The Mercenaries

The Cutie is early Westlake, and the name has been inexplicably changed from The Mercenaries, perhaps as a fig-leaf justification (not that any was needed) for the lovely cover, which unashamedly bears no resemblance to anything in the book, where a red-headed in a short dress notably fails to turn up and start loading a gun while standing athwart an open briefcase stuffed with cash. Never apologise, never explain.

Clay is a highly-placed enforcer for the local crime organisation in New York. One night a strung-out junkie turns up on his doorstep with a story of a murdered woman and a set-up. Clay's first impulse is for the junkie to meet with an accident, but it turns out he has just one influential friend somewhere, so he has to be show more protected. The police turn up, the junkie vanishes and the cops begin to tear things up, forcing Clay to embark on a hunt for the real murderer, dodging bullets and frame-ups and trying to keep his love-life going.

It's a fast, smooth, easy and satisfying read, though not as singular as books like Killy or 361. There are flashes of wit, but this isn't a comic crime caper, this is a twisted detective story with a criminal playing detective against his natural inclinations and better judgment. I enjoyed it a lot. show less

Solidly entertaining story from "the crook must act as sleuth" genre, perked up by Westlake's considerable skills and sharp sense of observation (and humor). The protagonist turns off his emotions when he has to kill someone - although that isn't the focus of the book. The reader is asked to turn off his or her emotions to sympathize with this character as he seeks to solve a murder that he himself has been arrested for. Probably a few plot loopholes if you stop to think about it - but definitely a different take on things. This was originally called "The Mercenaries", but neither that or "The Cutie" seems like a great title - and the "cutie" refers to the real killer, not an attractive woman.

A great read! Nice, crisp writing and quickly paced! Clay is the right hand man for crime boss, Ed Ganolese. He has to find out who killed Mavis St. Paul and who set up Billy-Billy Cantell to take the rap! And he has to do it now! And he must navigate his relationship with his gal Ella, and decide how much she should know about the kind of work he does. It is a hard boiled story with all the right amounts of sleeze, guns, and dames. Bravo Mr. Westlake, bravo!

A great read! Nice, crisp writing and quickly paced! Clay is the right hand man for crime boss, Ed Ganolese. He has to find out who killed Mavis St. Paul and who set up Billy-Billy Cantell to take the rap! And he has to do it now! And he must navigate his relationship with his gal Ella, and decide how much she should know about the kind of work he does. It is a hard boiled story with all the right amounts of sleeze, guns, and dames. Bravo Mr. Westlake, bravo!

Some classic Westlake moments (like a character nicknamed Billy-Billy, because he stutters), but I prefer his more well crafted later tales. It wasn't so much the 1960's setting that distracted me, but I think I just wasn't crazy about a story set so deeply in the mob. But it made our road trip whiz by.

A book that fits into the same world of the Starke/Parker books, since the main character in this book is part of the syndicate/organization as mentioned in those books. Love the cover, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the book. The other thing I really liked was the ambiguity of the plot at the end. It let's the reader make up his/her own mind what it going to happen.

3.5 stars, but I rounded up. This is one of the best HCC books that I've read. The flawed hero is very well done as are his circumstances & the mystery. The writing is fast paced with just enough detail to really draw me in, but not so much as to slow the story down. The characters are well drawn & very believable. The ending was excellent. I'll be looking for other books by Westlake to read.