Washington I.O.U.

This book really didnt do it for me. I thought the wolf crew were interesting. I didnt think that Lupo's plans were plausible. 7 star book for the wolf crew. On to San Diego.

After first learning of the mob’s plans to infiltrate the US government back in New York, Bolan heads to Washington to stop things once and for all. Before he can break open the conspiracy he’ll have to track down the mysterious Lupo, the head of a phony lobby group and the very real DC mob. There is a lot to like about this book, not the least of which is the resolution of a long running storyline. The mafia’s plans have been pretty vague up until this point but Mack finally learns what it’s all about. The idea of a mob puppet being elected president is where I thought this was headed so it’s not a surprise, but the possibility of a small country being owned by the mob, giving them diplomatic immunity was an interesting plot development. Lupo seems to be another big, vague threat to take down at the beginning of the book but while his identity is a mystery we do learn more about him half way through. It doesn’t hurt that he’s able to strike at Bolan in a unique way; he hires an Executioner doppelganger to attack innocents and the White House to but a lot more police pressure on Mack. The cynical view of the Government in this book is likely a reflection of the Watergate scandal and it sadly could be just as relevant in a book written today. There’s also a mafia wheelman who is spared by Bolan and helps Mack. I thought this was another interesting twist to the formula and a welcome new character who I hope returns in the future. What I do like about Mack Bolan in contrast to the other characters inspired by him are these moments of mercy that pop up from time to time. The problem with the book is that there is a lot happening crammed in too few pages. To make matters worse the book opens with a very long and solid (but not overly spectacular) action scene that spans multiple chapters. I can’t help but think that if Pendleton tightened up this opening he’s have more space alter to let the big moments later in the book breathe. Action takes a back seat to the plot this time around and the shoot outs are fine, but nothing compared to Boston Blitz. All in all, this book had an insurmountable task of following the last book but it was a decent enough outing in its own right. If I could I’d rate it a 7.5 but I’ll round that up since the book left me in a good mood. Executioner Kill count: Approximately 37

I was hoping for a lot better book, then the one I read. I just thought this book about Washington would have a better plot. Living in the area I just wish they would have used a lot more pubic places which everybody knows. ( The Mall, White House, etc.) I love the fake Bolan, and the hit after the car chase. Ripper Dan Aliotto was a person I would like to see more of with Mack.

Washington had to be the next call after the last few titles with what has been building up and so it is where the Big Guy comes across a couple of hard men in the process of killing a woman by drowning her in the bath who he had been following for a while. Enter a very complicated plot here where the woman whose husband she had thought dead for three years and the agonized knowledge of marital treachery comes to realization at the end of the title where his identity is revealed. Further the woman informs the Big Guy threats, violence, blackmail, intimidation of every stripe and directed at every seat in congress, every staff, every bureaucratic office. They're rewriting the laws of the nation and doing it so cleverly that no single victim on Capitol Hill is even aware of what's really happening. Further this was to be the day when the American government went underground. And the day when the so called invisible second government of the nation would be the only real government. Massive undertones here for the Big Guy and made worse when someone comes up with a smart arse idea to frame him for murdering people by impersonating him. This title is a notable one where Hal finally stops sitting on the fence and chooses his side with the following statement to the Big Guy... "Incidentally, for what it's worth, I'm going to be walking your side of the street from here on, even if I have to resign and walk it as a private citizen.' The title finishes with yet another convert to the Big Guy's side of the war Ripper Dan Aliotto and I can't remember if we see him again in the series so it will be something to look forward to. Nice read here which culminates some of the previous titles in the series and whilst a little down on the action side of things explains a lot of the goings on from previous titles leading up to here. Recommended reading.

Hmm... the nation's capital gets to experience Bolan's brand of blitzkrieg warfare. However, this one is a bit of a let-down and that's to be expected after Boston. Yet, this one had some strange twists and the ending was something that could not be predicted until it became clear who exactly Lupo is. If you're looking for a great read, there are others that are better. For the series, it fills in nicely. Sig

I have a little more harsh criticism of this book than any of Pendleton's others since book 6, because the potential was there for an excellent read -- Mafia ruling Washington DC's political process! The author introduced us to many characters, but the overall antagonish -- Lupo -- was shrouded in such mystery it was greatly confusing trying to follow the characters throughout the story. I also thought it was a bit of a reach trying to show moral integrity in Claudia. In summary, quite disappointing (7 maybe to high) but I may be a little too harsh because I had such high expectations going into it, so I chose a 7 over a 6. I though this could've been one of Pendleton's masterpieces.

The Mob trying to take over the U.S. goverment, who would have thought it. A lot of action in this book from start to finish. With a Bolan look a like it add a twist and also adds even more people looking for Macks life. Enjoyed this one.

Simply put, this book is horrible. The writing is convoluted and confusing, the plot makes little sense and the characters are flat and one dimensioanl at best. I picked this one up thinking I'd like to read some of the Pendelton books because I was a fan but had not read any of his yet. This book made me not want to read any more of them. My girlfriend liked it, if that's any consolation.

I must have slept through this book as I found it confusing and without a decent, clear plot and story line. Here, Bolan is wandering from one corner to another in Washington fighting "different" group of enemies in his crusade against the Mafia. The book left me with a lot of unanswered questions like; What was Lupo´s ultimate goal? How was he going in reality going to achieve it? Why were different Mafia groups fighting it out killing each other because of the Boston chick? One thing was though interesting to say the least and actually was the only interesting thing about this book and that was the Mack Bolan impostor which was a fresh idea. Why didn´t the Mafia think about this twist sooner as it would have made Bolan´s crusade much more difficult? Sadly yet another dull Mafia war book but this one is the worst of those I have read so far. Hopefully I have reached the bottom of those bad ones now. (2004)

This is onother good one, the action kept a steady pace from beginning to end, I enjoyed it.

This book was a good entry in to the early executioner series. It was relativley fast paced and had a good plot with many turns. This was one quick read.

I really enjoyed this book. It seemed more fast paced then the previous few books and really kept me interested enough to finish it in less than a day.

When the Executioner moves on the mob in Washington he uncovers and then unravels a plot to put the government in the mob's grip. Bolan's search for the mastermind of this plot moves the story along and there is genuine surprise at the end when all the players are identified. The unknown adversary aspect of the plot and the interactions Bolan has with the people he encounters contribute nearly as much to the fun of this book as the action does. Starting off with a classic Executioner move against a mob hit and a daring escape and then building to a hard hit on the plotters' headquarters the action here keeps pounding away in time with the plot. My only complaint is that many of Bolan's hits against the mob were only mentioned briefly and not detailed as part of the action. With a few more action scenes or one more big action set piece this one would have rated another star. As it is it's still a good solid 8 star adventure.

_Washington I.O.U._ was the first Bolan book I read (about 1978, I think), so my judgment may be clouded a bit by nostalgia--but I *loved* this book! It was fast-paced, grim, and shockingly violent. And the good guy won, no less! A heck of a good story.

Not too bad. Enjoyable.

Big Mack uncovers a plot to take over the government! The mob also send an imposter "Mack" to kill some government officials. Let's just say Mr. Bolan lays waste to the mob's plans!

A great book. The plot reveals a dark conspiracy that threatens the highest points of America's fiber. The novels twists and turns lead to a fantastic ending.

Loved it!