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Quarry #14
Quarry's Climax
There's Nothing More Dangerous Than a Loaded Magazine
Memphis, 1975. “Raunchy” doesn’t begin to describe Max Climer’s magazine, Climax, or his all-hours strip club, or his planned video empire. And evangelists, feminists, and local watchdog groups all want him out of business. But someone wants more than that, and has hired a killer to end Max’s career permanently. Only another hit man – the ruthless professional known as Quarry, star of the acclaimed series on Cinemax – can keep Climer from becoming a casualty in the Sexual Revolution.
Memphis, 1975. “Raunchy” doesn’t begin to describe Max Climer’s magazine, Climax, or his all-hours strip club, or his planned video empire. And evangelists, feminists, and local watchdog groups all want him out of business. But someone wants more than that, and has hired a killer to end Max’s career permanently. Only another hit man – the ruthless professional known as Quarry, star of the acclaimed series on Cinemax – can keep Climer from becoming a casualty in the Sexual Revolution.
213 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2017
85 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
803 books1,321 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
September 8, 2025
My full review can be found on this link as well: https://www.diaryofdifference.com/201...
Quarry’s Climax is the 14th book of the Quarry series, and even though I only had the chance to read this one, the rest of the books are certainly something that I have put on my TBR list!
The plot is simple – until, of course, it gets complicated:
Quarry is a Hitman – he kills people for pleasure, I mean, money! He works for this guy ‘’the Broker’’ and his new mission is to protect a chairman of an underrated Porn magazine and strip club – The Climax. When this task might seem easy, suddenly everyone hides something and everyone has secrets. And then our man Quarry – who usually goes on the spot and just kills whoever he needs to, now has to play the role of a detective, find out what the hell is going on in this rat hole, and eliminate any danger.
Now - first things first - I am not usually a person that reads these types of books - Pulp fiction, hardboiled fiction, entangled harsh noir stories, but this book pleasantly surprised me with its light reading experience and admirable description of the characters.
Quarry – now that’s one interesting character! Quarry is what happens when you mix a Cowboy personality, with a bit of witty humour, no respect for ladies and egotistical appearance. I happened to actually kind of like this guy!
Though the part I didn’t like it how he treats women and talks about them as they are a piece of meat with no brain whatsoever. I am not a feminist, but I mean – you couldn’t have tried harder, I guess. He would just go to a scene, let us know how irrelevant and thick this lady is, he would sleep with her, never call her again, and then continue with his life as nothing happened. Wonderful, isn’t it?
This is one of a kind book for me, and even though I wouldn’t put it on my favourites pile, it has a special place in my heart. I greatly enjoyed it, and it made me smirk at times. I will definitely explore this genre in the future, and I am sure that Quarry’s Climax was a great beginning for me.
I received this book by winning a Goodreads Giveaway from Max Allan Collins and Hard Case Crime.
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Quarry’s Climax is the 14th book of the Quarry series, and even though I only had the chance to read this one, the rest of the books are certainly something that I have put on my TBR list!
The plot is simple – until, of course, it gets complicated:
Quarry is a Hitman – he kills people for pleasure, I mean, money! He works for this guy ‘’the Broker’’ and his new mission is to protect a chairman of an underrated Porn magazine and strip club – The Climax. When this task might seem easy, suddenly everyone hides something and everyone has secrets. And then our man Quarry – who usually goes on the spot and just kills whoever he needs to, now has to play the role of a detective, find out what the hell is going on in this rat hole, and eliminate any danger.
Now - first things first - I am not usually a person that reads these types of books - Pulp fiction, hardboiled fiction, entangled harsh noir stories, but this book pleasantly surprised me with its light reading experience and admirable description of the characters.
Quarry – now that’s one interesting character! Quarry is what happens when you mix a Cowboy personality, with a bit of witty humour, no respect for ladies and egotistical appearance. I happened to actually kind of like this guy!
Though the part I didn’t like it how he treats women and talks about them as they are a piece of meat with no brain whatsoever. I am not a feminist, but I mean – you couldn’t have tried harder, I guess. He would just go to a scene, let us know how irrelevant and thick this lady is, he would sleep with her, never call her again, and then continue with his life as nothing happened. Wonderful, isn’t it?
This is one of a kind book for me, and even though I wouldn’t put it on my favourites pile, it has a special place in my heart. I greatly enjoyed it, and it made me smirk at times. I will definitely explore this genre in the future, and I am sure that Quarry’s Climax was a great beginning for me.
I received this book by winning a Goodreads Giveaway from Max Allan Collins and Hard Case Crime.
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Want to read
October 16, 2017This latest Hard Case Crime book (October 2017) features a cover painted by Robert McGinnis.
From the publisher: " Memphis, 1975. "Raunchy" doesn’t begin to describe Max Climer’s magazine, Climax, or his all-hours strip club, or his planned video empire. Evangelists, feminists, and local watchdog groups all want him out of business. But someone wants more than that, and has hired a killer to end Max’s career permanently. Only another hit man—the ruthless professional known as Quarry, star of the acclaimed series on Cinemax—can keep Climer from becoming a casualty in the Sexual Revolution."
From the publisher: " Memphis, 1975. "Raunchy" doesn’t begin to describe Max Climer’s magazine, Climax, or his all-hours strip club, or his planned video empire. Evangelists, feminists, and local watchdog groups all want him out of business. But someone wants more than that, and has hired a killer to end Max’s career permanently. Only another hit man—the ruthless professional known as Quarry, star of the acclaimed series on Cinemax—can keep Climer from becoming a casualty in the Sexual Revolution."
December 11, 2017
Despite being published in 2017 by Hard Case Crime, the latest installment in the long running hit-man series by Max Allan Collins reads as a perfectly placed period pulp. That is to say, it reads like it should've been published in the 70's which is fitting, given Quarry's Climax takes readers back to one of Quarry's earlier jobs circa 1975.
Unlike the usual hit man for hire, Quarry is instead hired to take out another hit man team; one targeting the head of a popular men's magazine and gentleman's club, Max Climer. The link Broker has with this figure head is a bit of a mystery but the money is on the table and Quarry takes it - accompanied by Boyd, the passive member of the team, the duo set out for Memphis and quickly establish themselves as part of Max Climer's security team.
