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My pursuit of these books finally came to an end last week when the fourth, Quarry’s Cut, arrived in the mail. Ever since Hard Case Crime began publishing the latest series, I’d looked askance at the prices for them on the used book sites. We’re talking about the Countryman Press editions here, published in the mid-eighties, and not the first editions a decade earlier. Lord knows what the prices for those might be.
I stumbled across an English bookseller that had all four listed, shipping and handling included, at roughly ten dollars apiece. It seemed to good to be true. This caused a bit of excitement over at GOODREADS when I posted a link. There’s a good many fans of the Quarry books over there and I became a test case. I ordered those books(I was supposed to keep the others updated) and then sat back to wait. For two months nothing, order in progress the status when you checked. I’d begun to figure it was a bad deal all around.
Then, out of the blue, an email arrived saying they would have the books in a week and I would get them shortly after. Hoo-Hah! I reported over at Goodreads and there would have been high fives all around if we were in the same room.
Alas it wasn’t to be.
A week later, I received an email canceling the order. Out of print, unavailable. The bookdealer, a large outfit by their website, apparently never update their catalogue. Those books still are listed there at those same low prices.
So, what next? I finally bit the bullet and started ordering them one a month. My card complained, especially on Quarry’s Cut, but I just smacked it and said “Shut up!”
I now have all the Quarry novels with the exception of the new one, Quarry’s Ex, that comes later this year. There’s a few short stories I haven’t read which are part of a package with the novel, Primary Target, titled Quarry’s Greatest Hits. Since I have the novel in a separate edition, I haven’t gone for that one yet. I will sooner or later though, being the obsessed completist I am.
What next?
The Frank Nolan series I think. Hard Case Crime published the first two in one volume. Some of the others seem rare(either nothing listed on Fantastic Fiction or rather steep), while the last couple are reasonable.
Let the hunt begin.
Yeah, I’ve had to slap my card more than once to obey.
The Quarry series is a must.
Should I start at the beginning of this series? Or can I just in anywhere.
Your interest is much appreciated.
I have just signed with Perfect Crime to reprint the first five Quarrys. For what it’s worth, the Foul Play Press editions you picked up are much nicer books than the junky way they were originally pubbed by Berkley Books.
The “Frank Nolan” series is just the “Nolan” series or maybe the “Nolan and Jon” series. He’s never called “Frank” in the books. An idiot copy writer added “Frank” to the name on the cover copy of the first editions (Curtis Books) of BAIT MONEY and BLOOD MONEY. Nolan, like Parker, has no known recorded first name. Avoid those editions, except for collector purposes. Some editorial goofs by Curtis Books make the definitive editions the Pinnacle ones.
Cullen, if you’ve read any of the Hardcase Books Quarrys, I’d say starting with any of them would be fine. Most of the back story covered in the early books has been mentioned. Obsessive as I am, though, I had to start with one and work my way through those first four.
Max, that’s good news. A lot of fans at Goodreads will be happy to hear about the new deal. I’ve already dropped a note letting them know. And, knowing me, I’ll likely want theose five in a uniform set as well.
Great news. I wonder if there is any timeline for the publication of the Perfect Crime editions?
Probably down the road a bit, Richard. It’s the first I’ve heard of it.