🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Bill Pronzini
Bill Pronzini is a well known American author who likes to write his novels based on the Mystery and Thriller genres. He was born on April 13, 1943 in Petaluma, California in the United States. He was an avid reader right from his childhood days and was fascinated by his grandfather’s mystery and science fiction digest at the age of 12. After that he used to frequently purchase second hand pulp magazines from the bookstores in San Francisco and seemed intrigued by their stories. In a few years, Bill was able to collect around 3000 pulp magazines. When he completed his studies at the junior college, Bill began working as a newsstand clerk, sports reporter, car-park attendant, plumbing supply salesman, office typist, and a warehouseman.
All Book Series by Bill Pronzini
Carpenter & Quincannon, Professional Detective Services
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1998
Shadowtown
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1988 Anthology · John Lutz
The Lighthouse of Terror
Book 36 of 40 · published 2011 Co-authored · Marcia Muller
The Peaceful Valley Crime Wave
Latest in the series · book 40 of 40 · published 2019
The Best Western Stories of Steve Frazee
Series opener · book 1 of 19 · published 1984
Best Western Stories of Frank Bonham
Book 4 of 19 · published 1989 Co-authored · Frank Bonham
The Best Western Stories of Les Savage, Jr.
Book 7 of 19 · published 1991 Co-authored · Les Savage Jr.
On Account of Darkness and Other Stories
Book 11 of 19 · published 2004 Co-authored · Barry N. Malzberg
New Frontiers, Vol. 2
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1990 Co-authored · Martin H. Greenberg
Dark Screams: Volume One
Series opener · book 1 of 9 · published 2014 Co-authored · Stephen King,Kelley Armstrong,Richard T. Chizmar,Ramsey Campbell,Simon Clark,Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Two
Book 2 of 9 · published 2015 Anthology · Brian James Freeman,Shawntelle Madison
Dark Screams: Volume Three
Book 3 of 9 · published 2015 Anthology · Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Four
Book 4 of 9 · published 2015 Anthology · Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Five
Book 5 of 9 · published 2015 Anthology · Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Six
Book 6 of 9 · published 2017 Anthology · Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Seven
Book 7 of 9 · published 2017 Anthology · Brian James Freeman
Dark Screams: Volume Eight
Book 8 of 9 · published 2017 Anthology · Richard T. Chizmar,Brian James Freeman,Frank Darabont
Dark Screams: Volume Nine
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2018 Anthology · Kelley Armstrong
The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural
Book 17 of 143 · published 1981
The Arbor House Treasury of Mystery and Suspense
Book 23 of 143 · published 1982
The Arbor House Treasury of Detective and Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps
Book 26 of 143 · published 1983
The Arbor House Treasury of Great Western Stories
Book 38 of 143 · published 1985
The Second Black Lizard Anthology of Crime Fiction
Book 76 of 143 · published 1988
100 Great Detectives, Or, the Detective Directory
Book 91 of 143 · published 1991
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992
Book 98 of 143 · published 1993
The Fine Art of Murder: The Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion
Book 103 of 143 · published 1993
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993
Book 106 of 143 · published 1994
Torture Trek and Eleven Other Action-Packed Stories of the Wild West
Book 109 of 143 · published 1995
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1995
Book 114 of 143 · published 1996
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1997
Book 120 of 143 · published 1998
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 1
Book 125 of 143 · published 2000
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2
Book 127 of 143 · published 2000
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3
Book 131 of 143 · published 2002
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 4
Book 132 of 143 · published 2003
The Interrogator and Other Criminally Good Fiction
Book 137 of 143 · published 2012
Coast to Coast: Murder from Sea to Shining Sea
Book 140 of 143 · published 2015
Bullets and Other Hurting Things: A Tribute to Bill Crider
Latest in the series · book 143 of 143 · published 2021
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Bill Pronzini?
Bill Pronzini is a well known American author who likes to write his novels based on the Mystery and Thriller genres. He was born on April 13, 1943 in Petaluma, California in the United States. He was an avid reader right from his childhood days and was fascinated by his grandfather's mystery and science fiction digest at the age of 12.
Which Bill Pronzini series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Nameless Detective series, the earliest of Bill Pronzini's multi-book series: it opens with The Snatch (1971) and runs to 41 books across 1971–2017, ending with Endgame (2017). Bill Pronzini's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Bill Pronzini written?
Bill Pronzini has 292 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1971 and 2025. 77 of them belong to 11 named series — the largest being the Nameless Detective series with 41 books — and 215 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Bill Pronzini's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Bill Pronzini's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Nameless Detective (1971–2017, 41 books), Charlie Chan (1974, 1 book) and Nameless Detective Collections (1983–2003, 3 books), plus 8 more.
How are Bill Pronzini's books organised into series?
This guide splits Bill Pronzini's 292 books into 11 named series and 215 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Nameless Detective (41 books, 1971–2017); Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery (9 books, 2013–2021); Dark Screams Anthology (9 books, 2014–2018); Nameless Detective Short Stories/Novellas (3 books, 2011–2012); Nameless Detective Collections (3 books, 1983–2003), plus 6 further series.