Customer Reviews

Quarry

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This book had it all. Film - err - book noir style old fashioned tough gumshoe trying to rescue the damsel in distress, even if she doesn't want it. Our nameless hero gets into some fairly thrilling detective work, chasing a monster who keeps changing names. Unfortunately, the monster seems to know more about our hero than he should, putting "nameless" in extreme danger. The ending was spectacular.

Quarry is a major turning point in the Nameless Detective series. In many of the books beginning with Quarry, women are victimized by men in particularly unpleasant ways. Legal options are probably not going to be adequate to protect the women in the future. Nameless will find himself drawn to wanting to do the right thing, and looking beyond the boundaries of the law to do so. As a result, Nameless becomes more human and appealing as he wrestles with his conscience.

The book is set both in San Francisco and in the Salinas valley (and contains the inevitable references to Steinbeck). The local color is particularly strong in this book which adds to its appeal.

The mystery plot is a minimalist one which allows for more emphasis on psychology and action. It's a good choice by Mr. Pronzini.

Ailing farmer Arlo Haas knows something's wrong when his daughter Grady returns home unexpectedly. Always a loner, she's extremely uncommunicative, but it's clear she is troubled. And she doesn't want to do anything about what is troubling her. Arlo offers to pay Nameless to drive down to the farm to discuss the problem. Nameless takes the case, but cannot get any information out of Grady either. Although she's alive, she might as well be dead for all of the help she provides Nameless.

Speaking with her employer, Nameless is hard pressed to find any clues. There may have been a new man in her life. But who is he? Is he the right quarry?

Nameless's partner Eberhardt has been proposing to his girl friend Bobbie Jean for some time. She's now accepted his proposal, despite her concerns about her former two unsuccessful marriages. But Eberhardt is driving everyone crazy with the wedding plans, which keep getting more elaborate and expensive. The stress becomes too much for everyone, and leads to an emotional explosion. What will be the consequences?

Fans of the early Nameless Detective novels will continue to recognize the noir style, and may like seeing Nameless as a heat seeking missile doling out justice on his own. That's certainly consistent with the original hard-boiled detective novels. On the other hand, it also represents a loss of innocence that makes the books more cynical. Some may enjoy that aspect less well. In either case, you owe it to yourself to read Quarry to decide.

Increasingly, this series doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have read earlier books. I suggest that you read Dragonfire and Shackles before this one.

Fans of Sue Grafton will enjoy comparing this book to Q Is for Quarry.

As I finished this book, I thought about how much we can hope to protect others from harm. How much pain can we personally absorb to do so? What's the right thing to do when the personal pain will be enormous?

Quarry has great ending and completes needed chapter in life of Nameless.

While not one of the "Nameless" top ten Quarry is essential for the Nameless reader. Looking for more history of characters and less on the SF area.