VJ Books presents Bill Pronzini!

He published his first novel, The Stalker, in 1971. However, his best known works are the Nameless Detective series, which he began in 1971. As of September, 2008, there are more than 30 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.

Pronzini's 34th Nameless Detective novel, Schemers, releases in 2009 (after 2008's Fever).

In 1987 he won The Eye, 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 Edgar Award, and received their Grand Master designation in May 2008.

Schemers Signed First Edition

Savages Signed First Edition

Fever Signed First Edition

The Hidden Signed First Edition

Mourners Signed First Edition

Boobytrap Signed First Edition

• Casefile (1983)
• Nightshades (1984)
• Dragonfire / Casefile (omnibus) (1990)
• Hoodwink and Scattershot (omnibus) (1990)
• Labyrinth / Bones (omnibus) (1990)
• Spadework: A Collection of Nameless Detective Stories (1994)

1. Quincannon (1985)
2. Beyond the Grave (1986) (with Marcia Muller)
3. Quincannon's Game (2005)

• Charlie Chan (writing as Robert Hart Davis) (with Earl Derr Biggers)
• Charlie Chan in the Pawns of Death (2002)
• Charlie Chan in The Temple of the Golden Horde (2002)

• Graveyard Plots (1985)
• Small Felonies (1988)
• The Best Western Stories of Bill Pronzini (1991)
• Criminal Intent: 1 (1993) (with Ed Gorman, Marcia Muller)
• Sleuths (1999)
• Problems Solved (2003) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• On Account of Darkness: And Other SF Stories (2004) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• Coyote and Quarter-Moon (2006)
• Crucifixion River: Western Stories (2007) (with Marcia Muller)
• Dago Red (2010)

• The Mammoth Book of ... (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Mammoth Book of Short Crime Novels (1986)
• The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels (1986)
• The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (1988)
• The Mammoth Book of World War II Stories (1989)

• Midnight Specials (1977)
• Mystery Writers' Choice (1977) (with Joe Gores)
• Dark Sins, Dark Dreams: Crime in Science Fiction (1978) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• The End of Summer: Science Fiction of the Fifties (1979) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• Night Screams (1979) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• Shared Tomorrows (1979) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• Werewolf! (1979)
• Bug-Eyed Monsters (1980) (with Barry N Malzberg)
• The Edgar Winners (1980)
• Voodoo! (1980)
• Mummy!: A Chrestomathy of Crypt-ology (1980)
• Classic Tales of Horror and the Supernatural (1981) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg) aka The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural
• Great Tales of Mystery and Suspense (1981) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• Creature!: A Chrestomathy of Monstery (1981)
• The Arbor House Necropolis (1981)
• The Giant Book of Horror Stories (1981) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• The Arbor House Treasury of Mystery and Suspense (1982) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• Specter! (1982)
• Arbor House Treasury of Detective and Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps (1983)
• The Web She Weaves (1983) (with Marcia Muller)
• The Western Hall of Fame: An Anthology of Classic Western Stories Selected by the Western Writers of America (1984) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Mystery Hall of Fame: An Anthology of Classic Mystery and Suspense Stories Selected by Mystery Writers of America (1984) (with Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh)
• Child's Ploy (1984) (with Marcia Muller)
• The Outlaws (1984) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Reel West (1984) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Witches' Brew: Horror and Supernatural Stories by Women (1984) (with Marcia Muller)
• The Arbor House Treasury of Great Western Stories (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Dark Lessons: Crime And Detection On Campus (1985) (with Marcia Muller)
• Deadly Arts (1985) (with Marcia Muller)
• She Won the West (1985) (with Marcia Muller)
• Chapter and Hearse (1985) (with Marcia Muller)
• Women Sleuths (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• 13 Short Mystery Novels (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Cowboys (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Ethnic Detectives: Masterpieces of Mystery Fiction (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Warriors (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Second Reel West (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Murder in the First Reel (1985) (with Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh)
• Wickedest Show on Earth (1985) (with Marcia Muller)
• Steamboaters (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Great Modern Police Stories (1986)
• Railroaders (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Tales of Mystery (1986)
• Locked Room Puzzles 3 (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Mystery in the Mainstream: An Anthology of Literary Crimes (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• The Third Reel West (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• 101 Mystery Stories (1986)
• The Cattlemen (1986) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Tales of the Dead (1986)
• Wild Westerns (1986)
• Horse Soldiers (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Manhattan Mysteries (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg and Carol-Lynn Waugh)
• Prime Suspects (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Uncollected Crimes (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Suspicious Characters (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Gunfighters (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• 13 Short Detective Novels (1987) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Criminal Elements (1988) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Cloak and Dagger: A Treasury of 35 Great Espionage Stories (1988) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Texans (1988) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Best of the West: Stories That Inspired Classic Western Films (1988) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Homicidal Acts (1988) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Kill or Cure: Suspense Stories About the World of Medicine (1989) (with Marcia Muller)
• More Wild Westerns (1989)
• The Californians (1989) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Felonious Assaults (1989) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Arizonans (1989)
• Deadly Doings (1989)
• The Northerners (1990) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• The Best of the West II: The Stories That Inspired Classic Western Films (1990)
• The Northwesterners (1990) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Best of the West 3: More Stories That Inspired Classic Western Films (1990) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Christmas Out West (1990) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Crime and Crime Again: Unexpected Mystery Stories by the World's Great Writers (1990) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• The Montanans (1991) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• A Treasury of Civil War Stories (1991) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• A Treasury of World War II Stories (1991) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Combat!: Great Tales of World War II (1992) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Night Freight (1992)
• Great Tales of the West (1994) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural (1994) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)
• Hard-boiled (1994) (with Jack Adrian)
• The Giant Book of Private Eye Stories (1997) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Giant Book of Short Crime Stories (1997) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• Giant Book of War Stories (1997) (with Martin H Greenberg)
• A Century of Mystery: 1980-1989 (1997) (with Marcia Muller)
• Detective Duos (1997) (with Marcia Muller)
• Duo (1998) (with Marcia Muller)
• Heading West (1999)
• Pure Pulp (1999) (with Ed Gorman)
• Oddments (2000)
• More Oddments (2001)
• Masters of Horror and the Supernatural: The Great Tales (2010) (with Martin H Greenberg, Barry N Malzberg)

