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Quarry #12
Quarry's Choice
Quarry is a pro in the murder business. When the man he works for becomes a target himself, Quarry is sent South to remove a traitor in the ranks. But in this wide-open city – with sin everywhere, and betrayal around every corner – Quarry must make the most dangerous choice of his deadly who to kill?
229 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
67 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
820 books1,339 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
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・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
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・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
August 5, 2025
In this story, “Quarry” goes to Mississippi and does his murder and sex routine with his usual intelligence, ethics and humor.
Collins began the series in the seventies. Its popularity grew and then, it would seem, really exploded in the century we’re in now when he’s publishing them all with Hard Case Crime. But he smartly reset the series time period so the books take place in the 70s and 80s, when Quarry was in his 20s and 30s.
Collins began the series in the seventies. Its popularity grew and then, it would seem, really exploded in the century we’re in now when he’s publishing them all with Hard Case Crime. But he smartly reset the series time period so the books take place in the 70s and 80s, when Quarry was in his 20s and 30s.
September 3, 2021
"Quarry's Choice" is the eleventh novel in Collins' Quarry series, which was first published in 1976 in the aptly titled "Quarry." However, Collins does something surprising in this latest entry to the series and, instead of an older, graying protagonist, the reader is returned nearly to the beginning of the series and, chronologically, this book is the second in the series. More importantly, the story takes the reader back to the mid 70's and to small town Southern bars and strip clubs. You can definitely hear the Southern rock playing in the background throughout this book.
Quarry was a hitman before it became popular to be a hitman. A former Vietnam Vet who returned home to find his fiancé with another guy. Naturally, Quarry kicked over a jack holding up the car over this guy, ending him. After he got out of that jam, the Broker hired him to do the only thing he had ever been trained to do. Quarry is a hardboiled series with a violent killer as its hero. The tone is sardonic. The books are chockfull of action as Quarry negotiates his way through numerous obstacles.
These books often take Quarry into small towns, singles bars, nightclubs, and the like. This one,too, has a lot of action taking place in clubs where the women wear pink hot-pants and matching halter tops. Quarry is warned though that he's in a swamp filled with snakes and gators and inbreds that will mess him up if he's not on his toes. He gets plenty of action in every sense of the word here. At times, the pace is deliberately slow, but at other times, the action is just plain crazy with the body count piling up, waitresses wielding claw hammers, and rednecks wielding blowtorches.
Quarry's Choice is most of all a fun read and a great addition to the series.
Quarry was a hitman before it became popular to be a hitman. A former Vietnam Vet who returned home to find his fiancé with another guy. Naturally, Quarry kicked over a jack holding up the car over this guy, ending him. After he got out of that jam, the Broker hired him to do the only thing he had ever been trained to do. Quarry is a hardboiled series with a violent killer as its hero. The tone is sardonic. The books are chockfull of action as Quarry negotiates his way through numerous obstacles.
These books often take Quarry into small towns, singles bars, nightclubs, and the like. This one,too, has a lot of action taking place in clubs where the women wear pink hot-pants and matching halter tops. Quarry is warned though that he's in a swamp filled with snakes and gators and inbreds that will mess him up if he's not on his toes. He gets plenty of action in every sense of the word here. At times, the pace is deliberately slow, but at other times, the action is just plain crazy with the body count piling up, waitresses wielding claw hammers, and rednecks wielding blowtorches.
Quarry's Choice is most of all a fun read and a great addition to the series.
October 23, 2016
QUARRY'S CHOICE is pure pulp fiction that holds true to the golden era of dime store paperbacks where murder, mayhem, sex and violence populated the popular fiction of the time. Max Allan Collins doesn't sacrifice plot for cheap thrills or for the sake of exploitation though, rather, delicately weaving all those pulp elements into a single narrative that results in a finished and polished product of typical Quarry quality.
May 19, 2023
Although this is the 11th published Quarry book, the timeline is rewound back to the 1970s to make it an early instalment in the assassin’s career. This is notable because up until now, he has been ageing steadily, using his experience to get himself out of tight situations. Quarry’s Choice, set mainly in Biloxi, Mississippi, finds a younger Quarry who is a fitter, stronger version but who is lacking in his decision making skills.
This is a true hard boiled crime novel in the tradition of the classic pulps dominated by tough, uncompromising characters wielding guns and using them with abandon. Once the job has been described and the players are in place, the action begins and charges ahead to create carnage at every turn.
Quarry is a hitman, but he works for a man known only as the Broker. Broker organises the jobs, the payment and the format of the team carrying out the hit. That’s the way things usually work, but not in this case. A failed hit on Broker leads to Quarry being sent on a solo mission to Biloxi to take out a leader of the Dixie Mafia by the name of Jack Killian. In this case, Broker is the client.
Reaching Biloxi, Quarry meets with Mr Woody, the owner of a string of strip clubs and other dives. It’s through Mr Woody that Quarry will gain the access to Killian needed to complete the hit. To help Quarry with negotiating the local scene, Mr Woody also provides him with a companion, Lolita, one of the strippers from his club. Lolita, whose real name is Luanne proves to be an important cog in the Quarry killing machine.
