidak diberi informasi/petunjuk tentang namanya itu.
'So when Dancer had mentioned my name to them, the consensus was that it might not be a bad idea to have somebody around who was both a detective by profession and a knowledgeable pulp collector by avocation.'
'When I told him my name, he smiled broadly, letting me see an uneven set of dentures, and pumped my hand as if the two words were a hot tip on an Italian horse.'
' "Call me Lloyd. Glad you could come. I've heard about you -- before Russ Dancer mentioned you'd be coming, I mean. Spotted your name in the papers a few times. Like to see your collection one of these days. Got any good duplicates for trade?" '
Bikin kesel kan? Who the hell is his name, dammit?!
Well, that's it for introduction.
***
Premis cerita dari Hoodmink ini sendiri diawali dari permintaan salah satu teman Nameless yang merupakan seorang penulis pulp fiction untuk menyelidiki sebuah surat ancaman pemerasan. Dalam surat tersebut Russ Dancer dituduh telah memplagiat sebuah naskah novellette berjudul 'Hoodwink' ke dalam naskah film box-office yang cukup laku beberapa tahun sebelumnya. Tak hanya itu, surat ancaman pun dikirimkan ke beberapa rekan Russ sesama penulis pulp fiction yang tergabung ke dalam sebuah grup 'The Pulpeteers' yang jaya sekitar 30 tahun yang lalu.
Untuk menyelidiki permasalahan ini, Nameless mengunjungi acara 'Western Pulp Con'. Acara konvensi untuk pecinta pulp fiction. Nameless, yang juga seorang fanboy sekaligus kolektor majalah pulp fiction menerima tawaran pekerjaan dengan senang hati.
Hanya saja perkara yang dihadapinya menjadi rumit ketika terjadi sebuah pembunuhan lengkap dengan misteri ruang tertutup di sebuah kamar hotel tempat konvensi itu berlangsung. Permasalahan semakin rumit ketika penyelidikan Nameless menuntunnya pada pembunuhan kedua yang juga adalah sebuah misteri ruang tertutup.
***
Novel ini ditulis dengan gaya penulisan tipikal cerita-cerita private eye dengan sedikit nuansa hard-boiled di dalamnya. Saya jarang membaca novel hard-boiled karena memang bukan selera saya. Tapi bukan berarti saya memiliki masalah dengan penulisan semacam ini, hanya saja yang saya cari dalam sebuah novel detektif adalah misteri yang menarik dan juga fairplay. Novel hoodwink ini sendiri, meskipun ditulis dengan gaya hardboiled mampu menyuguhkan misteri yang menarik sekaligus fairplay. And i like it..
Terlihat sangat jelas bahwa Bill Pronzini adalah seorang yang mengaggumi misteri a la golden-age novel. Struktur misterinya benar-benar tipikal misteri a la golden-age. Terlebih lagi dengan dua misteri ruang tertutup dalam satu novel. Benar-benar nilai plus bagi saya.
But.. There's always a but(t).
Misteri ruang tertutup yang disuguhkan tidak memiliki solusi yang 'wow', terutama bagi saya. Misteri yang pertama cukup bisa dipahami, variasi dari solusi yang biasa muncul. Yang kedua.. meh.. terlalu teknikal dan kurang mengena.
Yah, kedua hal tadi memang bisa dimengerti karena novel ini tidak fokus pada misteri ruang tertutup. Beda dengan novel2 JDC atau Paul Halter, yang berfokus pada hal tersebut.
Tapi secara overall, Hoodwink menyuguhkan misteri yang cukup menarik, fairplay, dan ditulis dengan gaya penulisan yang segar untuk dibaca. 3 Stars!
October 22, 2019
Meh. The whodunit is a copout, the howdunit is too fantastical to believe, and our nameless protagonist spends waaaaaaaay too much time brooding over the fact that he's 53 years old, 15 years older than his newest lady love, and mistaking lust for love to the point of wanting to propose marriage after approximately one week of a relationship. Too much of this book was spent in this creepy male fantasy, and wanting to preserve this fantasy is what sent the solution to the mystery spinning sideways off the cliff.
