(7.00)224 pages.
The Quarry series began with four novels in the 1970s, was forgotten except by a few until being republished in the 1980s (plus a fifth novel), then unavailable again until republication in 2006 with many new novels. This novel is #9 in the series by publication date.
Quarry (not his real name) was a sniper in Vietnam, came home to find his wife sleeping with another man, and when that man… died… found himself unemployable – until The Broker recruited him into a new line of work. Or maybe the same line of work, just better paying.
But The Broker is dead now, and Quarry has his master files. Rather than being paid to kill, Quarry now tracks down the hitmen, identifies their targets, then makes his money by protecting the targets. Plus a bonus for eliminating whoever put out the contract.
In this story, Quarry has followed a Vegas hitman whose specialty is 'accidental' death. The trail leads to a low-budget movie-set in a small Nevada town. Is the director the target? Who wants him dead? Which actor is sleeping around? Why are bikers on set? Who is financing the movie?
And one more wrinkle: the director's wife is Quarry's ex! Is she the one who wants her latest husband dead?
The novel gets off to a fast start with a little shock and violence, goes into mystery mode as Quarry figures out who the players are, then ultimately gets back to sex, violence and an unexpected ending.
And – since Quarry's ex is mentioned as background in every novel in the series – it is fun to finally get the full backstory. But is she involved with the hitmen? Will she have to die? Will she and Quarry somehow reconcile?
This is another fine entry in the series. It was perhaps a bit slow in the middle, but the characters are interesting, and there are a number of surprises.
Reviewed by 
Editor in Chief Bill 
.