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Quarry #9
Quarry in the Middle
FIRST...THERE WAS THE LAST QUARRY. THEN...THERE WAS THE FIRST QUARRY. NOW...LOOK WHO'S CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE. The enigmatic hitman Quarry -- star of seven celebrated novels and an award-winning feature film (The Last Lullaby) -- is back in this violent, steamy tale of warring crime families. When two Godfathers set out to bump each other off, guess who winds up with both contracts...
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2009
44 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
803 books1,319 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 86 reviews
May 28, 2023
reread it and realized it’s a good story, even if not as brisk as “the last quarry.”
amended my rating accordingly.
_____
original review:
oof, this one was a slog for me. can’t lie. not sure if i was distracted or this quarry story just didn’t catch me. i barely remember anything about it and i just finished it. i see others dug it tho, so who knows.
might reread it one day to make sure, but on to the next quarry for now, since i still quite like max allan collins books overall.
was it just me? what did you think? and what are your top 5 pulp books? love finding new stuff.
amended my rating accordingly.
_____
original review:
oof, this one was a slog for me. can’t lie. not sure if i was distracted or this quarry story just didn’t catch me. i barely remember anything about it and i just finished it. i see others dug it tho, so who knows.
might reread it one day to make sure, but on to the next quarry for now, since i still quite like max allan collins books overall.
was it just me? what did you think? and what are your top 5 pulp books? love finding new stuff.
July 11, 2011
Using information contained in the deceased Broker's database, Quarry goes to the rathole port town of Haydee's Port, Illinois to prevent a hit and earn some cash in the process. As a result,Quarry puts himself in the middle of two casino owners, both of whom would like to see the other put out of business. Permanently...
I'd say Quarry in the Middle is in the top 10 or 15 Hard Case novels. There is a lot of sex, a lot of violence, and the standard Quarry orgy of violence ending. Quarry proves to be a well-rounded character, a scumbag with some redeeming qualities, even if he does have trouble keeping his pants on. There are a couple twists and I saw the big one coming, but neither are obvious.
If you like Quarry, you'll like this. If you've never read a Quarry before, you can pick this one up without getting lost.
I'd say Quarry in the Middle is in the top 10 or 15 Hard Case novels. There is a lot of sex, a lot of violence, and the standard Quarry orgy of violence ending. Quarry proves to be a well-rounded character, a scumbag with some redeeming qualities, even if he does have trouble keeping his pants on. There are a couple twists and I saw the big one coming, but neither are obvious.
If you like Quarry, you'll like this. If you've never read a Quarry before, you can pick this one up without getting lost.
September 3, 2021
Quarry in the Middle is Collins' ninth book in the Quarry series which began with Quarry in 1976, and includes Quarry's List, Quarry's Deal, Quarry's Cut, Quarry's Vote, Quarry's Greatest Hits, The Last Quarry, The First Quarry, Quarry's Ex, and Wrong Quarry. As detailed in the First Quarry, Quarry is a former Vietnam veteran whose real name is never disclosed to the reader. He comes back, finds his fiancé in bed with another guy, finds that guy working under his car and kicks the jack out, survives a murder trial, and is then recruited by a mysterious figure named the Broker to carry out hits and we don't mean hits in baseball.
In Quarry in the Middle, Quarry no longer works for the Broker, who is no longer among the living. Rather, Quarry has obtained the Broker's lists of contacts and he follows the hired assassins, staking them out and figuring out who their prey is. Once he is confident in that information, he offers a deal to the targets, he will, for a price, take out their hitmen and find whoever is the responsible party. I guess everyone needs a career doing something.
Quarry in the Middle is firmly set in small-town (Haydee's Port) Midwest in the mid-1980's. Collins reinforces that setting in time and place by his descriptions of the cars used at the time, the music playing on the radio, the posters on the walls in the decrepit bars, and the hair and outfits worn by the folks peopling this small waste of a town. The women, for instance, often have frizzed hair and pink tube tops.
Quarry follows a man he knows is a mob hitman to a small town with one wreck of a hotel, a run-down main street filled with bars and dives, and a run-down casino by the river. Both the casino and one of the bars on main street are run by guys who are rival and who both have heavy Chicago connections. Quarry is not as secretive as he would like to be as both of the mobbed-up rivals in this town clue into the fact he is not the vetinary drug salesman he pretends to be.