By its very nature this is a brutal affair that relies on lies, deception and straight out violence to achieve the very obvious goal of carrying out a murder for hire. The sleaze aspect of the story is predictable and very much in keeping with the pulp novel nature of the genre in which it sits.
Because we’ve essentially gone back in time, in terms of the series timeline, we’ve come across a Quarry who is still quite inexperienced at his job and this opens him up to falling for one or two stumbling blocks. The double crosses, when they come, require some quick thinking and ruthless, decisive action, something that Quarry has always been replete with.
This is the kind of savage, raw pulp fiction that fans of the sub-genre should eat up. With sharp dialogue and direct, highly inappropriate attitudes to just about everyone, it’s unapologetic in the language, violence and disregard for life. In short, this is a crime novel in the old-style pulp fiction vein and it’s done very well.
This is a true hard boiled crime novel in the tradition of the classic pulps dominated by tough, uncompromising characters wielding guns and using them with abandon. Once the job has been described and the players are in place, the action begins and charges ahead to create carnage at every turn.
Quarry is a hitman, but he works for a man known only as the Broker. Broker organises the jobs, the payment and the format of the team carrying out the hit. That’s the way things usually work, but not in this case. A failed hit on Broker leads to Quarry being sent on a solo mission to Biloxi to take out a leader of the Dixie Mafia by the name of Jack Killian. In this case, Broker is the client.
Reaching Biloxi, Quarry meets with Mr Woody, the owner of a string of strip clubs and other dives. It’s through Mr Woody that Quarry will gain the access to Killian needed to complete the hit. To help Quarry with negotiating the local scene, Mr Woody also provides him with a companion, Lolita, one of the strippers from his club. Lolita, whose real name is Luanne proves to be an important cog in the Quarry killing machine.
By its very nature this is a brutal affair that relies on lies, deception and straight out violence to achieve the very obvious goal of carrying out a murder for hire. The sleaze aspect of the story is predictable and very much in keeping with the pulp novel nature of the genre in which it sits.
Because we’ve essentially gone back in time, in terms of the series timeline, we’ve come across a Quarry who is still quite inexperienced at his job and this opens him up to falling for one or two stumbling blocks. The double crosses, when they come, require some quick thinking and ruthless, decisive action, something that Quarry has always been replete with.
This is the kind of savage, raw pulp fiction that fans of the sub-genre should eat up. With sharp dialogue and direct, highly inappropriate attitudes to just about everyone, it’s unapologetic in the language, violence and disregard for life. In short, this is a crime novel in the old-style pulp fiction vein and it’s done very well.
November 30, 2025
Quarry really is a fish out of water in this one as he travels on a personal assignment from The Broker that leads to Mississippi and the Dixie Mafia as the series rewinds to 1972.
March 23, 2024
I am very much enjoying this series, this author and the style and balance of this genre. I like the grit, the pace and the content. I think Quarry is a standard that reflects what the times classified as a man's man. He has some great attributes and honor with determination and passion. I like the insertion of what has seemed to be a damsel in each of the works i have read so far. I like this style and will read more.
July 27, 2020
I get a (cheap) thrill when a book's setting is someplace I have actually visited. The majority of the action in Max Allan Collins' Quarry's Choice takes place in Biloxi Mississippi. Quarry does have several encounters with the Dixie Mafia that I didn't-in my defense I was eleven or thereabouts when I was there. This novel features a lot of action, double-crossing, and sex. In other words a typical Quarry novel. And by typical I mean really really good.
September 21, 2015
New release from Skyboat Media, read by Stephen Rudnicki. He did a great job, as usual. His voice is deeper than I imagine Quarry's to be, but that's OK. The pacing & matter of fact tone are perfect.
In this fun, twisted tale of murder, Collins examines the concept of trust in Quarry's world. Collins isn't a subtle writer nor is Quarry a particularly introspective character, so the examination is different & fun.
This takes place 18 months after The First Quarry. I'm trying to get a better handle on the chronology of the series. There isn't a good one that I've been able to find. Collins wrote them out of order & so far the best I've found says,
"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."
The published order is:
1. Quarry (1976) aka The Broker
2. Quarry's List (1976) aka The Broker's Wife
3. Quarry's Deal (1976) aka The Dealer
4. Quarry's Cut (1977) aka The Slasher
5. Primary Target (1987) aka Quarry's Vote
6. Quarry's Greatest Hits (2003)
7. The Last Quarry (2006)
8. The First Quarry (2008)
9. Quarry in the Middle (2009)
10. Quarry's Ex (2010)
11. The Wrong Quarry (2014)
12. Quarry's Choice (2015)
------ Current order ------
"The First Quarry" - early 70's
"Quarry's Choice" - 18 months after "The First Quarry"
"The Last Quarry"
In this fun, twisted tale of murder, Collins examines the concept of trust in Quarry's world. Collins isn't a subtle writer nor is Quarry a particularly introspective character, so the examination is different & fun.