A huge letdown after the twists and turns of Labyrinth.
A huge letdown after the twists and turns of Labyrinth.
January 28, 2018
We never find out the real name of the “Nameless Detective” who is the hero of this novel. It’s a locked-room mystery where he has to clear a friend accused of killing a probable blackmailer at a convention for pulp fiction writers (where he meets the author). It’s a worthwhile homage to the old detectives and PIs and a reasonable puzzle, but it doesn’t really make you want to seek out the rest in the series.
February 6, 2011
The Nameless Detective is asked by a former pulp fiction writer of mysteries to attend a convention that is taking place in San Fransisco so he can look into a series of extortion notes that some attendees have received that hint at plagiarism. A quick, entertaining private eye read that weaves information about the pulp fiction world into the plot seamlessly.
December 25, 2010
This is the first book I have read by Bill Pronzini. The mystery plot was good. I was unfamiliar with the subject matter, pulp writers, so it took me a while to get into the book. I'd like to read more by this author.
February 3, 2022
30 years ago someone sold a movie script to a Hollywood studio and the movie was relatively successful. And now 5 old pulp writers had received a novelette called "Hoodwink" in the mail - together with an accusation that they plagiarized the novelette for the movie script all those years ago and never paid for it. That all happens a few days before a pulp convention, bringing the same 5 pulp writers for the first time in 30 years together, is about to start. So one of them comes to our detective and ask for his help finding out who sent the letters and is trying to blackmail everyone.
Pulp convention may not sound like something most people will enjoy but our detective (who will remain nameless for the whole series even though we did get a first name in an earlier novel (the one where two series crossed)) is a pulp collector. So of he goes - he does not think that he can solve anything but the weekend promises to be entertaining anyway.
And it is. He even starts falling in love with a woman who is too young for him. And then a man dies and the pulp writer who invited the detective to the convention is found in a locked room with the victim and the gun. Case closed, right? Well... maybe not so fast. Before long another man dies in another locked room (this time without a gun and a handy murderer), just before the detective manages to talk to him. And the chase is on. Before the end, there will be a gun fight, a ghost town, an unhappy father and a lot of old laundry from the days when the pulps used to be popular. On yes - and the truth will finally emerge - not just of the murders but of the movie script and some other old stories which everyone would have preferred never to be mentioned again.
The end of the novel leaves our detective in a somewhat different position than when it started - he is still 53 but he is in love (and the woman seems to also be in love with him), he moved to new offices (finally) and his best friend is going through a personal issue that promises to change things a lot more after that. So we shall see what happens next.
Not a very original plot (it sounds very familiar - I am pretty sure I had not read this book and a lot of the book did not sounds familiar but I am sure I had read a book/story with a similar plot before - for all I know that may be the original actually) but well done and a good entry in the series.
Pulp convention may not sound like something most people will enjoy but our detective (who will remain nameless for the whole series even though we did get a first name in an earlier novel (the one where two series crossed)) is a pulp collector. So of he goes - he does not think that he can solve anything but the weekend promises to be entertaining anyway.
And it is. He even starts falling in love with a woman who is too young for him. And then a man dies and the pulp writer who invited the detective to the convention is found in a locked room with the victim and the gun. Case closed, right? Well... maybe not so fast. Before long another man dies in another locked room (this time without a gun and a handy murderer), just before the detective manages to talk to him. And the chase is on. Before the end, there will be a gun fight, a ghost town, an unhappy father and a lot of old laundry from the days when the pulps used to be popular. On yes - and the truth will finally emerge - not just of the murders but of the movie script and some other old stories which everyone would have preferred never to be mentioned again.
The end of the novel leaves our detective in a somewhat different position than when it started - he is still 53 but he is in love (and the woman seems to also be in love with him), he moved to new offices (finally) and his best friend is going through a personal issue that promises to change things a lot more after that. So we shall see what happens next.
