Nameless Detective Books In Order

Publication Order of Nameless Detective Books

Publication Order of Nameless Detective Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Nameless Detective Collections

The Nameless Detective series is a series of mystery and thriller novels written by the multiple award winning author from Petaluma, California, United States, Bill Pronzini. The series is a long running work of the author and is comprised of around 40 novels published between the years 1970 and 2015. Just like the style of writing of the author, Bill Pronzini in the Science Fiction, Mystery & Thriller and Literature & Fiction genres, this novel is also based on the detective fiction stories and features the main character, who does not have a particular name. Hence, the series is known as the Nameless Detective series. The author thinks of the protagonist as Everyman character. He used the master stroke or it may have happened accidentally that author Bill Pronzini took so many years to give a name to his successful private eye character, yet he could not find a specific name. However, by the time he decided to finally give it a name, the character had become widely popular as a nameless detective. Later, author Bill Pronzini did provide a name to the character as Bill, the fans still remember him by the name of ‘Nameless’.

Nameless was like any other man, middle-aged, content with a bottle of cold beer and one of his favorite pulp magazines to read, and a body quite out of shape. He had a decent nature towards others and a kind heart. He used to give a helping hand to the ones who needed it and even give up his seat for a pregnant lady while travelling by bus. Nameless would frequently play poker with his friends or attend a ball game with a hotdog mustard around his sleeves. Other than being a normal man, he was also quite dedicated towards his profession. As a determined private investigator based in San Francisco, he was not one of the not-so-pretty faces in the city. Nameless Detective also had a hard-boiled and tough nature, but he used to show it only when it was required. He has seen several downsides of life, such as a heartbreak by the love of his life, betrayal of his best friend, getting captured by a mental psychopath and suffering from cancer. The series revolves around the life and times of the Nameless detective. The author Bill Pronzini has written the novels of the series over a wide range of styles and formats, ranging from several short stories to full length novels, from retro classics to intriguing mysteries and humorous collaborations with other novelists. The series also deals with the lover of Nameless, Kerry showing that he did not just live a lonely life as a private investigator. This was an attempt by author Bill Pronzini to end the novel series on a positive note in the year 2000. However, stories after stories kept coming to his mind and he could really put and end to the developing plot of the series.

In the further novels of the series, it is seen that Nameless begins to live a domestic life with a wife and a child, and plans of handing over his agency to his partner, Tamara Corbin. He, later breaks with a new investigator named Jake Runyon. The later parts of the series have been written in a cozy mystery style by the author. The novels of the series after the introduction of Tamara Corbin and Jake Runyon feature three separate cases for each of Nameless, Tamara and Jake, which often get linked at the end. The novels of the series continue to showcase the personal crisis in the life of the three characters and revealing and realistic journey of Nameless’s life. The series became one of the highly recommended mystery series’ because of its brave and gripping voyages. The deep involvement of author Bill Pronzini in the characterization of the Nameless Detective can be seen from his quote, which says that whenever he imagines about Nameless Detective, he sees himself.

The first novel of the series was published in the year 1971 by the Random House Trade publishing house. The novel was titled ‘The Snatch’ and introduces the chronicled adventures in the life of the main character, Nameless Detective. In the opening plot of the novel, Nameless detective is hired to handle the payment of ransom money in a kidnapping case. The nine year old son of a financier named Louis Martinetti gets kidnapped from his military preparatory school. Louis does not have faith in the police to deal with the kidnapper and get his son home safely. He also does not trust any member of his household. As a result, he hires Nameless to carry out the dealing with the kidnapper. As told by the kidnapper, Nameless reaches the secluded location selected by the kidnapper with a briefcase containing the cash money of $300,000. From there on, the story unfolds in a heroic manner as Nameless showcases the glimpse of his bravery and saves the 9 year old son of Louis Martinetti. He also catches the kidnapper and solves the case with the help of his bravery and dedication.

The other novel that was published initially in the series was titled ‘Blowback’. It was published in the year 1981 by the Countryman Press. The novel opens up with a bad news stating that Nameless was suffering from cancer. He had always known that the ache in his chest and the cough were the indications of something serious. His fear came out true when he learned that he had a lesion on his lung. Sitting and waiting for the results, he wishes to get back into action. Soon, Nameless gets a call from his friend Harry Burroughs, who seemed to be in trouble. He owned an isolated fishing camp in California and had several people residing over there. Harry feared that the camp was going to become violent. On investigation, Nameless learns that the situation had become simmering because of the presence of a woman named Angela, who was erotic and her jealous husband, Ray, who had heavy drinking habits. Angela seems to be innocent at first and plays sweet, but she is not what she appears to be. Soon, murders begin to take place. Firstly, a rug dealer is killed and then the residents of the camp start becoming the targets of the killer. Even Nameless seems to be on the list of the murderer. But, the thing that bothers him more than the getting murdered by the killer is the lesion on his lung, which seems to have become malignant. The plot of the novel is filled with violence, theft, sexual intrigue and murder, all the important elements that make the novel an intriguing mystery to read.