Reading order · 26 books · 1971 to 2002 · Set in San Francisco
Nameless Detective Books in Order
The Nameless Detective is a San Francisco private eye whose name is never given: a collector of pulp magazines, a lonely man who slowly builds a family and a business over more than forty novels.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Series facts
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 1971 to 2002
- First book
- The Snatch
- Latest
- Bleeders (2002)
- Setting
- Set in San Francisco
The reading order
Every Nameless Detective book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
26 books · Set in San Francisco
- 1The Snatch1971With "Nameless"A wealthy man hires the Nameless Detective to deliver the ransom for his kidnapped son.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Vanished1973With "Nameless"A young soldier on leave vanishes, and his girlfriend hires Nameless to find him.Buy on Amazon
- 3Undercurrent1973With "Nameless"A routine surveillance job turns complicated for the San Francisco detective when the man he was paid to watch is murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 4Blowback1977With "Nameless"Nameless, worried about a medical test, goes fishing with friends at a mountain resort, and is drawn into murder.Buy on Amazon
- 5Labyrinth1980With "Nameless"A bodyguard job turns out to be tied to a young woman’s roadside murder, and Nameless follows the trail towards a deadly conspiracy.Buy on Amazon
- 6Hoodwink1981With "Nameless"At a convention of pulp writers, Nameless investigates a case of plagiarism, and then a locked-room murder.Buy on Amazon
- 7Scattershot1982With "Nameless"Three simple jobs go badly wrong for Nameless.Buy on Amazon
- 8Dragonfire1982With "Nameless"Nameless is shot in San Francisco’s Chinatown.Buy on Amazon
- 9Bindlestiff1983With "Nameless"Nameless searches for a missing man among the hobos who ride the freight trains.Buy on Amazon
- 10Quicksilver1984With "Nameless"In San Francisco’s Japantown, anonymous gifts sent to a woman lead Nameless to a ritual murder.Buy on Amazon
- 11Nightshades1984With "Nameless"Hired to look into an accidental death, Nameless is caught between land developers and the last residents of a northern California ghost town.Buy on Amazon
- 12Double1984With "Nameless" and Sharon McConeNameless and fellow private eye Sharon McCone attend a convention in San Diego, and a death draws them in.Buy on Amazon
- 13Bones1985With "Nameless"A pulp writer’s son refuses to accept the official verdict on his father’s death forty years ago, and asks Nameless to find the truth.Buy on Amazon
- 14Deadfall1986With "Nameless"A dying man’s last words draw Nameless into a case that grows more threatening by the day.Buy on Amazon
- 15Shackles1988With "Nameless"A vengeful ex-convict abducts Nameless and leaves him chained in a remote mountain cabin.Buy on Amazon
- 16Jackpot1990With "Nameless"Nameless looks into the death of a man who won a fortune at a Lake Tahoe casino and uncovers a scam in mob-run gambling.Buy on Amazon
- 17Breakdown1991With "Nameless"A man accused of a fatal hit-and-run hires Nameless to prove his innocence.Buy on Amazon
- 18Quarry1992With "Nameless"A farmer’s daughter left deeply traumatised drives Nameless to find the person responsible, and to confront his own darker side.Buy on Amazon
- 19Epitaphs1992With "Nameless"Searching for an old man’s missing granddaughter, Nameless is drawn into a dangerous corner of San Francisco.Buy on Amazon
- 20Demons1993With "Nameless"Asked to look into a husband’s affair with a woman who then vanishes, Nameless finds her past lovers may have dangerous obsessions.Buy on Amazon
- 21Hardcase1995With "Nameless"A young woman’s search for her birth parents leads Nameless to a dangerous man who threatens his own family.Buy on Amazon
- 22Sentinels1996With "Nameless"Nameless ventures into the northern California wilderness to find a missing student and her boyfriend.Buy on Amazon
- 23Illusions1997With "Nameless"Nameless investigates the death of his estranged partner while searching for a woman who may know why he died.Buy on Amazon
- 24Boobytrap1998With "Nameless"A holiday at a mountain lake turns deadly when a paroled explosives expert sets traps for Nameless and his companions.Buy on Amazon
- 25Crazybone2000With "Nameless"A widow’s refusal of a large insurance payout leads Nameless into fraud and murder in an affluent California community.Buy on Amazon
- 26Bleeders2002With "Nameless"A simple blackmail case turns deadly when Nameless’s client is shot, and Nameless barely escapes the same fate.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Snatch. The books stand alone, but Nameless’s life develops through them.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | "Nameless" | Sharon McCone | Eberhardt | Kerry Wade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Snatch | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 2 The Vanished | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 3 Undercurrent | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 4 Blowback | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 5 Labyrinth | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 6 Hoodwink | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 7 Scattershot | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 8 Dragonfire | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 9 Bindlestiff | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 10 Quicksilver | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 11 Nightshades | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 12 Double | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 13 Bones | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 14 Deadfall | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Shackles | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 16 Jackpot | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 17 Breakdown | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 18 Quarry | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 19 Epitaphs | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 20 Demons | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 21 Hardcase | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 22 Sentinels | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 23 Illusions | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 24 Boobytrap | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 25 Crazybone | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 26 Bleeders | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Nameless Detective books
4 characters from Bill Pronzini’s chart, with the number of Nameless Detective books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| "Nameless"Private investigator with no name | 26 | The Snatch 1971 |
| Sharon McConeMarcia Muller's private investigator | 1 | Double 1984 |
| EberhardtPolice lieutenant, later Nameless's partner | 26 | The Snatch 1971 |
| Kerry WadeCopywriter, later Nameless's wife | 21 | Hoodwink 1981 |