The mystery surrounds not only identifying who the contract killers are but also who hired them. It doesn't take too long before a shortlist of suspects forms and from there it's a gradual process of elimination. I gotta say, I didn't pick the person gunning for Max despite it being obvious as the story played out.
As with any Quarry novel, there's loads of hot dames and hotter sex along with bodies, bullets, and Quarry's cool demeanor and easy acquiesce of violence as a solution front and center.
Quarry's Climax is another great addition to the expanding catalog of Quarry novels that will sit well with both new readers (those only familiar with the character from the TV series) and longtime readers alike.
My rating: 5/5, this Quarry is reminiscent of the character we see in the TV series but a tad more battle hardened (i.e. a more experienced hit man). Boyd also seems to have more page time which added a little something extra to the novel; I really enjoyed the chemistry he and Quarry had in this one.
Unlike the usual hit man for hire, Quarry is instead hired to take out another hit man team; one targeting the head of a popular men's magazine and gentleman's club, Max Climer. The link Broker has with this figure head is a bit of a mystery but the money is on the table and Quarry takes it - accompanied by Boyd, the passive member of the team, the duo set out for Memphis and quickly establish themselves as part of Max Climer's security team.
The mystery surrounds not only identifying who the contract killers are but also who hired them. It doesn't take too long before a shortlist of suspects forms and from there it's a gradual process of elimination. I gotta say, I didn't pick the person gunning for Max despite it being obvious as the story played out.
As with any Quarry novel, there's loads of hot dames and hotter sex along with bodies, bullets, and Quarry's cool demeanor and easy acquiesce of violence as a solution front and center.
Quarry's Climax is another great addition to the expanding catalog of Quarry novels that will sit well with both new readers (those only familiar with the character from the TV series) and longtime readers alike.
My rating: 5/5, this Quarry is reminiscent of the character we see in the TV series but a tad more battle hardened (i.e. a more experienced hit man). Boyd also seems to have more page time which added a little something extra to the novel; I really enjoyed the chemistry he and Quarry had in this one.
November 9, 2017
Quarry’s Climax by Max Allan Collins is a nasty, hard hitting; mean little number with a bad attitude and some serious issues with authority. If you were to meet this book in a dark alley, be prepared to be pummeled into a whimpering pile of agony and have your iPhone stolen. Do not go up to this book looking for help if you have just fallen off your bike and badly scrapped your knee. Chances are Quarry’s Climax will poke you in the eyes then pants you in front of your mother and her bridge club.
This book is the real noir deal of pulp fiction. It’s so pulpy, in fact, that Tropicana could add this book as their final category of orange juice after it’s “Homestyle: Some Pulp” variety and it’s “Grovestand: Lots of Pulp”… “Quarry’s Climax: Seriously Crammed With So Much Pulp There’s No Room Left For Any Honking Juice”.
This is my first Quarry book but the fourteenth in the series. I was actually drawn to it by the awesome Robert McGinnis cover (this painter has done many cool book covers for such iconic writers as John D. MacDonald, Ed McBain, and Lawrence Block as well as James Bond movie posters of the 1960’s). Quarry is a contract killer. The setting is Memphis 1975 where drinking Coors beer is considered sophisticated, plaid pant are stylish, and most men concealed their upper lips with wooly growths called mustaches. This time around Quarry is sent in to protect a life—not end it. Pornographer and strip club owner Max Climer has a contract out on his life and it is up to Quarry to stop the contract killers and find the individual responsible for hiring them in the first place.
Is this an homage to the books of MacDonald, Block and the like? It sure seems like it. But even so, Quarry’s Climax still stands on it’s own as a very entertaining and rough thriller that will transport you back to an era of cynical tough guys and moral ambiguity. Every woman finds our hero sexually irresistible and every man finds him so irritating her must be punched repeatedly about the face and upper body. The pages flew by and I eagerly look forward to going back and reading the rest of this fine series in order.
This book is the real noir deal of pulp fiction. It’s so pulpy, in fact, that Tropicana could add this book as their final category of orange juice after it’s “Homestyle: Some Pulp” variety and it’s “Grovestand: Lots of Pulp”… “Quarry’s Climax: Seriously Crammed With So Much Pulp There’s No Room Left For Any Honking Juice”.
This is my first Quarry book but the fourteenth in the series. I was actually drawn to it by the awesome Robert McGinnis cover (this painter has done many cool book covers for such iconic writers as John D. MacDonald, Ed McBain, and Lawrence Block as well as James Bond movie posters of the 1960’s). Quarry is a contract killer. The setting is Memphis 1975 where drinking Coors beer is considered sophisticated, plaid pant are stylish, and most men concealed their upper lips with wooly growths called mustaches. This time around Quarry is sent in to protect a life—not end it. Pornographer and strip club owner Max Climer has a contract out on his life and it is up to Quarry to stop the contract killers and find the individual responsible for hiring them in the first place.
Is this an homage to the books of MacDonald, Block and the like? It sure seems like it. But even so, Quarry’s Climax still stands on it’s own as a very entertaining and rough thriller that will transport you back to an era of cynical tough guys and moral ambiguity. Every woman finds our hero sexually irresistible and every man finds him so irritating her must be punched repeatedly about the face and upper body. The pages flew by and I eagerly look forward to going back and reading the rest of this fine series in order.
March 10, 2018
I think it’s so weird that the first page of this story is page 15!?!? I feel like such a speed reader after one page!
Quarry is back - back in 1975. And he's out to protect a controversial pornographer, who is basically Larry Flynt with a different name. I've read a few Quarry books now, and this is one of the least exciting. Maybe I just prefer older Quarry better! Anyway, it's still a decent read, and since it's so sort, it's a quickie! Just like some of the sex in this story!
Quarry is back - back in 1975. And he's out to protect a controversial pornographer, who is basically Larry Flynt with a different name. I've read a few Quarry books now, and this is one of the least exciting. Maybe I just prefer older Quarry better! Anyway, it's still a decent read, and since it's so sort, it's a quickie! Just like some of the sex in this story!
December 4, 2017
Great writing, as expected from this author, but the story wasn't what I expected from Quarry. He seemed quite out of character.
October 10, 2017
Quarry’s Back
Quarry’s Climax is the latest book in Collins’ Quarry series and has the same ingredients the other books in this series have boasted. It’s sharp, witty, sexy (as indicated by the title), and a whole lotta fun to read. Just as in other Quarry novels, familiar motifs appear such as swimming pools, strip clubs, bouncers, a trip back through the sleazy Seventies, a dry sardonic wit.
