In 1971, author Bill Pronzini was only 27 when he wrote The Snatch, building on a shorter and different version of the story that appeared in the May 1969 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine under the same title. With the publication of this book, one of detective fiction's great characters was born with full fledged power and authenticity. If you have not yet read the Nameless Detective novels by Mr. Pronzini, you have a major treat ahead of you. Many of these are now out-of-print, so be sure to check your library for holdings in near-by cities.The Nameless Detective is referred to that way because Mr. Pronzini never supplies a name until the fifth book in the series, Twospot, although he begins toying with the reader about this point in the fourth book in the series, Blowback. I won't reveal that name here.
Mr. Pronzini presents a world in which many men take evil actions to further selfish interests, and many women and children suffer because of that selfishness. The police and private investigators suffer along with the victims, for evil-doing has painful consequences for everyone. Mr. Pronzini's plots are complex, yet he provides plenty of clues to help you identify the evil-doer on your own. Despite the transparency of many plots, he successfully uses plot complications to keep the action interesting and fresh.
But the reason to read the books is because of the character development for the Nameless Detective. Nameless is a former police officer in San Francisco who collects pulp fiction about tough private detectives. Overcome by the evil he sees as a police officer and drawn to the complex imagery of the strong, silent hero who rights wrongs, Nameless tries to live that role as a private detective. But he has trouble getting clients, and operating as a one-man shop causes him to lead a lonely existence. In his personal life, his career keeps women at a distance. Like a medieval knight errant, he sticks to his vows and pursues doing the right thing . . . even when it doesn't pay. At the same time, he's very aware of art, culture and popular trends. And he doesn't like much of what he sees. At the same time, he's troubled by a hacking cough that cigarettes make worse . . . but doesn't really want to know what causes his phlegm to rise. He's been afraid of doctors since he saw them operating on wounded men during World War II.
The books are also written in a more sophisticated version of the pulp fiction style, employing greater style through language and plot. The whole experience is like looking at an image in a series of mirrors that reflect into infinity.
These books are a must for those who love the noir style, and the modern fans of tough detectives with a heart of gold like Spenser . . . and can live without the wise cracks and repartee.
In Undercurrent, the third book in the Nameless Detective series, a new bride, Judith Paige, asks Nameless to find out what her husband is doing on his extended weekend "business" trips that add over two hundred miles to his car's odometer. When her husband, Walter, returns from these trips, he's not very interested in her. Naturally, she fears she is being betrayed. It's a nice day in San Francisco, and Nameless doesn't want to have to look into the dirty linen of her marriage. However, he comforts himself with the thought that she may be imagining things, and takes the case. Immediately, he regrets the decision . . . knowing how much it will hurt if he finds out that Walter Paige has been cheating on her.
The next day, Nameless trails Paige to the small village of Cypress Bay on the Monterey Peninsula where Paige checks into a motel cabin. Nameless rents the next one over, and settles down to watch. He follows Paige to a near by park, where he meets a man for an extended conversation. Nameless cannot overhear what is said, even after strolling past. Then Paige returns to his cabin. When no one comes or goes through the rest of the afternoon, Nameless gets bored and decides to walk around to the beach side of Paige's cabin . . . and finds an open doorway with Paige dead inside the cabin.
Encouraged by the local police, Nameless stays on to assist in the investigation of the death . . . even after Mrs. Paige returns to San Francisco. An unexpected book in the cabin starts a trail that leads to more violence and hidden lies all across the community.
The story is very authentic to the concept of the Nameless Detective. He does most of his detecting in an effort to be helpful, not because he is being paid. The connection to literature and the author's own career are more palpable than in the earlier two stories. So there's a nice set of irony to appreciate as you realize that there's an element of Bill Pronzini in the character, Russell Dancer, who's been a prolific pulp and western short story writer and novelist for many years. It's not only Nameless who is living a dream in this book.
The story returns to the complexity that Mr. Pronzini so ably displayed in The Snatch. There are many secrets and lies to hide them in Cypress Bay, and most of the secrets and lies play unexpected roles in explaining who Walter Paige was and why he was in town.
One of the strengths of the novel is that you will feel the disgust that Nameless experiences as he explores the tawdry side of a wholesome, innocent young woman's marriage.
After you withdraw emotionally from this powerful book, think about where you should know more about others before you trust them. How can you find out without creating barriers to creating mutual trust?
