Assault on Soho

Overall, the best part of this book was the dialogue. Mr. Pendleton really writes great banter between the characters, which reveal their motivations. The action sequences play out well. It didn't seem clear though how Bolan ended up in London from France, why didn't he just go from France to the US? Also, it didn't seem clear how the female protagonist knew to meet him? Still a good read.

Bolan is ambushed at the airpot by mobsters in London on his way back from his adventure in Paris and is rescued by a beautiful kinky sex club owner. The Mafia raises the price on Bolan's head and recruits an army of assassins and mobsters, including Bolan's friend and mob infiltrator Leo Turrin. Bolan fights for survival with the aid of the sex club owner all while solving a murder mystery and taking more vengeance on the mob. A fun read, albeit a bit wacky, and definitely incentive to keep reading the Executioner series.

7 star book.liked the first appearance of the 9MM Beretta. Also liked the weapon descriptions especially the weatherby .460 and the use of the UZI 9MM. Looking forward to Nightmare in New York.

Two books in a row that I didn't like. We see Leo Turrin again in this book. You just wonder how long can he play both sides. I'm just glad he's coming back to the US. 6 stars. On to New York.

Mack Bolan finds himself in England after fleeing from France. Why was he in France? I’m not sure because I haven’t read the last book. Either way, it seems like things went badly for him. Almost immediate after arrival he’s ambushed but rescued by a beautiful woman working for a group being blackmailed by the mafia since they footage of politicians enjoying themselves at a sex club. Bolan reluctantly gets involved but as he enters this shadowy world of politics, sex and violence, who can he trust? It could be the emphasis on torture or the heaping dose of sex but this is one of the more lurid Executioner novels. The book has the usual great action but there is a bit of dark comedy mixed in. When Bolan is first rescued he is taken to an S&M club and is fairly perturbed by that fact. (The Museum De Sade seems just strange enough to be real.) I also got a laugh out of a scene where Bolan is able to confuse a couple goons in to killing each other without our hero firing a shot. Early on in the book Bolan spots a hidden security camera and comments it’s ‘Very Bond’ before shooting it down, yet Bolan’s adventure has some Bond undertones to it. Besides the British setting, Women are throwing themselves at him and later he finds himself in a torture device reminiscent of the famous Goldfinger scene. However, I wasn’t feeling this book as much as others. Early on all Bolan wants is to get back home and escape the police dragnet since he is completely unprepared to fight. I kind of wish that the novel just focused on escaping as the plot is a little convoluted. There’s a mystery with a confusing resolution that made me kind of want to go back and see if I missed something, yet wasn’t interesting enough for me to actually do so. Mack meets an old veteran for literally seconds but seems overly affected when he is found tortured to death. He’s not nearly as devastated when his friends from Vietnam are dropping like flies in Death Squad. There are no real standout villains and they spend pages discussing the idea of offering The Executioner a ‘pardon’ and bringing him in to the mafia. This is a dumb plan that goes nowhere, but maybe it’s paid off in a later book? Lastly, there is a sex party held by the ‘good guys’ but Bolan never seems to wonder if the women involved are prostitutes. Considering what happened to his sister, maybe he would be a little more selective about who he allies with? From the reviews here it seems people classify this novel as rather average. I’d be inclined to agree but even an average Executioner book is still entertaining enough. Executioner Kill Count: Approximately 28 (Pendleton is a little vague about the numbers sometimes so I was conservative)

I struggled a bit with this one I'm guessing with the subject matter. The Big Guy has fled from Paris and travels via the channel ferry to England where everyone seems to be aware of his arrival not only the Mafia but the British police are there in force and it seems he is well and truly trapped until a sports car comes to a screeching halt driven by a beautiful woman who urges him to jump in and away they flee to safety. (Note this must be a good scene as Mr. Lazy has used it numerous times instead of thinking of any thing original). The Big Guy then enters a world of macarbe sadism and torture in a museum where a complicated plot begins to be revealed where he is not sure who he can trust and with good reason. The Mafia meanwhile decide on a plan of action to invite him into the fold with a high ranking position and forgive and forget all previous actions. Needless to say that this does not go down at all well with all members and a split forms between the two factions which comes to a head at the end of the title where once again they start firing at each other. The Big Guy hangs around long enough to give Big Arnie Farmer a third eye between his two existing ones and takes off for home leaving the troops to sort it out between themselves. Fair read here but no where close to what has come before in the series.

