Schemers: A Nameless Detective Novel (Nameless Detective Novels) [Hardcover]

Bill Pronzini (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nameless Detective Novels | Publication Date: March 31, 2009

A new Nameless Detective story from the 2008 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master...

A locked room mystery that goes from stolen books to stolen lives and the hunt for a phantom stalker with a penchant for pouring acid to make his point give Nameless and his partner Jake more than enough work to earn their fees—as long as neither turns his back at the wrong moment.

Nameless wasn’t supposed to come into the office on Mondays; he wasn’t supposed to answer the phone. On this Monday, he did both. The call was from Barney Rivera—once a friend, now despised—at Great Western Insurance. Against his better judgment, Nameless agreed to meet with him. The investigation was relatively simple: a multimillionaire rare books collector had reported the theft of eight volumes, worth a half million dollars. From a locked library. To which he has the only key. The books were all crime fiction and suspense--a locked room mystery about mysteries. 

This ordinary Monday brought a second oddball case. The Henderson brothers were being stalked. Someone had dug up the ashes of their late father and poured acid over them, then destroyed the headstone the same way, and left a sign warning that this was just the beginning. Searching for peace of mind and the distraction of work, Jake Runyon is more than happy to bring an end to the brothers' terror.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In MWA Grand Master Pronzini's 34th Nameless Detective novel (after 2008's Fever), his series sleuth takes on a challenging locked-room puzzle. When Gregory Pollexfen, a wealthy bibliophile, reports the theft of eight rare first edition mysteries from his collection, which he keeps in a secured room in his San Francisco home, Nameless investigates on behalf of the insurance company involved. The subsequent shooting death of the victim's ne'er-do-well brother-in-law in the locked library complicates the original case, though Pollexfen's wife, who was also in the sealed room and whose prints are on the weapon, is the obvious suspect. Meanwhile, a subplot in which Nameless's colleague, Jake Runyon, attempts to track down a stalker targeting a Los Angeles couple is notable only for Runyon's slow emergence from the emotional shell he developed after his wife's death. Since the two story lines aren't obviously compatible, readers may wonder why Pronzini decided to combine them. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gregory Pollexfen collects rare mystery books, and eight of his most valuable have been stolen. The police aren’t paying much attention, prompting Pollexfen to file a claim with Great Western Insurance, which, in turn, hires semiretired San Francisco private investigator Nameless to work the case. Pollexfen is too rich to be suspected of an insurance scam, so Nameless focuses on the other members of the dysfunctional household: the gold-digging wife and her brother. In a parallel case Nameless’ partner, Jake Runyon, investigates the harassment of the Henderson brothers. Their father’s grave was recently desecrated, and one of the brothers was attacked. The agency’s third associate, research wizard Tamara, is floating on cloud nine with a new man in her life, but he may have his own secrets. The award-winning Pronzini has more than a little fun with the locked-room mystery about missing mysteries, but as usual, the most compelling aspects of the book are the personal backstories of Jake, Nameless, and Tamara. These characters evolve realistically from novel to novel, and readers savor their growth as much as the cases they investigate. --Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1 edition (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765318199
• ISBN-13: 978-0765318190
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great story, April 23, 2009

By 

C. Yokum "Racetrcker" (Bonsall, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schemers: A Nameless Detective Novel (Nameless Detective Novels) (Hardcover)

I love all of the Nameless books and they just seem to be getting better. At first I wasn't sure if I would like the additon of the others in his office, but now I see that they are a good part of the stories. If you haven't read any of Pronzini's Nameless books, I would recommend that you find the older ones and start at the beginning of his story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Detective Fiction and A Locked Room, April 15, 2009

By 

Kent E. Schroder (Davenport, Iowa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schemers: A Nameless Detective Novel (Nameless Detective Novels) (Hardcover)

Rare detective fiction is missing. To solve the crime, Nameless has to also deal with muder in a locked room. Something about the murder just doesn't ring true. Jake Runyon investigates a family facing threats. But why? Runyon has to delve into the past. Tamara finds a man who makes her happy. Is he everything that he seems? The Nameless series has run for more than thirty years by allowing characters to grow and change. Enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "No wonder people are paranoid these days.", April 25, 2009

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schemers: A Nameless Detective Novel (Nameless Detective Novels) (Hardcover)

In Bill Pronzini's "Schemers," Nameless and the staff of his San Francisco-based private investigation agency are looking into two very different mysteries. One involves Cliff and Damon Henderson, two brothers in their thirties who are being stalked by a psychopath with an unknown agenda. The perp has already damaged their personal property and beaten Damon with a tire iron. The Hendersons have no idea why they are being targeted. Since the police have not been able to help them, they turn to Nameless, hoping that he can find their "faceless enemy" before he escalates his attacks.

The other puzzle is brought to Nameless's attention by his former friend, Barney Rivera, a slimy character who is the chief claims adjuster for an insurance company. He hires Nameless to look into the theft of eight vintage first-edition mysteries, worth half a million dollars, from the collection of sixty-seven year old Gregory Pollexfen. Pollexfen, who is unhappily married to a much younger woman, alleges that the items were taken from a secure library to which no none is ever admitted without his being there. Barney dares Nameless to solve this "locked room" puzzle, and even agrees to sweeten the pot with a hefty bonus if he succeeds.

"Schemers" is an engrossing tale of underhanded, desperate, and mentally ill people who wreak havoc on both the innocent and guilty alike. Working with Nameless are twenty-six year old Tamara Corbin, a computer expert and "human dynamo," and Jake Runyon, a former Seattle cop whose heart was broken when beloved second wife, Colleen, passed away. While Bill's private life has been blessedly uneventful of late, Tamara is all excited about her new beau, Lucas Zeller, and Jake is slowly getting closer to Bryn Darby, a woman who withdrew from society after a stroke left her face partially paralyzed. Jake's relationship with Bryn is poignant and affecting. They are "lonely, damaged creatures, blinking in the light, finding understanding and acceptance in each other and taking solace from it."

The villains are stock characters with the usual dysfunctional personalities, and some of the plot elements are a bit hackneyed and predictable. Still, "Schemers" is energized by Pronzini's brisk, fluid, and fast-paced writing style. The dialogue is lively, and Nameless, Tamara, and Runyon are methodical and tenacious in their quest for answers. Readers who have followed Nameless and his crew over the years may find Tamara's and Jake's personal lives more interesting than the cases that they are investigating. By the time the dust settles, one thing is clear: Nothing and no one should be taken at face value. Manipulative and cruel people can do a great deal of harm, and the vulnerable among us would do well to be on their guard.