SuperBolan · #13

Flesh and Blood

by Mike Newton · October 1988

6.8 / 10 average from 6 rated reviews

Ngo Tien, ruthless king of Orange County's Asian underworld, has built his empire of drugs, prostitution and pornography by extorting the people he pretends to serve: the refugees of Southern California's Vietnamese community. One former Hmong warrior has watched the gang lord terrorize his countrymen from Saigon to Costa Mesa, but he can't stop Tien alone. His last hope rests with an old friend from the hellgrounds of Vietnam. It's a different world and a different war, but Mack Bolan knows the enemy by heart. And that's where he's aiming.

Reviews (6)

Mike_D 7/10 February 23, 2014

Run of the mill work for Newton. Still a highly enjoyable read. This is certainly elevated by the Bolan having a daughter storyline which I particularly enjoyed. I kind of had a feeling for how the plot line would end and I was right. I thought Mack kind of took her at her word value way to easily. I understand the girl knew everything about the mother and so on, but still... somewhat odd he doesn't even hesitate or think twice... he just rolls with the idea that this girl is his daughter, no questions asked. Solid entry. Fun read.

Jason 9/10 January 9, 2011

I hadn't read a truly outstanding Bolan entry for a long time until "Flesh and Blood." Unlike most of the SuperBolan volumes, this one didn't seem repetitious or padded out. Rather, it had an intriguing story and some great characters. Further, it's a very satisfying read in that it gives the reader a sense that justice has been served. The author concisely illustrates the Vietnam conflict and shows us how it scarred everyone involved, then gives us the chance to see some of those wrongs get righted, even if only in the fictional realm. Although I highly enjoyed reading it, I couldn't quite get myself to give it a full 10 stars, but it's easily a 9. They don't get much better than this (at least from what I've read so far.)

ice_cracked 4/10 May 25, 2009

Too similar to previous titles by this author for me. 2 Stars added as the daughter thing was good.

Monsta Mack 8/10 December 2, 2002

I really enjoyed this book, I kept turning the pages to see what would happen, I couldn't put it down. I really thought Bolan had a daughter, it was a well written plot.

MaxDanger 8/10 October 6, 2001

Bolan has a child?!?!? The book must be read through to discover the implications and veracity of this statement. The book is a good tale, living up to the Super Bolan name. It involves Bolan's fast in Vietnam, the mafia, the KGB -- all of his favorite targets. He blitzes hard in this one. Only fault with the book is that a lot of the Vietnamese dialogue seems like it was taken directly from fortune cookies. This was supposed to show old world wisdom, but it came off as preachy and fake. Other than some dialogue issues, the book is a winner.

Gunslinger 5/10 May 21, 2000

Nothing spectacular out of Mike Newton. Just your standard stuff. I did like the aspect of Mack Bolan possibly having a daughter.