Last week I promised not to talk politics here. But I want to share with you something that just happened to me. A week or so ago, I ordered, through e-bay, a blu-ray boxed set. I paid for it and for the postage. Today I was notified that customs is charging me 39.50 USD import fees for the privilege of doing business with Canada.
Thank you, Donald Trump.
Also, last week I announced that two very different books in two very different series are about to come out – namely, Antiques Web in the Trash ‘n’ Treasures series featuring Brandy and Vivian Borne, and Quarry’s Reunion in the, well, Quarry series. Antiques Web is by Barbara Allan, the joint byline of my wife Barb and me, and Quarry’s Reunion is my work (though Barb in fact edits me…editor Charles Ardai bats clean-up).
We had already received great reviews for Quarry’s Reunion from Publisher’s Weekly and the often cranky Kirkus, but now we’ve had a rave from Booklist — the kind that rates an “aw shucks” and the toe of a shoe digging at the dirt.
Quarry, as some of you know, is celebrating 50 years that arguably make my somewhat-retired hitman the longest- running mystery series in terms of passage of time (others have obviously racked up more entries). Still, Quarry has a respectable 19 books, not to mention (and now I’ll mention them), an award-winning short film (“A Matter of Principal”), a well-received feature film (The Last Lullaby), and a one-season HBO/Cinemax TV series (Quarry).
This Booklist review is particularly gratifying.
By Max Allan Collins
Nov. 2026. 224p. Hard Case Crime, paper, $19.99 (9781835416464)
It doesn’t seem like a completely terrible idea, heading back to Ohio for his 50-year high school reunion. An old girlfriend wants him there, and surely there’s no danger at a school reunion for a retired killer-for-hire? Well, it turns out Quarry is wrong. Danger follows him wherever he goes—even now, when he’s no longer in the killing game. Once again, he’s forced to pull himself out of retirement to save his own life and the lives of innocent bystanders. Collins has been writing about Quarry since 1976. He took a 20-year break from the character after Primary Target (1987) but roared back into action in 2006, and since then, he’s been treating his fans to one perfect book after another. While the author doesn’t seem to have explicitly called this the end of the series—and another Quarry adventure would always be welcome—it would still be a lovely way to send Quarry off into permanent retirement, an entirely appropriate finale to this touching story and to a long, hard life.
The novel will be out in early November.
Trade Paperback:
E-Book:
Barb and I have been very lucky to have an excellent audio publisher for the majority of our books. Stefan Rudnicki and Gabrielle de Cuir read Quarry and Antiques respectively and do an incredible job.
Stefan has made Quarry his own, and Gabrielle has done a beautiful job where other readers of the Antiques novels have occasionally failed (how about Vivian with a Southern accent?) (Maybe Serenity is in Southern Iowa….)
Skyboat has posted a wonderful blog entry about the Antiques series and their take on it. We want to share it with you in full:
If the name Barbara Allan sounds familiar to you, there may be a few reasons for that. Is it Allan that sparks in your head? Then maybe you’ve listened to some of Max Allan Collins’s phenomenal thriller series (Quarry, Fancy Anders, Nolan, or Mike Hammer). Or is the name Barbara ringing any bells? Perhaps you’ve listened to REGENERATION, BOMBSHELL, and CUTOUT, read by Skyboat’s own Stefan Rudnicki and Gabrielle de Cuir!
Barbara Allan is the pen name used by Max Allan Collins and his wife, Barbara Collins. Together they are the authors of the Trash ‘n’ Treasure series of comic cozy mysteries, and two stand alone thrillers.
These delightful tales of intrigue and mystery star Brandy Borne, her eccentric mother Vivian, and her beloved Shih Tzu, Sushi. Brandy and Vivian run a small antiques business in their quaint Iowan hometown, but through digging for antiques to sell at their store, they often find themselves in the middle of a town scandals and murder plots. And while they’re at it, they might as well solve the mysteries themselves!
On their shared writing process, Barbara Collins says: “Our collaboration process is simple: we plot the novel together, often on a long car trip or over several restaurant meals; usually I take notes. Then I write a complete first draft without [Max] seeing any of it. If I run into trouble along the way, we discuss the problem over another lunch (there’s a very famous restaurant in Muscatine, Iowa – perhaps you’ve heard of it: Applebees).”
And to answer the question of why one would co-write a novel (not to mention the dozens they have written together), she says: “Beyond shoring up each others weaknesses through your own strengths, why should a writer embark on such a perilous enterprise? The answer is as simple as collaboration is complex: a third writer is created. A successful writing collaboration creates a distinct third voice in an end product that – because of the strengths each writer brings to the work table – could not have been accomplished alone. That’s when two plus two can equal five. Even my husband can do that math.”
Gabrielle has taken on Books 15-18 (Antiques Carry On, Antiques Liquidation, Antiques Foe, and Antiques Slay Belles), with more to come!
Looking for a laugh-out-loud, quirky mystery to brighten your mood? Trash ’n’ Treasures is “one of the funniest cozy series going” (Ellery Queen Magazine) – and if you’re new to the series, it’s safe to jump right in.
Find recipes from the books and more info on the series here!
If you just can’t decide, get the box set for 15-17 here!
Check out our SoundCloud playlist with samples for the whole series!
You’ll note Antiques Web is not among the Skyboat titles, but that’s temporary – they’re recording it now. Patience.
In the meantime, you know how to scratch that itch? Order Antiques Web the novel (or the e-book) now.
Hardcover:
E-Book:
Our promo material indicates the Kindle e-book will be available September 22. That’s sooner than originally promised…and would appear to be…TODAY!!!
But the physical hardcover book still has a pub date of Oct. 8.
This is the second time Barb and I have had an Antiques book out simultaneously with one of my Quarry novels. I talked about this last week, my preference for doing a bunch of things and not just one.
I couldn’t stand writing nothing but Reacher, for example, fun as that character is (although I could abide the royalties just fine). I need to stay fresh. I started at this around 1968 (took me till 1972 to sell) (Bait Money) and this approach has kept me (nearly) sane.
I asked Mickey Spillane why he hadn’t written more Mike Hammer novels despite the demand from readers and editors and he said he felt Hammer was “over-characterized,” that there was nothing new to do with him. I couldn’t understand that, and when I started working with Mickey’s unfinished manuscripts, I couldn’t imagine ever feeling I should walk away from Hammer…but I have. Mickey wrote 13 Hammers. I co-wrote 14 more.
Now if a new Hammer movie happens, which it keeps threatening to, my attitude might change….
We haven’t had a book giveaway here in ages, but one is coming up soon. Be sure to stop by next week.
M.A.C.
