I’ve been a fan of Bill Pronzini’s writing since the 1960s. I marvel that Pronzini can write westerns with all the quality of his excellent mystery novels. STARK HOUSE just published The Hanging Man & Other Western Stories which collects Bill Pronzini’s best western short stories.
My favorite story in The Hanging Man & Other Western Stories is “Burglarproof,” one of Pronzini’s Quincannon stories featuring a detective hired to solve the theft of a burglarproof safe that contains sacks of gold. Quincannon’s solution is both clever and logical.
I’m also fond of “Decision” where a drifter meets a woman whose husband has abused her. A surprising decision results.
The longest story in this collection is “Crucifixion River” (with Marcia Miller). The story is told by various characters who provide insights into their myriad problems. A man with a past fears he’s been located by a bounty hunter. A young girl yearns to leave her dull rural life and links up with Mister Wrong. A nurse wants to start a new life after disaster befalls her and her marriage. The various plot complications lead to shattering resolutions!
Bill Pronzini’s stories and novels have provided me with 50 years of reading pleasure. When I start reading a book by Pronzini, I’m mesmerized and can’t stop reading until I reach the end. And then, I want more of Bill Pronzini’s stories and fine-crafted words! If you’re looking for a writer who always delivers storytelling excellence and outstanding writing, Bill Pronzini should be your First Choice! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PREFACE — 7
The Hanging man — 11
Markers — 22
Hero — 28
McIntosh’s chute — 33
Decision — 43
All the long years — 49
Burglarproof — 57
The Gunny — 71
Fyfe and the drummers — 76
Wooden Indian — 82
The Gambler — 93
Fear — 101
The Cruel and Deadly Winter — 109
“Give-a-Damn” Jones — 113
Righteous guns — 126
Doc Christmas, Painless Dentist — 130
Not a Lick of Sense — 141
Crucifixion River (with Marcia Miller) — 147
Bibliography — 202
It’s been a half-century (just barely plus) since I first read Pronzini’s work in then slightly dated ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE issues in 1974, picking them up at the Enfield Public Library when my family and I lived in Hazardville, CT…don’t think there’s been a whole year since when I didn’t read something or another by him, including his westerns, horror fiction, and the mildly surreal humor he and Barry Malzberg sold to FANTASTIC (despite it not being fantasy nor SF) for the October 1978 issue, “Another Burnt-Out Case”…as I noted on my blog, there’s a good but by no means complete overlap with THE BEST WESTERN FICTION OF BILL PRONZINI collection from a some decades ago, but this one includes enough (as with the Muller collaboration) on its own to be a useful purchase along with BEST WESTERN, or until one can find a copy of the older volume.
In fact, these were those first two issues of AHMM I borrowed from the library and read, 9yo and thus only slightly older than the issues, the August issue including the first Nameless Detective story (listings from the FictionMags Index):
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine [Volume 13 No. 7, July 1968] ed. Ernest M. Hutter (H.S.D. Publications, Inc., 50¢, 160pp+, digest) []
2 · Fat Jow and the Demon [Fat Jow] · Robert Alan Blair · ss
18 · A Flower in Her Hair · Pauline C. Smith · ss
26 · You Can Bet on Ruby Martinson [Ruby Martinson] · Henry Slesar · ss
38 · Second Talent · James Holding · ss
48 · The Creator of Spud Moran · John Lutz · ss
60 · Nobody to Play With · Irwin Porges · ss
70 · The Philanderer · Lawrence E. Orin · ss
75 · Night Storm · Max Van Derveer · ss
86 · Goodbye, Now · Gil Brewer · ss
94 · You Can’t Fight City Hall, Pete · Bill Pronzini · ss
106 · What Difference Now? · Clayton Matthews · ss
117 · A Nice Wholesome Girl · Robert Colby · ss
131 · Step No. VII · Harold Rolseth · ss
142 · Shadow Against Shadow · Edward Y. Breese · nv
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine [Volume 13 No. 8, August 1968] ed. Ernest M. Hutter (H.S.D. Publications, Inc., 50¢, 160pp+, digest) []
2 · Lesson One · James Holding · ss
21 · The Dead Past · Al Nussbaum · ss
28 · A Secret Lonely Place · Robert Colby · ss
41 · Quick Trip North · Miel Tanburn · ss
48 · Hawk in the Valley · Edward D. Hoch · ss
58 · The Second Debut · Arthur Porges · ss
64 · Good-Bye, Mr. Madison · Clark Howard · ss
74 · Hill Folks · Robt. G. Southers · ss
78 · The Question on My Mind · Lorenc Kunetka · ss
90 · Teddy · John Maust · ss
97 · Sometimes There Is Justice [Nameless Private Eye] · Bill Pronzini · ss
115 · Fat Jow and the Manifestations [Fat Jow] · Robert Alan Blair · ss
128 · The Feeling · Thomasina Weber · ss
135 · Beach Party · Max Van Derveer · nv
Todd, I read ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE occasionally in the 1960s and 1970s. I always went right to the Edward D. Hoch and Bill Pronzini stories first.
Todd, like you I’ve been reading Bill Pronzini’s work for decades. Pronzini is a consummate professional with his fiction always in the Quality realm. I am impressed by his productivity over the years.
Have always enjoyed his work.
Patti, I always enjoyed Bill Pronzini’s presentations at various BOUCHERCONs. He’s not only a terrific writer, but a personable guy.
Although I am not the greatest western fan out there, I have always enjoyed the stories of great writers like Bill Pronzini and Ed Gorman. They make me want to dive into the western rabbit hole more often.
Jerry, you’re right about the excellence of Pronzini and Gorman. I’m also fond of Loren Estleman’s westerns.
Ms. Lee Hoffman…Elmore Leonard…Theodore Sturgeon…Joe Lansdale…among so many good-to-brilliant writers of westerns…James Reasoner also, among our fellow bloggers…
George the Tempter strikes again. I’ve probably read most of these already, But, just in case, I had to buy it. Can’t go wrong with a collection of Pronzini stories, right?
Jeff, you are so right! You can’t go wrong with buying a collection of Pronzini stories! I’ve also heard from Greg Shepard, Editor of STARK HOUSE, that at least two more Barry N. Malzberg collections are in the pipeline. Malzberg died December 19, 2024 after a fall. Malzberg wrote with Pronzini for years.
I’m reading a recent Malzberg collection of uncollected stories, and I must admit I’m not enjoying it nearly as much as his work with Pronzini or even his earlier solo collections. Too bad that he died.
Jeff, Malzberg is about the sixth person I heard of who has died after a fall in the last couple of months. One of the guys at the Pool got right hip replacement surgery a month ago. Last week he fell and now he has to get his left hip replaced!
Re Malzberg, some of whose SF I enjoyed.
Did you know that he also wrote for (in)famous Olympia Press which published in France many erotic English language books that were banned in the USA and in the UK?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia_Press
Sexus, Nexus, Plexus, Lolita, The Naked Lunch and other titles – which I got in Germany in English of course.
So my knowledge of English is based not only on SF …
Wolf, STARK HOUSE has reprinted several of Malzberg’s erotic novels and plan to reprint some more: https://starkhousepress.com/
Wolf, Barry’s writing on my blog, including his original essay on NEW AMERICAN REVIEW https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2024/12/ssw-reced-barry-n-malzberg-and-bill.html