Battle Mask

Started reading from the beginning and the series gets surprisingly better and better. This book is like 2 serialized novellas and it makes for a very cool epic and a nice conclusion the Deej storyline. Cant wait fot #4 now...

Wow, if you havent' read Battlemask yet, treat yourself! CONS: There's not as many shoot 'em ups in this entry. PROS: There's way more plot, characterization and subterfuge which lead to a BETTER shoot 'em up at the end! Don't misunderstand, there are nice action sequences throughout the book, but shorter in length. The final battle is not even that much longer, but the emotion and satisifaction of the way it's handled by Mr. Pendleton makes so much sense! Bolan really shows his ability to go undercover and gather intell on this one, plus he starts his working relationship with Carl Lyons. He gets introduced to Hal Brognola in this one too! You can see the Bolanverse starting to develop. What's nice it the tight continuity, there' mention of events in book 1 and two. Battlemask feels like it takes place a few days after Death Squad. The dialogue was superb with all the characters>Mr. Pendleton knocked this one out of the park.

Excellent book! Nice to see Bolan take the war to the Mafia. I felt that Pendleton did a great job setting this series up and he really pulls the reader in with the first several volumes. Great read!

I quite enjoy Battle Mask. Its a near flawless book by Don Pendleton filled with action, smarter mafia tough guys, interesting side characters (I really adore Andrea D'Agosta, the capo's daughter ) and we get to meet Hal Brognola, a key figure and ally to Mack in later books. It also shows a side of Mack's personal rage when people he's close to get butchered. A man that has no family anymore, even most of his nam' buddies killed in the last book and yet, he keeps losing people and that's a tough pill for him to swallow, even self doubt creeps in.. If the war is really worth it. In the end, an excellent read. Best one in the series yet imo

Really solid trilogy. I laughed at Lou Pena's "Book salesman"cover. A lot of good supporting character's like the old man at the gas station who helped Mack and of course Doctor Branzen I'm glad those bastards who carved him up got Bolanized as I like to call it. I like the introduction of Brognola in this title and the portfolio he offers to Mack. Good entry.

At the end of The War Against the Mafia, Mack Bolan heads to the West coast to meet up with a doctor friend who will change his appearance. Instead, he got caught up in trying to take down mobster Julian DiGeorge with his newly formed death squad. This went disastrously as DiGeorge escaped and Bolan’s squad was wiped out. Now Bolan returns to get his plastic surgery so he can pull of his most ostentatious mission yet; Use his new face to date DiGeroge’s daughter and take down his empire from the inside! This is the 10th Executioner novel I’ve read, but it is the first that I would consider a direct sequel. Sure, the books follow in sequence and characters return, but this is the first that picks up from where the last left off as the enemy is the same and the same cops are still hunting down Bolan. I would also say that this book marks when Mack Bolan fully became The Executioner. By surgically changing his face he symbolically leaves his old life behind for good. By this time his reputation is spreading and is becoming a feared figure, though some still consider him a myth. Also, his going under cover with his new face is probably the first example of Bolan’s trademark role camouflage. We start to see how Bolan’s war is affecting the world at large as his presence in a small town sets off a chain reaction that will change their lives forever. Pendleton also does a good job of building his world with the series’ first returning characters. He also sets up the future by off handedly mentioning a gangster named Tony Danger who would later be a villain in the 14th book. Not to mention that the Talifero brothers are mentioned for the first time and would go on to be recurring villains. I enjoyed the interaction between DiGeorge and his daughter who has grown disillusioned with her father now that she knows the truth. While it is a small part of the book, there were a few little details that made it seem authentic and almost seemed like a proto-Sopranos (only 30 years earlier). I do also like the fact that Bolan is still a rookie making mistakes, this time leading to the death of a friend in a very graphic sequence. The plastic surgery plot is something that could never happen today as Bolan’s new face would be captured pretty quickly somewhere along the line, but it doesn’t strain the credibility of the time too badly. I did appreciate the fact Carl Lyons was fairly quickly able to figure out Bolan’s real identity pretty quickly, since after all he is a detective. Much like the last book, Pendleton has split the narrative perspective fairly equally between Bolan, the cops and the mob. However, we didn’t get a lot of insight in to Bolan’s character as he is undercover in the mob half the time. Since we’re not in his head we don’t know his ultimate plan which leaves us guessing where the book will go. Coming off the last two books the action is a little bit of a letdown. Pendleton’s writing about firearms always seemed credible to a layman like myself, but he isn’t as in depth this time around. My biggest gun related pet peeve in entertainment is when somebody depicts a silencer on a revolver and Pendleton does just that. The previous two books have had great climaxes and this one doesn’t compare. Rather than an epic wipe out Bolan manipulates the mob into fighting each other and he doesn’t even get to deliver the final blow to DiGeorge. At least he does get to go out with a brief but intense final scene with Bolan. However, there is a brilliant scene in which Bolan snaps and unleashes his full fury on a car full of hoods. I’ve never seen Bolan this brutal and there’s a reason this scene was depicted on the cover. This scene alone raised the book’s rating by at least a star for me. The violence is especially brutal in this portion of the book, but it does make sense. A mobster has been tasked with bringing back Bolan’s head, but has obviously failed. Now he’s disgraced and desperate to save face so when he gets the hint of a clue to Bolan’s trail he feels he has to make his source in to a turkey to get the information. On the other hand, Bolan sees his friend butchered and responds to the brutality in kind. While I won’t suggest the violence has any higher symbolic meaning, at least it does fit the story perfectly. All in all, I would rate this book 8.5 if I could. There are just too many small nagging details against it, not to mention it is in the shadow of its predecessors. That said, it’s still a fine book and a good finale to the original Executioner trilogy. Executioner Kill Count: 18