This takes place 18 months after The First Quarry. I'm trying to get a better handle on the chronology of the series. There isn't a good one that I've been able to find. Collins wrote them out of order & so far the best I've found says,
"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."
The published order is:
1. Quarry (1976) aka The Broker
2. Quarry's List (1976) aka The Broker's Wife
3. Quarry's Deal (1976) aka The Dealer
4. Quarry's Cut (1977) aka The Slasher
5. Primary Target (1987) aka Quarry's Vote
6. Quarry's Greatest Hits (2003)
7. The Last Quarry (2006)
8. The First Quarry (2008)
9. Quarry in the Middle (2009)
10. Quarry's Ex (2010)
11. The Wrong Quarry (2014)
12. Quarry's Choice (2015)
------ Current order ------
"The First Quarry" - early 70's
"Quarry's Choice" - 18 months after "The First Quarry"
"The Last Quarry"
February 17, 2024
This is set in April of 1972 and The Broker is still running all of Quarry’s jobs.
When Quarry was out to dinner with The Broker, some one tried to do a drive by shooting of The Broker. Of course Quarry kills the shooter right then an there saving The Broker’s life( ironically) 😬😬
The Broker actually hired Quarry directly to perform the hit on the person trying to kill him. The people were from the Dixie Mafia in Biloxi, Mississippi. They owned a bunch of “fleece and fuck joints” yep I giggled too.
They’d roll people after spending time either gambling or using the whore house. The Dixie Mafia people definitely deserved what was coming to them.
The women in this one were particularly vulnerable and sad. But Quarry makes the playing field even and the end was perfect. Body count and heat high in this installment!
When Quarry was out to dinner with The Broker, some one tried to do a drive by shooting of The Broker. Of course Quarry kills the shooter right then an there saving The Broker’s life( ironically) 😬😬
The Broker actually hired Quarry directly to perform the hit on the person trying to kill him. The people were from the Dixie Mafia in Biloxi, Mississippi. They owned a bunch of “fleece and fuck joints” yep I giggled too.
They’d roll people after spending time either gambling or using the whore house. The Dixie Mafia people definitely deserved what was coming to them.
The women in this one were particularly vulnerable and sad. But Quarry makes the playing field even and the end was perfect. Body count and heat high in this installment!
April 2, 2017
PROTAGONIST: Quarry
SETTING: Biloxi, MS
SERIES: #12 of 13
RATING: 4.25
WHY: This book takes place when Quarry is still a hitman for The Broker. When someone shoots at the 2 of them while they are meeting, Broker sends Quarry to Biloxi, MS, to deal with one of the leaders of the Dixie Mafia, Jack Killian. He is aided by one of the other leaders, Mr. Woody. The setting is seedy, junky strip clubs and casinos. Mr. Woody provides Quarry with his own stripper, "Lolita" aka Luann, to amuse himself. Quarry is able to take out Killian fairly early on, but then things get really interesting, especially since he finds himself caring for Luann. Lots of sex and violence - I couldn't put it down.
SETTING: Biloxi, MS
SERIES: #12 of 13
RATING: 4.25
WHY: This book takes place when Quarry is still a hitman for The Broker. When someone shoots at the 2 of them while they are meeting, Broker sends Quarry to Biloxi, MS, to deal with one of the leaders of the Dixie Mafia, Jack Killian. He is aided by one of the other leaders, Mr. Woody. The setting is seedy, junky strip clubs and casinos. Mr. Woody provides Quarry with his own stripper, "Lolita" aka Luann, to amuse himself. Quarry is able to take out Killian fairly early on, but then things get really interesting, especially since he finds himself caring for Luann. Lots of sex and violence - I couldn't put it down.
March 26, 2025
picked up Quarry’s Choice thinking it’d slap me with some hard-boiled grit but it’s just boring as hell. dude’s a hitman but he acts like he’s bored of his own life. nothing hits right. no punch in the writing. plot’s thin as paper. dialogue’s dead. supposed to feel raw but it’s just lazy. like collins just cranked it out without giving a damn. don’t bother. not worth your time.
June 2, 2022
The first 5 Quarry's were great but it's been a slow decline since... this was probably the most enjoyable since those initial books.
July 27, 2015
Quarry's Choice by Max Allan Collins is dime store, pulp fiction of the kind your father read and your mother disapproved of. So yeah, its that kind of literary candy that won't win any awards but you will enjoy much more than you're willing to admit to.
"...Then there was the option that got me the hell out of Biloxi. Kill Mr. Woody and return to my life in the Broker's world...after getting those tapes from the girl.
You remember the girl-the one who saw me commit three murders at the Dixie Club,and another at the Fantasy Sweets?
So...once I'd collected the tapes from her, I'd have to dispose of her. What, suffocate her in her sleep so she didn't suffer much? I didn't know jack shit about poison or setting up drug overdoses or anything. It's not like anybody had ever asked me to do a humane hit. And now, ironically, I was asking it of myself.
I liked the kid. She deserved better than getting dumped on a roadside or in the Gulf. But survival was my only religion, and I kept the faith.
