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Quarry #11
The Wrong Quarry
A HIT. AND A MISS.
Ìý
Quarry doesn't kill just anybody these days. He restricts himself to targeting other hitmen, availing his marked-for-death clients of two eliminating the killers sent after them, and finding out who hired them…and then removing that problem as well.Ìý
Ìý
So far he's rid of the world of nobody who would be missed. But this time he finds himself zeroing in on the grieving family of a missing cheerleader. Does the hitman's hitman have the wrong quarry in his sights?
Ìý
Quarry doesn't kill just anybody these days. He restricts himself to targeting other hitmen, availing his marked-for-death clients of two eliminating the killers sent after them, and finding out who hired them…and then removing that problem as well.Ìý
Ìý
So far he's rid of the world of nobody who would be missed. But this time he finds himself zeroing in on the grieving family of a missing cheerleader. Does the hitman's hitman have the wrong quarry in his sights?
221 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
34 people are currently reading
513 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
768Ìýbooks1,286ÌýfollowersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name . He and his wife, , have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name .
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリン�
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name . He and his wife, , have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name .
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリン�
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
November 10, 2013
Quarry's in Stockwell, Missouri, hoping to squeeze the target of a hit into paying him to kill the men paid to bump him off. But is Quarry working for the wrong man? And why is someone so sure Roger Vale killed Candy Stockwell?
I unexpectedly received this ARC from the fine folks at Hard Case Crime.
Quarry is back and still running the kill the killers game he's been running for a while now. Set in the Reagan years, Quarry digs at a sleepy Missouri vacation town's underbelly and gets a look at some human vermin.
The writing packs a punch, par for the course for Quarry books. Quarry's still a bastard but you end up liking him because the people he's after are as bad or worse. Or so he tells us. There may be a touch of the unreliable narrator in Quarry.
As usual, Quarry kills and fornicates his way through a detective caper. I have to admit I was out in the woods for most of the book in regard to what happened to Candy Stockwell. I think Quarry was too but that might be because he can't keep his penis to himself when there's an available vagina in the vicinity.
In a time when people are complaining about Hard Case printing books that don't fit the mold, it's nice to see the forefathers like Lawrence Block and Max Allan Collins back in the mix. Max Allan Collins' books are hit or miss for me but The Wrong Quarry is like a shot in the face from two feet away. Four out of five stars.
I unexpectedly received this ARC from the fine folks at Hard Case Crime.
Quarry is back and still running the kill the killers game he's been running for a while now. Set in the Reagan years, Quarry digs at a sleepy Missouri vacation town's underbelly and gets a look at some human vermin.
The writing packs a punch, par for the course for Quarry books. Quarry's still a bastard but you end up liking him because the people he's after are as bad or worse. Or so he tells us. There may be a touch of the unreliable narrator in Quarry.
As usual, Quarry kills and fornicates his way through a detective caper. I have to admit I was out in the woods for most of the book in regard to what happened to Candy Stockwell. I think Quarry was too but that might be because he can't keep his penis to himself when there's an available vagina in the vicinity.
In a time when people are complaining about Hard Case printing books that don't fit the mold, it's nice to see the forefathers like Lawrence Block and Max Allan Collins back in the mix. Max Allan Collins' books are hit or miss for me but The Wrong Quarry is like a shot in the face from two feet away. Four out of five stars.
February 12, 2014
Quarry, keeping in line with his recent business venture, is in Stockwell, hoping to tracking down the target of a hit in order to get some cash out of the unsuspecting soul by removing him of the perceived threat; eradicate the assassin(s) hired to kill him. Roger Vale, a small time dance instructor, surprisingly takes well to this revelation despite some drama and theatrics (comes with the territory) and agrees to utilise Quarry’s morbid services all in the name of self preservation.
THE WRONG QUARRY is pure popcorn pulp in all its overtly sexual and violent ways. Quarry not only nails the bad guys but also any young hottie in sight. There is a distinct Al Wheeler (Carter Brown detective pulp protagonist) quality to Quarry which is further emphasised by his easy going and blasé attitude towards his conquests. Be it 40yr old renowned easy women or 18yr old teens, Quarry manages to appeal to the broader demographic.
However, it’s his ‘other head� (as quoted by Quarry) that gets him in hot water as he becomes involved in a case surrounding the disappearance of a young women, Candy (and niece of Jenny, his 40yr old love interest) presumably at the hands of Roger Vale (Candy’s dance instructor). Without meaning to do so, Quarry finds himself an almost ad-hoc PI as he scours bars, women, and the missing Candy’s family for truth � what he finds could quite possibly result in him having tracked the wrong quarry.
THE WRONG QUARRY follows a linear plot with a small scale cast, making it easy for the reader to enjoy all this pulply goodness without having to think too hard about what’s going on. Making a novel read easy is hard and Max Allan Collins does just this with his latest venture into his acclaimed hit-man series, Quarry. I loved it.
You may also read this review and others like it on my blog:
THE WRONG QUARRY is pure popcorn pulp in all its overtly sexual and violent ways. Quarry not only nails the bad guys but also any young hottie in sight. There is a distinct Al Wheeler (Carter Brown detective pulp protagonist) quality to Quarry which is further emphasised by his easy going and blasé attitude towards his conquests. Be it 40yr old renowned easy women or 18yr old teens, Quarry manages to appeal to the broader demographic.
However, it’s his ‘other head� (as quoted by Quarry) that gets him in hot water as he becomes involved in a case surrounding the disappearance of a young women, Candy (and niece of Jenny, his 40yr old love interest) presumably at the hands of Roger Vale (Candy’s dance instructor). Without meaning to do so, Quarry finds himself an almost ad-hoc PI as he scours bars, women, and the missing Candy’s family for truth � what he finds could quite possibly result in him having tracked the wrong quarry.
THE WRONG QUARRY follows a linear plot with a small scale cast, making it easy for the reader to enjoy all this pulply goodness without having to think too hard about what’s going on. Making a novel read easy is hard and Max Allan Collins does just this with his latest venture into his acclaimed hit-man series, Quarry. I loved it.
You may also read this review and others like it on my blog:
July 14, 2017
In the Wrong Quarry, Quarry no longer works for the Broker, who is no longer among the living. Rather, Quarry has obtained the Broker's lists of contacts and he follows the hired assassins, staking them out and figuring out who their prey is. Once he is confident in that information, he offers a deal to the targets, he will, for a price, take out their hitmen and find whoever is the responsible party. I guess everyone needs a career doing something.
The Wrong Quarry takes Quarry into small-town Missouri, where he has followed an antique dealer and expert at staking out. What is interesting is that Collins takes the reader through Quarry's thought processes as he surreptitiously follows his target to the small-town where Quarry finds that women seem to be throwing themselves at him, including the town tramp and the town beauty queen.
Quarry is almost like a hardboiled detective as he works to figure out what is going on, who is targeted and why. Once he has that figured out, he then has to determine if he has the right quarry or the wrong quarry. The fun in this story is not figuring out the whodunit, but following Quarry through his adventures. Although the story is of recent vintage, it has very much the feel of a much older novel, particularly the setting of the early 80's in the rural Midwest which Collins conveys through what plays on the radio.
As with all of the Quarry series, this one is recommended reading. Enjoy.
The Wrong Quarry takes Quarry into small-town Missouri, where he has followed an antique dealer and expert at staking out. What is interesting is that Collins takes the reader through Quarry's thought processes as he surreptitiously follows his target to the small-town where Quarry finds that women seem to be throwing themselves at him, including the town tramp and the town beauty queen.
