Deadfall

Well I have to admit after this author's last two absolute shockers I started this with some trepidation fearing something the same but was pleasantly surprised with a very good readable title which has a pretty good plot and a fair selection of action scenes which will entertain you the reader. Add in some very good characters introduced who mostly are CIA operatives and it was some fine reading with their interactions together as the title progresses. As has been said this is very much a mystery type title so if action dominated stuff is what you are looking for in this series you should look elsewhere. If you are open to this type of title and can overlook the lack of bullets flying everywhere on every page, if you like a title which will make you think and ponder a bit, add in the above mentioned interesting characters and you have a very readable title. I agree with all of the previously mentioned flaws in this title but gee after the last two in the series by this author this is a massive improvement and well all I can say is I enjoyed it. Recommended reading here.

I always prefer the mystery, enigma plot instead of the shoot out books with tons of bad guys being taken down each page. However, this book didn´t quite live up to my expectations as it was kind of fuzzy and unclear from start to finish. The reason for this mission was a total mystery. Was this “official” mission or was it a self proclaimed one as it starts with him on the mission without any flash back to the origin of the mission?? The story line is often too loose and lacks consistency most likely due to the length of the book and I have a feeling this book could have been a much better as a shorter one. The characters in the book were running around aimlessly without knowing what do, who was who and who were working together. Also, as the book progressed friends and foes were introduced all of a sudden without any or little background information about them. The Hitler “clone” idea was never explored in reality and the full plot and the extend of the fourth Reich operation was never revealed. This was an interesting idea but made in the book very unclear as if the author didn´t quite know how the book was supposed to flow information wise. In the end ………………….. after allt hose 320 pages or so the end was short, rushed and not a satisfied conclusion to all those pages as the Hitler “clone” “escaped” too easy as Bolan didn´t have any interaction with him but only to his minions in the end. The potential was there, the plot was there, the characters were there but still the book didn´t deliver in the end. What a shame!!!!!! (Iceland – 2006)

This is McDade's last book, and considering some of the weak novels he has written, I was pleased that Deadfall turned out to contain some of his best writing. The story is told in the mood of Bolan stumbling upon a mystery, with more and more events unfolding to draw him furthur into a conspiracy he must unravel. If you prefer the style of Executioner where Bolan has his target identified, knows what has happened and has a plan of action to go out and cause mass destruction on the badguy, then this book isn't for you. However, I like the variety of storytelling the the authors can bring to the table, and as long as the writing is good, I enjoy a good action flick. Deadfall has a sense of mystery and suspense that is the main driving force in pulling the reader into the novel and keeping the pages turning. Unlike in his previous superBolan "Counterblow", Mcdade manages to pull it off very well, including correcting major problems from that and other novels where plotlines go nowhere or are so confusing nothing makes sense, or other brow-furrowing moments in the book of one sort or another. Deadfall has a good direction in storyline behind the mystery, although not flawless, and what's more, the character interaction and dialogue is superb. The scenes between Marley and Harkness were great, and I really came to like the Marley character. Bradley was another good character, and I loved his scenes with his superior Dan Mitchell. There were many other allies for Bolan along the way, and they were good additions to the book also. The action scenes are fairly standard, with the final scenes in the closing chapters a little rushed, and I missed seeing one of the main villans involved in the final scene, rather than one of the lesser villans that was thrown in the latter portion of the story. All said and done I enjoyed the book, and give it a strong seven, and consider this book along with Meltdown and Backlash, to be the best group of books the author wrote for the series.

Bolan is in Germany doing something. It must be important, because people are being killed. He's not sure either, but he's doing something in Germany. Bah, this one was awful. Bolan as intelligence agent just never seems to work well. Mercenary, yes, but spy? Not the best use of his talents. Then the plot of this one was so murky that nobody knew who was doing what. Just people dying every 30-40 pages or so. Action scenes were poorly written. Bolan seems totally inept in this one. The editing is also awful. One of Bolan's allies ends up with his throat slit -- but we never saw Bolan find the body!! All of the sudden they are talking about the guy in past tense. Crappy job all the way around. On a side note, I'm especially disapppointed because this is my 100th review here at mackbolan.com . For each of my reviews, I read the whole book again before reviewing so that my opinion is based on the writing, not my memory from years ago or the cover painting. I've tried to be objective -- I write and post my reviews before reading what others have said about the book. I also try to use the whole scale, 1 - 10, not just the higher numbers. I still have plenty of Bolans to read, so I'm planning on being here for a lot longer. If there are too many like "Deadfall", though, I'll have to give up!

Not a great book...

This was nothing great. I limped my way through it.