Jackpot [Hardcover]

Bill Pronzini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1990

Mystery

Product Details

• Hardcover: 213 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385298951
• ISBN-13: 978-0385298957
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,098,548 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hitting the "Jackpot" with Nameless, August 27, 2001

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jackpot (Hardcover)

The "Nameless Detective" Private Detective series is not the best such series out there, but it is always dependable. "Jackpot" is no exception to the rule. As the book opens, Nameless is still recovering psycologically from the events of the previous book, "Shackles," (the best of the series) in which he was chained and left to die in a mountain cabin. This time out, he investigates the suicide of a young woman's brother that came on the heels of the brother winning and losing a huge fortune in a casino. Of course, Nameless's investigation proves there was a lot more to the story. Much of the action takes place in Nevada, which is a refrsehing change of scenery from Nameless's native San Francisco. The plot moves along quickly and reaches a satisfying conclusion, except for one flaw. The scene in which Nameless confronts a big time mobster simply doesn't ring plausible. Otherwise, it is a fine entry in this always dependable series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner, January 11, 2007

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jackpot (Hardcover)

In his first case after Shackles, "Nameless" is hired to find out why a young man who won $200,000 at a Reno slot machine would commit suicide.

With his usual masterly touch, Pronzini has given us an inventive story of overcoming one's past and the effect of greed. The mystery really takes second place in the story and it's a little weak. But the look at "Nameless" still recovering from being held captive and at Eberhardt overcoming past relationships were enough to keep me reading. It's also nice to see a character that deals realistically with his age--he's not young, but he's still tough. This is a short, quick read, but imminently satisfying.

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Peeling an Artichoke, April 4, 2011

By 

Grey Wolffe "Zeb Kantrowitz" (North Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jackpot (Hardcover)

You peel off the leaves of an artichoke one at a time until you reach the 'heart'. That is what reading this book is like. Pronzini takes us one step at a time from the suicide of the 'jackpot' winner to the endgame of how it all came about. Most of the time we are moving forward like a shark, as "Nameless" finds out that he is still affected by what happened to him (in Shackles) psychically when he was held for three months in a house in the mountains. Though he feels better, physically he is doing great, he does find that he has some ways to go before he can feel 'comfortable in his own skin' again. No reason to tell you the story, read it for yourself.

Zeb Kantrowitz