Quarry is almost like a hardboiled detective as he works to figure out what is going on, who is targeted and why. Once he has that figured out, he then has to determine if he has the right quarry or the wrong quarry. The fun in this story is not figuring out the whodunit, but following Quarry through his adventures. Although the story is of recent vintage, it has very much the feel of a much older novel, particularly the setting of the early 80's in the rural Midwest which Collins conveys through what plays on the radio.
As with all of the Quarry series, this one is recommended reading. Enjoy.
February 16, 2024
Most of these Quarry books I’m reading actual PBs but this one I did the Kindle version� therefore there are highlights 🙌
This one was super crazy. Epic body count and had a bit of a twist to it. I won’t spoil it but WOW!
The Quarry saga has been super interesting and this one started out slow but what an ending?!?
Sometimes things are not what they seem.
This one was super crazy. Epic body count and had a bit of a twist to it. I won’t spoil it but WOW!
The Quarry saga has been super interesting and this one started out slow but what an ending?!?
Sometimes things are not what they seem.
November 23, 2015
I received a free copy of this book through the First Reads program on Good Reads.
Wow, that kicked ass! 4.5 stars, easily. I've read Max Allan Collins before, and enjoyed his work, but this really hit the mark more than I expected.
This is the 11th Quarry novel (though the 5th published by Hard Case Crime), but it was the first one I've read. It looked like I could jump right in with this and not be confused by missing the previous books, and it seems this was right. Collins provided a nice summary of Quarry's career before this book, and I didn't feel lost or confused at all.
Needless to say, I'll be reading more of Collins, specifically more of the Quarry books. This is definitely a series I can get behind....
Wow, that kicked ass! 4.5 stars, easily. I've read Max Allan Collins before, and enjoyed his work, but this really hit the mark more than I expected.
This is the 11th Quarry novel (though the 5th published by Hard Case Crime), but it was the first one I've read. It looked like I could jump right in with this and not be confused by missing the previous books, and it seems this was right. Collins provided a nice summary of Quarry's career before this book, and I didn't feel lost or confused at all.
Needless to say, I'll be reading more of Collins, specifically more of the Quarry books. This is definitely a series I can get behind....
January 20, 2025
Ending pushed this up to 4 stars for me.
As a student of Mickey Spillane, Max always delivers a wild and satisfying climax � and boy o� boy if this ain’t one naughty corker of an ending right here.
As a student of Mickey Spillane, Max always delivers a wild and satisfying climax � and boy o� boy if this ain’t one naughty corker of an ending right here.
February 18, 2015
Another typical addition to the series. It was good with some twists, but not much else to say.
I'd really like to find a proper chronology of the Quarry books. Publication order certainly isn't right. So far this site:
seems to be the only one & I don't think it is correct.
The chronology of the Quarry novels is vague. The First Quarry marks the beginning of his career (so it goes first), The Last Quarry goes at the end of his career (putting it last), and Quarry in the Middle goes somewhere in the middle. If you wish to read the novels in chronological order, you can put those first, last and in the middle, then read the remaining books in publication order.
That would put them in this order.
02_Quarry (1976)
03_Quarry's Deal (1976)
04_Quarry's List (1976)
06_Quarry's Cut (1977)
07_Primary Target (1987)
11_The Last Quarry (2006)
01_ The First Quarry (2008)
05_Quarry in the Middle (2009)
08_Quarry's Ex (2010) <-- 1972 should be 03?
09_The Wrong Quarry (2014)
10_Quarry's Choice (2015)
Maybe I'll do a binge read of the series one day & try to get them right. Hopefully someone will come up with the list sooner. If so, please let me know.
I'd really like to find a proper chronology of the Quarry books. Publication order certainly isn't right. So far this site:
seems to be the only one & I don't think it is correct.
The chronology of the Quarry novels is vague. The First Quarry marks the beginning of his career (so it goes first), The Last Quarry goes at the end of his career (putting it last), and Quarry in the Middle goes somewhere in the middle. If you wish to read the novels in chronological order, you can put those first, last and in the middle, then read the remaining books in publication order.
That would put them in this order.
02_Quarry (1976)
03_Quarry's Deal (1976)
04_Quarry's List (1976)
06_Quarry's Cut (1977)
07_Primary Target (1987)
11_The Last Quarry (2006)
01_ The First Quarry (2008)
05_Quarry in the Middle (2009)
08_Quarry's Ex (2010) <-- 1972 should be 03?
09_The Wrong Quarry (2014)
10_Quarry's Choice (2015)
Maybe I'll do a binge read of the series one day & try to get them right. Hopefully someone will come up with the list sooner. If so, please let me know.
May 20, 2014
I have read all the Keller, Quarry and Parker books except for this, the most recent. It’s good.
What is it about “hit man� books that attracts us (or me anyway?) I suspect it’s the lifestyle, the hunt, the tracking, etc. The Walter Mitty quality of it all. I think it would be great fun -- except for the killing part. There I draw the line. Guess I’d be a lousy hit man. Come to think of it, I’ve never had women fawning all over me either. That’s OK, my wife loves me.
Collins has taking Quarry in a novel direction. Rather than being hired through a middle man to hit people, he’s managed to obtain the list of contacts kept by the broker and is using it to determine who the target might be. He then contacts the target and offers to eliminate the threat from the hit man -- for a fee, of course.
Cute. You can read a basic plot summary above, so I don’t feel it necessary to reiterate it. Let’s just say that after the preliminaries, Quarry thinks something's just not right.
Fun.
What is it about “hit man� books that attracts us (or me anyway?) I suspect it’s the lifestyle, the hunt, the tracking, etc. The Walter Mitty quality of it all. I think it would be great fun -- except for the killing part. There I draw the line. Guess I’d be a lousy hit man. Come to think of it, I’ve never had women fawning all over me either. That’s OK, my wife loves me.
Collins has taking Quarry in a novel direction. Rather than being hired through a middle man to hit people, he’s managed to obtain the list of contacts kept by the broker and is using it to determine who the target might be. He then contacts the target and offers to eliminate the threat from the hit man -- for a fee, of course.
Cute. You can read a basic plot summary above, so I don’t feel it necessary to reiterate it. Let’s just say that after the preliminaries, Quarry thinks something's just not right.
Fun.
June 12, 2020
“The heights of the human soul have no ceiling, and the lows of its depravity no floor.� Your next stop, sub-floor 5, murder, femme fatales and depravity. Luckily, Quarry has just the answer for life’s little problems as he offers potential victims of assassination contracts the opportunity to pay him to make the hit-men go away. This is another fun afternoon diversion from thoughts of pandemic and out-of-control police.
November 24, 2017
It isn't til an author has established rules that they can break them. Collins waited long enough to throw in a twist that earlier in the series would have come across as a cheap betrayal, and the payoff is worth it.
January 24, 2014
Quarry, that’s as close as you’ll get to a name for our enigmatic protagonist, is something of an anti-hero. He’s a hitman who has developed a bit of a conscience, and has taken it upon himself to deal with those that used to be his competition. Don’t get all slushy and sentimental though, he still expects remuneration for his work. He has a hard-bitten, gritty approach to life, hardly a surprise really based on his chosen line of business, and his voice acts as our guide through his latest adventure. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call him a likable character, if you met him then something has probably gone badly wrong in your life, but he’s undoubtedly interesting. He lives by his own unique code of honour and the reader gets to discover more about this as the plot unfolds.
