Hardcase, Bill Pronzini
Hardcase, Bill Pronzini
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Hardcase

Author: Bill Pronzini

Narrator: John Michalski

Unabridged: 7 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/05/2017

Synopsis

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.

About Bill Pronzini

Bill Pronzini has won numerous awards, including the 2008 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Hammer Award from the Private Eye Writers of America.

About John Michalski

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on April 02, 2019

This 22nd entry in the Nameless Detective series is a thoroughly successful “entertainment” (to use Graham Greene’s phrase) which is not surprising, since Bill Pronzini is a real pro. It starts out, as many mysteries do, with what seems to be a straightforward problem. Melanie Aldrich, going through......more

Goodreads review by Maddy on November 10, 2014

PROTAGONIST: Nameless Detective SETTING: San Francisco area SERIES: #22 of 41 RATING: 3.5 WHY: Nameless is hired by a young woman who wants to know the identity of her birth parents. There's not much information to go on, but he manages to figure out a few things that get him started. He finds out who h......more

Goodreads review by Ed on December 22, 2017

#22 in the Nameless Detective series. "Nameless" is back in this 1995 offering, one of the few entries I missed of the first 30 of author Pronzini's long running series. For long time series fans, Nameless' wedding to Kerry is a landmark and so is his initial prickly interview with Tamara, looking f......more

Goodreads review by The Shayne-Train on August 09, 2021

Still going strong! This one was rough. Rough things happening, rough things almost happening.......more

Goodreads review by Lukasz on June 25, 2018

"The deputy was still alive: twitching a little now, moaning softly. [...] Shot once, in the back just above the right kidney. He'd lost a lot of blood already, the bright arterial kind." I have recently reviewed Bill Pronzini's non-series novel The Other Side of Silence and quite liked it so I dec......more

Quotes

“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

“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

“An exciting entry in an excellent series.” Booklist

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