Epitaphs [Hardcover]

Bill Pronzini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1992

Hired to track down old pal Pietro Lombardi's granddaughter, Nameless enters the seedy underworld of late night burials and graverobbing. By the author of Breakdown, Jackpot, and Shackles. 15,000 first printing. $15,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With unerring plotting and an unabashedly retro narrative style, Pronzini ( Quarry ) moves his San Francisco-based "Nameless Detective" ever closer to the mortality the book's title suggests. Now nearing 60, work-driven, solitary and often scared, Nameless is watching a game of North Beach bocce when one of the oldsters asks him to help a granddaughter who has been accused of stealing money. Gianna Fornessi proves tough to locate. Her apartment is fancier than an unemployed single girl's should be, and she is mysteriously "away"; her roommate is at first indifferent, then is found dead. The girls' profession becomes clear as a paper-and-phone chase leads Nameless to a series of pimps, porn publishers and customers. In his own life, meanwhile, Nameless grows closer to his woman friend Kerry's elderly mother and more distant from his longtime partner, Eberhardt, who is still steamed over an argument and is thinking about striking out on his own. Pronzini has made the dogged, blinkered existence of a detective his exclusive domain in this relentlessly grim yet thoroughly absorbing series.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile

Bill Pronzini's Nameless Detective seems inspired by Hammett's Continental Op, a fellow San Franciscan, though far less cynical and many pounds lighter. He's got girlfriend troubles, friction with his business partner, and a pro bono investigation to find an old paisan's missing granddaughter, who may or may not have been turning tricks and who may or may not have been murdered. Impersonating our hero is Nick Sullivan, who reads with dramatic flair and élan. Sounding a bit like the late John Ritter with a twang, he's not particularly believable as an aging, wisecracking tough guy. One can, however, fully accept his intelligence and sentimentality, and enjoy his crystalline diction and pleasant cadences. Y.R. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385305044
• ISBN-13: 978-0385305044
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,802,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nameless Honors His Italian Heritage, November 20, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Epitaphs (Hardcover)

Author Bill Pronzini has always made it clear that Nameless is Italian. Sooner or later, one of the books had to move closer to San Francisco's Italian heritage and Epitaphs is the book that does that. From detailed descriptions of the changing character of North Beach and bocce games to exploring notions of family honor from the old country, Epitaphs is rich in cultural heritage.

The mystery itself is a reversion to the earliest Nameless books in which the facts are not hard to discern, and the story stands on its character development. The subject here is the nature of friendship.

Nameless has always been more interested in doing the right thing than in getting into the right income bracket. So when a friend asks him to look into the disappearance of their mutual friend's beautiful granddaughter, Gianna Fornessi, Nameless grumbles . . . but agrees to help. Pretty soon, he's suspicious that something's wrong. Gianna has left the job her grandfather thinks she has, and lives on a spending scale that the former job would not have supported. Meeting her roommate, Ashley Hansen, makes Nameless more suspicious.

The plot complications start soon as Ashley is killed in their apartment. In each complication, another layer of civilization is peeled off of society, leaving Nameless to explore many of the basest human instincts.

In his personal life, the split with Eberhardt that began in Quarry gets worse. On the other hand, his relationship with Kerry Wade improves as Cybil and he are reconciled.

The book's end connects to Nameless's change of character after Shackles. He becomes judge and jury concerning a serious offense.

As I read this book, I was reminded of the dark Raymond Chandler stories about family secrets as well as Chinatown. Epitaphs is a worthy successor to those fine works.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Pronzini's best, but it IS Pronzini, and that says a lot, June 10, 2007

By 

P. Mann (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Epitaphs (Mass Market Paperback)

Bill Pronzini's EPITAPHS is not the strongest entry in the Nameless Detective series, but an also-ran by Pronzini is better than the best effort by a substantial number of other authors. In this entry, Nameless is asked to investigate a charge of theft against the daughter of one of the old Italian men who play bocce in the park. Gianna Fornessi's landlord has accused her of stealing $[...], but when Nameless questions the landlord, the latter has changed his story. It was all a mistake, he assures Nameless, and the obvious injury he has suffered was caused by a fall on the stairs. The case should be over, but something is clearly amiss, as Nameless understands when he meets Gianna's roommate. Soon, Nameless finds himself exploring a seedy world of which prostitution and pornography are only the tip.

As is generally the case in the Nameless series, Nameless's private life figures prominently in the story. Life with Kerry is good, and there are even indications that her mother, long opposed to Nameless's presence in her daughter's life, is willing to make amends. However, Eberhardt, Nameless's partner, is unhappy in the partnership and is contemplating dissolution, quite against Nameless's wishes. Moreover, Eberhardt seems to consider their far more important friendship over.

Pronzini is adept at combining thrilling mysteries with poignant character studies, and several entries in the Nameless series are remarkable for just that combination. EPITAPHS falls short on both counts of the standard Pronzini has set. That being said, EPITAPHS is certainly a worthy read; it's just not Pronzini at his best.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a great series, just dont start with this book, July 23, 2005

By 

clifford "akitonmyers" (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Epitaphs (Mass Market Paperback)

It's hard not to enjoy Pronzini and his elegant simple detective tales. They really feel a lot like Marlow transplanted half a century into the future. `Epitaphs' is another good strong story that fits in well with the rest of the series. On the other hand, this book feels uninspired against what I would consider a five star book. `Epitaphs' feels like filler, wedged in between Pronzini's first very good books and his later interesting and unique story structures that you will find in his last couple of additions to the series. I would equate this book as being on par with the more forgettable Tony Hillerman or Dick Francis books. This is not a negative in my book, instead I would say that my comment is one that should lead you to pick `Epitaphs' up and enjoy it in the context of the greater series as a whole. It's just that this is not the book I would recommend to anyone of whom I would like to find interest in the Nameless Detective series.

If you have not read Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series and enjoy Pronzini, I would whole-heartedly recommend these books to you. Start with the first in the series and read the first seven or so. They are great up to that point and then start to become redundant.