World Famous Comics: The First Quarry (Hard Case Crime)
The First Quarry (Hard Case Crime)
By: Max Allan Collins Publisher: Hard Case Crime Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Hard Case Crime Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 204 Publication Date: September 30, 2008
"The First Quarry" - Hardcore Noir at its Best! A Must Read!! Max Collins' "The First Quarry" is hardcore noir at its best! Kudos to "Hard Case Crime" for publishing some of most outstanding hard-boiled crime novels on the market today. Hard Case recreates the spirit of the pulp fiction of the 1940s and '50s. The covers feature original art done in pulp style by artists such as Robert McGinnis and Glen Orbik. The collection includes both hard to find books from the pulp era and new novels. There are seven novels in the author's "Quarry series," which precede this one. I wish Hard Case would republish the earlier books as I would like to read them in order, and the prices for the original publications are sky-high.
Fortunately for me, "The First Quarry" is a good place to start, as this is really a prequel to the later books and concerns professional hit man Quarry's first job. It also contains fascinating background material about him.
Quarry, and that's the only name we are given for our protagonist, is contacted by a mysterious man, the very suave Broker, who offers him a job with his "team" - an "unusual money-making opportunity." The Broker, a sort of middle man in the murder business, had researched Quarry and knows his bio backwards and forwards, including info about his recent stint in Vietnam as a sniper, and his failed marriage. When Quarry returned from the war he found his wife in "flagrante delicto" with a mechanic. He walked out on his wife, and the mechanic, subsequently, had a very serious accident. Anyway, the money is good, Quarry's a pro at the work - after all, he is being offered big bucks for what he did in Nam for free - and he is at a low point in his life. So, of course, he accepts.
Usually the jobs involve a two man team - one man gets the necessary information through "established surveillance techniques." The second man makes the kill - a "surgical strike without any collateral damage." However, on this first job, Quarry is to work alone.
This is a test run, so to speak, and earns him a fifty thousand dollar advance. Not only is he to eliminate the target, a libidinous college professor, but he must find and destroy some documents in the soon-to-be victim's possession. The professor makes a habit of sleeping with his students and as Quarry watches, the girls who parade in and out of the house make for a 3 ring circus. It also makes it very difficult for Quarry to get his quarry alone to do the dirty deed.
As the history behind this complicated kill becomes apparent, I became so hooked that I read the novel in one sitting. Just couldn't put it down. There are many layers to be uncovered here, surprising x-factors, and much action, violence and sex...so be forewarned. I was totally amazed by the denouement.
In contrast to the lurid subject matter, the novel contains some terrific humor. The sarcastic Quarry runs a wry inner dialogue which can be really funny. His obsession with music made me laugh also.
"The First Quarry" was originally published as "The Broker" in 1976 and reprinted by Foul Play Press, 1985, as "Quarry." This is an absolute must read for fans of hard core crime! OUTSTANDING!!!! Jana Perskie
The Last Quarry (Hard Case Crime) Angel in Black True Detective (Frank Nitti Trilogy)
Fast paced, quick to kill, assured to thrill This book will delight any reader who enjoys sordid tales of unadulterated violence and senseless killing! Don't expect an intricate storyline, unique twists, or originality. Do expect to be enraptured by this page-turner from start to finish. It'll feel like dynamite in your hands.
Enough people have written about the plot, so I will conclude by saying... Buy! Buy! Buy!
Max Allan Collins' classic "Quarry" character returns one more time I love when the prolific Max Allan Collins writes an original mystery or crime novel, as opposed to the many movie novelization/tie-in books he's been doing the past several years. Not that those tie-in books are bad (they aren't), but when writing his own stories and using his own characters, he's the best. Take my word for it and look for some of his "Nolan", "Mallory", or "Quarry" titles (most out of print, alas, but easy enough to find with a little resourcefulness on the computer), as well as diverse titles like "The Titanic Murders", "Strip for Murder", and "A Killing in Comics" (all still in print). My first three examples are part of the "hardboiled" school of mystery/thriller, and the others are more straight-up mysteries, but not without some toughness. Mr. Collins even writes decent "cozy" mysteries in conjunction with his wife, Barbara Collins, under the name Barbara Allan. "Antiques Roadkill" is a good one from that group.
And there just isn't time right now to go into Mr. Collins' award-winning "Nate Heller" series of historical mysteries, but those are wonderful, too.
Anyway, enough background. Thanks to paperback publisher "Hard Case Crime", there's now a venue for Mr. Collins to trot out some of his past series characters who've been underutilized of late, due to a limited market for "tough" stories. "The First Quarry" is the latest entry in his cult-favorite "Quarry" series, about a professional hit man. This one's a prequel to the other books in the series, concerning Quarry's first assignment from his mysterious and stylish boss, known simply as The Broker.
Here Quarry (that's all we know him as) is given the task of killing a college professor who's making trouble for a Chicago mob boss, because he's writing a book about the mob boss and bedding the boss' fetching and rebellious daughter. A pretty good premise, huh? Soon complications ensue, confrontations abound, and we even get broadsided by a surprise or two. The 200 pages or so fly by.
Just be warned, engrossing or not, this is hardboiled stuff. You know how some reviews say things like "the book has everything, a little violence, a little sex, something for everyone"? Well, "The First Quarry" has a LOT of violence and a LOT of sex and makes no apologies. Hard Case Crime's mission, after all, is to deliver truly tough, non-PC tales of crime and mystery, and that's exactly what's delivered here. And, reading the story, you can tell Mr. Collins enjoyed working without constraints as he delivered the tough, involving story his publisher wanted.
And, just so you know, Quarry is a pretty interesting character to boot, kind of funny and sarcastic, and only violent when he needs to be. But when he needs to be, watch out.
Thriller fans shouldn't pass this one up.
Old-style Potboiler Max Allan Collins is prolific, especially in the area of movie/TV novelizations and novels based on the characters in same. This is one of the few original Collins novels I've read (and I've been reading him for a couple decades). Except for the language being a bit more explicit, the style took me back to the Mike Shayne and Mickey Spillane books I read in the 50s and 60s. If you like that genre (and I do), I would recommend his Quarry novels, but would read this one first. Although it is the latest in the series, the story predates the ones in the other books.
crude the author is quite crude and not shy about showering us with plenty of his crudeness. The story suffers for it. To compare him with John MacDonald? Unbelievably ignorant. Glad I got it from the library instead of buying it. I will avoid this writer although I do enjoy the Hardcase Crime Series. Being 'Pulp' does not apologize for Mr. Collins.
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