Quarry is Collins’ midwestern contract killer who learned how to kill in the jungles of Vietnam only to come back home one day early and find his young wife entertaining. Kicking a jack out from under a car took care of the other guy, but left Quarry despondent and depressed until a man known only as the Broker put Quarry’s skills to use. The Broker is a middleman and sends out teams of two to fulfill the contracts, often in the Midwest.
What makes this series work do well is that the stories are short and snappy, not 800-page magnum opuses. And, there’s no attempt to have Quarry save the world. Each book is a little chapter in Quarry’s career and are all about fun, nostalgic with Seventies era muscle cars and Southern rock, filled with neon-lit strip clubs and retired beauty queens, and A. No-nonsense unsentimental attitude about getting the job done.
This particular story has a twist where Quarry is not hired to do a killing -but to prevent one- and has Quarry protecting a thinly-disguised Larry Flynt type pornographer from a rival team.
Quarry’s Climax is the latest book in Collins’ Quarry series and has the same ingredients the other books in this series have boasted. It’s sharp, witty, sexy (as indicated by the title), and a whole lotta fun to read. Just as in other Quarry novels, familiar motifs appear such as swimming pools, strip clubs, bouncers, a trip back through the sleazy Seventies, a dry sardonic wit.
Quarry is Collins’ midwestern contract killer who learned how to kill in the jungles of Vietnam only to come back home one day early and find his young wife entertaining. Kicking a jack out from under a car took care of the other guy, but left Quarry despondent and depressed until a man known only as the Broker put Quarry’s skills to use. The Broker is a middleman and sends out teams of two to fulfill the contracts, often in the Midwest.
What makes this series work do well is that the stories are short and snappy, not 800-page magnum opuses. And, there’s no attempt to have Quarry save the world. Each book is a little chapter in Quarry’s career and are all about fun, nostalgic with Seventies era muscle cars and Southern rock, filled with neon-lit strip clubs and retired beauty queens, and A. No-nonsense unsentimental attitude about getting the job done.
This particular story has a twist where Quarry is not hired to do a killing -but to prevent one- and has Quarry protecting a thinly-disguised Larry Flynt type pornographer from a rival team.
January 22, 2018
The latest Quarry novel written in 2017 is set in 1972 before Quarry broke with his then patron "the Broker". And it is just the kind of book to be enjoyed on a four hour train journey even if there was some comment about the cover as created by the famous Robert McGinnis. This lady found it offensive to read a book with such filth in a public place like the train. Great cover spectacular non-PC and good for one annoying traveler in the train.
Anyhow the book starts with Quarry on a job in las Vegas that is different from what he is used too. And he manages to fulfill his job and travels home where he quickly gets a visit from "the Broker"for yet another strange job down in Memphis. The job this time is to protect a certain king of Smut, the pornographer Climax whose Playboy/Hustler/Penthouse like magazine has caused him to be the target of an assassination. Only Quarry is not hired to kill the man but to kill his killers and find out the person who is behind the hit, and take care of this issue as well.
Not an overtly difficult novel to read and the story is not that difficult to predict. Some folks get killed and some nice and less nice ones get bedded. This noir story has no pretense to be women friendly or PC. It is just a fun read for a journey and as an new installment for the Quarry series a welcome one.
Well written and great travel or beach read.
Anyhow the book starts with Quarry on a job in las Vegas that is different from what he is used too. And he manages to fulfill his job and travels home where he quickly gets a visit from "the Broker"for yet another strange job down in Memphis. The job this time is to protect a certain king of Smut, the pornographer Climax whose Playboy/Hustler/Penthouse like magazine has caused him to be the target of an assassination. Only Quarry is not hired to kill the man but to kill his killers and find out the person who is behind the hit, and take care of this issue as well.
Not an overtly difficult novel to read and the story is not that difficult to predict. Some folks get killed and some nice and less nice ones get bedded. This noir story has no pretense to be women friendly or PC. It is just a fun read for a journey and as an new installment for the Quarry series a welcome one.
Well written and great travel or beach read.
November 26, 2017
I might be a little uptight, but I've struggled with this one.
The concept, the narration and the execution were stellar, as usual, but I'm just not sure what the book is trying to tell me. Quarry is hired as a security detail for a pornographer getting threats from both religious institutions and feminists?!? He meets a lot of female characters who were empowered by selling their sexuality to others and talks about his own sexual prowess a lot. I guess this book is conceptually muddled. It's my second Quarry novel and while I enjoy the character, I'm wondering when the hitman is actually going to do some hits, you know?
The concept, the narration and the execution were stellar, as usual, but I'm just not sure what the book is trying to tell me. Quarry is hired as a security detail for a pornographer getting threats from both religious institutions and feminists?!? He meets a lot of female characters who were empowered by selling their sexuality to others and talks about his own sexual prowess a lot. I guess this book is conceptually muddled. It's my second Quarry novel and while I enjoy the character, I'm wondering when the hitman is actually going to do some hits, you know?
December 20, 2017
I hate to say it, but the series continues to soften with this entry.
When The Broker sends Quarry to Tennessee, to find out who is trying to kill the publisher of a Hustler type magazine. In other words, a Larry Flynt stand-in. This is supposedly where Quarry gets the idea for his later occupation he takes up during the original series.
Reading this I got two distinct layers of nostalgia. First, the series is set in the 1970's, and there's a lot of reference to music and current events of the time. That's par for the course in this series. I also got a sense of nostalgia for the late 1990's, when Hollywood went all out to defend President Clinton from his various accusations of sexual harassment and rape. That's the time the movie lionizing Larry Flynt came out. It's also the period of time when Max Allan Collins wrote the adaptation of Air Force One, another attempt to defend Clinton. I wonder if this book had delayed release until a couple of months ago, it even would have come out in the current "me too" atmosphere. It definitely gave me a strange feeling I'm not sure was intended.
On the whole, it isn't bad. Like the last couple of books it feels like Collins was watching too much Aaron Sorkin while writing it, but still better than most books.
When The Broker sends Quarry to Tennessee, to find out who is trying to kill the publisher of a Hustler type magazine. In other words, a Larry Flynt stand-in. This is supposedly where Quarry gets the idea for his later occupation he takes up during the original series.