Quarry checks into the same motel as the hitman he is following which leads to some amusing scenes as Quarry comes out of the motel pool after doing laps and sees the hitman sitting next to where Quarry left his rolled-up towel with a nine-millimeter wrapped in it.
This Quarry book is non-stop action as Quarry rolls into one fight after another and into one bed after another. In this book, Quarry is definitely single and definitely on the make.
Collins never lets the reader forget however that all the action is taking place in this small town waste of a town in the 1980's Midwest and that most of the people in this town have nothing but a bleak future ahead of them. His descriptions of the casinos and clubs and the denizens in them are just right on. Collins also takes the reader step by step through a high-stakes poker game.
All in all, although this book may be nothing more than another chapter in the Quarry series, it is a fun, worthwhile read, firmly in the hard case crime tradition. Expect to finish the book the same day you start it.
In Quarry in the Middle, Quarry no longer works for the Broker, who is no longer among the living. Rather, Quarry has obtained the Broker's lists of contacts and he follows the hired assassins, staking them out and figuring out who their prey is. Once he is confident in that information, he offers a deal to the targets, he will, for a price, take out their hitmen and find whoever is the responsible party. I guess everyone needs a career doing something.
Quarry in the Middle is firmly set in small-town (Haydee's Port) Midwest in the mid-1980's. Collins reinforces that setting in time and place by his descriptions of the cars used at the time, the music playing on the radio, the posters on the walls in the decrepit bars, and the hair and outfits worn by the folks peopling this small waste of a town. The women, for instance, often have frizzed hair and pink tube tops.
Quarry follows a man he knows is a mob hitman to a small town with one wreck of a hotel, a run-down main street filled with bars and dives, and a run-down casino by the river. Both the casino and one of the bars on main street are run by guys who are rival and who both have heavy Chicago connections. Quarry is not as secretive as he would like to be as both of the mobbed-up rivals in this town clue into the fact he is not the vetinary drug salesman he pretends to be.
Quarry checks into the same motel as the hitman he is following which leads to some amusing scenes as Quarry comes out of the motel pool after doing laps and sees the hitman sitting next to where Quarry left his rolled-up towel with a nine-millimeter wrapped in it.
This Quarry book is non-stop action as Quarry rolls into one fight after another and into one bed after another. In this book, Quarry is definitely single and definitely on the make.
Collins never lets the reader forget however that all the action is taking place in this small town waste of a town in the 1980's Midwest and that most of the people in this town have nothing but a bleak future ahead of them. His descriptions of the casinos and clubs and the denizens in them are just right on. Collins also takes the reader step by step through a high-stakes poker game.
All in all, although this book may be nothing more than another chapter in the Quarry series, it is a fun, worthwhile read, firmly in the hard case crime tradition. Expect to finish the book the same day you start it.
April 17, 2025
In this one “Quarry” gets beat up real bad and later almost killed. But of course he lives to kill the bad guys. This is a very full story taking place at two different gambling dens, one lower class, one upper.
March 28, 2014
Quarry might just be one beautiful bastard, even if he manages to lose a few teeth along the way. The women certainly don’t seem to mind. Whether he goes for the more experienced ones, or the younger ones who managed to knock themselves on the head with the beauty branch, right before their mouths open wide, he certainly empties himself in a rather judicious fashion. He’s an equal opportunity sexual healer, who pounds Percocet with reckless abandon, and always manages to get his man…or woman.
He’s not described as a large man, but he takes up a lot of space, and he’s not afraid to shoot right between the eyes, and stuff the bloodied corpse in the back of his trunk. Like the pages of QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE that somehow manage to contain his presence, he rushes toward the end, even if he gets tripped up along the path of redemption. More than one evil presence fills the pages of this tall tale. Even if the penultimate conclusion ends in a mild whimper, I still managed to root rather hard for the home team, and wield my Louisville Slugger with pride and compassion and mild resentment.
The curves on these broads, though, nearly had me on my knees. One day, when I’m probably on my deathbed, sucking turnip juice through my respirator, as pale as a white house, with varicose veins and a twitch in my right and left hand, I’ll tell the nurse, in between gasps of breath, “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.” And then I’ll probably pass out for the next twelve hours, only to snore so hard that I wake myself up.
