The Mercenaries (Atlantic Large Print Series) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Donald E. Westlake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992 | Series: Atlantic Large Print Series

A tale of murder, vice and drugs from author Donald E Westlake.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Chivers North Amer; Lrg edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792713885
• ISBN-13: 978-0792713883
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,458,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Westlake's debut shows little inexperience, December 26, 2008

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Mercenaries (A Large print mystery) (Hardcover)

Mavis St. Paul has been murdered, and Billy-Billy Cantell, a stuttering dope user/seller is the prime suspect, mostly because he was found at the scene of the crime with the gun in his hand. Only there's no way he could've done it. His friend and colleague Clay believes this and, following order from their boss, gangster Ed Ganolese, is trying to clear his name because the police aren't interested in another suspect.

But Billy-Billy has disappeared, and the police are getting too involved in Ganolese's operation, so Clay (who creates "accidents" for people who cross Ganolese) has to play amateur detective and discover who the "cutie" (as Ganolese refers to him) is that killed Mavis and framed Billy-Billy, apparently just to sabotage Ganolese's outfit.

Will Clay find out who did it? Will he get any sleep? Will his girlfriend Ella leave when she finds out what Clay does for a living?

The Mercenaries is Donald E. Westlake's debut novel under his own name. (He had previously published so-called "sex novels" under a pseudonym.) Though it was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for that year, it did not win, but the author would eventually win multiple times for other books.

The Cutie (the title of the Hard Case Crime reprint) was always Westlake's preferred title, and it's actually more appropriate once you read the book. The funny thing is that the girl on the HCC cover is not the "cutie" of the book, but she is the only one referred to as "mercenary."

For a debut novel, Westlake's familiar style is already apparent: a semihumorous approach, clever plotting, and an engaging mix of smart and dumb characters. (And I have to imagine that, before Westlake, nobody else was combining those things in just that way.) It's reassuring to know that the author emerged fully formed from the literary womb. In fact, it's only in later portions that The Mercenaries shows signs of inexperience -- even as one character practically confesses before our eyes, Westlake tries to force us down the wrong path by having Clay continually remind us who the "only" suspects are. When the solution is finally revealed, it's actually a relief.

On top of this, however, the author offers an ending that reinforces the notion (spoken throughout) that emotion has no place in business. I never saw it coming. Westlake fans will undoubtedly enjoy it. And fans of the author's Dortmunder series will appreciate that Westlake already has a character stealing a car with M.D. plates.