Based on the cover for The Wrong Quarry you may be forgiven for this thinking that this novel was set in the 40s or 50s but the action actually takes place in the early 80s. On the face of things, the plot is a relatively straightforward affair � a hitman has been hired to remove a target. Quarry offers his services to instead remove the assassin and find out the reasons behind the hit. It’s those reasons that are the really intriguing bit. Collins� writing deftly lifts the lid on the secrets that hide beneath the surface of small town America. Suffice to say, nothing is as ever quite as simple as it appears at first glance.
One thing that struck me as I read, was that almost without exception every single female character in the novel is eyed by Quarry as a potential conquest. Looking at it with modern eyes, this viewpoint towards women definitely isn’t going to win any awards for equality, but I kind of suspect that’s the point. The writing in this story is all about capturing the sights, sounds and even the attitudes of the era. Today, Quarry would be viewed as a walking stereotype. He is written as real man’s man, all booze, violence and broads. I’m sure there are some who will see this entire novel as a bit of an anathema, but I think it’s worth remembering that in noir crime reality always reads like it has been heightened to nth degree.
Everything has a slightly sleazy air about it, which in fairness does fit rather nicely with that whole hardboiled tone. This novel very definitely falls squarely into the realms of pulply escapism, and I was pleased to discover it’s not the least bit ashamed about it. A quick internet search reveals that this character has appeared in numerous other novels. I’m inclined to seek so of them out as I rather enjoyed my first Quarry adventure.
I’d imagine this novel would be ideal for anyone who enjoys his or her crime fiction with an episodic air. I felt like I was reconnecting with a favourite B-movie. Something that’s perhaps a little trashy but you can’t leave it alone until you get to the end. We are talking guilty pleasure here people.
I’ll admit that I’ve not read any of the other Hard Case Crime books, there are quite a few available now, and based on this experience I wouldn’t be averse to giving some of the others a try. If this book is anything to go by they take great pains to capture/pay referential homage to their historic predecessors.
Based on the cover for The Wrong Quarry you may be forgiven for this thinking that this novel was set in the 40s or 50s but the action actually takes place in the early 80s. On the face of things, the plot is a relatively straightforward affair � a hitman has been hired to remove a target. Quarry offers his services to instead remove the assassin and find out the reasons behind the hit. It’s those reasons that are the really intriguing bit. Collins� writing deftly lifts the lid on the secrets that hide beneath the surface of small town America. Suffice to say, nothing is as ever quite as simple as it appears at first glance.
One thing that struck me as I read, was that almost without exception every single female character in the novel is eyed by Quarry as a potential conquest. Looking at it with modern eyes, this viewpoint towards women definitely isn’t going to win any awards for equality, but I kind of suspect that’s the point. The writing in this story is all about capturing the sights, sounds and even the attitudes of the era. Today, Quarry would be viewed as a walking stereotype. He is written as real man’s man, all booze, violence and broads. I’m sure there are some who will see this entire novel as a bit of an anathema, but I think it’s worth remembering that in noir crime reality always reads like it has been heightened to nth degree.
Everything has a slightly sleazy air about it, which in fairness does fit rather nicely with that whole hardboiled tone. This novel very definitely falls squarely into the realms of pulply escapism, and I was pleased to discover it’s not the least bit ashamed about it. A quick internet search reveals that this character has appeared in numerous other novels. I’m inclined to seek so of them out as I rather enjoyed my first Quarry adventure.
I’d imagine this novel would be ideal for anyone who enjoys his or her crime fiction with an episodic air. I felt like I was reconnecting with a favourite B-movie. Something that’s perhaps a little trashy but you can’t leave it alone until you get to the end. We are talking guilty pleasure here people.
I’ll admit that I’ve not read any of the other Hard Case Crime books, there are quite a few available now, and based on this experience I wouldn’t be averse to giving some of the others a try. If this book is anything to go by they take great pains to capture/pay referential homage to their historic predecessors.
January 30, 2014
I've never read a Quarry novel before, let alone listened to one, but I've heard more than enough praise for Collins' work that I didn't hesitate in downloading a review copy of The Wrong Quarry.
For the uninitiated like me, here's the catch-up: John Quarry is a Vietnam vet turned hitman, now making a living taking out other hitmen after a falling out with his former employer, the Broker. He has his own code to live by with little to no compunction when it comes to killing or fornicating. If he has you in his sights, he's either going to blow your brains out or f**k your brains out. I guess it all depends on who's wearing the skirt, in Quarry's eyes.
His latest job has him meeting up with an effeminate dance instructor based in Missouri named Vale. Vale is frightened someone in town has put a hit on him following the disappearance of one of his star pupils, Candy Stockwell. It doesn't take long for Quarry to suspect the wealthy Stockwell clan may be the ones responsible, but things get complicated when he hooks up with Candy's aunt, Jenny. Jenny, in between carnal distractions with Quarry, insists her family had nothing to do with any proposed hit, but Quarry can't help but be suspicious of the rich, old curmudgeon that is Jenny's father and Candy's grandfather, a gruff octogenarian whose aggressiveness belies his age. Then there's Candy's best friend, Sally Meadows, who might be even more tightly wrapped trouble for Quarry when he starts snooping around town for answers.
If hard-boiled P.I. fiction is what you want, this book delivers with all the attitude you'd expect for a war-weary gunman. Sardonic wit with a forever-young outlook on life in general, not to mention every woman he meets, Quarry is certainly an entertaining character, even when he isn't the most likable. And while parts of the story had characters looking like they'd been plumbed from the trashiest dimestore novels, Collins works hard to give them all an organic appeal to defy any attempts to dismiss them as cardboard. Plus, Dan John Miller does one heckuva job in capturing Quarry's voice throughout the novel. And, heck, even his voice work for the female characters is entertaining in its own right.
I have the first Quarry novel sitting on my Kindle. It was a 99-cent, on-sale impulse buy at the time, but I'll definitely be reading it and more from the Quarry series after being so thoroughly impressed by this atmospheric pulpfest.
For the uninitiated like me, here's the catch-up: John Quarry is a Vietnam vet turned hitman, now making a living taking out other hitmen after a falling out with his former employer, the Broker. He has his own code to live by with little to no compunction when it comes to killing or fornicating. If he has you in his sights, he's either going to blow your brains out or f**k your brains out. I guess it all depends on who's wearing the skirt, in Quarry's eyes.
His latest job has him meeting up with an effeminate dance instructor based in Missouri named Vale. Vale is frightened someone in town has put a hit on him following the disappearance of one of his star pupils, Candy Stockwell. It doesn't take long for Quarry to suspect the wealthy Stockwell clan may be the ones responsible, but things get complicated when he hooks up with Candy's aunt, Jenny. Jenny, in between carnal distractions with Quarry, insists her family had nothing to do with any proposed hit, but Quarry can't help but be suspicious of the rich, old curmudgeon that is Jenny's father and Candy's grandfather, a gruff octogenarian whose aggressiveness belies his age. Then there's Candy's best friend, Sally Meadows, who might be even more tightly wrapped trouble for Quarry when he starts snooping around town for answers.
If hard-boiled P.I. fiction is what you want, this book delivers with all the attitude you'd expect for a war-weary gunman. Sardonic wit with a forever-young outlook on life in general, not to mention every woman he meets, Quarry is certainly an entertaining character, even when he isn't the most likable. And while parts of the story had characters looking like they'd been plumbed from the trashiest dimestore novels, Collins works hard to give them all an organic appeal to defy any attempts to dismiss them as cardboard. Plus, Dan John Miller does one heckuva job in capturing Quarry's voice throughout the novel. And, heck, even his voice work for the female characters is entertaining in its own right.
