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Bill Pronzini was born in Petaluma, California on April 13, 1943. His first novel, The Stalker, was published in 1971. He is best known for his creation of the Nameless Detective Mystery series, as well as several westerns and novels of dark suspense. He has been a full time writer since 1969. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories. He has won numerous awards including three Shamus Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Mystery Writers of America. His book Snowbound received the Grand Prix de la Litterature Policiere, as the best crime novel published in France in 1988. Pronzini has established himself as a master of the Western novel as well as earning a name for himself in the dark fiction genre. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from Arbor House Treasury of horror and the supernatural… (more)
The Bughouse Affair 174 copies, 14 reviews
Double 171 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories (Editor; Contributor) 155 copies, 3 reviews
Beyond the Grave (Author) 126 copies, 4 reviews
Women Sleuths (Editor) 124 copies, 3 reviews
Locked Room Puzzles (Editor; Contributor) 117 copies, 1 review
Nightcrawlers 117 copies, 2 reviews
The Snatch 103 copies, 5 reviews
Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural (Editor) 103 copies, 2 reviews
Mourners 101 copies, 3 reviews
The Arbor House Treasury of Great Western Stories (Editor; Contributor) 94 copies, 1 review
Shackles 94 copies, 2 reviews
Schemers 92 copies, 5 reviews
Police Procedurals (Editor) 89 copies, 1 review
Blue Lonesome 87 copies, 1 review
Savages 86 copies, 1 review
Blowback 85 copies, 2 reviews
Crucifixion River 84 copies, 1 review
Quarry 83 copies, 2 reviews
Jackpot 83 copies, 1 review
The Other Side of Silence 82 copies, 1 review
American Pulp (Editor) 81 copies
The Crimes of Jordan Wise 80 copies, 3 reviews
The Spook Lights Affair 79 copies, 5 reviews
Scattershot 78 copies, 3 reviews
A Wasteland of Strangers 78 copies, 3 reviews
The Vanished 78 copies, 4 reviews
Fever 77 copies, 3 reviews
Lady on the Case: 22 Female Detective Stories (Editor; Contributor) 75 copies
Betrayers 74 copies, 1 review
Bones 74 copies, 2 reviews
Hoodwink 74 copies, 4 reviews
The Lighthouse (Author) 73 copies, 2 reviews
Quicksilver 71 copies
Breakdown 70 copies, 1 review
Werewolf! A Chrestomathy of Lycanthropy (Editor) 70 copies, 1 review
The Hidden 70 copies, 3 reviews
Demons 67 copies, 1 review
Hellbox 65 copies
Undercurrent 65 copies, 3 reviews
Camouflage 62 copies, 1 review
Masques (Author) 61 copies, 1 review
Tales of the Dead (Editor) 61 copies
Nightshades 60 copies, 1 review
Femme 60 copies, 2 reviews
Epitaphs 59 copies, 2 reviews
Labyrinth 57 copies, 2 reviews
Sentinels 56 copies
Baker's Dozen: 13 Short Mystery Novels (Editor; Contributor) 55 copies, 1 review
Hardcase 55 copies, 2 reviews
Twospot 54 copies, 1 review
Boobytrap 53 copies, 1 review
Nothing but the Night 53 copies, 1 review
Bindlestiff 52 copies, 2 reviews
Crazybone 51 copies, 2 reviews
Dragonfire 50 copies
Detective Duos (Editor; Contributor) 49 copies, 1 review
Chapter and Hearse: Suspense Stories about the World of Books (Contributor; Editor) 49 copies, 1 review
Son of Gun in Cheek 49 copies, 2 reviews
Nemesis 48 copies, 1 review
Spook 48 copies, 1 review
Deadly Anniversaries (Editor; Contributor) 48 copies, 6 reviews
Deadfall 47 copies, 1 review
Bleeders 47 copies, 1 review
Booktaker 44 copies, 5 reviews
Snowbound 43 copies
The Stalker 42 copies
The Running of Beasts 40 copies, 1 review
Cloak and Dagger (Editor; Editor) 39 copies
Panic! 39 copies, 1 review
Illusions 39 copies, 1 review
Quincannon 39 copies, 1 review
Graveyard Plots 39 copies
Kinsmen 39 copies, 1 review
Strangers 36 copies, 1 review
In an Evil Time 36 copies
Night Freight 35 copies
Vixen 34 copies, 2 reviews
Midnight Specials (Editor; Contributor) 33 copies
Casefile 32 copies
Eye 32 copies
A Century of Mystery 1980-1989 (Editor; Contributor) 31 copies
Zigzag 30 copies