Reading this I got two distinct layers of nostalgia. First, the series is set in the 1970's, and there's a lot of reference to music and current events of the time. That's par for the course in this series. I also got a sense of nostalgia for the late 1990's, when Hollywood went all out to defend President Clinton from his various accusations of sexual harassment and rape. That's the time the movie lionizing Larry Flynt came out. It's also the period of time when Max Allan Collins wrote the adaptation of Air Force One, another attempt to defend Clinton. I wonder if this book had delayed release until a couple of months ago, it even would have come out in the current "me too" atmosphere. It definitely gave me a strange feeling I'm not sure was intended.
On the whole, it isn't bad. Like the last couple of books it feels like Collins was watching too much Aaron Sorkin while writing it, but still better than most books.
March 3, 2024
Set in October 1975…
Still working for The Broker and Boyd is his partner.
High body count in this one. Quarry’s job is to prevent a hit and hit the hit men. You kinda knew who the bad guys were in this one because it was basically everyone.
We got a more fleshed out epilogue that I wasn’t expecting but liked. It might not be how you thought it would go but ultimately everyone got what they deserved.
Still working for The Broker and Boyd is his partner.
High body count in this one. Quarry’s job is to prevent a hit and hit the hit men. You kinda knew who the bad guys were in this one because it was basically everyone.
We got a more fleshed out epilogue that I wasn’t expecting but liked. It might not be how you thought it would go but ultimately everyone got what they deserved.
February 7, 2023
QUARRY'S CLIMAX, the fourteenth title in Max Allan Collins’ revitalized Quarry series, is set in the Highland Strip area of Memphis in the autumn of 1975. The Memphis setting is a “hat tip” to the Cinemax television series based on the novels, which relocated Quarry from his literary Midwest roots to the birthplace of the blues. Quarry, a contract killer, is given the unusual assignment of stopping a hit on Max Climer. Climer is a strip club owner that expanded his business to publish the very adult and very raunchy Climax Magazine, and someone wants him very dead.
Quarry’s business agent, The Broker, is an investor in Climer’s enterprises and he wants Quarry to thwart the hit, and then determine who ordered it. The list of potential suspects is long. Climer is a target of women’s rights groups, religious groups, and business rivals. The Broker sends Quarry undercover as a security consultant, which gives him free access to Climer’s offices and the strip joint below, The Climax Club. The music is blaring, the girls are willing, and Quarry is his cool, composed self.
QUARRY'S CLIMAX is a smoothly entertaining tale with sex—Quarry attracts strippers like johns to hookers—violence, and a road map of mid-1970s music. The linear story is told with a stripped-down style, almost like a beer bar chat between reader and Quarry, and plotted with enough twists to keep the pages turning. But it is Quarry, his self-deprecating coolness, dry humor and 1970s social commentary (with a tour guide quality), that makes this one worth reading.
Quarry’s business agent, The Broker, is an investor in Climer’s enterprises and he wants Quarry to thwart the hit, and then determine who ordered it. The list of potential suspects is long. Climer is a target of women’s rights groups, religious groups, and business rivals. The Broker sends Quarry undercover as a security consultant, which gives him free access to Climer’s offices and the strip joint below, The Climax Club. The music is blaring, the girls are willing, and Quarry is his cool, composed self.
QUARRY'S CLIMAX is a smoothly entertaining tale with sex—Quarry attracts strippers like johns to hookers—violence, and a road map of mid-1970s music. The linear story is told with a stripped-down style, almost like a beer bar chat between reader and Quarry, and plotted with enough twists to keep the pages turning. But it is Quarry, his self-deprecating coolness, dry humor and 1970s social commentary (with a tour guide quality), that makes this one worth reading.
October 13, 2017
I know I’ve reviewed Max Allan Collins in here before, but this book is different than the last in that I could not make myself become interested in the stories or the characters. Frankly, I didn’t really relate to the main character.
I did enjoy the plot and, as always, Collins’s writing style. Hard Case Crime is usually either a thumbs way up or a thumbs down for me, no between, no gray areas. One good thing I can say is that I didn’t just throw the book down because I disliked the characters. It wasn’t a particularly painful read. There was just absolutely no connection for me and sometimes, when you’re a reader, that happens. It’s like when you meet somebody and you’re just not into them (similar concept, at least).
HOWEVER, I can still give this book a recommendation to certain readers of hard case crime and the like. A certain type of readership (and it’s a broad readership, too) will absolutely love it.
I did enjoy the plot and, as always, Collins’s writing style. Hard Case Crime is usually either a thumbs way up or a thumbs down for me, no between, no gray areas. One good thing I can say is that I didn’t just throw the book down because I disliked the characters. It wasn’t a particularly painful read. There was just absolutely no connection for me and sometimes, when you’re a reader, that happens. It’s like when you meet somebody and you’re just not into them (similar concept, at least).
HOWEVER, I can still give this book a recommendation to certain readers of hard case crime and the like. A certain type of readership (and it’s a broad readership, too) will absolutely love it.
November 26, 2020
You know, after reading three or four of the books in the Hard Case Crime imprint, I'm beginning to think that this little experiment isn't very...good.
I like a hard-boiled, noiresque bit of escapism as much as the next guy. But c'mon. Having never before read a "Quarry" novel (and this being #14 to feature the character), I don't feel like I needed any of the previous 13 entries to follow the "story" or the "characters."
And holy shit, the anachronisms! Was the theme song from The Jeffersons that well known in its first season that you could just drop it in casual conversation in a titty bar? And I'm pretty sure you couldn't get Coors East of the Mississippi in 1975. It's like Max Allen Collins read a Wikipedia entry about what was popular in that year and threw every pop culture reference he could find at this book.
Oof. This book.
It sucks. Don't go.
I like a hard-boiled, noiresque bit of escapism as much as the next guy. But c'mon. Having never before read a "Quarry" novel (and this being #14 to feature the character), I don't feel like I needed any of the previous 13 entries to follow the "story" or the "characters."
And holy shit, the anachronisms! Was the theme song from The Jeffersons that well known in its first season that you could just drop it in casual conversation in a titty bar? And I'm pretty sure you couldn't get Coors East of the Mississippi in 1975. It's like Max Allen Collins read a Wikipedia entry about what was popular in that year and threw every pop culture reference he could find at this book.
Oof. This book.
It sucks. Don't go.