" turkey turkey turkey" we are introduce to what a turkey is in this book. Carl Lyons is back and we, with a new friend Hal Brognola. Mack find a old buddy,who's gives him a new face. I liked the old cop from town, like a old cowboy. Great book, now on to book 4....

Someone one said on this site if there is ever a film done on this series base it on the first three titles of the series. Oh Yeah I could not agree more and after re-reading the first three yet again the last couple of days I have been reminded yet again why I love this character and series and have spent SO MUCH money on buying every title of all the combined series. Simply in one word BRILLIANT the character grows so much in this title and the Big Guy starts on his way down the path of dismantling the families and his soon to emerge nerveless character role play getting these bad guys to accept him no matter what he tells them is fantastic reading. The diGeorge family bites the dust big time in this title and vague references of Mike and Pat the Talifero brothers are introduced as something the Big Guy has on his horizon but for the moment at the end of this title he has a little time to sit back and reflect on the growing relationship he has with Carl Lyons and Hal Brognola who both are going to have such a profound influence on his life in the future titles. I would doubt that any series released to date would have had three opening blockbuster titles released like the first three of this series and little wonder the series exploded into what it became. Thank you Don Pendleton you changed my life when you released this series and I will be forever grateful.

Hmm, this one didn't excite me as much as the first two. Though, I am very happy to see that Deej got it at the end! I did enjoy reading this one due to the amount of role-camouflage that Bolan is famous for. It sucked that Bolan's war buddy Brantzen got turkeyed! I can easily imagine him being part of Stony Man Farm support characters as a doctor and plastic surgeon when it's time to replace faces in order to keep takin' the battle to the enemy! Well, it only is a so-so yarn other than seeing Deej get what he deserved! Sig

The finest Bolan I've read to date. Pendleton takes us on an adventure of suspense, intrigue and masterful planning by the Executioner. Further, the author continues to develop the character of a future series star -- Carl Lyons, as he adds another, Hal. In this adventure, Bolan closes the door on an effort he began in Southern Cal in book #2. This is a tremendously entertaining read and now has me viewing Pendleton with the great Iam Fleming.

I loved this one. I'm starting #9 tonight and this is one of my favorites so far. This was my first expieience with a "Turkey" and I really felt Bolan's rage. The scene when Mack hits Pena with the Mercedes is F-ing awesome. I got chills living the carnage in that scene. This one was good writing except for the very end. I have a blog with entries about Mack Bolan, google my name if you want to see more.

Another good read! I thought this title wrapped up the opening trilogy just fine. Although I had to deduct a star mearly because it was probably the weekest of the first three. Don't get me wrong I loved this one but at times it was a little to introspective and whiny for Mack at times. I don't care much for the pages of inner struggle whether to continue what he started or give in and die. Aside from those moments the story was classic exicutioner with a finally for Di george, the villan, that was cold blooded and fitting. Also we get a little more Carl Lyons and the first appearance Of Hal Brognola another key character from the series. Another must read in the Executioner line.

This is a good read in the Executioner series. When car and people are getting blown up the book is alway good for me and in this one it does not take long for that to start. Changing your face to go after Di George and then take his daughter away is great. To bad the doctor helping him will not be around for other face jobs later on.

This was a pretty good entry in the Executioner series. I liked Bolan's role camouflage and the first battle with the cop. The bad part was the car-crash scene. Pendleton said the full ferocity of the Executioner would be released and I expected more. All Bolan did was drive a car off the road and shoot six helpess, unarmed men. I could of done it. Otherwise, an okay book.

A much better book than its predecessor (Death Squad). I enjoyed the scenes where Bolan was infiltrating the enemy with his new face and some 'role camouflage'. He played the part of a mafia hood very well in this book; I liked the part where he was pretending to be a mafia gun and said he'd had a shootout with Bolan at a stoplight. The part where he was racing down the mountain road to intercept the mafia car was also nicely done.