If you don’t mind a few motherfuckers between the pages, a damsel in distress or two who just happens to own more than one pair of sheer panties and maneuvers better than a Hoover, then you’ll feel right at home between this warm blanket. Even if you have to sleep with one eye open and a hard look over your shoulder whenever you maneuver down a dark alleyway. I’d say it’s well worth the tradeoff, and I’ll try not to wait so long to read the next one.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
He’s not described as a large man, but he takes up a lot of space, and he’s not afraid to shoot right between the eyes, and stuff the bloodied corpse in the back of his trunk. Like the pages of QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE that somehow manage to contain his presence, he rushes toward the end, even if he gets tripped up along the path of redemption. More than one evil presence fills the pages of this tall tale. Even if the penultimate conclusion ends in a mild whimper, I still managed to root rather hard for the home team, and wield my Louisville Slugger with pride and compassion and mild resentment.
The curves on these broads, though, nearly had me on my knees. One day, when I’m probably on my deathbed, sucking turnip juice through my respirator, as pale as a white house, with varicose veins and a twitch in my right and left hand, I’ll tell the nurse, in between gasps of breath, “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.” And then I’ll probably pass out for the next twelve hours, only to snore so hard that I wake myself up.
If you don’t mind a few motherfuckers between the pages, a damsel in distress or two who just happens to own more than one pair of sheer panties and maneuvers better than a Hoover, then you’ll feel right at home between this warm blanket. Even if you have to sleep with one eye open and a hard look over your shoulder whenever you maneuver down a dark alleyway. I’d say it’s well worth the tradeoff, and I’ll try not to wait so long to read the next one.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
February 11, 2012
Quarry is a hitman who used to work for a man named the Broker who arranged such jobs working out of the Quad Cities, a collection of towns in Iowa and Illinois divided by the Mississippi River. The Broker is no longer with us, for reasons that need not concern us here. However Quarry has the Broker's extensive files and has found a new line of work in "preventive maintenance." Basically, he shadows other hitmen, deduces their targets, then warns the targets and offers to remove the hitman--for a fee of course.
This highly speculative venture takes Quarry to a nasty little river town where two crime families are waging a low-level conflict over gambling, drugs, prostitution and other such social endeavors. Quarry inserts himself into the middle of the situation which places him in some jeopardy, although the jeopardy is offset by some spectacular sex.
This is an entertaining tale--a nice way to spend an evening. Quarry is a good narrator of his own story and never fails to see the humor in almost any situation. I'm rating this three stars rather than four, simply because it calls for a suspension of disbelief a bit above and beyond my usual comfort level. But it's a very good entry in the Hard Case Crime series and anyone who has enjoyed the other books in the series will almost certainly like this one.
This highly speculative venture takes Quarry to a nasty little river town where two crime families are waging a low-level conflict over gambling, drugs, prostitution and other such social endeavors. Quarry inserts himself into the middle of the situation which places him in some jeopardy, although the jeopardy is offset by some spectacular sex.
This is an entertaining tale--a nice way to spend an evening. Quarry is a good narrator of his own story and never fails to see the humor in almost any situation. I'm rating this three stars rather than four, simply because it calls for a suspension of disbelief a bit above and beyond my usual comfort level. But it's a very good entry in the Hard Case Crime series and anyone who has enjoyed the other books in the series will almost certainly like this one.
November 8, 2009
This is one case where you CAN judge a book by it’s cover. There’s a menacing looking guy with a table full of booze and a couple of scantily clad beautiful women clutching weapons. What more do you need to know?
Collins has been delivering some quality contract murder stories with his run of Quarry books for Hard Case Crime. You won’t find a hired killer you can sympathize with more other than Lawrence Block’s Keller.
The First Quarry gave us the origin story set in the early ‘70s. This is Quarry during the ‘80s, and he’s working a twist on the usual hired killer angle. He’s been following other hit men to jobs and offering to protect the targets by taking out the killers first. For a fee, of course. But trailing a fellow professional to a seedy small town in Illinois filled with illegal gambling, prostitution and drug dealing soon involves Quarry in the rivalry between a couple of casino owners. Quarry has to navigate a terrain filled with small time corruption and deal with several beautiful temptresses. And he has to do it while dressed like Don Johnson in Miami Vice.