So where did all this leave me?
Kill Mr. Woody?
Kill the girl?
Kill them both?
Decisions, decisions..."
Quarry is a killer. A hitman who did his job and did it well. Murder was just a job and Quarry never allowed himself to worry about the morality of the job. He just figured it worked itself out in the end. But then he gets sent down South to Biloxi, Mississippi and that's were the job gets a little less clear. His target is a powerful member of the Dixie mafia and the client is the target's partner. Quarry must go undercover as a bodyguard to get close to his target. But as the week unfolds, Quarry begins to realize that all is not as it seems on the surface. His target is deadly and dangerous. His client is untrustworthy and just as dangerous. And there's the girl. A young eighteen year old stripper whose been turning tricks since she was fourteen. The client has given her to Quarry for the time being to keep him company and help him get by in the new city. From her Quarry learns there are no good guys here. And everyone is just as bad as the next. Soon there are bullets flying, blow torches heating up and ball peen hammers landing and the bodies begin to pile up. It isn't about just doing the job anymore, but now its about getting out of Biloxi alive.
And of course, there's the girl...
Max Allan Collins is a terrific crime novelist, a throw back to the paperback novels of Mickey Spillane, whose tales are often filled with sex and blood of the seediest kind. This is not Ellery Queen or Agatha Christie. This is the darker side of the city. The nightlife with no illusions or romanticizing. This is pulp fiction. This is dime novel. This is dark and bloody. And its damn good.
Collins is the author of the graphic novel, Road to Perdition, which became the Tom Hanks movie. He also wrote several other Perdition novels that are well worth picking up. This is my first taste of his series involving the killer Quarry and not going to be my last.
A terrific gritty crime novel!
"...Then there was the option that got me the hell out of Biloxi. Kill Mr. Woody and return to my life in the Broker's world...after getting those tapes from the girl.
You remember the girl-the one who saw me commit three murders at the Dixie Club,and another at the Fantasy Sweets?
So...once I'd collected the tapes from her, I'd have to dispose of her. What, suffocate her in her sleep so she didn't suffer much? I didn't know jack shit about poison or setting up drug overdoses or anything. It's not like anybody had ever asked me to do a humane hit. And now, ironically, I was asking it of myself.
I liked the kid. She deserved better than getting dumped on a roadside or in the Gulf. But survival was my only religion, and I kept the faith.
So where did all this leave me?
Kill Mr. Woody?
Kill the girl?
Kill them both?
Decisions, decisions..."
Quarry is a killer. A hitman who did his job and did it well. Murder was just a job and Quarry never allowed himself to worry about the morality of the job. He just figured it worked itself out in the end. But then he gets sent down South to Biloxi, Mississippi and that's were the job gets a little less clear. His target is a powerful member of the Dixie mafia and the client is the target's partner. Quarry must go undercover as a bodyguard to get close to his target. But as the week unfolds, Quarry begins to realize that all is not as it seems on the surface. His target is deadly and dangerous. His client is untrustworthy and just as dangerous. And there's the girl. A young eighteen year old stripper whose been turning tricks since she was fourteen. The client has given her to Quarry for the time being to keep him company and help him get by in the new city. From her Quarry learns there are no good guys here. And everyone is just as bad as the next. Soon there are bullets flying, blow torches heating up and ball peen hammers landing and the bodies begin to pile up. It isn't about just doing the job anymore, but now its about getting out of Biloxi alive.
And of course, there's the girl...
Max Allan Collins is a terrific crime novelist, a throw back to the paperback novels of Mickey Spillane, whose tales are often filled with sex and blood of the seediest kind. This is not Ellery Queen or Agatha Christie. This is the darker side of the city. The nightlife with no illusions or romanticizing. This is pulp fiction. This is dime novel. This is dark and bloody. And its damn good.
Collins is the author of the graphic novel, Road to Perdition, which became the Tom Hanks movie. He also wrote several other Perdition novels that are well worth picking up. This is my first taste of his series involving the killer Quarry and not going to be my last.
A terrific gritty crime novel!
January 20, 2015
Another good one, but more sex than normal. Also, he shows a girl how to work the safety on a snub nosed revolver. Ugh. Other than that, it was fun.
February 9, 2015
When somebody tries to put a hit on the Broker, he sends Quarry down South, to Biloxi, to set the matter right.
Infiltrating the Dixie Mafia, he finds a world as corrupt, if not more so, than the one he left. And he really dislikes sweet tea.
It's pretty much straight hicksploitation. All it lacks is Burt Reynolds.
Infiltrating the Dixie Mafia, he finds a world as corrupt, if not more so, than the one he left. And he really dislikes sweet tea.
It's pretty much straight hicksploitation. All it lacks is Burt Reynolds.
December 13, 2018
#12 in the Quarry series. This 2015 series entry by author Max Allan Collins is set in 1972 and is a prequel to the series; in #1 The Broker (1976), the Broker has set Quarry up in business as a hitman and a job goes bad and Quarry's lookout Boyd is killed, but in the beginning of Quarry's Choice, the Broker and Quarry have a discussion of Boyd's merits as a future partner. In this unusual series entry, Quarry stays around after the job is finished and forms an emotional attachment. There are two major twists at he climax and I only suspected one was coming. Great entertainment if violent, sociopaths are your cup of tea. Series fans will enjoy the prequel.
