MOURNERS

Happy faces are in short supply once more as the Nameless Detective sets out on his 30th walk on the dark side (Nightcrawlers, 2005, etc.).

Good guys, bad guys, virtually everyone in the cast is to some extent eponymous. James Troxell, the husband of Nameless’s client, has taken to attending funerals—three of them, all women, all victims of violent crimes. He’s clearly depressed, but what, Mrs. Troxell wonders, could have been the trigger? He’s just not the man he was even a few weeks ago: “It’s as if he’s . . . going away.” Within the family, Nameless’s partner Tamara is also suffering, this time from man trouble. A “Dear Tamara” phone call from a heretofore faithful lover has colored her deep indigo. Nameless’s field investigator Jake Runyon and Nameless himself are also mourning parties near and dear. Complications in the Troxell case grow to encompass not only inexplicable behavior but brutal murder, spreading ripples of pain. But Nameless and company stubbornly remain focused, cracking the Troxell case and a variety of satellites stemming from it.

The only faces that won’t be sad are those of fans of plotting and narrative drive, who’ll rejoice in a case that’s close to flawless.