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(More customer reviews)Bill Pronzini's "Savages" is a Nameless Detective novel, but the sixty-two year old Nameless is no longer totally anonymous. As readers discovered previously, the protagonist, like his creator, is named Bill. He is also the first person narrator of the chapters dealing with a thorny situation: a wealthy woman, Celeste Ogden, wants Bill to unearth proof that her cold-hearted brother-in-law, Brandon Mathias, caused her sister's death. The late Mrs. Nancy Mathias died after falling down the stairs in her home; however, there is not a shred of proof that her death was anything but a tragic accident. Furthermore, Brandon has an ironclad alibi; he was out of town when Nancy fell to her death.
The other portion of the book is written in the third person and concerns Jake Runyon, Bill's investigator, a desolate widower who is still mourning for his deceased wife. Colleen Runyon suffered from ovarian cancer, which claimed her after "six months of pain and fading hopes." On a happier note, Bill and Kerry are encouraged by the apparent success of her treatment for breast cancer.
"Savages" refers to cold-blooded criminals--sociopaths who destroy their victims without remorse. Jake Runyon's "routine assignment" involves delivering a subpoena to a witness, but his task turns out to be anything but ordinary. He travels four hours outside of San Francisco to a small farm town called Gray's Landing; he intends to hand over the subpoena and leave soon thereafter. However, Runyon's plans change when he finds the body of a man hanging from a rope in a barn. Jake is then whacked by an unknown assailant and lands in the hospital with a concussion. Long story short, Jake unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a case of murder and arson. He immediately gets on the wrong side of a nasty and arrogant sheriff, but Jake persists in following his investigation to its inevitably bitter end.
For his part, Bill reluctantly does Celeste Ogden's bidding. With the help of his partner, Tamara, Bill looks through Nancy's diaries and other papers to learn if she and her husband were having marital difficulties, and he interviews her neighbors to see what they know. It turns out that Mrs. Mathias was a deeply troubled and depressed individual whose self-esteem was being steadily eroded by her overbearing and controlling husband. Brandon may have been a nasty and sadistic man but, Bill points out to Celeste, that doesn't automatically make him a murderer.
"Savages" is trademark Pronzini: spare and cleanly written prose, crisp dialogue, a tidy plot and a conclusion that is not completely "happily ever after." The author also provides a sensitive treatment of Bill and Kerry's ordeal dealing with her debilitating cancer treatments. As always, Tamara Corbin stands out; she is a breath of fresh air and her dedication and competence have made her a mainstay of the detective agency. In five years, she has changed from "wiseass militant" to a poised and professional woman with "character, patience, and determination." Alas, she is still trying to get over her cello playing boyfriend, Horace, who unceremoniously dumped her three months ago to take up with a fellow musician. Tamara always has a witty remark to offer even when it's at her own expense: "I'm cool. My love life's ice cold" is a typical Tamara quip. Pronzini is also cool and "Savages" is a fast-moving story that shows just how much life is still left in this long-running series.
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