The Mercenaries

by Donald E. Westlake

Book Overview

A crime boss' right-hand man takes on the job of tracking down a junkie falsely accused of killing the mistress of a prominent citizen. Previously published as The Mercenaries, this is Westlake's very... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0749001801
• ISBN13: 9780749001803
• Release Date: February 1993
• Publisher: Allison & Busby
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant!

The Cutie was originally published as The Mercenaries in 1960, it has also previously appeared under the title The Smashers. Westlake has mentioned in other novels' intros or afterwords that The Cutie was the title he originally wanted but didn't get. This is Westlake's first novel, if you don't include All My Lovers which he wrote under the Allan Marshall pen name to pay the bills before he made enough money from proper novels to survive (read the great novel Adios Scheherazade : The Secret Life of a Sensuous Man and its intro where Westlake makes fun of these old lady porn (romance) novels that he was forced to write to put food on the table before and after The Cutie). Ironically it's actually bedroom action where the Cutie begins. That action being interrupted by a persistent knock on the New York apartment door of George Clayton (Clay), mob boss Ed Ganolese's right hand man. On the other side is a terrified junkie Billy-Billy Cantell. He awoke in a strange woman's apartment after passing out on the street, problem is she had been stabbed to death and in his confusion and rush to escape the scene he left his hat behind, with his name and details written inside. It's not long before the police are also banging on Clay's door so Cantell is hidden in a cupboard. It appears that they only missed Cantell by minutes after being tipped off by an anonymous witness and tracked his movements to Clay's apartment. With the hat and Cantell's fingerprints all over the apartment the police are ready to close the case. Clay knows he should just give Cantell an "accident" but upon checking with his boss for some reason Ganolese says to keep him alive and hide him instead. Only problem is when the cupboard is opened Cantell's long gone. The murder victim was special to someone, so pressure is on the police and they inturn are putting pressure on Clay and the mob's operations so they'll hand over Cantell. Ganolese wants the "cutie" who is causing all these problems and he's assigned Clay the job of playing Sherlock Holmes and finding out who that cutie is. Many of Westlake's novels are classified as mysteries when they are in fact not. This is a hard crime novel but at the same time a mystery as you the reader try and figure out who the cutie is from the clues becoming available to Clay. Of course the reader doesn't have Clay's added burden of the Cutie trying to silence them so they can just sit back, relax, read and try and solve this dilemma. If you can't Clay will work it out by the final chapters for you. It's great to see Hard Case Crime reprinting this classic novel (and it was advertised as coming soon before Westlake passed away in December 2008, so it's not just a publisher cashing in on his death). It's a great story, with elements Westlake would later develop into other characters such as Parker (under pen name Richard Stark). There is some slight observational humour but those after Westlake's first comic caper before the Do

Welcome Surprise

I first read about Donald Westlake in his NY Times obituary. Am working my way though all of his books--a real find! TF City of Fire

Can't-miss introduction to Westlake

In the first chapter of "The Cutie", Hard Case Crime's reprint of a very early Donald Westlake novel, we're introduced to a heroin addict accused of murder, a morally gray mob fixer with a dancer girlfriend, and an overly earnest copy. In less interesting hands, the cop would have been the hero of this piece. In Westlake's hands, the cop drops out about halfway through the novel -- not due to death or disgrace, but simply because I think Westlake just felt the other players were far more interesting. The protagonist is Clay, mob fixer and right-hand man to a Manhattan circa 1960 version of Tony Soprano. He narrates the novel with alternating purposes: first, he's trying to prove to his boss that the heroin-addled murder suspect was actually framed, and second, he's trying to justify his career choice to his dancer girlfriend. Both mysteries have interesting resolutions, and like any great mystery, the final chapter raises new questions just as interesting as the ones it answered. Westlake's writing is crisp and tense, with only the occasional slip into bad pulp (such as when he describes Manhattan's air as having halitosis). Clay drives all over New York City, from Riverdale to the Lower East Side to an abandoned subway station under 95th Street. The characters with whom he interacts are mostly minor mob figures or hangers-on, many with hidden agendas and dark secrets, and even the heroin addicts come across as faintly sympathetic. However, threaded throughout is Clay's questioning the morality of his own lifestyle, and the choice he makes in the final pages is nicely contrasted against the book's kicker ending. One nice little easter egg is that one of "The Cutie"'s key characters shares a name with an early Westlake pseudonym. Coming out as a grace note to his career just a few weeks after his death, "Cutie" is a nice monument to Westlake's legacy.