I have the first Quarry novel sitting on my Kindle. It was a 99-cent, on-sale impulse buy at the time, but I'll definitely be reading it and more from the Quarry series after being so thoroughly impressed by this atmospheric pulpfest.
July 22, 2014
This latest Quarry novel shows the killer of assassins has developed a conscience. As a murderer for hire by those targeted by others, he has developed an interesting business. He collects money from intended victims, preventing their deaths by taking out the teams engaged for the purpose. In this latest adventure, he approaches a dance instructor who is accused by the grandfather of a missing teenager of her murder.
Quarry’s approach is purely professional. He identifies the first member of the team who arrives merely to observe the target’s habits. When he passes the information to the second, the active member of the team, Quarry then removes both as threats. His business model then has him offer, for an additional fee, to end any fear of further activity by ending the sponsor’s life so that the “contract� is nullified. And that’s when the fun begins.
Along the way, Quarry himself enjoys a lot of extracurricular action, as Max Allan Collins provides all kinds of implicit sex, not to mention violence. The long-running series has a style all its own, told in a voice that reflects Quarry as a thinking man’s murderer. The character, and thee novels in the series, are a throw-back to pulp fiction of yester-year and are reminiscent of Mickey Spillane.
Recommended.
Quarry’s approach is purely professional. He identifies the first member of the team who arrives merely to observe the target’s habits. When he passes the information to the second, the active member of the team, Quarry then removes both as threats. His business model then has him offer, for an additional fee, to end any fear of further activity by ending the sponsor’s life so that the “contract� is nullified. And that’s when the fun begins.
Along the way, Quarry himself enjoys a lot of extracurricular action, as Max Allan Collins provides all kinds of implicit sex, not to mention violence. The long-running series has a style all its own, told in a voice that reflects Quarry as a thinking man’s murderer. The character, and thee novels in the series, are a throw-back to pulp fiction of yester-year and are reminiscent of Mickey Spillane.
Recommended.
August 1, 2015
This was a fast read, witty in places and consistently entertaining. As characters go, Quarry is straightforward -- emotionally detached and unafraid, and solid and reliable when it comes to his profession, which is killing. I’m not sure that he’s particularly distinctive, but it probably doesn’t matter, as the character and the series are likable enough. In this particular book, THE WRONG QUARRY, Quarry’s mission is to protect a dance instructor from a professional hit. There are one or two neat twists, but overall Quarry isn’t tested much. Early on, there’s a good setup where Quarry comes up against a fellow professional -- torture expert Reed Farrell. Sadly, Collins missed a great opportunity. What should have been a memorable meeting turns into a hurried few passages that are disappointing. The rest of the book is fine and the ending is good, but it could and should have been a lot better.
February 8, 2017
Big MAC
Reading Quarry books is like eating a Big Mac = it's tasty, quick, immediately satisfying and yet somehow, junk food. No.11 in the series fits perfectly - the cost of a cheap meal, I ate it quickly, burped and moved on.
In this one, Quarry plays his 'I'll kill the killers' trick - and it all goes haywire, but in a nice way. You can see it coming, but he disguises it pretty well, and then when he pulls the trick, it's pretty damn good. MAC throws more than the usual sex into this one - it's sort of a porn killer book, and his first person hero/villain is more than a bit casual in his work.
For those new to Quarry, he is a hitman with a difference - he is attractive, funny and mixes business with pleasure. You know he is invincible. It's entertaining, smartly written, not at all challenging fare. Like a McDonalds Happy Meal for Adults.
I need to stop eating so quickly, but it does taste good.
Reading Quarry books is like eating a Big Mac = it's tasty, quick, immediately satisfying and yet somehow, junk food. No.11 in the series fits perfectly - the cost of a cheap meal, I ate it quickly, burped and moved on.
In this one, Quarry plays his 'I'll kill the killers' trick - and it all goes haywire, but in a nice way. You can see it coming, but he disguises it pretty well, and then when he pulls the trick, it's pretty damn good. MAC throws more than the usual sex into this one - it's sort of a porn killer book, and his first person hero/villain is more than a bit casual in his work.
For those new to Quarry, he is a hitman with a difference - he is attractive, funny and mixes business with pleasure. You know he is invincible. It's entertaining, smartly written, not at all challenging fare. Like a McDonalds Happy Meal for Adults.
I need to stop eating so quickly, but it does taste good.
November 27, 2019
An interesting mix between hard boiled crime and pulp fiction: a professional hitman who has developed a conscience, of sorts, and targets other professional hitmen. He takes them out and, for an extra fee, offers the intended victim the chance to find out who ordered the contract and take that person out, too.
It's an intriguing premise, and this is told from the first person POV of our conscientious hitman with plenty of sex, violence, gore, and pop culture references thrown in for good measure. The story is a bit on the short side, the twist a bit too simplistic for my tastes, but it was certainly readable. I might try other Quarry novels in the future, if I'm ever in the mood.
As far as amoral homicidal killers go, though, I think I'll stick with Win from the Myron Bolitar series - not much as far as a prickly conscience to deal with =)
It's an intriguing premise, and this is told from the first person POV of our conscientious hitman with plenty of sex, violence, gore, and pop culture references thrown in for good measure. The story is a bit on the short side, the twist a bit too simplistic for my tastes, but it was certainly readable. I might try other Quarry novels in the future, if I'm ever in the mood.
As far as amoral homicidal killers go, though, I think I'll stick with Win from the Myron Bolitar series - not much as far as a prickly conscience to deal with =)
May 23, 2022
That was another entertaining installment of Quarry. Like usual, the story is fast paced. He always seems to find a person to protect/kill. This story was no exception. He even got laid a few times. Not new there either. In the end, he does the job.
March 5, 2016
Again a rousing ride with bloody red herrings galore..
Read
August 13, 2016She held the dice between her fingers, but mostly they rested on the tips of her fingers waiting to be twisted by her thumb. To be attracted to her was to take record of the amount of her pert breasts escaping from the top of her dress. To appreciate her was to choreograph the dance she put those dice through. It was momentary and then it was gone as she threw the pair across the table blinking in patterns of pips before coming to a final rest. And she didn't even look.
"Seven, a winner!"
She seemed to care more about refilling her drink than whatever money was at stake. She was one of the few here playing odds for the fun. Nothing to lose.
I wish I could say the same for myself. It wasn't money I stood to lose in this gamble. Passing by the table I made eye contact with her. Now at ease, she cashed out and faced away leaning against the table exposing her bare back to the rest of the (lucky) players. When her winnings were collected, she submitted her hand which was quickly filled with chips before walking off towards the bar. That is where we met.
"I suppose casinos and deep red mini-dresses are one way to keep a high profile." I said as I sat down across from her.
"What could be safer than winning a lot of money at a casino?" She gestured with her eyes towards a camera dome in the ceiling.
She was right. Compound the perverted security camera operators with the fact that she was probably carrying two grand worth of the casino's money, and you had an alibi with the most minimal of cracks. Still, it wasn't my style.
I kept things brief, "We should go somewhere more private."
I followed behind her through the lobby and into an elevator. As is an asset for my profession, I was about expert level in observation but I'm not immune to distractions. Not when they are perfectly round cheeks straining with every step against her dress which occasionally offered slight views of the bottom most parts of said cheeks.
I could tell you a lot about the war between fabric and anatomy. I had a re-enactment of my own going on in my pants.