Great Tales of the West (Editor) 30 copies, 1 review
The Tormentor 30 copies
Endgame 30 copies
Uncollected Crimes (Editor) 29 copies
The Flimflam Affair 28 copies, 1 review
The Alias Man 26 copies
101 Mystery Stories (Editor; Contributor) 26 copies
Manhattan Mysteries (Editor) 25 copies
Night Screams 23 copies
Starvation Camp 21 copies
Christmas Out West (Editor) 20 copies, 2 reviews
Acts of Mercy 20 copies
Aftershock 20 copies
The Casebook of Sidney Zoom (Editor) 19 copies
The Hangings 18 copies
Games 17 copies
Kill or Cure (Editor; Editor) 16 copies
Dead Run 15 copies
Firewind 14 copies
Duo 14 copies
Problems Solved 14 copies
Felonious Assaults (Editor) 13 copies
The Second Reel West (Editor) 13 copies, 1 review
Carmody's Run 13 copies
Prose Bowl 12 copies, 1 review
Bakers Dozen: 13 Short Detective Novels (Editor; Contributor) 11 copies
She Won the West (Editor) 11 copies
Prime Suspects (Editor; Contributor) 11 copies
Criminal Elements (Editor) 11 copies, 1 review
Great Modern Police Stories (Editor) 11 copies, 1 review
Murder in the First Reel (Editor) 10 copies, 1 review
The Railroaders (Editor) 10 copies
Day of the Moon 9 copies, 1 review
Revenant 9 copies
Homicidal Acts (Editor) 9 copies
Crime & Crime Again (Editor) 9 copies
Sleuths 8 copies
Dark Lessons: Crime and Detection on Campus (Editor; Contributor) 7 copies, 1 review
The Steamboaters (Editor) 7 copies
The Outlaws (Editor) 5 copies
The Montanans (Editor) 5 copies
Cat's-Paw 5 copies, 1 review
The Third Reel West (Editor) 5 copies
Bad News (Anthology) (Contributor) 5 copies
Combat (Editor) 5 copies
The Northerners (Editor) 5 copies
Inaugural [short story] (Author) 4 copies
The Californians (Editor) 4 copies
More Wild Westerns (Editor) 3 copies
Stacked Deck 3 copies
The Cowboys 3 copies
The Arizonans (Editor) 3 copies
The Horse Soldiers (Editor) 3 copies
The Cattlemen (Editor) 3 copies
Child's Ploy (Editor; Contributor) 3 copies
Hidden Valley 2 copies
The Lawmen (Editor) 2 copies
Death of a Nobody 2 copies, 1 review
Wildfire 2 copies
Black Wind 2 copies
Bedeviled 1 copy
Multiples 1 copy
War Stories (Editor) 1 copy
Toy {short story} 1 copy, 1 review
Bonecrack 1 copy
Mercurio 1 copy
Freebooty 1 copy
Changes 1 copy
Peekaboo 1 copy
Rebound 1 copy
Sanctuary 1 copy
Doble 1 copy
100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories (Contributor) 429 copies, 4 reviews
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (Contributor) 385 copies, 6 reviews
100 Malicious Little Mysteries (Contributor) 384 copies, 5 reviews
Tales of Terror (Contributor) 297 copies, 2 reviews
100 Great Fantasy Short, Short Stories (Contributor) 245 copies, 5 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Pulp Fiction (Contributor) 232 copies, 4 reviews
Mistletoe Mysteries (Contributor) 227 copies, 7 reviews
The Mysterious West (Contributor) 221 copies, 4 reviews
Stories to Be Read with the Lights On (Contributor) 206 copies, 4 reviews
100 Dastardly Little Detective Stories (Contributor; Contributor; Contributor) 201 copies, 1 review
Masterpieces of Mystery and Suspense (Contributor) 181 copies, 2 reviews
Cat Crimes (Contributor) 153 copies, 2 reviews
A Century of Great Suspense Stories (Contributor) 148 copies, 2 reviews
The Master's Choice (Contributor) 141 copies
Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries (Contributor) 139 copies, 2 reviews
The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 (Contributor) 139 copies, 2 reviews
Microcosmic Tales (Contributor) 137 copies, 3 reviews
The Best Time Travel Stories of All Time (Contributor) 131 copies, 1 review
Shadows (Contributor) 127 copies, 2 reviews
Cat Crimes II (Contributor) 115 copies, 1 review
Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years (Contributor) 105 copies, 3 reviews
Dark Screams: Volume One (Contributor) 98 copies, 32 reviews
The Best of Cemetery Dance, Volume 2 (Contributor) 95 copies, 2 reviews
A Treasury of American Horror Stories (Contributor) 90 copies, 2 reviews
A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories (Contributor) 78 copies, 3 reviews
