A review by kal_el
The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins

4.0

I have been a fan of Collins for many years. I read this while riding my stationary bike because it is a fun, quick read. I have not read any of the other Quarry novels, but enjoyed the Nathan Heller novels. Being a bit OCD, I had to start with this title even though it was written almost 25 years after the first Quarry book. It was an added plus that it was set in Iowa City and threw in a few references to places that I remember from growing up but that are no longer there.

Collins does an excellent job of describing the scene and transporting you back to shortly after Quarry's return from Vietnam and how he got into the murder for hire business. Very good neo-noir.