The Last Quarry

The most entertaining Quarry book I've read, so far.

The Quarry series seems to change mood with every iteration. While some books are all abbout the criminal aspects, others are more dramatic and melancholly, and some mechanical and cold.

This one, however, is pure fun.

From beginning till end, it's just one long line of cool characters saying catchy lines and living out their respective stereotype to the fullest. Coolest of them all is Quarry, of course, who always seems to know where to go and what to do. And I found myself taking more and more notes of especially great paragraphs which I wanted to remember. Like for example:

He shot her a goodbye with a gun of thumb-and-forefinger, and sauntered off, cocky as hell. She didn’t show more bother to reply. Pity—seems like nobody ever hires you to kill a prick like that.

I whacked him with the nine millimeter and he went to sleep even before he collapsed in a pile in the brush. The nine’s snout had a little blood on it, which I wiped off on the kid’s newer-than-new jeans, giving them a little character.

She got up and out of the booth less graceful than a ballet dancer, but more fun to watch.

The brunette bartendress welcomed me back like old home week, even asked my name now that I was hanging out so often, and I told her Jack. She asked me a few questions as the evening wore on, and I told her jack.

She was a tad over-dressed, in that silk blouse, for watering the plants, but the plants didn’t seem to mind, and I certainly didn’t.

There are reasons why you quit the killing business, and going soft is one of them, because then it’s you getting killed, which is no way to run a business.

They were my Achilles’ heel, women. I had no goddamn sense where they were concerned. And it wasn’t the fucking, the fucking was great, but a woman—not just any woman, but a woman like, say, Janet—could touch something inside of me that I liked to think had died a long time ago. Something human that could only put a dipshit like me in a jam.

I could always walk away. And someone else would kill her, and likely send people to kill me, loose end that I would become, and then I’d be dead, too...or at least up to my asshole in dead assholes. That didn’t sound like any fun. show less

The Last Quarry is among the best of the titles in the entire Hard Case Crime line. Despite the title, this is the First Quarry novel published in the series--The First Quarry was published later and Quarry in the Middle is forthcoming in 2009.

The blend of a serious plot with darkly comedic moments is nearly perfect. Quarry's characterization is fascinating, as he copes with emotional attachment to his assassination target. He's an undeniable anachronism in the world, including non-PC opinions. The fact that the final showdown happens in such an un-Quarrylike manner shows how emotionally involved he becomes, no matter what he actually says in the narration.

Most crime novels end in revenge, a double-cross, or just run out of characters show more to kill. With the Last Quarry, I found the ending, where we see a hardened assassin returning to retirement slightly different from the one he originally left, very satisfying. show less

If you are a longtime Quarry fan, you will probably recognize the beginning of this story. You know- the part where the retired hitman who lives by the lake stumbles on two gay mafia hitmen in a convenience store buying tampax.

In Last Quarry, Collins has taken that opening and run with it. He has turned it into one terrific feature length tale where Quarry comes out of retirement to do one last job, one with the most incredible payday. He merely has to go to a small town and take out a librarian, but, of course, once this librarian strips down and dives into a swimming pool, even a aging Quarry knows she is going to be a difficult target.

As detailed in the First Quarry, Quarry is a former Vietnam veteran whose real name is never show more disclosed to the reader. He comes back, finds his fiancé, Joanie, 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.
Collins published his first three Quarry novels in 1976, his fourth in 1977, and then his fifth in 1987. Nineteen years later (except for a collection of shorts released as "Greatest Hits"), he published The Last Quarry at the urging of Charles Ardai, publisher of Hard Case Crime. This began a new series of Quarry novels, including First Quarry, Quarry in the Middle, Quarry's Ex, and Wrong Quarry.
The Last Quarry is a worthy addition to this great series. It is just as good as the original series of Quarry novels.

This is another great Quarry novel, tightly written, and I found that the pages flew at a furious pace. It was well-plotted and an enjoyable read from cover to cover. Highly recommended.
Collins has done a great job of placing Quarry in the timeline, setting out his motives, his intentions, his fascination with the dazzling librarian.

The book is funny - gay hoods buying tampax- gee, what could they be up to? The characterizations are great from Quarry himself to the young lady tied to the bed in the cabin, to the rich mogul who thinks he has outsmarted Quarry.

As in all Quarry novels, the writing is smooth and it won't keep you busy for very long cause it is a damn quick read.
Bottom line: Great crime fiction! show less

Hitman comes out of retirement for just one more job. Heard that one before? Who hasn't. Collins pulls it off, mostly, with some nice action sequences and spare description. Hardboiled fans won't find anything new here, but are not likely to be disappointed either.

A great read! Raw and gritty, with "adult" language, Quarry is a man not to be messed with! When he comes out of retirement to take one last "hit", he finds that the target is not the usual type, and decides to find out why she has been contracted to be taken out. What he discovers is pretty messed up! I think this was a great find, and I am going to find the old Quarry stories and read those too! And who knows? Maybe this won't really be "the last Quarry" tale after all!

A great read! Raw and gritty, with "adult" language, Quarry is a man not to be messed with! When he comes out of retirement to take one last "hit", he finds that the target is not the usual type, and decides to find out why she has been contracted to be taken out. What he discovers is pretty messed up! I think this was a great find, and I am going to find the old Quarry stories and read those too! And who knows? Maybe this won't really be "the last Quarry" tale after all!

Quarry's finale timeline wise but not of course the last story. This sees a bored Quarry getting involved in one last job, foiling a kidnapping and taking on a hit. Nothing goes to plan, of course. Quarry is still a sharp character and the black humour and zippy pacing is all there but you can tell it's two shorts put together and the obvious last minute suspense twist is slightly irksome. Still a great, fast immersive read that gives nice closure to a characters story.. now pass me the Quarry tale please.