The elevator ride was long enough to get a headstart on our conversation.
"So what did you find out?" She asked directly.
"It's a tracer. Someone hired to keep watch on you."
"Do you think its Danny?"
"I'm about ninety percent sure. In fact, when we emerge out of this elevator, there will be a tracer down along one end of the hallway. And he will most certainly follow us back to your room, likely thinking I'm a pick up."
Her mouth made the shape of a smile and she quickly hit a random assortment of buttons on the elevator.
"If he thinks we're going to my room, let's find somewhere else to go."
I could see now that she had been drinking more than I first assessed.
The elevator came to a stop and she peered out, leaning on one perfectly toned leg, with the other to balance- her hand placed ready on the button to close the door. This routine repeated, interjected with an occasional mischievous smile, for about 5 floors before she found one suitable for her form of adventure.
We entered what looked like a penthouse floor. Glass doors gave way to more glass walls and then we were out on private balcony overlooking the strip. I was never one for opulence but I'll be damned if this wasn't a view worth losing some money over.
"I can't believe he hired someone to keep track of me, have you ever heard of something like that. I'm sure you have. Right?" She was gambling for sympathy at this point.
I folded. "Sometimes, you date someone who is the most amazing lay you've ever had, and when the time comes to let it go, and you're small enough of a man, you can't do it."
"I thought we had Facebook for that shit." She replied. "How good of a fuck could I have been?"
For once, I had an answer to that sort of question, "Good enough to pay someone upwards of $5,000 to spy on you."
"Would you pay that much to fuck me?" Her eyes just a shade of actual curiosity.
"To be honest with you, you are already paying me about that much to stop them."
She gave a polite smile and countered, "That doesn't really answer the question."
"I'm afraid I'd have to do more research."
I offered my point, and she offered me two in return. She unhooked the top of her dress and it exploded off her chest like spring-loaded wrapping paper. She pulled the rest of it down to a comfortable place on her lower hips. As I correctly observed earlier, there was nothing underneath either. She pushed me back onto a nearby lounger, unzipped me and held it in her hand.
"Consider this a down payment." She said slyly, as she looked up at me.
Her knees never touched the ground.
I accepted her form of payment with a deposit of my own. To my surprise she spit it out over the edge of the balcony. More would-be stars to join the fading lights, I suppose. I still have no idea how I feel about that one.
She reassembled her dress and applied some light lipstick. I was staring at a businesswoman now.
"You boys are all the same. So quiet after release. Did that help your little research?"
"I'm usually a lot more thorough."
"So am I." She swallowed clearly.
We walked back towards the elevator, this time her arm looped through mine. The elevator arrived and a man in a blue shirt and tan jacket was waiting inside. He was reading a newspaper. At least a week old. Ametuer. He was surprised that I recognized him as a tracer.
Probably more surprised when I kicked him in the knee and swung his leg out right from under him. His face landed in my palm and then I gently lifted it, then slammed it into the side of the elevator interior not so gently. The mirrored surface became concave and distorted the image of the girl behind me in absolute horror pressed into the side of the door preventing it from closing.
I couldn't leave him there. But then again I could. I needed the message to be loud and clear.
We skipped out to a different elevator and rode it up to her floor. She was shaking most of the way but I was able to calm her down by the time we got to her room. Now she was crying.
"Why the fuck is this happening to me?" She started throwing punches at me. Once I grabbed her arms and she had nothing left, she crumpled into a ball on the perfectly made bed. Eventually she kicked off her shoes and crawled under the sheets.
The adrenaline was leaving me and I sat down on the single seat nearest the foot of the bed. Buried under the sheets I heard her ask- "Are you going to join me?"
I looked around as if I could find a reason not to.
As I moved to the bed she rolled over to give me room. Very considerate.
"Wait wait" She said. "I don't want to ruin this dress."
She undid the top and deftly slipped out of it. She then threw it across the room, missing the chair by a good 4 feet. What exactly did she mean by ruin it?
I barely got my shirt off before I could hear her faint unadjusted breathing. She was asleep.
Bad time to ask her for payment. I borrowed a chip from her purse and showed myself out. I'd send her an email about what to do next. Then I would call to make sure she got it.
At the side entrance of the casino, I could see the ambulance parked out front for our buddy with the headache. I might send him a get well card.
I cashed out the single chip. $100. The cute blonde in the cage gleamed and asked, "Lucky night for you?"
"Could have been." I replied.
The bagel place across the street from my motel would do. The book in my glove compartment was only pages from completion. I already knew how it was all going to end. Thats the hold about a sure thing though, when it surprises you, it really surprises you.
As I suspected, it was a quality book with a twist just good and believable enough to reaffirm why television won't ever be an adequate replacement for ink and paper. The main character's profession defines his identity and motives. Even the minor parts about the appreciation of real women was delivered soundly. I might never read it again, but that's really not the point.
"Seven, a winner!"
She seemed to care more about refilling her drink than whatever money was at stake. She was one of the few here playing odds for the fun. Nothing to lose.
I wish I could say the same for myself. It wasn't money I stood to lose in this gamble. Passing by the table I made eye contact with her. Now at ease, she cashed out and faced away leaning against the table exposing her bare back to the rest of the (lucky) players. When her winnings were collected, she submitted her hand which was quickly filled with chips before walking off towards the bar. That is where we met.
"I suppose casinos and deep red mini-dresses are one way to keep a high profile." I said as I sat down across from her.
"What could be safer than winning a lot of money at a casino?" She gestured with her eyes towards a camera dome in the ceiling.
She was right. Compound the perverted security camera operators with the fact that she was probably carrying two grand worth of the casino's money, and you had an alibi with the most minimal of cracks. Still, it wasn't my style.
I kept things brief, "We should go somewhere more private."
I followed behind her through the lobby and into an elevator. As is an asset for my profession, I was about expert level in observation but I'm not immune to distractions. Not when they are perfectly round cheeks straining with every step against her dress which occasionally offered slight views of the bottom most parts of said cheeks.
I could tell you a lot about the war between fabric and anatomy. I had a re-enactment of my own going on in my pants.
The elevator ride was long enough to get a headstart on our conversation.
"So what did you find out?" She asked directly.
"It's a tracer. Someone hired to keep watch on you."
"Do you think its Danny?"
"I'm about ninety percent sure. In fact, when we emerge out of this elevator, there will be a tracer down along one end of the hallway. And he will most certainly follow us back to your room, likely thinking I'm a pick up."
Her mouth made the shape of a smile and she quickly hit a random assortment of buttons on the elevator.
"If he thinks we're going to my room, let's find somewhere else to go."
I could see now that she had been drinking more than I first assessed.
The elevator came to a stop and she peered out, leaning on one perfectly toned leg, with the other to balance- her hand placed ready on the button to close the door. This routine repeated, interjected with an occasional mischievous smile, for about 5 floors before she found one suitable for her form of adventure.
We entered what looked like a penthouse floor. Glass doors gave way to more glass walls and then we were out on private balcony overlooking the strip. I was never one for opulence but I'll be damned if this wasn't a view worth losing some money over.
"I can't believe he hired someone to keep track of me, have you ever heard of something like that. I'm sure you have. Right?" She was gambling for sympathy at this point.
I folded. "Sometimes, you date someone who is the most amazing lay you've ever had, and when the time comes to let it go, and you're small enough of a man, you can't do it."
"I thought we had Facebook for that shit." She replied. "How good of a fuck could I have been?"
For once, I had an answer to that sort of question, "Good enough to pay someone upwards of $5,000 to spy on you."
