Review of Schemers by Bill Pronzini
by Kevin Burton Smith
April 7th, 2009
Schemers
by Bill Pronzini
Forge, March 2009, $24.95
Once more the 2008 MWA Grand Master juggles multiple viewpoints and plotlines, as the members of the thriving, but so far still nameless, detective agency follow their separate but thematically linked cases. The San Francisco agency boasts another operative (alluded to briefly) and even a second location, but the heart and soul of the agency is still Nameless (his co-workers may refer to him as “Bill” but he’ll always be Nameless to me, as in fact he has been for most of this long, long-running series). Even semi-retired, he remains a hands-on kind of boss, stepping in to aid fledgling operative and office manager Tamara or seasoned ex-cop Jake Runyon when the spirit moves him. And the spirit certainly moves him when Barney Rivera, the obnoxious and manipulative chief claims adjuster for Great Western Insurance whom Nameless cut ties with years ago, goads the detective into personally accepting a seemingly impossible case: solving the disappearance of eight extremely rare signed mystery novels, worth almost half a million dollars, from the library of a rich collector. It’s an offer he knows he should refuse, but Nameless lets himself be talked into it. When the locked-room burglary abruptly becomes a locked-room murder, Nameless realizes he’s being set up. But by who? Meanwhile, Jake is out on the road, dealing with another schemer—an anonymous stalker preying on two middle-aged brothers. The mysterious assailant’s tactics have moved rapidly from desecrating their late father’s grave to burglary and personal attacks, and yet neither brother, both quiet, unassuming family men, can name anyone bearing them any sort of grudge. The theme, of course, is manipulation, and Pronzini, with his tight, terse prose style and sparse but always sharp characterization, brings it all home in a thematically and narratively satisfying conclusion. As always. Pronzini, it turns out, is quite the schemer himself.
Wow!…
A very fascinating post….
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Karma Dla Psa…
… just look what I found ……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
2011…
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!…
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
2011…
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to improve my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!…
2011…
This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article….
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
2011…
I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one these days…..
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Blogs you should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
rug…
[...]The information talked about inside the write-up are some of the top accessible [...]…
worth to visit…..
[...]here couple of links to sites we link to because the world thinks they are worth visiting[...]……