Payback Game

Americans are being held hostage and the whole country is shocked and appalled after film footage is released by their terrorist captors showing the hanging of a US Marine Colonel. More hostages are marked for death but the President wants aboveboard negotiations. Terrific read here folks where the Big Guy is back to just himself with no support whatsoever from the Farm or Brognola after the President directly orders the Big Guy to stand down and issues a hands-off order. Some excellent characters introduced in this title and I hope that we may see some more of them especially the Muhibbi character. Excellent story that not only will interest you from the start but coupled with the numerous action scenes you will definitely keep turning the pages to see what is coming up next. Very balanced title by one of the top authors in these combined series well done Jerry this one is a definite winner and a pleasure to read. Yep it's great grab yourself a copy and read it you won't be disappointed.

This book was very suspenseful and it lived up to my expectations. It rocked and was a great fun from the beginning and highly entertaining to the end. An exciting and fast paced race against time were the stakes were personal in more than once sense Highly entertaining book and well worth reading (Iceland – 2006)

An enjoyable exciting adventure taking place in Turkey, Syria, and Lebenon. Bolan needs to rescue hostages from a jihad crazy madman, and most of the book is Bolan's search for the hostages while time is running out for their execution. This novel was entertaining, and I liked Bolan's sidekick he picks up in Syria, who was a good ally, and as it turns out, is the twin brother of the main villain. One part of the book was questionable though, I couldn't figure out why Bolan was at Dr. Snodgrass's office. It seemed like a major coincidence he would show up there, when he didn't know where to go or know anybody in the town. It was like a part of the story was missing here. I did like the tie-in to #114 Cold Judgement, which is one of my favorite books by Newton. Several references are made to characters and events in that novel. This book stretched believability in parts, but overall, a fun fast paced adventure make this a better than most entry in the series.

Wow this is just a great novel. Jerry really knows how to make good characters and exciting scenes. If ever there was a character that should become a member of Stony Man and that is Muhibbi - really great character. A very good fighter and like Jack Grimaldi saw the light and went from a very grey character to being a disciple of Mack. Plus he had an interesting backstory that is made for a long series character - father the head of the Assassins and brother a delusion terrorist who wanted total Jihad - kind of like Osama bin Ladan type character. I also liked the anxiety felt with the poor victim Sharon Walker scheduled to be hung by the terrorists and what she went through. Saved with just a minute to spare. Other writers this would have been cheesy but Jerry wrote it well. The ending had rather a swashbuckling feel to it. Sure there were guns but saving Sharon Mack had to stand under the gallows so she would land on his shoulders especially with all the terrorists trying to pull the lever and hang her - well one did and thats how she landed on Mack's shoulders. It was almost written like it should have been Errol Flynn type scene. A 90s level novel and so far VanCook's best one.

Bolan is on his own. American hostages are being executed, but the president is powerless to act. Furthermore, he has specifically ordered Bolan to stand down while negotiations take place. However, Mack Bolan isn't going to stand around while terrorists execute helpless citizens. Alone, unarmed, he single-handedly goes to the Middle East trying to save the hostages. Wow. "Payback Game" is a great book. Not since much earlier in the series has Bolan been so challenged and so alone. Too many times in the novels that precede this, Bolan is given so much aid from the government that he barely has to work. This time he is unarmed and on his own. It's frustrating when Bolan takes a commercial flight to Tokyo, and then ends up with (yet another) 93-R, custom fitted with silencer. Then he flies to Nepal, only to be handed (yet another) 93-R. Not in "Payback Game". The knife fight scene early in the book has some of the best writing evr to grace a Gold Eagle page. The plot twists and turns so the reader is never bored. The tension continues to mount throughout the book, never letting up. This one has it all! The only complaint isn't with the book itself, but with the continuity of the series. This would have been a great time for Bolan to lose his presidential free pass, and to be back to taking on missions on his own. Novels like this one are what the Executioner series should be about.

This is probably the best van cook executioner out there. Thats all I have to say.

A real good entry with Bolan doing what he does best.

GOOD BOLAN ACTION AND EXCITEMENT! I GIVE IT****

This was one of those almost-classics. It was fast paced and enjoyable.