April 16, 2007
Tight writing and an unromantic portrayal of the work of a PI distinguish Shamus-winner Pronzini's solid 32nd entry in his Nameless Detective series (after 2006's Mourners
). Distracted by wife Kerry's bout with breast cancer, Nameless is reluctant to return to work in his San Francisco office, especially when a former client, Celeste Ogden, seeks to retain his services again. Several years earlier, Ogden had hired Nameless to dig into the background of her sister's fiancé, a software mogul named Brandon Mathias, but the gumshoe's close scrutiny failed to uncover anything fishy. Now, Ogden's sister has died in a fall at her home, and Ogden wants Nameless to prove that Mathias killed her. Despite a less engaging subplot in which one of Nameless's associates tracks down an arsonist, this installment is sure to please series fans.
Starred review from September 15, 2007
Audiobook listeners are always in for a treat when the reader is so familiar with the authors style that the narration sounds free of artifice and overflows with the authors nuances and emotions. Nick Sullivan has read so many of the Nameless books that his seamless reading appears to continue a conversation only briefly interrupted. This time around, Nameless has been asked by a former client to investigate the death of her sister. She is convinced that her sisters mean and controlling husband must have had something to do with it. Having checked into the mans past before, Nameless has been unable to find out anything that would implicate him, but the sister insists that the investigation be continued. Jake Runyon, the other investigator in the Nameless agency, is in Northern California attempting to serve a subpoena but soon finds that the small mountain community is hiding a multitude of secrets, secrets that come very close to killing him. Pronzinis stories flow with a natural, unhurried rhythm that gives listeners the chance to see how real detective work is done. Highly recommended.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.