I always find Quarry interesting because he’s a bit different than the usual contract-killer-as-hero you get in other books. He’s not a merciless sociopath without a conscience, but he isn’t a tortured soul agonizing over the people he’s killed either. Quarry has a very pragmatic outlook and does his best to just complete the job with a minimum of fuss, but circumstances usually aren’t working in his favor.
Collins has provided the entire arc of Quarry’s career, but I’m hoping he’ll continue to bring us more stories from Quarry’s past.
Collins has been delivering some quality contract murder stories with his run of Quarry books for Hard Case Crime. You won’t find a hired killer you can sympathize with more other than Lawrence Block’s Keller.
The First Quarry gave us the origin story set in the early ‘70s. This is Quarry during the ‘80s, and he’s working a twist on the usual hired killer angle. He’s been following other hit men to jobs and offering to protect the targets by taking out the killers first. For a fee, of course. But trailing a fellow professional to a seedy small town in Illinois filled with illegal gambling, prostitution and drug dealing soon involves Quarry in the rivalry between a couple of casino owners. Quarry has to navigate a terrain filled with small time corruption and deal with several beautiful temptresses. And he has to do it while dressed like Don Johnson in Miami Vice.
I always find Quarry interesting because he’s a bit different than the usual contract-killer-as-hero you get in other books. He’s not a merciless sociopath without a conscience, but he isn’t a tortured soul agonizing over the people he’s killed either. Quarry has a very pragmatic outlook and does his best to just complete the job with a minimum of fuss, but circumstances usually aren’t working in his favor.
Collins has provided the entire arc of Quarry’s career, but I’m hoping he’ll continue to bring us more stories from Quarry’s past.
July 20, 2021
Jul21 review: Armed with The Broker's list, Quarry sells his services as a counter-assassin in a typical tale. I'm not fond of the somewhat graphic sex scenes, but the rest was fun. Still, I'm knocking this down from 4 stars to 3.
Sep15 review: Another new audio book from Skyboat Media, read by Stephen Rudnicki. Well read as usual & twisty. As straight forward & cold as Quarry is, he rarely manages to keep it simple. This time he puts himself in the middle of illegal gambling operations as he tries to figure out who sent in the assassin.
Takes place about the spring of 1986.
"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" - a year to 18 months after "The First Quarry"
"Quarry in the Middle" - spring of 1986? (Reagan on 2d term for a while.)
Sep15 review: Another new audio book from Skyboat Media, read by Stephen Rudnicki. Well read as usual & twisty. As straight forward & cold as Quarry is, he rarely manages to keep it simple. This time he puts himself in the middle of illegal gambling operations as he tries to figure out who sent in the assassin.
Takes place about the spring of 1986.
"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" - a year to 18 months after "The First Quarry"
"Quarry in the Middle" - spring of 1986? (Reagan on 2d term for a while.)
December 23, 2016
Loved the twists in this one. Series keeps getting better!
February 8, 2024
Who knew Iowa/Quad cities was such a mobbed up dangerous place until I started reading Quarry books 😳.
Starting these books you are never sure where in the timeline of Quarry’s life you are going to be. This installment is post The Broker.
2 casino bosses both want to rule this part of the River. Who will win? Who will make it out alive by the end of the book?
Quarry makes it out alive and he leaves one person alive that he probably should not have. Now we know how he got the $$$ to buy Wilma’s place. Not that it matters in the end.
Starting these books you are never sure where in the timeline of Quarry’s life you are going to be. This installment is post The Broker.
2 casino bosses both want to rule this part of the River. Who will win? Who will make it out alive by the end of the book?
Quarry makes it out alive and he leaves one person alive that he probably should not have. Now we know how he got the $$$ to buy Wilma’s place. Not that it matters in the end.
March 25, 2022
Most readers of hard-nosed crime fiction will look at this book on the bookstore shelf and immediately salivate. The cover is sexy, the author’s name carries top cachet. You hold this book and Bogart’s voice wafts through the room, Peter Lorre’s snarly low tenor whine presents itself. You know you’re in for a sexy, violent ride with Midwest nasties.
