Camouflage: Nameless Detective MysteriesBill Pronzini
Forge Books, June 2011
ISBN: 978-0765325648
“One of the best in the mystery-suspense field."--The Washington Post Book World
Camouflage is a spot-on title that perfectly illustrates the theme of the novel’s two side-by-side plotlines. Nameless and his partner Tamara are asked by obnoxious well-to-do David Virden to track down his third wife so he can have the marriage annulled, leaving him free and clear to marry an heiress who will set him up for life. However, after she is found Virden claims that Nameless and co. have made a mistake and he’s never met this woman before in his life. Soon after, Virden disappears, leaving Nameless and Tamara to wonder exactly what’s going on. Is it a case of mistaken identity, identity theft, or something much more sinister?
Meanwhile, employee Jake Runyon is taking care of a personal matter dealing with Bobby, his new lady interest Bryn’s son, who appears to be the victim of abuse. Covered in bruises and with a recently fractured arm, Bobby refuses to discuss the matter with his mother. Jake steps in to offer the kid some much needed guidance that Bobby isn’t getting from Bryn’s ex-husband, and he slowly earns the boy’s trust. Soon Jake is dealing with a psycho with a past full of cruelty and eventually finds himself knee-deep in murder.
The set-ups are relatively simplistic until you realize just how much truth, honesty, and humanity Pronzini has filled the novel with. In an age of thriller material that whips by at bullet train speed, the author purposefully slows the pace of his work in order to concentrate on authentic motivations, reactions, fears, and perplexities. Nameless has never been a brawling, gun-toting superman, and as he’s grown older he’s become even more of a sympathetic understandable everyman kind of character. Therein lies the strength of the series, and our unflagging interest in Bill Pronzini’s discerning, heart-felt literature. Pronzini has plenty of experience in his genre, and it shows. The themes are dark and gritty, and his writing is tight and focused. Camouflage is a brilliant read. It is thrilling, fast-paced, and a genuine mystery.
BILL PRONZINI's novel, Snowbound, received the Grand Prix de la Littérature Policière. In addition to six Edgar Award nominations, Pronzini has received three Shamus Awards, two for best novel and the PWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, the Mystery Writers of America named him Grand Master. He lives in northern California with his wife, the crime novelist Marcia Muller.
BILL PRONZINI's novel, Snowbound, received the Grand Prix de la Littérature Policière. In addition to six Edgar Award nominations, Pronzini has received three Shamus Awards, two for best novel and the PWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, the Mystery Writers of America named him Grand Master. He lives in northern California with his wife, the crime novelist Marcia Muller.
ISBN: 978-0765325648; ISBN10: 0765325640; Imprint: Forge Books; On Sale: 6/7/2011; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 272; $24.95