"Would you pay that much to fuck me?" Her eyes just a shade of actual curiosity.
"To be honest with you, you are already paying me about that much to stop them."
She gave a polite smile and countered, "That doesn't really answer the question."
"I'm afraid I'd have to do more research."
I offered my point, and she offered me two in return. She unhooked the top of her dress and it exploded off her chest like spring-loaded wrapping paper. She pulled the rest of it down to a comfortable place on her lower hips. As I correctly observed earlier, there was nothing underneath either. She pushed me back onto a nearby lounger, unzipped me and held it in her hand.
"Consider this a down payment." She said slyly, as she looked up at me.
Her knees never touched the ground.
I accepted her form of payment with a deposit of my own. To my surprise she spit it out over the edge of the balcony. More would-be stars to join the fading lights, I suppose. I still have no idea how I feel about that one.
She reassembled her dress and applied some light lipstick. I was staring at a businesswoman now.
"You boys are all the same. So quiet after release. Did that help your little research?"
"I'm usually a lot more thorough."
"So am I." She swallowed clearly.
We walked back towards the elevator, this time her arm looped through mine. The elevator arrived and a man in a blue shirt and tan jacket was waiting inside. He was reading a newspaper. At least a week old. Ametuer. He was surprised that I recognized him as a tracer.
Probably more surprised when I kicked him in the knee and swung his leg out right from under him. His face landed in my palm and then I gently lifted it, then slammed it into the side of the elevator interior not so gently. The mirrored surface became concave and distorted the image of the girl behind me in absolute horror pressed into the side of the door preventing it from closing.
I couldn't leave him there. But then again I could. I needed the message to be loud and clear.
We skipped out to a different elevator and rode it up to her floor. She was shaking most of the way but I was able to calm her down by the time we got to her room. Now she was crying.
"Why the fuck is this happening to me?" She started throwing punches at me. Once I grabbed her arms and she had nothing left, she crumpled into a ball on the perfectly made bed. Eventually she kicked off her shoes and crawled under the sheets.
The adrenaline was leaving me and I sat down on the single seat nearest the foot of the bed. Buried under the sheets I heard her ask- "Are you going to join me?"
I looked around as if I could find a reason not to.
As I moved to the bed she rolled over to give me room. Very considerate.
"Wait wait" She said. "I don't want to ruin this dress."
She undid the top and deftly slipped out of it. She then threw it across the room, missing the chair by a good 4 feet. What exactly did she mean by ruin it?
I barely got my shirt off before I could hear her faint unadjusted breathing. She was asleep.
Bad time to ask her for payment. I borrowed a chip from her purse and showed myself out. I'd send her an email about what to do next. Then I would call to make sure she got it.
At the side entrance of the casino, I could see the ambulance parked out front for our buddy with the headache. I might send him a get well card.
I cashed out the single chip. $100. The cute blonde in the cage gleamed and asked, "Lucky night for you?"
"Could have been." I replied.
The bagel place across the street from my motel would do. The book in my glove compartment was only pages from completion. I already knew how it was all going to end. Thats the hold about a sure thing though, when it surprises you, it really surprises you.
As I suspected, it was a quality book with a twist just good and believable enough to reaffirm why television won't ever be an adequate replacement for ink and paper. The main character's profession defines his identity and motives. Even the minor parts about the appreciation of real women was delivered soundly. I might never read it again, but that's really not the point.
November 4, 2024
A hit turned murder mystery, except the writing doesn't have the tension to make the hits mean much and the first-person narrator thinks he's funnier than he really is. The mystery is persistent, but doesn't hold the weight of the story for the entire run, so the writer relies on the noir "baselines" of sex, more sex, and location description to fill the pages. There are a few clever lines here, the cover is nice, and but the story's still somehow long at 220 pages.
The problem is how it feels like it's aiming at the noir writers of old, and just ends up being hangover puke on the shoes of Chandler and Cain. It understands the boxes to check off, but does so with none of the clever dialogue or witty descriptions of the pulp writers of old. It's a modern spin on the formula, and like so many of its ilk, it misses the point and fails at reaching the spirit of the genre. that wouldn't be a problem if there were more to the story than those boxes, but the narrator doesn't cut it, the pacing is a mess, and the story feels like it could be told in half the time but needed to be stretched out for publication reasons.
This would be a 2/5, but some of the characters and the ending creeps it up to a 3. Definitely not higher than that, though.
The problem is how it feels like it's aiming at the noir writers of old, and just ends up being hangover puke on the shoes of Chandler and Cain. It understands the boxes to check off, but does so with none of the clever dialogue or witty descriptions of the pulp writers of old. It's a modern spin on the formula, and like so many of its ilk, it misses the point and fails at reaching the spirit of the genre. that wouldn't be a problem if there were more to the story than those boxes, but the narrator doesn't cut it, the pacing is a mess, and the story feels like it could be told in half the time but needed to be stretched out for publication reasons.
This would be a 2/5, but some of the characters and the ending creeps it up to a 3. Definitely not higher than that, though.
September 7, 2024
There is no question that Max Allen Collins is one of the most prolific and compelling writers in the business. When it comes to this type of murder-mystery-action story, there are few better. I have particularly enjoyed his Quarry series. (though I'm not that crazy about his more and more lurid sex scenes)
But this one falls down at the end.
Quarry is making money by eliminating other hitmen by figuring out who their targets are, then contacting the targets and offering to get rid of the hitmen before they can strike. That's all good stuff but the wrap up of this novel feels Collins kind of cheaped out. Quarry does NOT behave the way I expected him to when he finds out a girl he knows is kidnapped and then he shows no suspicion whatsoever when he gets a very suspicious phone call which leads to an even more suspicious situation. Yet our hero seems to buy into it all and that's disappointing. Quarry should be smarter than that (at least smarter than the average reader!) yet he's not.
Yet the story is very readable and very compelling. But in the end, also disappointing.
But this one falls down at the end.
Quarry is making money by eliminating other hitmen by figuring out who their targets are, then contacting the targets and offering to get rid of the hitmen before they can strike. That's all good stuff but the wrap up of this novel feels Collins kind of cheaped out. Quarry does NOT behave the way I expected him to when he finds out a girl he knows is kidnapped and then he shows no suspicion whatsoever when he gets a very suspicious phone call which leads to an even more suspicious situation. Yet our hero seems to buy into it all and that's disappointing. Quarry should be smarter than that (at least smarter than the average reader!) yet he's not.
Yet the story is very readable and very compelling. But in the end, also disappointing.
August 13, 2017
The Wrong Quarry by Max Allan Collins
There are two types of Quarry novels: Ones where hitman Quarry is hired to kill someone and ones where Quarry tries to kill another hitman to protect a client. The Wrong Quarry is one of the second variety and perhaps the best of that bunch.
Quarry finds himself in Missouri stalking a hitman who, in turn, is stalking a gay dance instructor who is suspected of causing the disappearance of a teenage girl. All the humor and sex from other Quarry novels is present in this one, but there is also a compelling mystery involving the identity of the person wanting to kill the dance teacher and the whereabouts of the missing girl.
The characters in this one are vivid and realistic. The female leads are sexy as hell. The plot twists are unexpected and realistic. The scenes of violence are brutal and bloody. This is one of the best of the series and not to be missed.
A+
There are two types of Quarry novels: Ones where hitman Quarry is hired to kill someone and ones where Quarry tries to kill another hitman to protect a client. The Wrong Quarry is one of the second variety and perhaps the best of that bunch.
