Bill Pronzini

Bill Pronzini (born April 13, 1943) is a highly-regarded and very prolific American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories.

He published his first novel, "The Stalker", in 1971. However, his best known works are the Nameless Detective (fictional detective) series, which he began in 1971. As of September, 2007, there are 31 books in the series, as well as a number of short stories. Over the life of the series, Nameless has gracefully grown and matured as an “everyman” character, aging along with his creator and audience. While the stories involve the usual range of crimes typical to mysteries, they depict relatively little violence. Pronzini’s style is more character driven than plot driven, giving his stories insights, depth, and durability atypical for the mystery field. Because Nameless develops over the run of the series, it's most effective to read them in sequence.

His books have been translated into nearly twenty languages, and have been published in more than thirty countries.

Biography

William John Pronzini was born in Petaluma, California. He has been married three times. The first marriage was with Laura Patricia Adolphson, (1965 to 1967; divorce); the second was with Brunhilde Schier, July 28, 1972 (separated December 1985; divorce a couple years later). He married Marcia Muller (also a mystery writer) in 1992. They have collaborated on three novels: "Beyond the Grave" (1986), "The Lighthouse", (1987); and "Double" (1984), a Nameless Detective novel, as well as on numerous anthologies.In 1987 he won [http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv72.html The Eye] , which is the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by The Private Eye Writers of America. It is a more exclusive version of their Shamus Award. He has been nominated three times by the Mystery Writers of America for an [http://www.mysterywriters.org/ Edgar Award] , and received their Grand Master designation in May 2008.

elected Bibliography

Bill Pronzini has written so many novels, and compiled so many anthologies, that space limitations prohibit a complete listing. "Contemporary Authors" and "Books in Print" (both available in print and online through most library systems) are the best resources for this information. CA includes an overview of Pronzini’s career and varied writings. The following is a list of his best-known fiction.

Nameless Detective Novels

#"The Snatch", Random House, (1971).
#"The Vanished", Random House, (1972).
#"Undercurrent", Random House, (1973).
#"Blowback", Random House, (1977).
#"Twospot", (With Collin Wilcox), Putnam, (1978).
#"Labyrinth", St. Martin's, (1980).
#"Hoodwink", St. Martin's, (1981).
#"Scattershot", St. Martin's, (1982).
#"Dragonfire", St. Martin's, (1982).
#"Bindlestiff", St. Martin's, (1983).
#"Quicksilver", St. Martin's, (1984).
#"Nightshades", St. Martin's, (1984).
#"Double" (With Marcia Muller), St. Martin's, (1984).
#"Bones", St. Martin's, (1985).
#"Deadfall", St. Martin's, (1986).
#"Shackles", St. Martin's, (1988).
#"Jackpot", Delacorte, (1990).
#"Breakdown", Delacorte, (1991).
#"Quarry", Delacorte, (1992).
#"Epitaphs", Delacorte, (1992).
#"Demons", Delacorte, (1993).
#"Hardcase", Delacorte, (1995).
#"Sentinels", Carroll & Graf, (1996).
#"Illusions", Carroll & Graf, (1997).
#"Boobytrap", Carroll & Graf, (1998).
#"Crazybone", Carroll & Graf, (2000).
#"Bleeders", Carroll & Graf, (2002).
#"Spook", [Carroll & Graf, (2003).
#"Scenarios" (short stories), Forge Books, (2005).
#"Nightcrawlers", Forge Books, (2005).
#"Mourners", Forge Books, (2006).
#"Savages", Forge Books, (2007).
#"Fever", Forge Books, (2008).

Pseudonymous Works

* William Hart Davis (joint work with collaborator Jeffrey Wallmann) (one novel, "Charlie Chan in The Pawns of Death")

* Jack Foxx (four novels, "Dead Run", "Freebooty", "The Jade Figurine", "Wildfire")

* William Jeffrey (joint works with collaborator Jeffrey Wallmann) (three novels, "Border Fever","Day of the Moon", "Duel at Gold Buttes")

* Alex Saxon (one novel, "A Run in Diamonds)"

Anthologies

* alone (usually): twenty-three collections, mainly mystery.
* with Barry N. Malzberg: four science fiction collections.
* with Martin H. Greenberg: fifty-six collections, mainly mystery and western.
* with Marcia Muller: twenty collections, mainly mystery, suspense, and western.

hort Stories

More than three hundred, appearing in "Argosy", generally considered the first American pulp magazine; "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine"; "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction"; Alfred Hitchcock's Anthology; and others.

Internet Resources

* [http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/pronzini.html Authors and Creators] . Page from The Thrilling Detective Website – Brief essay and extensive bibliography.
* [http://www.thrillingdetective.com/nameless.html Thrilling Detective] . Brief appreciation of “one of the most underrated fictional private eyes”. Cites Mr. Pronzini as stating that when imagines the Nameless Detective, he sees Bill Pronzini.
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/bill-pronzini/ Fantastic Fiction] . British bibliography with many illustrations.
* [http://www.mysteryone.com/Bill%20PronziniInterview.htm Interview from Mystery One] . From August, 2002.
* [http://www.iblist.com/author1057.htm Internet Book List] . Ongoing project that provides a comprehensive and easily accessible database of books, authors, and related information.