Now that Hard Case Crime is publishing again, Max Allan Collins continues filling in the gaps of the life and career of his series hit man, Quarry. QUARRY’S EX precedes the events of THE FIRST QUARRY and shows how he got his start in the murder-for-hire business. Unfortunately, it then becomes uncharacteristically formulaic and disappointing.
Life seems promising for the young man we will soon know as Quarry (his real name is never revealed). He’s found and married the girl of his dreams, a dark-haired California beauty named Joni, and they’ve decided to truly begin their life together soon as he finishes his stint with the Marines in Vietnam. But when he returns, he finds his wife in bed with another man.
A rage he previously felt only for the enemy in ‘Nam takes over, and he kills her lover and leaves Joni behind. Not long afterward, the jilted man is approached by a distinguished-looking but shadowy man known only as the Broker, who offers to utilize the young man’s one marketable skill: killing people. He signs on with the Broker, who gives him the name Quarry. It isn’t long before Quarry earns a reputation as an effective and dangerous killer.
Then, a serious falling out with the Broker leads to Quarry working independently. This is when he develops the idea to use the contacts he’s gained to seek out those marked for death and offer his services to kill the intended killer.
From there, we follow Quarry as he gathers intel on a hit intended for the director of a low-budget movie shooting in the tiny desert town of Boot Heel, Nev. Quarry approaches the filmmaker and is quickly hired to pose as unit publicist while seeking out the hired killer. Quarry discovers that the director’s wife is none other than Joni, and she might be involved in the murder plot.
The opening chapters hold much promise, as Collins re-creates the ambience of the period when Jimmy Carter was running against Ronald Reagan for president, while effectively describing the seedy, small-town Nevada setting. Then we follow Quarry as he recalls the events that changed his life, all of which demonstrate Collins’ admirable flair for unexpected and creative narrative twists.
Sadly, most of this promise dissolves when Collins makes Quarry’s early client a movie director. From that moment, the story and characters become horribly predictable, right down to the oversexed, former-centerfold female lead and the handsome, macho, but closeted male movie star. It’s as if the author switched to automatic pilot and allowed his gripping story of the formative years of a hit man veer into yet another “Hollywood movie murder mystery” while he snoozed.
However, retaining our interest is how Quarry’s ex-wife figures into the murder scheme, not to mention Quarry’s sardonic, first-person narrative voice, frequently laced with dark, deadpan humor. It’s the same voice Collins has perfected during the course of the many novels and stories that have established Quarry as one of the most enigmatic figures in contemporary crime fiction.
Collins is one of those authors whose work is recommended even when it falls below his usual benchmark. His devoted readers likely will find this the sole reason to start and stay with this otherwise below-par (for him) novel. Ironically, Quarry newcomers would do far better seeking out the other titles than this, what appears here to be the character’s chronological starting point. —Alan Cranis
Related posts:
- Road to Paradise
- The First Quarry
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Q is for Quarry
- The Last Quarry
- Deadly Beloved
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I am very happy to see Hard Case Crime back in action. Hopefully they hit the jackpot with those re-edition and people like Christa Faust can get them new readers. I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Collins
Actually, this is not a prequel to THE FIRST QUARRY. It is fairly mid-stream well after the Broker’s death with Quarry using the Broker’s list. That puts the first four Quarry novels as well as THE FIRST QUARRY ahead of it. I thought that was pretty clear, but the length of time spent with the flashback about Quarry’s wife and his general backstory may have thrown you.
Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Collins. Readers: Please note this correction in the sequence of the Quarry novels.
I wish the rest of the Quarry series were available in ebook format.
The first five QUARRY novels will be available in e-book before long.
Perfect Crime Books likes to have the novels out there as “real” books for a while before going e-book. Nolan will be done there as well, with the e-books lagging six months behind initial publication.
Good to know! Thanks.