August 1, 2020
Quick, But Good👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Those of you that reached adulthood in the 70's, or 80's, will instantly recognize the real life person that inspired this tale. It was almost comically simple to dissect the story so that I could ascertain who the bad guys were. I'm not complaining because I love the Quarry character, but others may be less forgiving. I mean, who doesn't love a Marine Corps Vietnam vet that is now "gainfully" employed as an assassin for hire?!🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️😁😁
Buy it, read it and enjoy!!👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
Those of you that reached adulthood in the 70's, or 80's, will instantly recognize the real life person that inspired this tale. It was almost comically simple to dissect the story so that I could ascertain who the bad guys were. I'm not complaining because I love the Quarry character, but others may be less forgiving. I mean, who doesn't love a Marine Corps Vietnam vet that is now "gainfully" employed as an assassin for hire?!🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️😁😁
Buy it, read it and enjoy!!👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
December 24, 2025
Quarry returns to Memphis in 1975 to once again go undercover and play detective to try and figure out who has marked the publisher of a popular men’s skin magazine for death.
May 14, 2022
Once in a while I love to pick up a hard case crime book to read. These books get the reader's attention by designing the cover as graphic novel, much the same way comic books are designed. The Quarry's series by Max Allan Collins tell the story of a paid assassin with a rebellious streak and an unlikely taste for justice. Lean, mean, down and dirty— Collins’ Quarry novels never disappoint. They are clearly an homage to the classic gold medal crime stories pulp fiction of the fifties and sixties. In this book, Quarry is sent to Memphis to protect a pornographer who has been targeted for assassination. He must protect the target, eliminate the other hit men, and discover who initiated the contract. The plot was great and Collin's writing style keeps the reader interested. I did not enjoy this novel as much as earlier ones. The format is similar to previous tales where one might expect from the title. As you can see from the book's cover page you are into reading a story that is 33% story and 67% 14-year-old's wet dream. I'm sure there is audience out there that loves reading this stuff, it sure kept my attention.
October 23, 2017
Best Pulp
Lean , mean, down and dirty— Collins’ Quarry novels never disappoint. They are clearly an homage to the classic gold medal crime stories of the fifties and sixties and Donald Westlake’s Parker novels(written under the pseudonym Richard Stark). If you like those kind of books you’ll love this book and the others in the series. Recommended.
Lean , mean, down and dirty— Collins’ Quarry novels never disappoint. They are clearly an homage to the classic gold medal crime stories of the fifties and sixties and Donald Westlake’s Parker novels(written under the pseudonym Richard Stark). If you like those kind of books you’ll love this book and the others in the series. Recommended.
January 13, 2022
I like my Quarry novels with a bit more action, and this one was almost all mystery. Also, Collins drags the story on long after the plot is all tied up, which just screams "filling up space to reach the page count" to me.
January 2, 2024
Classic Quarry! Max Allan Collins is my favorite pulp author, combining great storylines, smart ass commentary, and solid writing. This installment has Quarry “protecting” a Memphis pornographer…
February 9, 2018
Up to his usual standards, but unusually plugging a TV series on the cover that was cancelled over a year ago, certainly far enough in the past to be alterable.
August 28, 2025
This book can be judged by its cover: lots of boobs, lots of guns, lots of Quarry climaxing. The delivery is much more noir than pornographic, but the content is somewhere in the middle. It’s remarkable how closely this mirrors the arc of the other Quarry book I’ve read, and it’s just not as fun the second time.
October 10, 2017
A big thank you to Titan Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Quarry is back in this 14th installment of Max Allan Collins' Quarry series. QUARRY'S CLIMAX is just as witty, sexy, and full of memorable characters as we follow contract killer Quarry on his next hired hit.
Set in Memphis 1975, which can also be known as a time of sexual revolution. People are wanting to put Max Climer out of business for good. His magazine, Climax, is raunchy and in your face, he also runs an all-hours strip club and has a video empire. Despite the groups that want him out of business (feminists, evangelists, and others) there is someone else that wants him taken out. A hit man is hired to end Climer's career indefinitely. The only one that can stop him is Quarry, a professional and ruthless hit man that will stop at nothing to keep Climer alive.
I have read most of the Quarry series and I've loved them all. The noir, hard boiled crime, and pulpy feel is always something I love about the Hard Case Crime series. These are full of strip clubs, bouncers, hit men, muscle cars, and all of the sleaziness of the 70's. Max Allan Collins does a great job setting the scene and creating a witty protagonist. I never thought I'd be rooting for a hit man, but Quarry is one of those bad guys that are good (in a way).
What I love about the Hard Case Crime books is that they're all short and to the point. They focus on the crime and are no-nonsense in their characters or events. I've read the Stephen King and Lawrence Block books as well, and that's present in all of them. Quarry is a realistic hit man in that his stories aren't about saving tons of people, he's simply trying to get his target. This one was definitely different in that he wasn't hired to make a hit, but to prevent one. That kept it fresh (especially being the 14th in a series).
Overall, if you like the noir/pulp fiction type books, then this is a perfect and quick read. If you've read any of the Quarry series, then this is a no-brainer!
I give this a solid 4/5 stars!
Quarry is back in this 14th installment of Max Allan Collins' Quarry series. QUARRY'S CLIMAX is just as witty, sexy, and full of memorable characters as we follow contract killer Quarry on his next hired hit.
Set in Memphis 1975, which can also be known as a time of sexual revolution. People are wanting to put Max Climer out of business for good. His magazine, Climax, is raunchy and in your face, he also runs an all-hours strip club and has a video empire. Despite the groups that want him out of business (feminists, evangelists, and others) there is someone else that wants him taken out. A hit man is hired to end Climer's career indefinitely. The only one that can stop him is Quarry, a professional and ruthless hit man that will stop at nothing to keep Climer alive.
I have read most of the Quarry series and I've loved them all. The noir, hard boiled crime, and pulpy feel is always something I love about the Hard Case Crime series. These are full of strip clubs, bouncers, hit men, muscle cars, and all of the sleaziness of the 70's. Max Allan Collins does a great job setting the scene and creating a witty protagonist. I never thought I'd be rooting for a hit man, but Quarry is one of those bad guys that are good (in a way).