And you won’t be disappointed, especially if you are willing to overlook the loading of almost every hard-guy cliché you ever ran across and the inevitable violence to body that would have permanently downed even the best-prepared Seal. But then you have to overlook such lapses as a regular third Friday poker game that turns in to a weekly affair, doors that are sealed that suddenly become convenient exits and…well, to reveal more would spoil the ending. Experienced readers will likely figure that out for themselves midway along.
Ex contract killer, tough guy Quarry leads you—the book is in first person—into a possible war between rival Chicago-based mob families, groups with which this guy Quarry has a lot of intimate knowledge. Quarry thinks well of himself and is willing to walk into one perilous situation after another. That includes his sexual prowess. If the woman is sort of willing he’ll give her a mind-blowing orgasm—no charge.
Nevertheless, the novel is well-written, moves with alacrity and few lapses of logic, delivers a rousing, steamy, potboiler story, peopled by druggies, willing voluptuaries of the female variety, greedy, grasping sadistic criminals, and a few others dancing on the sidelines. A quick read, signifying very little. My complaint is this: Collins is a very talented, highly skilled writer. He ought to spend more quality time fashioning good Quarry stories and rely less on his estimable reputation. Read his Nate Heller series.
And you won’t be disappointed, especially if you are willing to overlook the loading of almost every hard-guy cliché you ever ran across and the inevitable violence to body that would have permanently downed even the best-prepared Seal. But then you have to overlook such lapses as a regular third Friday poker game that turns in to a weekly affair, doors that are sealed that suddenly become convenient exits and…well, to reveal more would spoil the ending. Experienced readers will likely figure that out for themselves midway along.
Ex contract killer, tough guy Quarry leads you—the book is in first person—into a possible war between rival Chicago-based mob families, groups with which this guy Quarry has a lot of intimate knowledge. Quarry thinks well of himself and is willing to walk into one perilous situation after another. That includes his sexual prowess. If the woman is sort of willing he’ll give her a mind-blowing orgasm—no charge.
Nevertheless, the novel is well-written, moves with alacrity and few lapses of logic, delivers a rousing, steamy, potboiler story, peopled by druggies, willing voluptuaries of the female variety, greedy, grasping sadistic criminals, and a few others dancing on the sidelines. A quick read, signifying very little. My complaint is this: Collins is a very talented, highly skilled writer. He ought to spend more quality time fashioning good Quarry stories and rely less on his estimable reputation. Read his Nate Heller series.
July 13, 2021
Overall good, but a little too predictable.
October 2, 2022
Meh, wasn't for me. The narrator, Quarry, suffers from the main character complex where every female character has to have sex with him, and has to enjoy it immensely every time. Also, have a Diet Coke handy while you read, as Quarry will order one likely over a dozen times throughout the novel (his assessment that Diet Pepsi is worse, however, is completely valid).
September 18, 2024
I'm reading all the Quarry novels in the order they were published, and this has been my least favorite so far. The crime and violence and sex and money is all there, but it’s lacking any of the deliciously dark humor which makes the other books so very enjoyable.
The prose is also noticeably different than the other book. While I have otherwise spent a lot of time writing down particular sentences and paragraphs that were especially magnificent in the other Quarry books, I found no noteworthy segments in this one.
But I'm hoping this is a dud, and that things will pick up again in the next one.
The prose is also noticeably different than the other book. While I have otherwise spent a lot of time writing down particular sentences and paragraphs that were especially magnificent in the other Quarry books, I found no noteworthy segments in this one.
But I'm hoping this is a dud, and that things will pick up again in the next one.
March 22, 2022
Loved it!
Had everything I love about Quarry books. Clever plot line, hard boiled first person narration, the politically incorrectness in all of its pulpy glory, and I finished in two sittings.
Quarry is great, please keep him coming!
Due to limitations of the 5 star rating system this is a solid 4, 5’s being reserved for books that leave a tremendous impression, and while very enjoyable I’m certain that even Mr Collins wouldn’t argue that Quarry fits that.
Had everything I love about Quarry books. Clever plot line, hard boiled first person narration, the politically incorrectness in all of its pulpy glory, and I finished in two sittings.
Quarry is great, please keep him coming!
