Pronzini, Bill – LABYRINTH

[LJ Roberts]

LABYRINTH (Private Investigator-San Francisco-Cont) – Ex Pronzini, Bill – 6^th
in series
St. Martin's Press, 1980 – Hardcover

"Nameless" has been called to a murder scene as the body of a young woman has business card in her pocket. Unfortunately, he doesn't know who she is. In the meantime, he is hired by a wealthy woman to follow her distraught father. In so doing, there is a murder, but "Nameless" is convenience the father is innocent in spite of his confession.

Pronzini has created the rare detective who is honest, ethical, and actually has excellent relationships with the police as his detective works within those relationships. Pronzini is masterful at setting a scene, whether it be driving through the fog or building suspense. His characters are real, and his dialogue is excellent. In this book, he has taken a plot device which can destroy credibility in other books, and brilliantly made it part of solution. This is a true detective novel in the very best sense and an excellent read.