What I love about the Hard Case Crime books is that they're all short and to the point. They focus on the crime and are no-nonsense in their characters or events. I've read the Stephen King and Lawrence Block books as well, and that's present in all of them. Quarry is a realistic hit man in that his stories aren't about saving tons of people, he's simply trying to get his target. This one was definitely different in that he wasn't hired to make a hit, but to prevent one. That kept it fresh (especially being the 14th in a series).
Overall, if you like the noir/pulp fiction type books, then this is a perfect and quick read. If you've read any of the Quarry series, then this is a no-brainer!
I give this a solid 4/5 stars!
July 22, 2020
I think I've read all of the Quarry novels but one or two (I have a few somewheres in the closet downstairs for when the mood strikes), but this was easily one of my favorites mostly because Max Allan Collins wrote it to tie-in (of sorts) with the Cinemax series (which was sadly cancelled after only a single exceptional season).
In any event, Quarry completes one job in the opening chapter and returns home, only to discover that broker has an unusual proposition for him: instead of 'retiring' a subject, Quarry is being contracted to keep one alive -- Max Climax of the budding porn Climax Empire. It would seem that the Broker has invested in Max's business, so he understandably turned down a contract to take the businessman out of the picture. However, not wanting to see his investments go bad, the Broker instead wants Quarry to shadow the man, locate the contracted assassins, find out who contracted them, and then take that person out of the picture.
What follows is a series of adventures Quarry undertakes as Climax's 'security consultant.' In this quest, he meets a variety of characters including Climax's business partners and a somewhat inexhaustible ex-wife with an incredible sexual history herself. As one can guess, Quarry does eventually take care of business, but here's very little of what one might call traditional detective work associated to the whole affair as the end target is a tad bit predictable, especially if you've been reading closely.
Still, it's a solid visit to Quarry's world, and I'll be forever thankful for that.
In any event, Quarry completes one job in the opening chapter and returns home, only to discover that broker has an unusual proposition for him: instead of 'retiring' a subject, Quarry is being contracted to keep one alive -- Max Climax of the budding porn Climax Empire. It would seem that the Broker has invested in Max's business, so he understandably turned down a contract to take the businessman out of the picture. However, not wanting to see his investments go bad, the Broker instead wants Quarry to shadow the man, locate the contracted assassins, find out who contracted them, and then take that person out of the picture.
What follows is a series of adventures Quarry undertakes as Climax's 'security consultant.' In this quest, he meets a variety of characters including Climax's business partners and a somewhat inexhaustible ex-wife with an incredible sexual history herself. As one can guess, Quarry does eventually take care of business, but here's very little of what one might call traditional detective work associated to the whole affair as the end target is a tad bit predictable, especially if you've been reading closely.
Still, it's a solid visit to Quarry's world, and I'll be forever thankful for that.
December 6, 2017
Quarry is sent to Memphis to protect a pornographer who has been targeted for assassination. He must protect the target, eliminate the other hit men, and discover who initiated the contract.
The subject matter is timely in the recent wake of Hugh Hefner's passing. The story takes place during the era when men's magazines were changing from the polished, supposedly cultured image of Playboy to seedier, more explicit publications. Porn was also transitioning to home video. America was struggling to redefine its interpretation of the First Amendment and local obscenity laws. This debate sometimes created strange bedfellows between evangelical conservatives and liberal feminists, which is actually a significant plot point of the story. (The character Max Climer is an obvious Larry Flynt clone.)
This novel started slow (not usually a problem with Quarry books!), but fortunately it hit its stride about a third of the way in. Quarry must grapple with amateur kidnappers, professional hit men, scheming business partners, and disgruntled lovers. This turns out to be one of the more complex entries in the series.
The Memphis setting is a nod to the short-lived television series. As a reader who lived there for sixteen years, I loved the fact that I was familiar with many of the stores, restaurants, and neighborhoods. Collins fudged the geography a few times (Shelby Farms does not extend all the way to the Mississippi River, for instance), but for the most part he got it right.
This is the 13th novel published in the series, but it is only the 4th if you read them in chronological order. (It takes place in 1975, which is 3 years after the events of Quarry in the Black).
1. The First Quarry
2. Quarry's Choice
3. Quarry in the Black
4. Quarry's Climax
5. Quarry
6. Quarry's List
7. Quarry's Deal
8. Quarry's Cut
9. Quarry's Ex
10. The Wrong Quarry
11. Quarry in the Middle
12. Quarry's Vote
13. The Last Quarry
(There was also a book of short stories--Quarry's Greatest Hits.)
The subject matter is timely in the recent wake of Hugh Hefner's passing. The story takes place during the era when men's magazines were changing from the polished, supposedly cultured image of Playboy to seedier, more explicit publications. Porn was also transitioning to home video. America was struggling to redefine its interpretation of the First Amendment and local obscenity laws. This debate sometimes created strange bedfellows between evangelical conservatives and liberal feminists, which is actually a significant plot point of the story. (The character Max Climer is an obvious Larry Flynt clone.)
This novel started slow (not usually a problem with Quarry books!), but fortunately it hit its stride about a third of the way in. Quarry must grapple with amateur kidnappers, professional hit men, scheming business partners, and disgruntled lovers. This turns out to be one of the more complex entries in the series.
The Memphis setting is a nod to the short-lived television series. As a reader who lived there for sixteen years, I loved the fact that I was familiar with many of the stores, restaurants, and neighborhoods. Collins fudged the geography a few times (Shelby Farms does not extend all the way to the Mississippi River, for instance), but for the most part he got it right.
This is the 13th novel published in the series, but it is only the 4th if you read them in chronological order. (It takes place in 1975, which is 3 years after the events of Quarry in the Black).
1. The First Quarry
2. Quarry's Choice
3. Quarry in the Black
4. Quarry's Climax
5. Quarry
6. Quarry's List
7. Quarry's Deal
8. Quarry's Cut
9. Quarry's Ex
10. The Wrong Quarry
11. Quarry in the Middle
12. Quarry's Vote
13. The Last Quarry
(There was also a book of short stories--Quarry's Greatest Hits.)
October 16, 2017
Strictly on PC
Quarry is a hitman for hire who works with Brody, his gay, passive partner. He is hired, as usual, by The Broker, but the circumstances on this occasion are unusual. The Broker is an investor in Climax soft porn magazine so has understandably declined to accept a job to eliminate the owner and publisher, Max Climer. However, he is aware that the job he has refused will most likely be accepted by someone else. Quarry’s job on this occasion is therefore to protect The Broker’s investment and to eliminate whoever is behind the hit.
