(8.00)221 pages.
This is another novel in the Quarry series, about a Vietnam veteran who has turned his sniper skills into a career as a professional hitman.
This novel takes place pretty far along the story arc, at the point where Quarry now tracks down other hitmen as his targets. However, you don't need to have read the preceding novels, as the author explains the background as the story progresses.
As the novel begins, Quarry has come to small-town USA in pursuit of another hitman, whose apparent target is Mr. Roger, the gay man who runs the local dance studio and trains aspiring cheerleaders.
Will Mr. Roger pay Quarry to eliminate the threat? Does Mr. Roger have anything to do with a local cheerleader who has gone missing? Why does another blonde cheerleader spend so much time after-hours at the dance studio? And who wants Mr. Roger dead?
The author is a veteran of the 'hard-boiled' school of writing – he was a personal friend of Mickey Spillane – and this novel does not disappoint. There is a good blend of suspense, action and romance. One surprise, though, is that this novel veers off the 'hard boiled' path into more of a 'true crime' novel – that gives this novel its shock value.
Can you wargame it? While there are a number of fights in the book, they are either one-sided or one-on-one, so not particularly suitable for the wargaming table.
Recommended as something different than the typical Quarry tale. Quite interesting.
Reviewed by 
Editor in Chief Bill 
.