Shackles: A "Nameless Detective" Mystery
by Bill Pronzini
Category: Fiction

Pronzini is a pro. -The New York Times He is ruthless and amoral, and he feels nothing but fury and a burning desire for revenge upon Nameless, the man he believes is responsible for ruining his life. So he plots a horrible, lingering death for his victim. One night, Nameless is abducted by his unknown enemy, taken to a mountain cabin, chained to a wall, and left there to die once the scanty provisions left for him run out. In the icy whiteness of dead winter, Nameless has nothing to do but search his memory. Who is his captor? When did their paths cross? And what could he have done to warrant such revenge? Perhaps the answer lies in one of the secondhand paperbacks or magazines provided for his comfort or perhaps there is some significance in the date he was kidnapped or... His isolated captivity is a nightmare, and he must take each day as it comes just in order to keep his sanity. There is but one thought that keeps him going-a vow that somehow he will escape. There must be something-one small detail-his jailor overlooked... Once free of the physical shackles that bound his body, Nameless must remove the emotional shackles that have closed upon his mind. He sets out on a quest to find his captor. Now, the roles are reversed and the hunted becomes the hunter...