I picked up this book and read a few pages as I normally do when presented with a new book to review but I was hooked immediately and finished it in a few evening sessions. It has to be said straight away that this isn’t Shakespeare or even Jane Austen but of its type, it is very well-written. The style of writing is corny but it works. Some of the double-entendres even made me laugh out loud. I loved the way in which the author was so matter-of-fact about sex and violence. Both are part of life but too many authors cannot bring them into a storyline without overegging the pudding.
Nor are the characters by any means two dimensional. Their personalities are well-developed and the reader can easily absorb the atmosphere in the sleazy nightclub scenes and will feel he already knows the seedy characters who frequent the same. Quarry is not a guy I would go out of my way to join for a beer but I respected his expertise and his approach to life (and death). I shan’t be searching for other books in the same series but will happily read any of them if they cross my path.
Great escapist, easy-reading if you like this type of genre – and I do occasionally. We all need beans on toast sometimes after a surfeit of fillet steak.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Quarry is a hitman for hire who works with Brody, his gay, passive partner. He is hired, as usual, by The Broker, but the circumstances on this occasion are unusual. The Broker is an investor in Climax soft porn magazine so has understandably declined to accept a job to eliminate the owner and publisher, Max Climer. However, he is aware that the job he has refused will most likely be accepted by someone else. Quarry’s job on this occasion is therefore to protect The Broker’s investment and to eliminate whoever is behind the hit.
I picked up this book and read a few pages as I normally do when presented with a new book to review but I was hooked immediately and finished it in a few evening sessions. It has to be said straight away that this isn’t Shakespeare or even Jane Austen but of its type, it is very well-written. The style of writing is corny but it works. Some of the double-entendres even made me laugh out loud. I loved the way in which the author was so matter-of-fact about sex and violence. Both are part of life but too many authors cannot bring them into a storyline without overegging the pudding.
Nor are the characters by any means two dimensional. Their personalities are well-developed and the reader can easily absorb the atmosphere in the sleazy nightclub scenes and will feel he already knows the seedy characters who frequent the same. Quarry is not a guy I would go out of my way to join for a beer but I respected his expertise and his approach to life (and death). I shan’t be searching for other books in the same series but will happily read any of them if they cross my path.
Great escapist, easy-reading if you like this type of genre – and I do occasionally. We all need beans on toast sometimes after a surfeit of fillet steak.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
November 11, 2017
"Quarry's Climax" is another entry--the fourteenth!--in the awesome "Quarry" series by Max Allan Collins. In "Quarry's Climax," the story is set while Quarry is still working for the Broker. Like in "Quarry's Choice," (and a few others in the series) Quarry is obliged to become more of a detective than a hit man to get the job done.
Quarry, if you don't know, is a hitman who lives in the Midwest. He's kind of a sarcastic smartass, but he takes his work very seriously. The ladies seem to like him--a lot. And he's "Joe average" enough to fit in just about anywhere.
In "Quarry's Climax," Quarry is sent in to protect a controversial porn publisher, Max Climer--a thinly veiled version of Hustler's Larry Flynt--and kill the hitmen assigned to kill the publisher. But he has to infiltrate the "Climax Club" and Climer's magazine "Climax" to find out who wants the new smut king dead. And because it's a Quarry novel set in a strip club and a porn magazine, there are sexy ladies galore who are interested in getting to know Quarry. That's kind of a given.
Like most of the recent Quarry novels, "Quarry's Climax" is a fun and sexy love letter to the 70s. The 70s are a much simpler and more interesting time than those which we live in today, to be sure. And with each novel set before the first Quarry novel, we see Quarry becoming who he's going to be when he no longer works for the Broker.
Since the "original" Quarry series has ended a bunch of times--the author and the folks at Hard Case Crime keep digging into Quarry's past for "golden oldies" of his work in the 70s--the books have gotten better in overall quality. Though now that the "Quarry" TV show on Cinemax was unceremoniously cancelled, I'm not sure how long Quarry can avoid permanent retirement.
Quarry, if you don't know, is a hitman who lives in the Midwest. He's kind of a sarcastic smartass, but he takes his work very seriously. The ladies seem to like him--a lot. And he's "Joe average" enough to fit in just about anywhere.
In "Quarry's Climax," Quarry is sent in to protect a controversial porn publisher, Max Climer--a thinly veiled version of Hustler's Larry Flynt--and kill the hitmen assigned to kill the publisher. But he has to infiltrate the "Climax Club" and Climer's magazine "Climax" to find out who wants the new smut king dead. And because it's a Quarry novel set in a strip club and a porn magazine, there are sexy ladies galore who are interested in getting to know Quarry. That's kind of a given.
Like most of the recent Quarry novels, "Quarry's Climax" is a fun and sexy love letter to the 70s. The 70s are a much simpler and more interesting time than those which we live in today, to be sure. And with each novel set before the first Quarry novel, we see Quarry becoming who he's going to be when he no longer works for the Broker.
Since the "original" Quarry series has ended a bunch of times--the author and the folks at Hard Case Crime keep digging into Quarry's past for "golden oldies" of his work in the 70s--the books have gotten better in overall quality. Though now that the "Quarry" TV show on Cinemax was unceremoniously cancelled, I'm not sure how long Quarry can avoid permanent retirement.
March 7, 2025
Another chapter in the life of Quarry, the hitman who targets other hitmen (and assorted bad guys), but this is from earlier in his career where he was still doing jobs for the Broker. This is 1975, so be prepared for casual sex, drugs, and some outdated stereotypes.
Quarry knows that when the Broker comes to visit him personally at home, there's more to the job than simply pulling a trigger. This time, the Broker asks Quarry to keep the target alive, a big switch from the usual. The target is Max Climer, a professional pornographer, who's strip club and magazine are becoming quite popular, much to the chagrin of many folks, but not the Broker, who it turns out is one of Climer's investors. Quarry not only has to find and stop the other hit team from killing the target, he also needs to find out who ordered the hit and stop them from simply calling someone else.
Quarry and his "passive" teammate Boyd meet up in Memphis, where Boyd's already been handling the surveillance. Climer is expecting Quarry as a "security professional" and he soon finds that there's plenty of suspects, all of them with their own reasons for eliminating Max. Can he stop the hit team and find the client before it's too late?