In 1972, a year after Quarry finished his tour of duty in Vietnam, he's settled into his new career as a murderer for hire, working for a middleman known as the Broker. After a failed attempt on the Broker's life, he himself becomes Quarry's client, setting the mercenary on the trail of a Dixie Mafia leader, Jack Killian, whom the Broker believes wants him dead. Quarry finds getting close to Killian easy, but the assignment becomes an emotional challenge as his target becomes human to him, as does a hooker with the clichéd heart of gold.
In 1972, a year after Quarry finished his tour of duty in Vietnam, he's settled into his new career as a murderer for hire, working for a middleman known as the Broker. After a failed attempt on the Broker's life, he himself becomes Quarry's client, setting the mercenary on the trail of a Dixie Mafia leader, Jack Killian, whom the Broker believes wants him dead. Quarry finds getting close to Killian easy, but the assignment becomes an emotional challenge as his target becomes human to him, as does a hooker with the clichéd heart of gold.
December 29, 2021
One of the better Quarry novels. Collins cut the chaff and made this one a lean, easy read high on explosive violence.
April 14, 2015
If you are fed up with reading books about a hit man with a heart, why not try one of the ‘Quarry’ series? This is a man who is hired to kill and does not think too much about it; it is just a job. Usually Quarry arrives in a town, makes a hit and gets out immediately, but there is something about the world of the Dixie Mafia that is making him stay a little longer. Is it the blackmail, the attractive young women, or the sense of revenge?
Quarry is a stone cold killer that is not always easy to like, but this is why the character is so memorable. It is strangely refreshing to read about a hired killer who actually does his job properly. In ‘Quarry’s Choice’ we get as close to him becoming unprofessional yet as he is forced to go undercover to take out a hit on a leading Dixie Mafia mob boss. As a rule, Quarry prides himself on never being remembered, but if he is going to get close enough to his target, not only will he need to be remembered, he will also need to be trusted.
Allowing Quarry to stay in one place and interact with several characters over a number of days makes this outing in the series the best so far. Real relationships start to grow and that is never easy when you have a sociopath as your main protagonist. It is Quarry’s interaction with Luann, an exotic dancer, which fleshes out the book. Rather than being a case of hit and run, Quarry is forced to take someone else’s wellbeing into account and this alters how he works. Does Quarry become a good man by the end of this book? Certainly not, but at least you get to see that he understands the difference between right and wrong.
As well as having an interesting relationship in the book, it also has good old fashioned pulp fiction. At times the book becomes so hard boiled that you think you may just break your teeth on it. The narration from Quarry’s point of view allows author Max Allan Collins licence to really chew the page; his descriptions of other people are hilarious and in the case of some of the female character, salacious.
It is in the areas of sex and violence that the book will put of some readers. I am not someone who is easily shocked and reading about someone being despatched with a ball-peen hammer doesn’t put me off, but it will do for some readers. As for the bedroom sequences…. Many of the Hard Case Crime books are quite graphic in this area and here there is no exception. Go into the book with a knowing and open mind and most people should be able to make it through without going bright red whilst reading. After all, it is the loving and the fighting that makes this series fun to read; I learnt that there is rarely a Quarry that isn’t leery.
‘Quarry’s Choice’ has all the rich ingredients that make up the best type of pulp fiction; an anti-hero, a femme fatale, guns, women and gambling. What makes it better is that there is a strong relationship at the centre that gives Quarry actual motivation for his actions. Unlike with some pulp novels, you want the hero to come out on top and win the day; even if this does mean they have to dispatch a few people on the way. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
Quarry is a stone cold killer that is not always easy to like, but this is why the character is so memorable. It is strangely refreshing to read about a hired killer who actually does his job properly. In ‘Quarry’s Choice’ we get as close to him becoming unprofessional yet as he is forced to go undercover to take out a hit on a leading Dixie Mafia mob boss. As a rule, Quarry prides himself on never being remembered, but if he is going to get close enough to his target, not only will he need to be remembered, he will also need to be trusted.
Allowing Quarry to stay in one place and interact with several characters over a number of days makes this outing in the series the best so far. Real relationships start to grow and that is never easy when you have a sociopath as your main protagonist. It is Quarry’s interaction with Luann, an exotic dancer, which fleshes out the book. Rather than being a case of hit and run, Quarry is forced to take someone else’s wellbeing into account and this alters how he works. Does Quarry become a good man by the end of this book? Certainly not, but at least you get to see that he understands the difference between right and wrong.
As well as having an interesting relationship in the book, it also has good old fashioned pulp fiction. At times the book becomes so hard boiled that you think you may just break your teeth on it. The narration from Quarry’s point of view allows author Max Allan Collins licence to really chew the page; his descriptions of other people are hilarious and in the case of some of the female character, salacious.
