KILLING QUARRY

KILLING QUARRY

By Max Allan Collins

Hard Case Crime

206 pages

Pub Date – 12 Nov – 2019

When reading a Max Collins Quarry novel, readers have come to expect certain elements to grace the pages of each new title.  Primary among these are witty, often sharply sarcastic bantering between the veteran hitman and the people he encounters. Then there are the sexy femme fatales that come in all colors, ages and alluring shapes. Though Quarry would never call himself a “ladies man,” his ability to attract beautiful women certainly makes his male readers envious. Then you add in sudden, often violent action in which our protagonist has to fight tooth and nail to survive and your Quarry recipe is almost complete.  So what’s the final ingredient? The twisted, original plots that will keep you turning the pages in an attempt to unravel the mystery before he does.

Thus in this vein, “Killing Quarry” is as yet another winner fulfilling all of these expectations with a fast-pace plot that adds a terrific new perspective to the series. For the first time in his death-dealing career, Quarry has never been the intended target. He is this time and when that revelation becomes apparent, it turns his entire world upside down. No longer the hunter, Quarry doesn’t fancy the role of prey. Someone has painted a target on his back and if he makes one false move, it could be his last.

If that were not enough to occupy his attention, in the middle of the entire affair he is reunited with an old lover from his early days in the killing game. Lu, short for Lucille, also happens be in his line of work.  Though she has a logical explanation for why she has come back now, Quarry is ever skeptical. He is alive because of his trust issues. Is she there to assist him in learning who has put out on a contract on him or is she pursuing her own selfish agenda? And why, after almost a decade of operating in relative obscurity, has his identity finally been exposed?

“Killing Quarry” is a twisty thriller that skillfully moves from one scene to next with such consummate ease, most readers will reach the end sooner than desired. Then again, that’s another part of any Quarry book, we never want them to end.