A couple of weeks ago I found myself in the ER at M. D. Anderson for what turned out to be a kidney infection. Since I walked in under my own power and wasn't in serious pain, the triage nurse didn't give me a very high priority. I was put on a rolling bed, taken to the area where the rooms are, and shoved up against a desk, where I remained for the next six hours. Luckily I'd had the foresight to take a book with me, and luckily it was a book that could hold my attention while people were constantly coming and going. The book was Bill Pronzini's latest Nameless novel, Endgame.The agency has two cases in this one. Jake Runyon's handling one of them, in which a man's body is found inside a locked and barred cabin. Clearly he died by accident, right? That's what everybody thinks until Runyon shows up. He thinks it's murder.
Nameless is working a case in which a woman has disappeared. Her husband says she couldn't have left on her own because of her extreme agoraphobia. When her body is found, he's arrested for murder, and Nameless is his only hope.
Over the years the personal lives of Nameless and his operatives have become as important to the stories as the cases the agency works, and it's good to see a good bit of that kind of thing included here. I found the book gripping and entertaining. It got me through an unpleasant time, and I can't think of a better recommendation than that.
9 comments:
1) Glad it was "only" a kidney infection, but shame on them for sticking you in a hallway like that!
2) I'm way behind on Pronzini, but this one does sound good.
But will this be the last Nameless? If it is, it was certainly a good one.
Jeff, why do you say that? You must've heard something I've not. Which would be no surprise, now that I think about it.
Read the book. I didn't think it was a secret.
Thanks, Bill. Pleased that the novel helped you through a difficult waiting period. I couldn't ask for a better recommendation.
Jeff and Rick: Yes, ENDGAME is the last Nameless. And no, it's not a secret. I've put him out to pasture for several reasons, but won't be joining him in the foreseeable future (I hope).
I just read this, liked it of course, and was a bit bummed at the end. I hope the saga can continue.
It's been an amazing run, Bill. I've read them all, of course, over 40+ years, plus all the related short stories. You have a lot to be proud of there.
Thanks, Jeff, much appreciated. A heck of a run, yes, much longer than I could have imagined when I began the series.
I agree with Jeff. After 40 years of excellent books Bill Pronzini has a lot to be proud of, especially the NAMELESS series.
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