A second hit team. Anti-porn protestors. Drug dealers. Kidnappers. Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry, and a foreshadowing of the role he's going to play in the future.
Quarry knows that when the Broker comes to visit him personally at home, there's more to the job than simply pulling a trigger. This time, the Broker asks Quarry to keep the target alive, a big switch from the usual. The target is Max Climer, a professional pornographer, who's strip club and magazine are becoming quite popular, much to the chagrin of many folks, but not the Broker, who it turns out is one of Climer's investors. Quarry not only has to find and stop the other hit team from killing the target, he also needs to find out who ordered the hit and stop them from simply calling someone else.
Quarry and his "passive" teammate Boyd meet up in Memphis, where Boyd's already been handling the surveillance. Climer is expecting Quarry as a "security professional" and he soon finds that there's plenty of suspects, all of them with their own reasons for eliminating Max. Can he stop the hit team and find the client before it's too late?
A second hit team. Anti-porn protestors. Drug dealers. Kidnappers. Hard, fast violence. Raunchy sex. Double-crosses and hidden motives. Just another fun outing with Quarry, and a foreshadowing of the role he's going to play in the future.
October 28, 2025
Quarry’s Climax reminds you why Max Allan Collins is one of the few authors still keeping the gritty, unapologetic pulp tradition alive. This entry in the long-running hitman series is hard, neat, and fast — the literary equivalent of a stiff drink that burns just enough on the way down.
Collins drops Quarry into the seedy world of 1970s adult entertainment, and the setting is so vividly rendered you can almost smell the cigarette haze and cheap cologne lingering in the strip-club dressing rooms. The pacing is relentless: sharp dialogue, sudden bursts of violence, and a plot that never overcomplicates what should be lean and lethal.
Quarry himself remains one of crime fiction’s most entertaining anti-heroes — cool, macho, and methodically observant. Collins strikes that perfect balance between noir cynicism and dry, deadpan humor. Some scenes are explicit, but they fit the tone: this is a story about vice, exploitation, and survival in a sleazy ecosystem, and the book never pretends otherwise.
As always, Collins writes with a clean, economical style. Every punch lands, every bullet matters, and every chapter feels like a jolt.
Fans of vintage hard-boiled crime — Spillane, Stark, Westlake — will feel right at home. Quarry’s Climax doesn’t just evoke classic pulp; it proves there’s still room for razor-sharp noir in modern crime fiction.
Fast. Rough. Satisfying. Exactly what a Quarry novel should be.
Collins drops Quarry into the seedy world of 1970s adult entertainment, and the setting is so vividly rendered you can almost smell the cigarette haze and cheap cologne lingering in the strip-club dressing rooms. The pacing is relentless: sharp dialogue, sudden bursts of violence, and a plot that never overcomplicates what should be lean and lethal.
Quarry himself remains one of crime fiction’s most entertaining anti-heroes — cool, macho, and methodically observant. Collins strikes that perfect balance between noir cynicism and dry, deadpan humor. Some scenes are explicit, but they fit the tone: this is a story about vice, exploitation, and survival in a sleazy ecosystem, and the book never pretends otherwise.
As always, Collins writes with a clean, economical style. Every punch lands, every bullet matters, and every chapter feels like a jolt.
Fans of vintage hard-boiled crime — Spillane, Stark, Westlake — will feel right at home. Quarry’s Climax doesn’t just evoke classic pulp; it proves there’s still room for razor-sharp noir in modern crime fiction.
Fast. Rough. Satisfying. Exactly what a Quarry novel should be.
January 10, 2018
I've been reading the Quarry books for over 40 years. Thankfully, Max Allan Collins has written new ones so I didn't have to simply read the same ones over and over.
During the course of his career, and Quarry's "life", Collins has gotten a lot more polished in his writing. He and I were both just young pups when he started writing and I started reading.
Forty years later, I'm astounded at how he and I both wax eloquent about those days of "old" that my kids have no clue about. Given all the stuff that's going on in our world, even though Collins's series focuses on an anti-hero hitman, it's weird how much kinder the time was than what we know now.
Maybe that's just me remembering things differently. I don't know. In this book, Collins layers his story with a lot of Larry Flynt's true life story, something that was already done and starred Woody Harrelson in a role that surprised a lot of people. Collins also posits Flynt as a defender of the First Amendment, which he was at the time and everyone seems to forget that. I wasn't that aware of that facet of Flynt at the time, but that too is right there for people to see.
Some readers may be offended by Collins's choice of subject matter, but I didn't know much about how Flynt's Hustler empire started. After reading the novel, I looked over the highlights of Flynt's life and the story is right there for the taking.
Collins embellished everything, of course, made it sharper and more dangerous and more personal than a dry biography. He also gave us an ending with some surprises along the way that don't dovetail with the "real" world. I'm always entertained by Quarry's black humor, and I like the relationship he has with his partner Boyd, which is becoming a staple of this "new" series of novels cut out of the character's unrevealed past. I look forward to the unveiling of more of Quarry's contracts.
During the course of his career, and Quarry's "life", Collins has gotten a lot more polished in his writing. He and I were both just young pups when he started writing and I started reading.
Forty years later, I'm astounded at how he and I both wax eloquent about those days of "old" that my kids have no clue about. Given all the stuff that's going on in our world, even though Collins's series focuses on an anti-hero hitman, it's weird how much kinder the time was than what we know now.
Maybe that's just me remembering things differently. I don't know. In this book, Collins layers his story with a lot of Larry Flynt's true life story, something that was already done and starred Woody Harrelson in a role that surprised a lot of people. Collins also posits Flynt as a defender of the First Amendment, which he was at the time and everyone seems to forget that. I wasn't that aware of that facet of Flynt at the time, but that too is right there for people to see.
Some readers may be offended by Collins's choice of subject matter, but I didn't know much about how Flynt's Hustler empire started. After reading the novel, I looked over the highlights of Flynt's life and the story is right there for the taking.
Collins embellished everything, of course, made it sharper and more dangerous and more personal than a dry biography. He also gave us an ending with some surprises along the way that don't dovetail with the "real" world. I'm always entertained by Quarry's black humor, and I like the relationship he has with his partner Boyd, which is becoming a staple of this "new" series of novels cut out of the character's unrevealed past. I look forward to the unveiling of more of Quarry's contracts.
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