Scan barcode
A review by john_culuris
Anti Cancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
4.0
.
★ ★ ★ 1/2
With the Nameless Detective’s fifth outing Bill Pronzini has taken the opportunity to introduce (at least to me) the work of Colin Wilcox and his literary creation, Lieutenant Frank Hastings. This is not the first time two authors have teamed up to produce a book (and it won't be the last time for Pronzini), but it was still an interesting effort. Admitting limited experience in these matters, I’ve found that, usually, the writers either rewrite each other's pages until everyone is satisfied, or they take turns, alternating chapters, each featuring his protagonist. And quite a few of the reviews I read after writing my own seem to think this was the case here. Actually the authors split the body of the novel into quarters. This method was new to me. It also surprised me that Pronzini went first, which would eventually allow the lesser-known Wilcox to wrap up the book. “Lesser known” I will admit is also an assumption on my part, as I can find no background information on how or why this book came to be. To the best of my knowledge publishers prefer to put the more famous or better selling writer’s name first, and that's what I'm going with here.
For the most part I got what I expected from a “Nameless” novel: the gradual establishing of characters and situations, each of which will in turn redefine the problem to be solved. What I did not expect was a chase sequence so early in the novel. I understand that Pronzini tries to do something different with each outing without straying too far from the framework of a detective story, but it's hard to be invested in a chase when your only anchor is the viewpoint character. Even knowing the stakes it helps to have some idea of who else is involved. After a while I started to feel that my time was being wasted, particularly as it was an extended chase.
When Wilcox took over, I have to admit that I was not impressed, at least until I realized the situation he was up against. It's hard to continue any established momentum when you have to introduce a whole new set of protagonists. Once Wilcox created some momentum of his own, interest was rekindled. I was particularly impressed at how he handled action. Even in one sequence where the expected action never developed, he still built considerable suspense. By the time Pronzini took the reins again I had gone from unimpressed to being willing to pick up a Lieutenant Hastings novel if I came across it.
The balancing act was pulled off as well as could be expected. Nameless was able to do some legitimate detecting and he did expose the more immediate villains. Because Hastings had the finale, he had the more dramatic and interesting conclusion, appropriate because, apart from the epilogue, he was responsible for the ultimate resolution of the story.
Despite some initial sputtering from both writers, they eventually produced a successful book. Nothing memorable but an entertaining ride. That's usually worth the price of admission.
★ ★ ★ 1/2
With the Nameless Detective’s fifth outing Bill Pronzini has taken the opportunity to introduce (at least to me) the work of Colin Wilcox and his literary creation, Lieutenant Frank Hastings. This is not the first time two authors have teamed up to produce a book (and it won't be the last time for Pronzini), but it was still an interesting effort. Admitting limited experience in these matters, I’ve found that, usually, the writers either rewrite each other's pages until everyone is satisfied, or they take turns, alternating chapters, each featuring his protagonist. And quite a few of the reviews I read after writing my own seem to think this was the case here. Actually the authors split the body of the novel into quarters. This method was new to me. It also surprised me that Pronzini went first, which would eventually allow the lesser-known Wilcox to wrap up the book. “Lesser known” I will admit is also an assumption on my part, as I can find no background information on how or why this book came to be. To the best of my knowledge publishers prefer to put the more famous or better selling writer’s name first, and that's what I'm going with here.
For the most part I got what I expected from a “Nameless” novel: the gradual establishing of characters and situations, each of which will in turn redefine the problem to be solved. What I did not expect was a chase sequence so early in the novel. I understand that Pronzini tries to do something different with each outing without straying too far from the framework of a detective story, but it's hard to be invested in a chase when your only anchor is the viewpoint character. Even knowing the stakes it helps to have some idea of who else is involved. After a while I started to feel that my time was being wasted, particularly as it was an extended chase.
When Wilcox took over, I have to admit that I was not impressed, at least until I realized the situation he was up against. It's hard to continue any established momentum when you have to introduce a whole new set of protagonists. Once Wilcox created some momentum of his own, interest was rekindled. I was particularly impressed at how he handled action. Even in one sequence where the expected action never developed, he still built considerable suspense. By the time Pronzini took the reins again I had gone from unimpressed to being willing to pick up a Lieutenant Hastings novel if I came across it.
The balancing act was pulled off as well as could be expected. Nameless was able to do some legitimate detecting and he did expose the more immediate villains. Because Hastings had the finale, he had the more dramatic and interesting conclusion, appropriate because, apart from the epilogue, he was responsible for the ultimate resolution of the story.
Despite some initial sputtering from both writers, they eventually produced a successful book. Nothing memorable but an entertaining ride. That's usually worth the price of admission.