Salvador Assault

I thought that this was an excellent book. I liked that Rafael got more of the focus in this one. it was interesting to see the girl reporter pop up again from #39 Jungle Sweep. I thought That Col Martillo and his crew were brutal and I'm glad that they got taken down hard in this one. all in all a pretty action packed adventure story. I give it 8 stars.

This is a fair read once again featuring some terrific action scenes. The plot is one that has been flogged to death but the title does include some interesting characters introduced especially Colonel Martillo and the reintroduction of Mario Santo previously from Jungle Sweep. Lots and lots of reading about the pictures that had been taken by Santo during one of the action scenes bordering on becoming annoying but their importance to the finish of the book makes it understandable at the end. As has been previously said the turning of the claymores was good thinking prior to the attack on the terrorist base and adds to some fine stuff in this section. Recommended read.

“Salvador Assault” would be normally a routine mission for Phoenix Force. The writing has never been better. The action is notched up again. They make effective use of claymores in the climatic battle sequence. There are two things that are quite different. The focus on this one is with Encizo. I know he’s the focus right away, because he almost gets mugged in the beginning. He is also torn between a woman he sort of knows and his fellow Phoenix Force members. There are pretty angry words spoken between him and Katz. These comments are laced with ominous threats that threaten to fracture team chemistry. Another nice touch is at the end, when Encizo has a self-aware moment when he considers honoring an enemy’s request. Then there is Colonel Martillo. Martillo translates into hammer in Spanish. What a coincidence that his favorite weapon is the hammer. He is also a villain. He meets, talks to and interacts with Phoenix Force like an old episode of Columbo. We know he’s a villain, but he remains hidden in plain sight. This nice twist allows Martillo to have more information on Phoenix Force than the average terrorist leader of the month. Since this is an Encizo focused episode of Phoenix Force and there is a hammer-toting main bad guy, it leads to a very predictable ending to an otherwise stand-out entry.

Another solid PF read from Fieldhouse. The writing is crisp from beginning to end, the usual formula is there, but the story is still unique and full of information about the political and military situation in El Salvador. Rafael Encizo gets more of a focus than the other members, and the photographer he rescued from #39 Jungle Sweep returns and they have a brief romantic fling. This sets up some good drama between Rafael and her, as well as with Katz, it added some spice to the book. The main villain is known to the reader right from the start, and the force does the usual mystery unraveling, finally going after the villain at the end, leading to a good showdown between him and Encizo. A good compelling action packed novel.

i really liked this one because encizo almost went against phoenix force and they would have returned the favor. but thank goodness it all worked out. highly recommended

Good action scenes, but nothing new from Fieldhouse.