Lethal Impact

Well if Glenn would allow it (yeah right!) I could save a bit of space over there in your storage and rate any of this authors titles with simply a check mark total of the following ten criteria. 1) Shutting down a new drug pipeline. 2) Pipeline must have multiple countries involved. 3) Ladder of hierarchy to be climbed bottom to top. 4) Rattling of cages to see what falls out. 5) Selection of locations which will get attention. 6) Subsequent destruction of above sites. 7) Female to be included for kidnapping/abduction. 8) Subsequent calls to bad guys to release her or. 9) Sniper scene must be included somewhere. 10 Excellent action scenes and characters introduced. etc. etc. etc. I have added a star here as for the first time in many many titles number 7) was not used in this title (the fact that I cannot vote a zero the minimum being one should in no way infer to this added star). This title gets 9 checks. Blah blah blah I've said it before but can't submit a review "umm I've already read it".

A very solid Newton adventure, Bolan is kept very busy through each chapter of this story. The overall plot is to put a dent in the Triad drug trade in southeast Asia, specificly targeting the Yi Kwah Tao and its leaders. Bolan starts in the Australian desert, going after Lee, the guy shown on the cover of the book. I liked this portion of the story, but Lee I thought was a badguy that didn't reach any potential as a villain. Bolan's next stop is an exciting blitz in Bankok, then on to Burma to meet up with one of his better allies I have read in a while, Ne Kyat, and he later helps Bolan as a guide on his final journey to China, to knock off the big cheese in this war, General Li. Bolan has good allies in each stop, and I liked the epilogue, where Bolan returns to his Australian friend Minmara, a type of conclusion that is too often lacking in Bolan novels. I thought the action scenes were done well, and the ending was a good page-turning read. This is a tight, classic Newton book, and I might have given this novel another star but there were areas where the pacing of the story was too slow, but a well done episode in the SuperBolan series.

Bolan is out to close a drug pipeline. His journey takes him through Australia and SE Asia as he goes to the source of the poison and shuts it down. Very good adventure. Bolan does it all here. A commando raid, a typical Bolan blitz, jungle adventures, and even some old fashioned charity at the very end. Action is plentiful and well done. Especially good was the fact that Bolan had to work to get where he's going. "Lethal Impact" didn't have the typical "Have Grimaldi borrow a Harrier and set me down a quarter mile from my objective." Bolan had to work to get out of the country and then hump his way through mountains and forests. High points for realism. The only strike against this, and this is a strike against more than just "Lethal Impact", is the fact that Bolan receives 100% accurate intel all the way up the druglord's supply chain. It gets painted with the old "Well, we have all this info but none of it will stand up in court" brush, but it's not realistic. If they have ALL of this info, they must have SOMETHING that would allow for indictments. This is just a minor flaw, however, and the novel is a very good read. Highly recommended.

Just finished reading this one and found it to be fantastic. The supporting characters were likeable and the action was non-stop. I also enjoyed the epilogue which was very different than usual. You should read this one.

Just a standard outing from Mike Newton.