Customer Reviews

Bindlestiff: Nameless Detective Mystery

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Bill Pronzini's nameless detective has a reason to celebrate. He got his private investigator's license back and a new assignment on the same day. Arleen Bradford wants him to locate her estranged father who's been a hobo riding the rails for some time. The family's come into some money and Arleen thinks her father should have his share. Her sister, Hannah, disagrees and tries to persuade Nameless not to look for him. But Arleen's a paying client and her intentions appear to be more honorable than her sister's. Complicating Nameless' life is a request from an old police friend, now out of work, to become Nameless' partner, something Nameless isn't sure would work.

Bindlestiff is a good story about broken families and fresh starts. Although a murder doesn't happen right away, there is plenty of mystery from the get-go and a beautifully paced ramping up of suspense. At 180 pages, the book isn't long, the plot isn't complicated, and the suspect list is short, but there are a couple of surprising twists and terrific story telling. I would have liked to know more about the sisters' past and their father's background. Still, Bindlestiff is a quick, enjoyable read.