You never go wrong with Westlake

2008 ended with the loss of one of the greatest mystery writers, Donald Westlake. Although best known for his comic novels and his pseudonymously written hard-boiled Parker novels, Westlake got his start with more straightforward crime novels. The Cutie is a re-release of one of those early novels. The Cutie was originally titled The Mercenaries, which probably wasn't the best title, as it implies a tale of cutthroat soldiers fighting in some foreign land. This is a murder mystery taking place (as most of Westlake's stories) in New York City. The narrator is Clay, the chief assistant to mobster Ed Ganolese. As the story opens, mild-mannered junkie Billy-Billy Cantrell comes to Clay for help: he's just been framed for murder. Billy-Billy is incapable of such a crime, but the police won't see it that way; he also has powerful friends, so he can't just be killed to clean up the mess. Billy-Billy goes into hiding and Clay is tasked with finding the real killer, who he calls "the cutie". Soon enough, there will be more dead bodies and Clay will be a suspect himself. What's worse, the cutie is out to kill him. It is possible to see Clay as a prototype for Parker. Both are crooks who are willing to kill to maintain their lifestyles. Unlike Parker, however, Clay is not completely amoral and needs to rationalize to himself and others his behavior (Parker is incapable of guilt or remorse). In fact, a new love will make him question his way of life. Even if this is one of Westlake's first novels, it is as adeptly written as his later works, albeit with a slightly more formulaic feel that was probably imposed by his publisher. Even if you're new to Westlake, however, The Cutie will be a nice treat.

Chilling to the last line!

Clay and his girlfriend Ella are sleeping when Billy-Billy Cantrell, a heroin junkie, comes with a desperate plea for help. Found next to the dead body of a woman after a drug-induced stupor that leaves him with no memory of the night in question, Billy-Billy needs help and fast. The police are hot on his trail but he is innocent. In normal circumstances, Clay would have no qualms about taking care of business and disposing of Billy-Billy, especially if he brings trouble alongside him. A job is a job. Clay just follows orders from Ed Ganolese, the head of the organization. What Ed wants, Clay does and does efficiently. This time, however, Ganolese orders him to find the cutie who is bringing the heat closer to home and messing with the organization. Mavis St.Paul was the mistress of a rich man, a man who thinks more about his personal possessions than love. Was Mavis just another one of his possessions? As Clay investigates the shadowy past of Mavis St. Paul and her mercenary attitude towards men, the cutie seems one step ahead of him. The case has his girlfriend asking questions about his job and turning Clay in all directions. Can Clay find the killer before the killer finds him and just get himself and the organization back to the normal operating procedure? Originally published in 1960 under the title THE MERCENARIES, Hard Case Crime pays tribute to the master of crime fiction and three time Edgar award winner with this reissue of his earliest novel published under his own name. What a wonderful tribute for his fans to be released so soon after Donald E. Westlake's death on Dec. 31, 2008! Like the earlier title, the new title plays with the connection between the victim and the killer although the new title more accurately describes the tone and the genre of the book. THE CUTIE is a must read for Westlake and hard-boiled crime fiction fans! Dark and twisted, THE CUTIE has several plot twists that will leave the reader stunned until the very last chilling line. Memorable characters populate this story, giving the reader a feel for the tough, gritty side of New York City as well as the just as chilling home of Ernest Tesselman, a man respected in the community. Even if by chance a reader guesses the identity of the killer, which I did not, nothing can prepare the reader for some of the mind-thrilling twists left to discover! Clay's unsentimental commentaries and insights haunt with a twisted mob version of everyday values turned to extreme. Through Clay and his investigation, THE CUTIE makes intriguing comparisons and connections between characters that maximize the intrigue. Even the unlikely, unnerving Ernest Tesselman becomes a source of Clay's self-reflection. If you haven't discovered Donald E. Westlake as of yet, THE CUTIE is a perfect choice to read a suspense-filled crime novel from a master, a novel that will keep you poised on the edge of your seat in the way only Donald E. Westlake can. If you are a Westlake