Blood Dues

Bolan goes against the mafia again. A lot caught me off guard in this book. Things kept happening that I didn’t see coming. SPOILER. The deaths of Hanon and the girl that saved Bolan. Things like that made this one not a paint by numbers. I liked how Bolan breaks down the bad guys within like Kurosawa story. The ending is very satisfying but I agree with previous reviews that Toro should have got his kill but again things keep happening that I didn’t expect.

Mack Bolan's back in Miami to dismantle the growing alliance between the local mafia and Cuban exiles who fled from the Castro regime. When I got to the part early on where Bolan says he's going to go around rattling cages, I automatically assumed this would be a copy-and-paste adventure from Newton (I buy the books used and read them as they are in stacks on my dresser, trilogies notwithstanding. Sue me). But I was pleasantly surprised. There's lots to like in this one: plenty of well-written action scenes, a striking similarity to Don Pendleton's prose, and a diverse and interesting cast. Usually a cast this large leaves plenty of undeveloped villains and side characters, but everyone manages to carry their own weight here. Toro is the biggest standout, being a nice counterpart for Bolan fighting a similar kind of war everlasting to the big guy's. As has been said by previous reviewers, there are a lot of references to Miami Massacre and there's also a quick nod to Paramilitary Plot. Throw in Bolan's old Omega disguise and him dropping marksman medals at the scenes of his hits, and you have a book that even someone who stopped reading after #38: Satan's Sabbath would enjoy. The plot itself is nothing new, sure, but it's still an entertaining read from start to finish. The only real problem I have is that Toro does not get to kill the guy that sold him out. But other than that, this book kicks ass.

This title is a hard one to rate as there is much I really enjoyed with it. The overall plot was nicely developed -- emerging war between Miami mafia, police, and Cuban exiles group. Bolan gets wind of it and heads off to a prior battleground (book #4). Then, Newton ties in several old characters and constantly refers back to book 4 tying this book to the Pendleton classic ... nicely done. The final scene was very well written and a nice ending to the story. The only negative was that there wasn't really anything original introduced that would've separated the book from others in the series. That is not a profound negatives, rather it puts this book into a category with many others...solid book, very enjoyable, keeps me wanting to read more. However, it is a level removed from "one of my favorites in the series."

Standard book for this author which as usual is entertaining but fails to reach any great heights. Nice to see a lot of references to the #4 title Miami Massacre as has been previously said and everything ties in nicely. The right amount of action scenes will keep you entertained if you read this one which flows nicely from start to finish. Nothing wrong with the title just like there is nothing outstanding about the title stock fodder in the series only. Read it if you have to.

Another excellent book as Mike Newton channels Don Pendleton's spirit to create a worthy Bolan adventure in the New War. Mack is back in Miami, discovering old friends and enemies while battling new enemies with new friends. Big Thunder and the 93R get most of the workout, with some assistance from an Uzi and a suppressed MAC-10. The "head weapon" though has to be the XM-18 rotary grenade launcher (which Newton has used several times before). As in previous books, Mack has simply uncanny ability to predict which type of 40MM round he will need when, stocking the 12 rounds in the XM-18 to precisely match the circumstances he will encounter in his raid. The quibble is minor, however, as Newton delivers a fun book with Mack playing the role of a secretive Justice Department agent to "scam" the police while dragging out Omega the Black Ace to scam the Mafia hoods. By the end, Mack is using the Mafia to destroy a terrorist raid on Key Biscayne. Another fast, easy-to-read book that follows some of the normal Bolan formula without feeling "retreaded". A book I will reread.

A great read. I felt this one was well above average for this era of Bolan, brought back characters and locale from an all time classic. Should almost be read back to back with Miami massacre. Eh Kay says - don't miss it !

"Blood Dues" is a great reprise of the original Don Pendleton formula. Bolan hits town and works over evildoers like a force of nature. He hits them hard, fast and repeatedly and keeps them off balance. He gathers intel, he plans, he strikes. I can't say enough about how great it is to see Bolan acting like his old self again. The plot: somebody is stealing arms and trucks and Bolan wants to know what's up in Miami. Bolan works against the mob and some cuban bad guys and shakes things up. He makes some alliances and learns the plot in time to stop it. Great action and supporting characters are everywhere in this book. I wish the other books from this same period had half as much great stuff as this one. OK, one slight complaint: why do people in this books continue to chamber a round in their 1911 pistols and then "ease...the hammer down with <their> thumb"? Have they never discovered the thumb safety? Sounds like a great way to experience a broken thumb or worse! This is a 10 star book all the way from the exciting opening to the dramatic epilogue.

I agree with frogmans review for this one, I was really impressed with this book, I enjoyed every moment of it, great writing from Newton.

AWSOME BOOK. PLENTY OF ACTION FOR ANY BOLAN FAN. I LIKED THE TIE-IN TO 'MIAMI MASSACRE', IT WAS GOOD SEEING BOLAN PASS THROUGH HIS OLD STOMPING GROUNDS ONCE AGAIN AND NOTE THE PASSAGE OF SINCE HIS LAST VISIT THERE.

EXCITING. TOO BAD SOME OF THE OLD CHARACTERS DIED BUT STILL EXCITING NEVERTHELESS.

A decent book from Mike Newton. A lot of characters with ties to #4: Miami Massacre.