Quarry's Vote: Quarry

Primary Target, first published in 1986, was Max Allan Collins' last Quarry novel until 2006's aptly named The Last Quarry. In this previous entry, Quarry is offered one million dollars to assassinate up-and-coming third-party presidential candidate Preston Freed. When he turns it down -- he is retired, after all -- there are major consequences and Quarry is forced to get back into the business he knows best: killing. Only this time, it's personal. What results is a wonderfully intricate story where every character is connected to at least one other. Collins stretches out the suspense beautifully and only reveals the connections one by one, as Quarry discovers them himself. Collins' style is engaging as always and Quarry is a fascinating choice for a protagonist, given that he is only ever looking out for himself (although he does show a surprisingly tender side). Primary Target is exceptionally well-crafted, with every piece fitting firmly into place. It also has a perfect ending and is just the right length, coming in at just under 200 pages.

A fine entry in an excellent series. And unlike many other series, events in one novel have ramifications in those that follow. Definitely worth buying.