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4.0 out of 5 stars
Acting on Epiphanies, Nov 26 2003
Although Bleeders is a standalone story, you will enjoy the book more if you have also read Hoodwink, Shackles, Hardcase and Crazybone. Few will rate this as more than a three-star book unless they have read at least Crazybone. Bleeders can be considered to be the second book in a new section of the Nameless Detective series. If you enjoy Bleeders, be sure to also read Spook which is the next book.The title is one of Mr. Pronzini's best. He refers to literal bleeders, those who have been injured or killed in violent ways. He also means to refer to people who drain others in illegal ways such as blackmailers. Finally, he sees bleeders as those whose hearts are open to the troubles of others and empathize with them. The Nameless Detective falls in the last category. He has a hard time turning down those in need . . . even if he is not being paid. One of the book's more ingenious references is in the dedication:
"For Bill Pronzini
Without whom this series would never have been written." This series is clearly autobiographical in many ways as a note in Casefile indicates. That symmetry reaches an apex in Bleeders as both Mr. Pronzini and Nameless reach 60. Each book in the series hooks up with a different type of social problem and a different part of northern California. It was inevitable that one book would address illegal drugs and the harm that they do. Bleeders is that book. More than anything else, though, Bleeders is a study in psychology. Nameless has been reluctant to change anything about his life. Even after marrying, he retained his old apartment and sometimes stays there alone when he's on a case. Long after other detectives were using electronic surveillance equipment and on-line searches, Nameless was pounding the pavement to get his answers. In recent stories, he's been accommodating those areas more and more by asking others to help him. That leaves the tough guy parts of detection for him. But how much tough guy work can a man of 60 expect to do? Early in the book, Nameless has the kind of epiphany that few people have except those who have survived a long illness. How will it change his life? At first, he looks into doing what he always has done . . . tracking down the bad guys. Later, he realizes that more fundamental changes are called for. Although Nameless has married now and adopted a child, Emily, he hasn't really settled into family life. Can you imagine Sam Spade with a wife and child? He would have been much different. Mr. Pronzini is venturing into uncharted territory as he adopts noir mystery fiction to modern day family life. I find the work to be interesting and rewarding to consider, and look forward to the series continuing for many years to come. The mystery in this one isn't very mysterious. Nameless is being asked to drop off a blackmail payment for a client. Where a sophisticated detective would have dropped a tracking bug into the cash, Nameless stakes himself out and plans to trail whoever picks up the money. It's a great reference back to the first book in the series, The Snatch, in which Nameless is to make a kidnapping payoff. Nameless suspects that the reasons for blackmail relate back to drugs, and thinks he has it all scoped out. Soon, though, he realizes he has miscalculated when he puts both Emily and himself in the gravest danger. The action in the mystery goes downhill from there. As Nameless struggles with his experiences, his critical epiphany is late in coming. In the meantime, he takes you into the mean streets of San Francisco where you meet the scum of the earth. Most people will be disappointed with the ending to this story. That's why I graded it down one star. As I finished the book, I began to think about how dedicated professionals in whatever line of work can make more room for their families and those they love. Where can we all get the help we need?
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