Not a very original plot (it sounds very familiar - I am pretty sure I had not read this book and a lot of the book did not sounds familiar but I am sure I had read a book/story with a similar plot before - for all I know that may be the original actually) but well done and a good entry in the series.
March 13, 2025
This was a four star in a lot of ways, until the end.
Two locked room mysteries. A plagiarism/blackmail/extortion mystery. The Nameless Detective, a character I like for his plain-ness, his winking at the PI cliche of getting constantly bashed on the head, his love of pulp magazines and his desire to be like his heroes.
The solution of whodunit was out of the blue. The solution to the second locked room mystery was impossible if only because there would have been clear evidence that the man had not been killed where he was found - blood tracked to the shed for one - and lack of blood where supposedly he fell on an axe for another. But the set of described would not have been thought out by the killer so quickly.
This book ended, like the previous installment, in an exhausting physical struggle to avoid being killed by the murderer. It changes the whole feel of the book and seems beyond Nameless’s capabilities based on his own self assessment of age and physical shape.
The other weakness in the story is the beautiful young woman falling instantly for the self-described paunchy old sad PI. There’s no reason it couldn’t be a slightly older more average looking woman. The “seduction” of Nameless by this (in his words) horny young beauty is pure male fantasy. But I suppose that’s what all noir detective fiction is about.
Two locked room mysteries. A plagiarism/blackmail/extortion mystery. The Nameless Detective, a character I like for his plain-ness, his winking at the PI cliche of getting constantly bashed on the head, his love of pulp magazines and his desire to be like his heroes.
The solution of whodunit was out of the blue. The solution to the second locked room mystery was impossible if only because there would have been clear evidence that the man had not been killed where he was found - blood tracked to the shed for one - and lack of blood where supposedly he fell on an axe for another. But the set of described would not have been thought out by the killer so quickly.
This book ended, like the previous installment, in an exhausting physical struggle to avoid being killed by the murderer. It changes the whole feel of the book and seems beyond Nameless’s capabilities based on his own self assessment of age and physical shape.
The other weakness in the story is the beautiful young woman falling instantly for the self-described paunchy old sad PI. There’s no reason it couldn’t be a slightly older more average looking woman. The “seduction” of Nameless by this (in his words) horny young beauty is pure male fantasy. But I suppose that’s what all noir detective fiction is about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2017
Nameless helps an old friend from the past. This friend is a pulp writer that asks Nameless to come to a Pulp con, and while he's there to check out a possible blackmail case that involves him and other pulp writers. And don't you know it, when the bodies start to pile up, Nameless is right in the middle of it all.
This was tough to read (because I was traveling) but another good one. With a special "cliffhanger' that will have me searching out the next one...
This was tough to read (because I was traveling) but another good one. With a special "cliffhanger' that will have me searching out the next one...
October 27, 2018
This may be one of my favorite "Nameless" books...it has the early writing style Pronzini had which I loved so much...the story is great...the characters are fantastic...some very special characters are introduced in the book...Kerry...her mother Cybil, and father ...its the start of a great string with the building of a relationship...Overall...like I said..think its my favorite...great read..quick and fun...enjoy!
June 18, 2021
Ohhh, this was a nice twisty one, with impossible murder scenarios, old characters coming back, and one of the best climactic "whohasdonethis" breakdowns ever!
November 19, 2024
Nothing special. Ho-hum writing, too many characters, no pizazz or flair. Nothing that compelled me to keep reading.
Want to read
September 15, 2018Synopsis: a writer invites Nameless to the Western Pulp Convention. He wants his help on a blackmail matter.
