Tales of the Impossible

Bill Pronzini

By guest reviewer Nicholas Litchfield,
editor of the Lowestoft Chronicle

COMPLEX puzzles, strange disappearances, unconventional murder techniques and spectral encounters abound in Tales of the Impossible, a standout collection of hard-hitting crime stories by Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Bill Pronzini.

Across a literary career spanning more than fifty years, Pronzini (pictured below) has published ninety novels, four non-fiction books, twenty story collections, numerous anthologies, and scores of articles, essays, and reviews. And his work has been translated into nineteen languages and published in nearly thirty countries.

Drawing inspiration from the master of the locked room mystery, John Dickson Carr, this rewarding new collection blends procedural, noir, detective fiction, historical narrative and gritty Westerns, paying homage to the subgenre while spotlighting some of Pronzini’s most beloved characters. The collection opens with The Arrowmont Prison Riddle, set in rural north eastern United States in 1916 where Warden Parker contends with the inscrutable Buckmaster Gilloon after the failed execution of the remorseless Arthur Teasdale. 

Amid a raging storm, Teasdale vanishes from the gallows, leaving behind only his hood, which triggers a frantic investigation. When one of the guards is subsequently found murdered, Gilloon’s sharp deduction skills come to the fore, peeling back layers of deception. Parker finds himself haunted by Gilloon’s uncanny insight and the enduring mystery surrounding this enigmatic man.

The oft-anthologised Proof of Guilt, a personal favourite of Pronzini’s, was adapted for a segment of Roald Dahl’s TV series Tales of the Unexpected. 

Here, veteran cop Walt and his partner Jack Sherrard probe the puzzling murder of lawyer Adam Chillingham. Set within the imposing Dawes Building, the detectives quickly identify a suspect and motive, yet the murder weapon is missing. The case grows ever more gripping until it culminates in a stunning final reveal.

In The Half-Invisible Man, written with Jeffrey Wallman and first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Patrolman Fred Gallagher, an unassuming middle-aged cop, finds himself outside a motel room where a murder has occurred. Gallagher’s meticulous observation and understated competence introduce a potent mix of procedural detail and noir sensibility, highlighting the themes of invisibility and unheralded skill.

Vanishing Act, a collaboration with Michael Kurland that appeared in the pages of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, transports readers to San Francisco’s Magic Cellar in the late 1970s, a nightclub famed for its magical acts. During a show for police cadets, tragedy strikes when performer Phil Boltan is fatally shot. The story is rich with playful commentary on illusion and reality, keeping both characters and readers guessing throughout.

Six stories in this collection feature Pronzini’s iconic Nameless Detective who first appeared in print in 1967. In Dead Man’s Slough, the practical San Francisco private investigator joins a wary fisherman to help a red-haired fugitive escape the dangerous waters of the California Delta, with a narrative thick with suspense and ghostly mystery. Witty dialogue and camaraderie define Ace in the Hole, in which Nameless and his poker buddies face a baffling murder while Booktakers, set in the 1980s, sees the detective go undercover as Jim Marlowe, hired by an aristocratic bookseller to investigate a series of thefts at his shop. The narrative stands out for its droll, natural prose and vividly realised setting.

Eight stories star the dynamic detective duo Sabina Carpenter and gruff ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon, set in late 19^th century rural California. Each Carpenter and Quincannon story brims with sly humour and the classic pleasures of detective suspense. Among the highlights is The Gold Stealers, an atmospheric, suspenseful tale in which Quincannon is tasked with safeguarding land baron Noah Rideout from an imminent assassination plot at a secluded river crossing. The Horseshoe Nail – a tightly plotted whodunit filled with sharp dialogue and rich period detail – is set in a bustling High Sierra sawmill camp where Quincannon goes undercover as a timekeeper to investigate a jewellery theft and finds his cleverness and persistence tested as he navigates a colourful cast of rough characters.

Amusing, ingenious and endlessly surprising, Tales of the Impossible constantly upends expectations. Pronzini, a writer who has ‘perpetrated several novels and more than a score of short stories and novelettes with miracle problem plots,’ would surely have impressed John Dickson Carr with this collection. It serves not only as a tribute to the impossible crime subgenre but also as a thrilling exhibition of Pronzini’s remarkable storytelling skill.
(Stark House Press, paperback, £14.99)

⬛Nicholas Litchfield is an English-born author and journalist who lives in Western New York. He established the Lowestoft Chronicle, a quarterly online magazine, in 2009. It  publishes short stories, flash fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, interviews and artwork.(lowestoftchronicle.com)