Overview

Fresh from his recent marriage, the Nameless Detective returns to what appears to be a routine investigation, an adoption case. While searching through the effects of her recently deceased mother, twenty-three year old Melanie Ann Aldrich discovers some papers which show she was adopted. With her father dead as well, it seems unlikely she will ever find out why she was never told. So she hires Nameless to find her true parents. In the course of his investigation, Nameless quickly learns why Melanie's parents never told her she was adopted and why everyone is so eager to keep it quiet. Melanie's biological mother, an emotionally disturbed young woman who died in her early twenties of a brain tumor, was raped by a then teenage delinquent named Steven Chehalis. In his attempt to piece together the past, Nameless tracks down Chehalis only to discover that he's a serial rapist responsible for a large number of rapes and at least two murders as well. Nameless finds himself in a race to bring Chehalis to justice. Chehalis, aware of Nameless's intention, sets his psychotic sights on both his biological daughter, Melanie, and Nameless's new bride. Hardcase is Pronzini's most suspenseful mystery to date.

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9781538542798

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Reviews

An exciting entry in an excellent series. -- Booklist John Michalski's narration is almost overwhelming: booming and brusque. As the listener becomes accustomed to his style, and he settles into the story, subtlety in his expressions of characters emerges. His forthright emotions and handling of understated personalities (like Kerry) keep the action real and make the frightening conclusion truly immediate. Although his Nameless may not be as restrained as some readers imagine, this full-bodied performance works well with the action and tension of the novel. -- AudioFile From a slapstick beginning to an edge-of-your-seat ending, Pronzini demonstrates why he remains such an enduring force in the genre...Pronzini chillingly captures the volatility of the brutal and truly frightening criminal, a very sick man who hides behind a veil of normalcy. -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Bill Pronzini has been nominated for or won every prize offered to crime fiction writers, including the 2008 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. It is no wonder, then, that Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine said of him: Complexity of characterization, puzzle, and theme support the case for Pronzini as the finest American detective novelist in current practice. He lives and writes in California with his wife, the crime novelist Marcia Muller. John Michalski studied at the Juilliard School Drama Division, under the direction of the late John Houseman. He has appeared in nearly all areas of theater, including Broadway, off -Broadway, Stock, and regional theaters across the country. John has also been on television and film. He currently resides in the Catskills of New York.

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