Illusions

    In his 24th and most intriguing appearance, the "Nameless

Detective" finds himself involved in two intricate and emotional investigations.

The first is intensely personal: the unexpected death of his estranged friend

and former partner, Eberhardt. Although there seems to be no question that

Eberhardt committed suicide, "Nameless" becomes obsessed with the reasons behind

the act. "A man doesn't just all of a sudden trade living for dying. Something

prods him across the line between thinking about it and actually doing it. Every

suicide, every homicide has its trigger. What was Eberhardt's?"

    Meanwhile, he is hired by a Santa Fe businessman to find

his ex-wife, who disappeared three years earlier. Locating the woman turns out

to be fairly simple; she is living and working in the northern California wine

country. But just when the case seems finished, it takes on bizarre dimensions-a

fatal shooting that may or may not be accidental, hidden motives, and a web of

lies and deception. "Nameless" is compelled to continue his investigation when

it becomes clear he is partly, if inadvertently, responsible for the victim's

death.

    The keys to both cases lie in illusions-those people

create about themselves and those they perceive in others. Additional

similarities also emerge, leading "Nameless" to a series of startling

revelations and ultimately to the two most difficult decisions of his

career.

    Both a fair-play detective story and a novel of

psychological and moral complexity, Illusions is another triumph for the

sleuth praised by the Chicago Sun-Times as "the thinking person's

detective." It is also further proof that Bill Pronzini is "an exceptionally

skilled writer working at the top of his ability" (Denver Post) and an

innovator in the field of crime fiction.