• Gun in Cheek: A Study of Alternative Crime Fiction (1982)
• San Francisco (1985) (with Larry Lee and Mark Stephenson)
• 1001 Midnights: The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction (1986) (with Marcia Muller)
• Son of Gun in Cheek (1987)
• Six Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide to the 'Worst' in Western Fiction (1997)

• Galaxy Science Fiction Vol. 37 No. 8 (1976)
• 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (1978)
• Shadows (1978)
• The Master's Choice Book 2 (1979)
• Shadows 2 (1979)
• Shadows 3 (1980)
• The Giant Book of Horror Stories (1981)
• Great Tales of Mystery and Suspense (1981)
• 100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories (1984)
• Realms of Darkness (1985)
• Shadows 8 (1985)
• A Treasury of American Horror Stories (1985)
• Hallowe'en Horrors (1986)
• Diagnosis - Terminal: An Anthology of Medical Terror (1996)
• Dangerous Vegetables (1998)

•     The Prophecy (1968)        
•     How Now Purple Cow (1969)        
•     Black Wind (1970)        
•     Dry Spell (1970)        
•     I Wish I May, I Wish I Might (1973)        
•     Inaugral (1976) (with Barry N Malzberg)        
•     Deathlove (1978)        
•     The Same Old Grind (1978)        
•     Clocks (1979) (with Barry N Malzberg)        
•     A Craving for Originality (1979)        
•     Peekaboo (1979)        
•     Opening A Vein (1980) (with Barry N Malzberg)        
•     Toy (1985)        
•     Pumpkin (1986)        
•     Black Wind (1994)        
•     Cat Bay On Cat Cay (1995)        
•     Angel of Mercy (1996)        
•     Boobytrap (1996)        
•     Stacked Deck (1996)        
•     The Desert Limited (1997)        
•     It's A Lousy World (1997)        
•     Not A Lick Of Sense (1997)