The problem with mystery series — at least for me — is that too many of them go on past their prime. Part of this is because readers don’t seem to notice the fall off that begins with adventure number 31 and continues all the way through adventure number78. The writer is on autopilot and so is the reader. The whole thing becomes a ritual, like mass.

You’ll note that I said “for me.” I’m in the minority in the mystery world where series are concerned. But that said, I’ve read all the Nero Wolfes twice over and I’m perfectly willing to read them through again. Happily there are exceptions, like Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective series, of which FEVER is the latest.

I have been reviewing these books since the early 1980s and I’ve been an admirer (and failed imitator of it) all that while.

As I’ve said before, the pleasures of the Nameless books are two-fold: they are social histories of San Francisco and environs as well as well-conceived and often stunning mystery stories. And they are something like the genuine autobiography of the man who writes them: the gruff, blue-collar, wry, angry, sentimental soul who exposes himself and his feelings on every page of every book. I don’t think has ever been a series like this.

Another extraordinary aspect of the books is that it they’ve gotten constantly better. Pronzini was a solid writer from the get-go, but what he is doing these days is far beyond solid; it is masterful and will, I predict, take its place in the mystery field as one of the enduring bodies of work.

FEVER concerns Mitchell Krochek, who hires Nameless to find his missing wife, Janice, a woman with a serious gambling addiction and has run away before. There are two cunning twists early on that set us up for the descent of Nameless (and his two recent associates) into the dark world of people who prey upon gamblers. I’d never heard of this world before and Pronzini makes it grimly fascinating.

The writing is clean, evocative, true to Nameless and true to the very real and very troubled characters. This, like all the Nameless novels, is for everyday grown-ups. You won’t find any of the gaudy cut-outs of so much bestselling fiction. Instead you’ll be absorbed by the almost Simenonesque contemplation of people who, like our protagonist, are struggling through life in these deeply disturbing times.

If you care about serious work by a serious writer, make sure you find this book and read it. This is a series that should never end. It’s got more juice than ever.
Also look for Bill’s new major collection of dark short fiction DAGO RED; the Ramble House release offers classics such as “Liar’s Dice” and material seldom seen, including the startling “Out Behind The Shed.” If you want to learn how to write short fiction, memorize this book. —Ed Gorman

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• CRUCIFIXION RIVER by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
• SNOWBOUND / GAMES by Bill Pronzini