October 15, 2012
#7 in the Nameless Detective series. Pronzini draws on his avocation ( and that of Nameless) of collecting pulp magazines to develop a plot for this mystery. Russell Dancer (Undercurrent (1973)), a hack writer from the 40s, is back with an invitation for nameless to attend a pulp convention. His underlying motive is to have Nameless ferret out who has sent him a blackmail note, accusing him of plagarizing a short story "Hoodwink" and using it as the basis for a very profitable movie screenstory. This device gets us into the convention, where Dancer's excessive drinking and various conflicts among the group of 40s pulp writers called 'The Pulpeteers' leads to trouble. One of the group is found dead in a locked room where Dancer is holding a smoking gun and professing his innocence. Dancer is jailed, but he convinces Nameless to investigate for him. In the process, Nameless finds another body in a locked room - a death the local cops rule accidental. Nameless finally finds himself in a locked room with a killer waiting without.
This entry is also notable for Nameless' first successful romance in quite a while. Good read but the plot is convoluted.
Nameless Detective series - Pulp writer Russell Dancer invites Nameless to the Western Pulp Convention. He wants Nameless to help him locate the person trying to blackmail Dancer for a purported plagiarism of a story called "Hoodwink." Nameless discovers that a group of former friends who wrote for the pulps have all received blackmail notes. One of the guests is found dead in a locked room with Dancer is holding a fired gun. Dancer denies his guilt, and Nameless believes him. As Nameless tracks down the guilty party, he finds himself faced with a second locked room mystery.
This entry is also notable for Nameless' first successful romance in quite a while. Good read but the plot is convoluted.
Nameless Detective series - Pulp writer Russell Dancer invites Nameless to the Western Pulp Convention. He wants Nameless to help him locate the person trying to blackmail Dancer for a purported plagiarism of a story called "Hoodwink." Nameless discovers that a group of former friends who wrote for the pulps have all received blackmail notes. One of the guests is found dead in a locked room with Dancer is holding a fired gun. Dancer denies his guilt, and Nameless believes him. As Nameless tracks down the guilty party, he finds himself faced with a second locked room mystery.
September 12, 2013
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
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
February 12, 2014
I very much like how the main character is developing. He's a 50-something bachelor with a beer gut who collects pulp magazines and works as a private eye, much in the same manner as the heroes of his pulp magazines. He manages to put together all the disparate clues to discover the perpetrator of the crimes. Reading the stories from the first book to this one, #7 in the series, we've watched Nameless go through some dalliances and one serious romance, that fell apart because she wouldn't accept him for what and who he is. In this book he meets another love-interest. Will this be the ONE?
I've been trying to put the entire collection together via public library, Paperback Swap, Audible.com and Amazon Kindle. Most are written in the 80's and take place in San Francisco so it's fun to see how much the culture and technology has changed. Again, I recommend the series if you like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and John D MacDonald.
I've been trying to put the entire collection together via public library, Paperback Swap, Audible.com and Amazon Kindle. Most are written in the 80's and take place in San Francisco so it's fun to see how much the culture and technology has changed. Again, I recommend the series if you like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and John D MacDonald.
May 31, 2015
Unlike most Pronzini novels, this one had gratuitous language and the the hero sleeping with a woman after their first date.
Right after the sleeping scene, I went to my regular church service and felt both convicted and infilled by the Holy Spirit. So I stopped and downloaded a Christian-themed tale instead.
Right after the sleeping scene, I went to my regular church service and felt both convicted and infilled by the Holy Spirit. So I stopped and downloaded a Christian-themed tale instead.
June 7, 2012
Another Nameless book, in which he goes to a pulp magazine convention which instigates two locked-room murders. And he gets shot at. And he figures everything out, of course. Oh, and he moves his office to a nicer building and gets a new girlfriend.
(Second time read: 10/31/08)
(Second time read: 10/31/08)
November 3, 2012
7th in the Nameless Detective Series
October 8, 2013
Nameless is never really great, but a good read nevertheless.
Read
April 6, 2014Old style detective series with excellent writing, plots and characters throughout
October 28, 2014
This is the story where Nameless Detective first meets Kerry.
May 19, 2015
Very enjoyable story about pulp fiction writers with 2 locked room murders.
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