Due to limitations of the 5 star rating system this is a solid 4, 5’s being reserved for books that leave a tremendous impression, and while very enjoyable I’m certain that even Mr Collins wouldn’t argue that Quarry fits that.
February 12, 2016
Savage but satisfying...
Read
December 13, 2022The sixty-first @hard_case_crime novel finished and it’s my third #quarry novel #quarryinthemiddle by #maxallancollins
Published in 2009 full of wit and violence like the other entries in the series I have read so far but this one is packed with gratuitous sex. Meet a woman in a bar? Have sex. Get beaten up and semi-comatose for a few days? Have sex. Threaten a woman? You guessed it (well almost). Regardless of how horny MAC may have been when he wrote this it is still entertaining and fast moving.
Published in 2009 full of wit and violence like the other entries in the series I have read so far but this one is packed with gratuitous sex. Meet a woman in a bar? Have sex. Get beaten up and semi-comatose for a few days? Have sex. Threaten a woman? You guessed it (well almost). Regardless of how horny MAC may have been when he wrote this it is still entertaining and fast moving.
April 21, 2022
The Worst Quarry (So Far).
Collins had gone to great lengths in the past few books to portray Quarry as a moral man who only kills those that deserve it but late in this one he rapes a girl then jokes about it 🤷♂️.
Collins had gone to great lengths in the past few books to portray Quarry as a moral man who only kills those that deserve it but late in this one he rapes a girl then jokes about it 🤷♂️.
September 26, 2014
I've been reading books by Max Allan Collins ever since I was a kid, starting with such movie adaptations as DICK TRACY and MAVERICK. Later in life, I moved on to the TV tie-in work he did for shows like DARK ANGEL and BONES. But it wasn't until stumbling across the Quarry series that I became aware of Collins' true ability as a writer. Every sentence in QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE packs a punch. The whole thing reads like hardboiled poetry, and not many writers can utilize black humor so effectively. Quarry himself is a highly-entertaining character who remains likeable despite being a total bastard. Well, not a TOTAL bastard; he does have something of a weakness for the ladies.
I can't give QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE a full five stars because the plot is a bit thin and not particularly original. But this is pulp fiction, folks! The plot isn't MEANT to be all that memorable. What's memorable is the characters, mood, and narrative style. And it's in these areas that QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE delivers in spades.
I can't give QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE a full five stars because the plot is a bit thin and not particularly original. But this is pulp fiction, folks! The plot isn't MEANT to be all that memorable. What's memorable is the characters, mood, and narrative style. And it's in these areas that QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE delivers in spades.
October 23, 2014
Another good, quick read. I really love the Quarry books. Perfect HCC material. Quarry's toughness, practicality & wit are irresistible. His amoral attitude is quite refreshing in our PC world.
I've heard there will be another Quarry novel published by HCC in 2010. I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I have several other similar novels of Collins' that I'm looking forward to reading & will try to collect the rest of the Quarry books, even though they've been out of print for years.
I've heard there will be another Quarry novel published by HCC in 2010. I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I have several other similar novels of Collins' that I'm looking forward to reading & will try to collect the rest of the Quarry books, even though they've been out of print for years.
March 30, 2016
The second Quarry book I've read. It's a classic noir style, tough hit man story with ample sex and violence. Of course there's a twist in the story, but not one that was to hard to figure out. The story here takes place after Quarry has supposedly 'retired' from his line of business. Of course, a few nudges in the right direction and he's back to his old self.
Characters were all pretty decent although somewhat stereotypical, but then again that's one of the common trademarks of this genre.
A quick fast read and I will be reading more of this series for sure.
Characters were all pretty decent although somewhat stereotypical, but then again that's one of the common trademarks of this genre.
A quick fast read and I will be reading more of this series for sure.
July 24, 2023
Fantastic. Possibly the greatest book of a great series.
February 16, 2017
Killing Middle Class
MAC's 9th Quarry is a cracker. For those who don't know, Quarry is a post-Parker hitman who kills and screws in about equal measure. A Viet vet, the stories are set in the 70's and 80's - this one feels 1986/87. Unusually for Quarry, normally smooth and unruffled, he has to suffer for his art a bit in this one. He does outsmart everyone in the end, but almost becomes unstuck.