It is in the areas of sex and violence that the book will put of some readers. I am not someone who is easily shocked and reading about someone being despatched with a ball-peen hammer doesn’t put me off, but it will do for some readers. As for the bedroom sequences…. Many of the Hard Case Crime books are quite graphic in this area and here there is no exception. Go into the book with a knowing and open mind and most people should be able to make it through without going bright red whilst reading. After all, it is the loving and the fighting that makes this series fun to read; I learnt that there is rarely a Quarry that isn’t leery.
‘Quarry’s Choice’ has all the rich ingredients that make up the best type of pulp fiction; an anti-hero, a femme fatale, guns, women and gambling. What makes it better is that there is a strong relationship at the centre that gives Quarry actual motivation for his actions. Unlike with some pulp novels, you want the hero to come out on top and win the day; even if this does mean they have to dispatch a few people on the way. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
April 10, 2015
Quarry novel have been come a staple for me, they come out, I read them and thoroughly enjoy them. A guilty pleasure if you will.
That said, and this should come as no surprise, they are becoming a little too obviously formulaic. I almost knew where this one was headed before it went there, almost every step. I prefer a little guessing to the story.
Certain points of the story I wondered at Quarry's obviously stupid decision to do something, something so obviously dumb that there was no way our favorite hitman would make that mistake. Mentally I chalked this up to this story taking place early in his career, maybe the author was trying to show us he made mistakes (later on in his career he almost never seems to). Then later when this exact mistake comes full circle and literally falls into his lap...ah, it was almost too much.
If you are a Quarry fan definitely read this. If you are not, pick up another one of the books are start there. This isn't a bad novel, just the others seem more...fresh, this one feels like the last season of your favorite TV show, you know the characters, you know the story line, you know the tried and true paths they are going to take, and you know how it is going to end.
That said, and this should come as no surprise, they are becoming a little too obviously formulaic. I almost knew where this one was headed before it went there, almost every step. I prefer a little guessing to the story.
Certain points of the story I wondered at Quarry's obviously stupid decision to do something, something so obviously dumb that there was no way our favorite hitman would make that mistake. Mentally I chalked this up to this story taking place early in his career, maybe the author was trying to show us he made mistakes (later on in his career he almost never seems to). Then later when this exact mistake comes full circle and literally falls into his lap...ah, it was almost too much.
If you are a Quarry fan definitely read this. If you are not, pick up another one of the books are start there. This isn't a bad novel, just the others seem more...fresh, this one feels like the last season of your favorite TV show, you know the characters, you know the story line, you know the tried and true paths they are going to take, and you know how it is going to end.
August 11, 2015
In this novel, one of a long list of Quarry adventures, there are more twists and turns and red herrings than an Alpine road or a Baltic fishing catch. Max Allan Collins outdid him self, adding spice in the form of sex and plot complications galore. It begins when the hitman, Quarry, and the broker, sent by the latter’s contact, Woody, are subjected to a drive-by shooting after meeting to discuss a potential job in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Quarry goes to the southern resort, filled with strip joints and casinos, to bump off Mr. Woody’s partner, Jack Killian. It seems Woody claims Killian is upsetting the status quo and expanding dangerously, and getting out of hand with violence. Quarry becomes Killian’s bodyguard in an attempt to get close to him to perform the hit.
Collins began the series in 1976, and Hard Case Crime has now published five books. “Choice” is filled with lots of suspense and sexuality and is in the Mickey Spillane mode of story-telling: slam-bang, graphic detail with a complex plot. Lots of fun to read and savor.
Recommended.
Quarry goes to the southern resort, filled with strip joints and casinos, to bump off Mr. Woody’s partner, Jack Killian. It seems Woody claims Killian is upsetting the status quo and expanding dangerously, and getting out of hand with violence. Quarry becomes Killian’s bodyguard in an attempt to get close to him to perform the hit.
Collins began the series in 1976, and Hard Case Crime has now published five books. “Choice” is filled with lots of suspense and sexuality and is in the Mickey Spillane mode of story-telling: slam-bang, graphic detail with a complex plot. Lots of fun to read and savor.
Recommended.
January 9, 2015
One thing I've learned since I discovered Max Allan Collins. He never fails to deliver. A wonderful mix of pulp and literature, no easy thing to pull off.
QUARRY'S CHOICE happens early in his career as a hitman. He has an unusual client, as in knowing the identity. It's the Broker who hires him after Quarry had broke up an attempt on his boss's life.
The whole assignment is different from his usual type. He's in Biloxi and has to go undercover to get close to his target. The Dixie Mafia controls the South and putting himself that close to them makes it that much harder to get the job done and get out alive.
Author Collins just keeps getting better with these Quarry novels. What else is there to say?
QUARRY'S CHOICE happens early in his career as a hitman. He has an unusual client, as in knowing the identity. It's the Broker who hires him after Quarry had broke up an attempt on his boss's life.
The whole assignment is different from his usual type. He's in Biloxi and has to go undercover to get close to his target. The Dixie Mafia controls the South and putting himself that close to them makes it that much harder to get the job done and get out alive.
