DRAGONFIRE

Case #10 for the ""Nameless Detective""--who has lost his license, has troubles with girlfriend Kerry (she's now becoming a series bore), and is a wounded witness when unhappy cop-pal Lt. Eberhardt is shot by a Chinese assassin. So, while Eberhardt lies in a coma, the Nameless goes vengefully, illegally sleuthing. The chief clues: the name of the hired assassin, as provided by a phone informant; a stock-transfer document in Eberhardt's safe--which may mean that he took a bribe from someone at Mid-Pacific, a small computer-component company. And, after dangerous detection in Chinatown and inquiries into the Mid-Pacific leadership, the Nameless focuses on company co-founder Emerson--gambler, buyer of Chinese prostitutes (one of whom may have been killed by him), and the man who probably tried to bribe, then murder, Eberhardt. Steady action, but no surprises and less character-appeal than usual with Pronzini: a just-okay outing for the Nameless, who's rarely been such earnest, dreary company.