Hmm... this one is a so-so... took me two days to read it when it would normally take me 2 hours to finish a book of that size. London scene is interesting but the content of how he got sucked into a macabre setup... that didn't sound too realistic for it to happen. Though, I liked seeing Arnie Farmer get bought in this one. If anything else... read it for progression of the series. Sig

This was the second straight Pendleton book that I only moderately enjoyed. On some levels, it was an improvement over Continental Contract, but overall it lacked the quality and action of books 2-4. It's the second straight story that has the Executioner on foreign soil facing and taking on the same troubles he started in the U.S. As with Continental Contract, Pendleton doesn't have the overal story theme that draws the reader into it. The weak story line is at times bizarre, and doesn't create the suspense and action that the reader invests into emotionally. I think a rating of 6 is somewhat generous.

Don pendelton's writing drastically improved for this installment. None of it felt rushed and the plot was pretty original. it actually has a legitimate mystery and the action is pretty good. my complaints however are that the enemies weren't very memorable (especially Nick trigger) and that the dramatic finally was too bondlike but if bond is your bag then I'd suggest this book.

I really didn't care for the overall plot of this book. After reading its predecessor, Continental Contract, (which I give eight stars) I was severely disappointed with Assault on Soho. Of all the original, Pendleton-written books, this one ranks near (read: on) the bottom of my list. Yeah, Bolan in action was good, but I felt that the story was more than a little redundant. And Bolan getting involved with that club? Weird...

Better than #5, but not a top book in the series. I like Bolan fighting in America better.

What should I say?? The book was very good and the plot was great and had it´s twists and turns making Bolan´s task a difficult one as he really can´t trust anyone and no one seems to show its true colors during his war against the London mafia. It was great to have Leo Turrin again on Bolan´s side and it is always very special when Bolan meets his friends in his everlasting war and Leo has always been special as such for Bolan. This one is well worth reading after all this time!!!!

In Assault On Soho the Executioner is once again on track with a quick adventure in London cramming shootouts, recons, and narrow escapes with intrigue and a genuine mystery. After Bolan enters England he gets involved with a girl of unknown loyalties and her friends. The mob has come to England in force to get Bolan and the cops are laying for him. So what else is new? A couple interesting characters and Bolan's uncertainty about them plus his being off his own turf combine to give this story something unique. A solid 8 stars for this one. I enjoyed it almost as much as Miami Massacre. Pendleton gets back in the groove and is running true to form.

I enjoyed the book, weird but interesting plot, however I'm still waiting for the "Major Motion picture series" advertised on the front of my copy

Okay, it gets a little weird in this one, folks. Bolan gets involved with the British mob's attempts to take over a sex club. Leo's here and Hal wants Bolan to join the Mafia and battle it from within. In probably the most farout ending in the series, Bolan finds himself trapped in a sexual torture apparatus and the bad guy dies with his pants around his ankles. I can't recall seeing any other action hero in a similar predicament. Oh well, back to the States for our man Bolan with his dignity intact.

Okay, this again is better then Continental Contract! I read this one really fast.. i could barely put it down. I am reading these books in order, and previous to starting #1, i havent read any Bolan at all, so its on to Nightmare In New York, and see what comes from that... i look at my book shelf and see 247 more bolan books to read.. this is gonna take a while.

It was an average book.

Better than Number 5, but not as good as it could have been

A good read, along with all the other Pendleton originals I've read. I really liked the Ann Franklin character and would have liked to see her return in a future book.

The British campaign in the original 38, this book was better than the fifth novel. Had a few intriguing turns and plot elements. A must read.