Tales to Take Your Breath Away (Contributor) 75 copies
Shadows 3 (Contributor) 72 copies
The Mammoth Book of Pulp Action (Contributor) 67 copies, 2 reviews
Blood and Other Cravings (Contributor) 67 copies, 4 reviews
A Treasury of Modern Mysteries Volume 1 (Contributor) 61 copies, 2 reviews
Guilty As Charged (Contributor) 60 copies
Women on the Edge (Contributor) 59 copies
Master's Choice, Volume 1 (Contributor) 59 copies
100 Astounding Little Alien Stories (Contributor) 58 copies
Shivers VII (Contributor) 55 copies, 4 reviews
Shadows 8 (Contributor) 55 copies, 2 reviews
New Jersey Noir (Contributor) 52 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Comic Crime (Contributor) 49 copies
Speculations (Contributor) 48 copies
San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics (Contributor) 45 copies, 1 review
Halloween Horrors (Contributor) 45 copies
Shadows 2 (Contributor) 45 copies, 1 review
100 Fiendish Little Frightmares (Contributor) 44 copies, 2 reviews
Realms of Darkness (Contributor) 43 copies, 1 review
Nightmares (Contributor) 40 copies
I Want My Mummy (Contributor) 38 copies, 2 reviews
Final Shadows (Contributor) 37 copies
Chrysalis 6 (Author) 35 copies, 1 review
Terrors (Contributor) 35 copies
Touch Wood (Contributor) 33 copies, 1 review
Cat Crimes Takes a Vacation (Contributor) 32 copies
Conqueror Fantastic (Contributor) 32 copies, 2 reviews
Irreconcilable Differences (Contributor) 31 copies, 2 reviews
Chrysalis 5 (Contributor) 30 copies, 1 review
Most Wanted (Contributor) 28 copies, 1 review
New Crimes 1 (Contributor) 21 copies
The Shamus Game (Contributor) 20 copies
Other Worlds 2 (Contributor) 20 copies
The Interrogator and Other Criminally Good Fiction (Contributor) 18 copies, 1 review
The Best of the American West II (Contributor) 13 copies, 1 review
Crime After Crime (Contributor) 12 copies
The Western Hall of Fame Anthology (Contributor) 10 copies
Alfred Hitchcock's Mortal Errors (Contributor) 9 copies
Crime Without Murder (Contributor) 6 copies
Best Detective Stories 1981 (Contributor) 5 copies
Murder to Go (Contributor) 5 copies
Venture Science Fiction May 1970 (Contributor) 4 copies
Best Detective Stories 1980 (Contributor) 3 copies
First Cases [Unabridged Audiobook] (Contributor) 3 copies
Mens vi taler om djævelen .... : 19 gys (Contributor) 2 copies, 1 review
Killer Crimes 2 copies
Black Wings Has My Angel & Other Short Stories (Introduction, some editions) 2 copies
20th century (44) American (59) anthology (1,328) California (56) cats (54) collection (52) crime (228) crime and mystery (34) crime fiction (97) detective (168) ebook (74) fantasy (136) fiction (1,470) hardboiled (48) hardcover (74) horror (558) humor (51) Kindle (43) mysteries (50) mystery (2,119) Mystery Anthology (46) Nameless (112) Nameless Detective (119) noir (74) own (34) paperback (40) pulp (49) read (100) San Francisco (141) science fiction (300) series (47) sf (122) short stories (1,232) signed (37) stories (59) suspense (105) to-read (341) travel (41) unread (68) western (116)
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Short biography
William John Pronzini was born in Petaluma, California. He has been married three times. The first marriage was with Laura Patricia Adolphson, (1965 to 1967; divorce); the second was with Brunhilde Schier, July 28, 1972 (separated December 1985; divorce a couple years later). He married Marcia Muller (also a mystery writer) in 1992. They have collaborated on three novels: Beyond the Grave (1986), The Lighthouse, (1987); and Double (1984), a Nameless Detective novel, as well as on numerous anthologies. In 1987 he won The Eye, which is the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by The Private Eye Writers of America. It is a more exclusive version of their Shamus Award. He has been nominated three times by the Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar Award, and received their Grand Master designation in May of 2008.
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