Author Collins just keeps getting better with these Quarry novels. What else is there to say?
October 12, 2015
After an assassination attempt on the Broker, Quarry travels to Biloxi, Miss. to determine who is behind the threat and eliminate them. As always, things aren’t what they initially seem. Will he be able to do what it takes to live through it all?
Perhaps not quite as satisfying as "The First Quarry," but this story still takes place in that seedy, darkly nostalgic 1970s world in which Quarry functions so effectively.
Since he’s now been on the job for a couple of years, we see how his thinking has evolved and what makes him tick. The evolution of his relationship with the Broker is interesting, as well.
A brisk, suspenseful read that fleshes out both the character of Quarry and the world he lives in.
Perhaps not quite as satisfying as "The First Quarry," but this story still takes place in that seedy, darkly nostalgic 1970s world in which Quarry functions so effectively.
Since he’s now been on the job for a couple of years, we see how his thinking has evolved and what makes him tick. The evolution of his relationship with the Broker is interesting, as well.
A brisk, suspenseful read that fleshes out both the character of Quarry and the world he lives in.
September 5, 2023
I can't remember how many killings there are in 227 pages of the book, but the figure is comically high. Not that the book is comic, though there are many wise-guy comments from the first-person narrator, who is a hit-man. The style is simple, direct and a times vivid, but, unless you like to read about violence and degradation, you may find that the vividness exaggerates what is disturbing in the story. The book is likely a good example of its type, though many readers may find it troublesome or distressing. It resembles a Micky Spillane novel, but without the morality.
May 23, 2017
Quarry could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had just killed everyone when he arrived in Biloxi. Double and triple crossing in Mississippi. A reliable series. Collins is better at violence than sex so he might want to tone down descriptions of the latter. Also revolvers don't have safeties. This mistake drives me nuts....
March 4, 2025
I'm a big fan of Max Allan Collins and his hardboiled writing style. This is another chapter featuring Quarry, the hitman who targets other hitmen (and assorted bad guys). "Quarry's Choice" takes us back to Quarry's earlier life, before he retired, when he was still doing jobs for the Broker. This is the 1970's, so be prepared for casual sex, drugs, and some outdated stereotypes.
This time it's personal. When Quarry and the Broker survive an assassination attempt, all of the rules go out the window. The Broker finds out who ordered the hit, a gangster out of Mississippi, a past client who has decided to tie up loose ends by eliminating the Broker. He sends Quarry to Biloxi to work with the second-in-command and set up the gangster for a hit.
But as usual, things don't seem so clear-cut in the field. The gangster seems to be pretty straight-forward, while the "nice guy" second-in-command isn't so nice after all. Throw in some unfriendly competition (including a lady who uses a hammer to make her point), a crooked sheriff, cheating wives, and a stripper/hooker who Quarry is getting a little bit too fond of, and Quarry has to make some choices as to who the bad guys really are, and how he can get out of this with his life (and money) intact.
Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry.
This time it's personal. When Quarry and the Broker survive an assassination attempt, all of the rules go out the window. The Broker finds out who ordered the hit, a gangster out of Mississippi, a past client who has decided to tie up loose ends by eliminating the Broker. He sends Quarry to Biloxi to work with the second-in-command and set up the gangster for a hit.
But as usual, things don't seem so clear-cut in the field. The gangster seems to be pretty straight-forward, while the "nice guy" second-in-command isn't so nice after all. Throw in some unfriendly competition (including a lady who uses a hammer to make her point), a crooked sheriff, cheating wives, and a stripper/hooker who Quarry is getting a little bit too fond of, and Quarry has to make some choices as to who the bad guys really are, and how he can get out of this with his life (and money) intact.
Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry.
August 31, 2018
Quarry is a professional hit-man working for a man known only as Broker. He works as a part of a finely tuned organization and has no qualms about his work - recently back from Vietnam, Quarry is more than acquainted with death and in new line of work he is almost always targeting people that are living on the other side of the law. So it is not like he is losing sleep over any of his contracts.
Then out of the blue somebody tries to kill the Broker - unfortunately Quarry was also present so he took the unsuccessful attack on Broker as an assault on his life too. So he gets a new contract to find who are the perpetrators and this takes him to the southern parts of the USA where he will get head to head with some pretty unsavory and violent characters.
This is my first quarry novel and I gotta say it got me hooked. Main character is not exactly Matt Helm but he is very close.
Violence is present but it is not central but supportive part of the story (sometimes you will read a sentence in which Quarry just plainly says "I shot him" and that is it).
Recommended to all fans of fast action, thrillers, witty story and lots of violence.
Then out of the blue somebody tries to kill the Broker - unfortunately Quarry was also present so he took the unsuccessful attack on Broker as an assault on his life too. So he gets a new contract to find who are the perpetrators and this takes him to the southern parts of the USA where he will get head to head with some pretty unsavory and violent characters.
This is my first quarry novel and I gotta say it got me hooked. Main character is not exactly Matt Helm but he is very close.