This is one of his 'I'll kill the hired killers for you' stories, and it has more twists than a Harlan Coben novel. In it, Quarry goes to a river town known as Haydes Port (pronounced Hades) and gets caught in the middle of a mob quarrel and several lover's squabbles. He emerges unscathed and behaves both terribly and with nobility from one second to the next. That MAC pulls this off is a testament to his enormous skills.
And though it twists a lot, I figured out where the tale was heading 60 pages before the end, despite all his art - hence, down a star. Still ate it all up.
MAC's 9th Quarry is a cracker. For those who don't know, Quarry is a post-Parker hitman who kills and screws in about equal measure. A Viet vet, the stories are set in the 70's and 80's - this one feels 1986/87. Unusually for Quarry, normally smooth and unruffled, he has to suffer for his art a bit in this one. He does outsmart everyone in the end, but almost becomes unstuck.
This is one of his 'I'll kill the hired killers for you' stories, and it has more twists than a Harlan Coben novel. In it, Quarry goes to a river town known as Haydes Port (pronounced Hades) and gets caught in the middle of a mob quarrel and several lover's squabbles. He emerges unscathed and behaves both terribly and with nobility from one second to the next. That MAC pulls this off is a testament to his enormous skills.
And though it twists a lot, I figured out where the tale was heading 60 pages before the end, despite all his art - hence, down a star. Still ate it all up.
December 2, 2023
Quarry is a hitman with an interesting way of making a living. He follows other hitmen until he's identified their targets. He then approaches the target and offers to kill the hitman after him for a price. In addition, he's also willing to take the job of identifying and killing the person who hired the hitman.
This time, the target is the owner of an illegal casino in the mid-west. The job doesn't always go smoothly. At one point, Quarry is severely beaten. At another point, he's tied up on a boat, being taken out to sea to be killed.
The book is dedicated to Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake), author of the Parker novels. Collins expertly employs the best aspects of Stark's books here--the stark (no pun intended) straightforward dialogue, sharp characterizations and a strong, unpredictable plot. There's also a great plot twist at the end that I did not see coming at all.
This time, the target is the owner of an illegal casino in the mid-west. The job doesn't always go smoothly. At one point, Quarry is severely beaten. At another point, he's tied up on a boat, being taken out to sea to be killed.
The book is dedicated to Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake), author of the Parker novels. Collins expertly employs the best aspects of Stark's books here--the stark (no pun intended) straightforward dialogue, sharp characterizations and a strong, unpredictable plot. There's also a great plot twist at the end that I did not see coming at all.
January 10, 2025
This is the 9th book in the Quarry series. Quarry is a hit man who is bad in every way that a man can be bad, but somehow, some way, the author, Max Allan Collins, makes us root for him. That is quite a feat. I think it's because the people he kills are even worse than he is, even if only by a hair. And somewhere along the way in every story, he helps some poor soul that the world has stomped on.
I feel this book is appropriately titled because it is "in the middle" of the pack in terms of the quality of Quarry books I've read. I have never been a fan of organized crime novels, and this book is all about gangsters, one crime family feuding with another. Quarry gets hired by one family and ends up becoming embroiled in all sorts of nasty dealings between the two warring factions. Hence, the title.
I would say that if you love the Quarry series, you'll probably like this book. I felt like it was a couple of ticks below the author's other efforts.
I feel this book is appropriately titled because it is "in the middle" of the pack in terms of the quality of Quarry books I've read. I have never been a fan of organized crime novels, and this book is all about gangsters, one crime family feuding with another. Quarry gets hired by one family and ends up becoming embroiled in all sorts of nasty dealings between the two warring factions. Hence, the title.
I would say that if you love the Quarry series, you'll probably like this book. I felt like it was a couple of ticks below the author's other efforts.
March 4, 2025
I'm a big fan of Max Allan Collins and his hardboiled writing style. This is my ninth book featuring Quarry, the hitman who targets other hitmen (and assorted bad guys). This tale is set in the 1980's, so be prepared for casual sex, drugs, and some outdated stereotypes.
Quarry is following one of his fellow hitmen, a guy who specializes in "accidents" when taking someone out. He ends up in a small river town, where his target is one of the main casino owners. Quarry offers his services to the owner (kill the hitman and find out who sent him to eliminate that threat as well) and finds himself between two rival crime bosses, each with connections to the mob in Chicago. Quarry has to play it both ways, as both sides try to make use of his services. Can Quarry keep himself alive and make it out with his cash before either side guns him down?
Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry.
Quarry is following one of his fellow hitmen, a guy who specializes in "accidents" when taking someone out. He ends up in a small river town, where his target is one of the main casino owners. Quarry offers his services to the owner (kill the hitman and find out who sent him to eliminate that threat as well) and finds himself between two rival crime bosses, each with connections to the mob in Chicago. Quarry has to play it both ways, as both sides try to make use of his services. Can Quarry keep himself alive and make it out with his cash before either side guns him down?
Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry.
September 14, 2020
This is a solid little Quarry adventure. If you like pulp fiction and the noir tradition you really can’t go wrong with Max Allan Collins’ “retired” hitman Quarry.
In this volume Quarry has to figure out who wants to kill a casino owner in Hades, or rather Haydee’s Port. The novel seems to be loosely inspired by Yojimbo. The similarities are dissimilar enough to not be a distraction. So stale retread this is not.
Collins specializes in fun action and his hero is a witty narrator. Quarry’s first person narrative, and his play with language and puns is really part of the Quarry series’ charms.
On the more subtle 10 star scale, I give this 7.5 or a solid 8. It’s not really any worse than other installments of the series. But it also doesn’t do anything new or unexpected. It’s just a fun vignette of Quarry.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
In this volume Quarry has to figure out who wants to kill a casino owner in Hades, or rather Haydee’s Port. The novel seems to be loosely inspired by Yojimbo. The similarities are dissimilar enough to not be a distraction. So stale retread this is not.
Collins specializes in fun action and his hero is a witty narrator. Quarry’s first person narrative, and his play with language and puns is really part of the Quarry series’ charms.
On the more subtle 10 star scale, I give this 7.5 or a solid 8. It’s not really any worse than other installments of the series. But it also doesn’t do anything new or unexpected. It’s just a fun vignette of Quarry.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
October 3, 2023
Quarry is in a casino town somewhere in Illinois. He has a body in the trunk and a unique contract killer business plan that will help him to buy a hotel and get him out of the contract kill game.
While he executes his plan, and number of annoying low lifes, Quarry tells us about his sex life (very plentiful — he kills men and has relations with women at the same rate). He also gets beat up some and trades middling quips with a variety of characters.
Despite some decent twists towards the end, this is neither deep or involving. Quarry walks through his life and killings the same way he walks through midwestern diners and casinos and I just am not that in to him as a character or a narrator.
While he executes his plan, and number of annoying low lifes, Quarry tells us about his sex life (very plentiful — he kills men and has relations with women at the same rate). He also gets beat up some and trades middling quips with a variety of characters.
Despite some decent twists towards the end, this is neither deep or involving. Quarry walks through his life and killings the same way he walks through midwestern diners and casinos and I just am not that in to him as a character or a narrator.
December 5, 2024
Another fast-paced Quarry novel, expertly brought to life for Audible by Stefan Rudnicki. Max Allan Collins takes Quarry back to the 80s, where politely warring mobster brothers are playing their wildly-successful (but stylistically polar opposite) casinos against each other…with deadly consequences. Quarry literally goes to Hell (well, Hadesport, but the nickname fits), to try and outwit and outlast mafia thugs, insane mob bosses, and more than a few vindictive women.
This one is a lot of fun but the big reveal at the end is pretty obvious, and a lot of the dialogue was less cringey and more goofy. The way the one British casino boss talks is especially annoying. But it’s a smutty and violently good time!
This one is a lot of fun but the big reveal at the end is pretty obvious, and a lot of the dialogue was less cringey and more goofy. The way the one British casino boss talks is especially annoying. But it’s a smutty and violently good time!
September 4, 2019
Hard boiled mysteries are a genre unto themselves. Like romance, sci-fi, etc there are good bad and average novels. I give this one a "2 star" rating. The plot wasn't anything but ordinary. Ditto the violence, sex and setting-of-scenes. I could go 3 stars, but I was so disappointed I must round down my number. There's a Spillane quote on the back of the book with praise. Mike Hammer would never be so generous. Excuse me, I'm going out for a deck of Luckies..
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