Shackles: A "Nameless Detective" Mystery [Hardcover]

Bill Pronzini (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An appearance by Pronzini's Nameless Detective is always a promising event; in his latest case, with its echoes of Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male, Nameless delivers on that promise with more punch and sensibility than ever. Kidnapped one winter night near his home in San Francisco, he is driven to a remote mountain cabin and left, chained in a leg iron, with only enough supplies to last three or four months: his masked captor has planned a slow and vengeful death. Enduring solitude and physical hardship, summoning great effort of will, Nameless survives, escapes and, as a profoundly altered man, sets off to find his would-be murderer. A complicated and unexpected resolution of near-perfect length balances the intense drama of Nameless's captivity. With his steady and reliable output as both author and editor, Pronzini has quietly established a reputation as a master of the modern mystery. Shackles, with its many satisfactions, should move right to the top.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA The ``nameless'' detective is kidnapped and shackled to a wall of an isolated mountain cabin during the winter months. Who and why the kidnapper did this to the detective are the compelling questions that go through his mind as he lives out this ordeal. The characters and plot will readily draw readers into the quest for survival, and the twists in plot will keep them reading as the detective deals with his hate and his desire to kill the kidnapper. Pronzini has once again added another good read to his series for mystery readers. Susan Penny, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1 edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312018185
• ISBN-13: 978-0312018184
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!, April 10, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Shackles: A "Nameless Detective" Mystery (Hardcover)

There are not many books I reread but this is absolutely one of them. The plot is tight, dialogue crisp and sense of place makes you reach for a blanket. Written in first person, you experience the thoughts and emotions of `Nameless.' Although out of print and somewhat difficult to find-I recommend used.addall.com-it is worth every effort. It is truly haunting and well deserving of the ranking of Excellent.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pivotal Beginning for the New Nameless, November 18, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shackles: A "Nameless Detective" Mystery (Hardcover)

In the prior 16 novels in this more than 25 novel series, Nameless is one type of character. In the middle of Shackles, Nameless becomes someone else . . . someone he doesn't like as much, but who will be with him for years to come. Anyone who has enjoyed the novels since 1988 will want to be sure to read this book to understand how the current Nameless character was formed by the events in Shackles.

Most of us live constrained by the "mind-forged manacles I hear" as William Blake put it. In Shackles, Nameless finds out what it is like to live constrained by a shackle on his leg that keeps him in an isolated mountain cabin for months while he carefully husbands a dwindling supply of food, beverages, heat and batteries. Nameless finds himself in this situation after being kidnapped in San Francisco. His unnamed abductor obviously hates Nameless very much, but Nameless cannot place him. The period of captivity reminded me of tales from the Gulag. Day by day, Nameless deals with his predicament and his need to retain his sanity. The story builds on a complex foundation of Nameless's reactions to the adversity.

One thing keeps him alive -- the desire to locate his captor and bring him to justice.

Shackles is at once a great story of psychological and physical duress, and a great adventure tale. There certainly is some detection in the story, but the psychological development and physical action are the real reasons to read and enjoy Shackles. At its best, Shackles will remind you of the haunting Jack London story, "To Build a Fire."

When you find out who abducted Nameless and what the source of the abductor's grudge was, you will probably enjoy many of the ironies that Mr. Pronzini built into the ending.

As I read Shackles, I was reminded of the Biblical story of Joseph when he faced his brothers who had sold him into slavery in Egypt. How would you react to such an abductor?

5.0 out of 5 stars "Nameless" at His Best, November 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shackles: A "Nameless Detective" Mystery (Hardcover)

I have read the works of Bill Pronzini for years and love the "Nameless" series. Shackles is by far the best! As this story begins, "Nameless" is kidnapped by a masked man and taken to the Lake Tahoe area where he is shackled to the wall of a small cabin and left, not to die, but to contemplate his death over an agonizingly long period of time. The kidnapper has left him the essentials of life: food, water, books, heat, and a radio. It is only through strength of will and determination that "Nameless" not only survives this one but prevails. This is an intense personal drama that reaches to the soul of this unusual detective to let the reader know just exactly what makes this man tick. The way he plans his daily routine is fascinating. He never lets his predicament overwhelm him. His only question is, "Will he escape before his supplies run out?". My only question is, "Why is this wonderful novel out of print?" Every reader of the Pronzini series should have access to this one.