Quarry finds himself in Missouri stalking a hitman who, in turn, is stalking a gay dance instructor who is suspected of causing the disappearance of a teenage girl. All the humor and sex from other Quarry novels is present in this one, but there is also a compelling mystery involving the identity of the person wanting to kill the dance teacher and the whereabouts of the missing girl.
The characters in this one are vivid and realistic. The female leads are sexy as hell. The plot twists are unexpected and realistic. The scenes of violence are brutal and bloody. This is one of the best of the series and not to be missed.
A+
May 28, 2024
Is the title a clue? You might think so. I certainly expected so but Collins is to good a writer to let you have it easy. I won't spoil the twist, enough to say that when it comes it is a good one., In this volume of the series Quarry offers to help a dance instructor against a rich family, the kind that run a whole town, who are convinced he killed their young daughter. Hitman vs Hitmen, a local slut or two, a gay dance instructor whose homosexuality is ignored due to his talent. All the elements of a trashy novel are here but Collins elevates the prose without ever getting out to the genre gutter (so to speak). The elevation is the genius of Collins writing. No it is not Dickens but writing smart pulp fiction has tone harder than it looks even if Collins makes it look so easy. Grown up stuff for sure (or a delightful subversive find by a teen reader) Quarry is a great character and this is a very good book.
June 27, 2022
Pulp fiction at its finest.
This time Quarry is in Stockwell, Missouri, tracking a hitman who seems intent on disposing of the local dance instructor. Quarry offers to kill the hitmen instead (for a fee of course), and for an additional cost is willing to track down and get rid of whoever hired the hitmen.
Pretty soon it becomes clear that the rich patriarch of the Stockwell clan is the one who accused the dance teacher of killing his granddaughter, although there seems to be a lack of any evidence. Can Quarry protect his client and figure out exactly what happened to the missing girl?
A great hardboiled romp, with plenty of sex and violence, and some twists that really pop you in the mouth.
This time Quarry is in Stockwell, Missouri, tracking a hitman who seems intent on disposing of the local dance instructor. Quarry offers to kill the hitmen instead (for a fee of course), and for an additional cost is willing to track down and get rid of whoever hired the hitmen.
Pretty soon it becomes clear that the rich patriarch of the Stockwell clan is the one who accused the dance teacher of killing his granddaughter, although there seems to be a lack of any evidence. Can Quarry protect his client and figure out exactly what happened to the missing girl?
A great hardboiled romp, with plenty of sex and violence, and some twists that really pop you in the mouth.
December 14, 2023
Far from the best in the Quarry series.Ìý
Sure, it features all the standard traits, like our hero rolling up in a new town and getting to know the locals, killing a handful of badguys and having sex with a couple of voluptuous vixens, while spending a lot of time describing what everyone is wearing. Especially Quarry himself of course has countless costume changes which are meticulously detailed.
However there's no heart in it. The story is neither as fun, exciting or halfway as entertaining as some of the better books in the series. And it doesn't exactly help that you can spot the twist a mile away.
Overall, it has the flair of Max Allan Collins phoning in a lazy rehash of his old formula, just to cash in on the character.
Sure, it features all the standard traits, like our hero rolling up in a new town and getting to know the locals, killing a handful of badguys and having sex with a couple of voluptuous vixens, while spending a lot of time describing what everyone is wearing. Especially Quarry himself of course has countless costume changes which are meticulously detailed.
However there's no heart in it. The story is neither as fun, exciting or halfway as entertaining as some of the better books in the series. And it doesn't exactly help that you can spot the twist a mile away.
Overall, it has the flair of Max Allan Collins phoning in a lazy rehash of his old formula, just to cash in on the character.
January 7, 2014
originally posted at
After almost a two year break, Max Allan Collins returns with his acclaimed Quarry series. I haven’t read the 10 books prior to this eleventh volume, but I have been slowly getting acquainted with the Hard Case Crime division run by Titan Books, so far the books have been non-stop thrilling rides, the stories are divers but all have one thing in common, the pulpy 40, 50, 60’s feel. They are fairly short read but that is what makes them readily approachable. You don’t have to dig in but you can just pick one up, but I warn you. You will be wanting to read this book in one go. I had some reservations when I picked up The Wrong Quarry, with already 10 books into the series I was hoping that I wouldn’t miss anything essential from the earlier books. It might be that I am missing some parts of the protagonist, but The Wrong Quarry features nicely as a standalone adventure.
In the beginning of the The Wrong Quarry you get a brief capture of how Quarry’s life came to be and what he is now doing. The thing that I liked most the idea of Quarry and the Hard Case Crime “idea� is that these aren’t your typical crime solving books. Quarry is someone who gets rid of certain someones. Quarry is an hitman who kills other hitman’s, I really liked this concept of the book and from the start of The Wrong Quarry this idea comes to show in a many great lights. Quarry has retired after he got rid of the Broker who made contracts, but still finds that there is a lot of money to be made in this world. Quarry still has an archive and knows how to make an easy buck. He approaches the victim of the hitman and they need to pay him if they want to stay alive. How clever is that!
The Wrong Quarry picks up with Quarry tailing a antique dealer, as a routine mission, who has a second job featuring as an hitman. In the start up of the story there was a great many detail given about how Quarry initiated his plans and all along the way you have this clever narration from Quarry point of view that really bolsters the idea like you are right there next to Quarry. And though the descriptions of the surrounding and events that happen might be brief they do give you a great reading experience and it doesn’t feel like you are missing anything at all, instead with a writing style to the point, there is great pacing to the story. The story does soon broaden as Quarry discovers that the antique dealer isn’t necessarily in Missouri to buy something for his collection, Quarry soon finds out that he is planning to kill Roger Vale, the owner of a famous local dance school. Quarry pays Roger a visit and reveals what might be in store for him and this part was one that I really enjoyed to read, here you see the clear intention of Quarry and what a jerk he is, asking an insane price. But in another way, Quarry knows how to play his cards just right and make a buck out of each situation. Now that Quarry has got the hitman in his sight, I had thought the story would come to closing soon, but as you can make out of the title The Wrong Quarry, there is nice plot twist early on and Quarry is left a bit clueless. Is it possible that there is more behind Roger Vale’s character than what first meets the eye? I am not going to tell more because that would spoil the storyline to much but this major twist really helped to propel the story into a rapid pacing right until the end.
Quarry makes up for an excellent protagonist and he lives and breathes the pulp feeling that Hard Case Crime wants to bring to the forefront. There are some more adult oriented scenes taking place in The Wrong Quarry featuring the back alley and such, I know that this is just part of Quarry character, he likes to sample to local female population, but I don’t know, in the first read it didn’t quite work for me. It’s hard to describe, I don’t have a strong aversion to “romance� in a book but it was just bam and done and felt initially a bit misplaced. Only later there is more of a build up off Quarry with his female quarry’s that felt just more natural, and this made Quarry’s character feel much more of a ladiesmen then the first encounter. But I think this is more personal preference. When I look at the detective/investigative type of Quarry, I cannot seem to find any fault. Quarry is shown in the perfect manner, he is smart, witty, knows how to think outside the box, determined and doesn’t take no for an answer. When the fighting does break down, be it shoot outs or knife fights, it’s quite intense and violent. The scenes are just the perfect length, no drag but right to the point, exactly what you want to read about in this setting. Max Allan Collins manages to create a great flow and pacing with the story that only continues to build up. Never a dull moment!
