Quarry’s Cut
Book 4 of Quarry: The Series
By Max Allan Collins
ISBN 978-1-78329-889-1
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott
Review:
Quarry’s Cut marks the end of the quartet of the original Quarry novels. Republished by Hard Case Crime, Quarry, Quarry’s List, Quarry’s Deal and this novel mark the culmination of the seventies Quarry novels by Max Allan Collins. It’s a real treat to have someone with the flair of Cussler and Spillane for the grim and gritty world; and the pacing of Ludlum in weaving you in circles around the mysteries and intrigue, arriving finally at the raw power at the true Max Allan Collins. Quarry’s Cut slices through the mass of mediocrity and hallmarks this original quartet mastery of pulp fiction starring a hitman as the lead. At this point in the game, however, no background expository is given, so this can be read as a conclusion, or a self-contained story. Readers who haven’t read the prior novels might be in the dark here and there, but that’s the way sequels roll.
The prose of the novel is quick to read, but tight, word-economical, and it has a tendency of hitting you in the gut – hard. This is pulp crime drama at its finest. With few words Collins can elicit an emotional stir inside you that hits right to your very core. First person perspective and a keen eye for detail make Quarry’s Cut a “cut” above the rest. Make no mistake: this is quality writing that also weaves an intricate and deadly plot that Quarry readers have come to expect from the author of Road to Perdition. Delivered with Quarry’s blunt, yet insightful views, on events, characters and the art of murder, readers are given a rare insight into an underground far more grittier than most. Perhaps a word of caution might be warranted as some of the content, while relevant in the seventies, might face opposition today; but that would be a huge mistake, missing out on the prevailing zeitgeist of the during, and post, Vietnam War era of literature.
Characterization-wise, Quarry’s Cut sports an even larger cast than the previous novels, in terms of active participants. While usually not the norm for this genre of fiction, as it literally can derail a novel quite quickly in terms of tying up loose ends, Collins handles quite remarkably well, given the nature of Quarry’s character. As narrator and storyteller (the fourth wall is broken at a point in which Quarry recounts “telling” the reader he’s told the prior three tales), Quarry literally sifts through the characters amidst the chaos, as it would be in real life after the events of a single night. While this leaves some characters as two dimensional, they are only the bit actors, and pawns in a much larger scene. Characters that are explored are worth the exploration just on the matter of principle. At no point, though, do the characters not come across with their own respective “voices” and it’s mainly through dialogue that Quarry is able to come to closure by the end of the novel.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Quarry’s Cut to newcomers to the series, and especially, to the fans of the republished “original three,” Quarry, Quarry’s List, and Quarry’s Deal. More is on the horizon for Quarry republication, and soon the seventies editions will be complimented by their eighties counterparts. Either as a stepping on point for new readers, or fans of the original, this is a great place to wind up. For fans of Spillane, Cussler and the film noir genre of “true crime” fiction, Quarry’s Cut will definitely make yours.