Violence is present but it is not central but supportive part of the story (sometimes you will read a sentence in which Quarry just plainly says "I shot him" and that is it).
Recommended to all fans of fast action, thrillers, witty story and lots of violence.
January 17, 2021
Another adventure in life hitman Quarry. It’s an early tale, set in Biloxi and inspired, it seems by the history of Mississippi loose attempt to imitate the organized crime of Chicago, LA, Las Vegas and New York.
It’s a new setting for our hero, swamps, and the South. But it is also the same in many ways. Bad people dealing with worse people.
In this outing, Quarry is sent find and take out whoever is was that tried to kill his boss, The Broker.
And that leads him to Biloxi, disorganized crime and strip clubs, illegal gambling and no shortage hillbillies.
Spoiler: if I have complaint of this, and all first person novels it is this. Any drawn out sequence of the character being captured about to be tortured for too long seems pointless, and can be boring. There are a bunch of books in this series, this story is told from the hero’s point of view. The reader knows the hero is going to escape. Dragging such a sequence out threw this reader out of the novel for a bit.
It’s a small complaint in an otherwise fun, humorous, exciting novel. Hard Case Crime does great work for crime fiction.
It’s a new setting for our hero, swamps, and the South. But it is also the same in many ways. Bad people dealing with worse people.
In this outing, Quarry is sent find and take out whoever is was that tried to kill his boss, The Broker.
And that leads him to Biloxi, disorganized crime and strip clubs, illegal gambling and no shortage hillbillies.
Spoiler: if I have complaint of this, and all first person novels it is this. Any drawn out sequence of the character being captured about to be tortured for too long seems pointless, and can be boring. There are a bunch of books in this series, this story is told from the hero’s point of view. The reader knows the hero is going to escape. Dragging such a sequence out threw this reader out of the novel for a bit.
It’s a small complaint in an otherwise fun, humorous, exciting novel. Hard Case Crime does great work for crime fiction.
August 7, 2025
April 1972
We’re taking a trip to Biloxi in Mississippi for this entry - the second in the chronological series of Quarry novels.
When Quarry and the Broker survive a drive by shooting, Quarry is sent to Biloxi to take out Jack Killian - a member of the Dixie Mafia who is working hard to become the top dog of the outfit and doesn’t seem to care who he takes out along the way. The Broker has been informed that it was Killian that ordered the hit on him so this is, in some ways, personal.
Killian’s second in command, Woodrow Colton (or Mr Woody) a banker, pimp and strip club owner, introduces Quarry to Killian as a potential employee (to replace the man who was killed by Quarry in the drive by) and Quarry soon becomes a part of the organisation.
But nothing is quite what it seems and as the crosses become double and triple, Quarry starts to question who is playing who.
Another great read with some great characters.
We’re taking a trip to Biloxi in Mississippi for this entry - the second in the chronological series of Quarry novels.
When Quarry and the Broker survive a drive by shooting, Quarry is sent to Biloxi to take out Jack Killian - a member of the Dixie Mafia who is working hard to become the top dog of the outfit and doesn’t seem to care who he takes out along the way. The Broker has been informed that it was Killian that ordered the hit on him so this is, in some ways, personal.
Killian’s second in command, Woodrow Colton (or Mr Woody) a banker, pimp and strip club owner, introduces Quarry to Killian as a potential employee (to replace the man who was killed by Quarry in the drive by) and Quarry soon becomes a part of the organisation.
But nothing is quite what it seems and as the crosses become double and triple, Quarry starts to question who is playing who.
Another great read with some great characters.
April 2, 2026
This book is brutal. I say that as a person who is reading (and re-reading in some cases) through a series about a hitman in order to read the books in order. Quarry's Choice could also be called the one where Quarry shows he has feelings. The source of both title and potential title is Lola, a sweet young hooker, whom Quarry is not sure how to handle emotionally. If you're new to the series, Quarry, who has plenty of sex, has more respect for women than for human life, but his emotional investment is on the light side. The more Quarry learns about Lola, the more conflicted he feels, and it's easy to understand why. Lola's past comes straight from a James Ellroy book aka as brutal as they come. The only good news is that all the right people die. Sadly, that does not change the past. Maybe my favourite of the series so far, just because Collins yet again finds another lane for his character. He is such a good writer.
June 12, 2017
If you are easily offended don't read this book.
If words about actions trigger you don't read this book.
If you are a snowflake in need of a safe space don't read this book.
Everyone else, ENJOY! Classic Max Allan Collins and classic Quarry. No one does raw pulp fiction better than Max Allan Collins. One personal interesting bit in the book: Santo Traficante was a real person, a real Mafia Don (Tampa) and my husband knew him. He did not know Carlos Marcello.
If words about actions trigger you don't read this book.
If you are a snowflake in need of a safe space don't read this book.
Everyone else, ENJOY! Classic Max Allan Collins and classic Quarry. No one does raw pulp fiction better than Max Allan Collins. One personal interesting bit in the book: Santo Traficante was a real person, a real Mafia Don (Tampa) and my husband knew him. He did not know Carlos Marcello.
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