The Wrong Quarry is an excellent crime story and an interesting take on the existing crime genre. From the first paragraph I had certain assumptions as to where the storyline would go and for the first 20% I was spot on but soon Max Allan Collins introduces some great twists surrounding the storyline that really causes you to abandon all your earlier assumptions. I was looking forward to read the story of a hitman assassinating other hitman, but hadn’t thought that the story would take a turn for this! All of a sudden you are emerged in a much thicker plot, and several characters that you had met now seem to have much going on that I heretofore could have guessed. The Wrong Quarry is one thrilling ride. I am already a fan of Quarry character his attitude combined with his “job� is just spot on.
After almost a two year break, Max Allan Collins returns with his acclaimed Quarry series. I haven’t read the 10 books prior to this eleventh volume, but I have been slowly getting acquainted with the Hard Case Crime division run by Titan Books, so far the books have been non-stop thrilling rides, the stories are divers but all have one thing in common, the pulpy 40, 50, 60’s feel. They are fairly short read but that is what makes them readily approachable. You don’t have to dig in but you can just pick one up, but I warn you. You will be wanting to read this book in one go. I had some reservations when I picked up The Wrong Quarry, with already 10 books into the series I was hoping that I wouldn’t miss anything essential from the earlier books. It might be that I am missing some parts of the protagonist, but The Wrong Quarry features nicely as a standalone adventure.
In the beginning of the The Wrong Quarry you get a brief capture of how Quarry’s life came to be and what he is now doing. The thing that I liked most the idea of Quarry and the Hard Case Crime “idea� is that these aren’t your typical crime solving books. Quarry is someone who gets rid of certain someones. Quarry is an hitman who kills other hitman’s, I really liked this concept of the book and from the start of The Wrong Quarry this idea comes to show in a many great lights. Quarry has retired after he got rid of the Broker who made contracts, but still finds that there is a lot of money to be made in this world. Quarry still has an archive and knows how to make an easy buck. He approaches the victim of the hitman and they need to pay him if they want to stay alive. How clever is that!
The Wrong Quarry picks up with Quarry tailing a antique dealer, as a routine mission, who has a second job featuring as an hitman. In the start up of the story there was a great many detail given about how Quarry initiated his plans and all along the way you have this clever narration from Quarry point of view that really bolsters the idea like you are right there next to Quarry. And though the descriptions of the surrounding and events that happen might be brief they do give you a great reading experience and it doesn’t feel like you are missing anything at all, instead with a writing style to the point, there is great pacing to the story. The story does soon broaden as Quarry discovers that the antique dealer isn’t necessarily in Missouri to buy something for his collection, Quarry soon finds out that he is planning to kill Roger Vale, the owner of a famous local dance school. Quarry pays Roger a visit and reveals what might be in store for him and this part was one that I really enjoyed to read, here you see the clear intention of Quarry and what a jerk he is, asking an insane price. But in another way, Quarry knows how to play his cards just right and make a buck out of each situation. Now that Quarry has got the hitman in his sight, I had thought the story would come to closing soon, but as you can make out of the title The Wrong Quarry, there is nice plot twist early on and Quarry is left a bit clueless. Is it possible that there is more behind Roger Vale’s character than what first meets the eye? I am not going to tell more because that would spoil the storyline to much but this major twist really helped to propel the story into a rapid pacing right until the end.
Quarry makes up for an excellent protagonist and he lives and breathes the pulp feeling that Hard Case Crime wants to bring to the forefront. There are some more adult oriented scenes taking place in The Wrong Quarry featuring the back alley and such, I know that this is just part of Quarry character, he likes to sample to local female population, but I don’t know, in the first read it didn’t quite work for me. It’s hard to describe, I don’t have a strong aversion to “romance� in a book but it was just bam and done and felt initially a bit misplaced. Only later there is more of a build up off Quarry with his female quarry’s that felt just more natural, and this made Quarry’s character feel much more of a ladiesmen then the first encounter. But I think this is more personal preference. When I look at the detective/investigative type of Quarry, I cannot seem to find any fault. Quarry is shown in the perfect manner, he is smart, witty, knows how to think outside the box, determined and doesn’t take no for an answer. When the fighting does break down, be it shoot outs or knife fights, it’s quite intense and violent. The scenes are just the perfect length, no drag but right to the point, exactly what you want to read about in this setting. Max Allan Collins manages to create a great flow and pacing with the story that only continues to build up. Never a dull moment!
The Wrong Quarry is an excellent crime story and an interesting take on the existing crime genre. From the first paragraph I had certain assumptions as to where the storyline would go and for the first 20% I was spot on but soon Max Allan Collins introduces some great twists surrounding the storyline that really causes you to abandon all your earlier assumptions. I was looking forward to read the story of a hitman assassinating other hitman, but hadn’t thought that the story would take a turn for this! All of a sudden you are emerged in a much thicker plot, and several characters that you had met now seem to have much going on that I heretofore could have guessed. The Wrong Quarry is one thrilling ride. I am already a fan of Quarry character his attitude combined with his “job� is just spot on.
August 28, 2024
In this go around, Quarry’s job is to save a dance instructor from a hit man who specializes in torture! He is also looking into the case of a missing girl, “…Candy Stockwell, a prom queen/beauty pageant contender/most popular girl/notorious slut/envied/talented/hated/spoiled/rich (but not, Sally insisted, a bitch). Maybe alive, probably dead.� Whew!
Quarry can lip read now!
It's weird - the main family in this book has the last name of Stockwell, which is the same last name as the movie director Quarry 'protected' in the previous book! I wonder if there will be a Stockwell in the next Quarry book....
That being all well and good, this volume of the Quarry series has probably my favorite 'bad guy' so far! I don't want to give anything away, but the 'bad guy' really is one sick, twisted puppy! And it is NOT the hitman who specializes in torture! So chew on that one! Maybe the bad guy in the next one will be named Stockwell...
Quarry can lip read now!
It's weird - the main family in this book has the last name of Stockwell, which is the same last name as the movie director Quarry 'protected' in the previous book! I wonder if there will be a Stockwell in the next Quarry book....
That being all well and good, this volume of the Quarry series has probably my favorite 'bad guy' so far! I don't want to give anything away, but the 'bad guy' really is one sick, twisted puppy! And it is NOT the hitman who specializes in torture! So chew on that one! Maybe the bad guy in the next one will be named Stockwell...
June 11, 2022
The eleventh instalment in Max Allan Collins� pulp-infused noir series, “The Wrong Quarry� takes the titular assassin to a small community in the aftermath of a tragic disappearance. There’s an engaging mystery underlying every beat of the story with the usual sex and violence oozing from every page. By the time things fall into place for the final few chapters, events have kicked into high gear and you are left questioning just how many clues were peppered throughout. A marked improvement over the last handful of volumes in the series, this is a return to form for Collins� ongoing title.
November 25, 2023
I have read some of the "Nolan" novels from Collins, and the protagonist Quarry does read like a different character, although still a man who has no problem killing and likes women and sex. The pacing is similar to the Nolan novels in that things don't always go as planned and may not seem to be on a constant upward track towards a conclusionary peak, giving the plot a more realistic tone. A first-person perspective with jokes and commentary from the protagonist directed at the reader. I will read some more from this series.
May 14, 2022
The series continues to get worse with each addition. My issue here is how forced the sexism and homophobia is... It feels like the publishers said, "we need at least 5 really sleazy sex scenes and could you throw in some inappropriate gay stuff, but at the same time make sure the reader knows that the hero doesn't really think that way..." It was just so meh.
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