Andrew
Always love a good Quarry story...eight books into the series, you know exactly what you're getting. Sex, murder, double-crossing, Midwestern sleaze, and all the rest.
The previous book, The Last Quarry, saw the titular hitman coming out of retirement after a long time away. This standalone tale jumps all the way back to his first job in 1970. One could argue that Quarry is too cool and collected for a rookie hitman, considering everything that goes wrong with this job. I feel like it was a missed opportunity to show him learning on the job more and growing into the hardened Quarry we know from the other books, but apparently he was just born that way. It's also a remarkable coincidence how many of the women he runs into came straight from the pages of Penthouse magazine...but as always, Max Allan Collins is a master of this type of seedy crime noir storytelling and The First Quarry is a gritty, entertaining, page-turner.
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My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.
Always love a good Quarry story...eight books into the series, you know exactly what you're getting. Sex, murder, double-crossing, Midwestern sleaze, and all the rest.
The previous book, The Last Quarry, saw the titular hitman coming out of retirement after a long time away. This standalone tale jumps all the way back to his first job in 1970. One could argue that Quarry is too cool and collected for a rookie hitman, considering everything that goes wrong with this job. I feel like it was a missed opportunity to show him learning on the job more and growing into the hardened Quarry we know from the other books, but apparently he was just born that way. It's also a remarkable coincidence how many of the women he runs into came straight from the pages of Penthouse magazine...but as always, Max Allan Collins is a master of this type of seedy crime noir storytelling and The First Quarry is a gritty, entertaining, page-turner.
_____
My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.