Review by Booklist Review
Collins brought Quarry, his hit-man hero, back to life after a 30-year absence with The Last Quarry (2006), detailing the antihero's last job as a killer for hire. Following a flashback to Quarry's beginnings (The First Quarry, 2008), Collins found a way to keep the series going by having the retired Quarry now in possession of a sort-of hit-man who's who track down hits in progress and offer his services to the intended victim: for a tidy price, Quarry will hit the hitter. His new role, defined in Quarry in the Middle (2009), continues here, as the intrepid Quarry ventures to Boot Heel, Nevada, to avert the murder of an action-movie director in the middle of a shoot. Complication: the director is married to Quarry's ex-wife, and she could be the person who hired the hitter. Collins remains the quintessential modern-day pulp writer. His no-nonsense prose evokes the great John D. MacDonald; he has an unfailing knack for devising devilishly clever plot premises; and, like Lawrence Block in his Keller novels, he manages to make his hit-man hero both tough as nails and somehow downright endearing.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1980, Collins's lean, sardonic 10th noir featuring the killer-for-hire who uses the pseudonym Quarry (after Quarry in the Middle) finds Quarry in Boot Hill, Nev., earning his keep in an unusual way. Drawing on his knowledge of the hit-man world derived from his years of working for a murder middleman known as the Broker, Quarry identifies intended targets of hits, then charges a hefty fee to eliminate the hired guns out to kill them. When he learns of a plot against B-movie director Arthur Stockwell, Quarry discovers that Stockwell's wife is all too familiar-his ex-wife, Joni, whose betrayal led the Vietnam vet to use his murderous talents in civilian life. Leary of coincidence, Quarry works to understand how he can fulfill his professional obligation to Stockwell without Joni getting caught in the middle, even as he wonders whether she's behind the contract. Collins amply leavens the violence with wit. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Following the pattern set in Quarry in the Middle, the hilarious hitman approaches B-movie director Arthur Stockwell, who has had a contract put on him, and offers to eliminate the assassin and whomever generated it-for some serious coin, of course. The twist (there's always one) is that Stockwell's current wife is Quarry's unfaithful ex-the one that drove him into a life of hired murder, and Quarry doesn't want her becoming collateral damage (he might like the pleasure of whacking her out himself). Add to the mix a secretly gay leading man, a former Playboy centerfold lead actress who'll get on her knees for anyone who can advance her career, and a top-level wiseguy financier posing as her mentor/love interest (he's in the closet, too) and things get cooking. The usual gratuitous sex and violence are more subdued here, but the laugh-out-loud humor flows freely-these books are a hoot! Verdict Full-throttle paced, Quarry's Ex is another perfect beach/vacation/commuter page-turner. Grab it!-Mike Rogers, LJX/LJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
