(8.00)237 pages. Afterword.
This is the last of the original Quarry novels from the 1970s, and was originally titled The Slasher.
Quarry is a Vietnam vet (sniper) who formerly worked for The Broker as a paid assassin. Now The Broker is dead, and Quarry is out of the game… so why is a former associate prowling in his own backyard?
This leads to the discovery that someone has paid for a hit on a well-known producer of porn films, who is making his latest film at a nearby mountain hotel. Quarry offers to protect the target, but finds himself along with the film crew trapped in the hotel by a freak late-winter storm… and that's when the killings begin.
This novel combines action, suspense and a dark sense of humor. There is also a big twist in the ending, which was interesting but I felt needed more foreshadowing.
There is also, given the subject matter, some violence, sex and bad language. Some characters use terms about gay people that would not be acceptable today.
In the Afterword, the author explains the publication history of this novel and the change of title, as well as why he began to use his middle name in his credits.
I breezed through this novel in a single reading session, and even laughed out loud at least once. Maybe not the best in this series, but certainly entertaining.
Reviewed by 
Editor in Chief Bill 
.