After his miraculous escape at the end of Death Squad (aided in part by Carl Lyons), Bolan is back on the trail of Mob boss Julian "Deej" DiGeorge. Unlike Death Squad, however, Bolan is on his own in Battle Mask. Although Pendleton’s third Executioner novel isn’t quite as good as War Against the Mafia, I think it’s a slight improvement over Death Squad. I prefer to see Bolan working alone, perhaps occasionally receiving assistance from sympathetic parties, but nothing more. Battle Mask is also quite graphic in its depiction of the fate that so often befalls Bolan’s friends. Dr. Brantzen, his old war buddy who gives him the plastic surgery necessary to infiltrate the DiGeorge family, undergoes the most disturbing and graphic torture seen in the series so far, getting himself sliced up into "turkey" meat. Sure, Bolan exacts swift and violent revenge (as shown on the cover of the novel), but nothing can chance the fact that a good friend of his was brutalized, or the fact that the friendly old man who drives Bolan to safety at the beginning of the novel pays for his kindness with a gut full of shotgun slugs. This book shows, as so many subsequent others do, that being Bolan’s friend is a dangerous job. Beside the return to the gritty and hard-boiled style of his first Executioner novel, Pendleton offers more suspense and tension in Battle Mask than he did with the continual shoot-outs and frontal assaults of Death Squad, which I consider a plus. Overall, a solid 9 out of 10 for a "Mafia Wars" book.

Another grand slam from the master. This book can be considered the true beginning of MB's life in the shadows. Definite must read.

As always with the Mafia books there is very little mystery or plot in this book but only straight forward penetration, action and killings. The great change from the usually rather average Mafia books is the plastic surgery Bolan has and that part was well written and did give the book more depth. The way Bolan penetrates the Mafia in the book is great and it shows time and time again that Bolan is a master of penetrate any group for a maximum result every time. If you don´t like the Mafia war books then this will rock your world.................from a certain point of view. (2003)

I didn't like it any where near as much as the first two. I liked the action scenes most of which were far more believable then some in the 200s like when he takes on a roomful of hardened criminals and they either all miss of are too slow. Its also nice that Bolan notices women. Too often he seems oblivious to them. My major grip with the novel is how they introduced Brognala. It seems in book 2 the justice system and especially the LA police wanted to capture Bolan and I am not sure what Brognala wanted to do? It seemed a bit too sudden for the feds to give Bolan help. I would have thought that the feds would be showing up at Deej's place as soon as Bolan arrived to kill Deej.

This one concludes sort of a trilogy to start off the coolest series ever, and it's a great one. I loved the undercover role bolan uses to infiltrate the mob, and this book has some of the best of that stuff. Loved it!

This book will always be a favorte of mine as it was my introduction to the world of Mack Bolan. It got my attention right away with a fast moving plot and killer action. The tension while Bolan was undercover in the mob was like a real life documentary. Overall, a great read!

Not one of the best, but it did have it's bright spots, for me this one dragged too much in the beginning and that dropped it alot to me. But it did come back when Mack starts to infiltrate the Di George family and ends up in the arms of the Don's daughter.

This was a great book. I enjoyed the scenes with Mack infiltrating the mafia. I also thought that this book had some real gruesome and descriptive scenes that realy painted a picture.

Good story. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the current Mack Bolan started off so humbly. He has a much harder time of it in this early novel, but is at his best sowing dissention among various factions. In the end, he kills fewer himself, but the body count stays high. Weapon desciptions are nearly non-existant in this novel. Bolan uses a "machine pistol" of indeterminate make. However, the calender is followed much more closely than the current novels, so you have an idea as to when this is taking place. Pendleton wrote good fiction. This is a rock solid entry in the series, and highly entertaing. Interesting info: Carl Lyons (of Able Team) is mentioned as having a wife and small child!

A good closer to the Death Squad issues, I found this a very powerful boot plot wise for three reasons. Battle Mask showed us the core of Mack Bolans spirit.- He had the chance of disappearing into the mists forever, (with his skills in role camo he could have pulled it off) but instead he dedicates himself to continuing the fight regardless of personal cost. The West coast family falls!- I agree not the best of reasons to love this book but come on, there is no way the mob could get away with dismantling the death squad without paying for it in blood. And Mack is the man to take the payment, in full with *vigorish* (ha Pay Day Jake MB1 I wont ever forget him) Introduction of 'Turkeys' Although not fuilly explained until 'Jersey Guns' (and then in gory detail *shudders*) Turkey meat is something we see a lot of in this series. This book, with our poor Dr. friend is the first time it happens, ever. Sets the standard for Mack's reaction.

In his third book Mack Bolan finishes up the job he started back in the second, taking on what's left of the L.A. mob. After the Death Squad adventure he's back on his own and seems to be more effective than ever. The plastic surgery bit was well done and made a nice plot element. The other characters are interesting and don't seem to just be there for Bolan to have somebody to either shoot or avenge. The Executioner is shown to be capable and explosively violent. His anger at the actions of the mob and the way he carries out his revenge hit were a change from the cool professionalism he had displayed. I liked it. I felt this was a solid 9 star book. I actually liked this one more than "Death Squad".

Cheap imitation of the Parker series, right down to the plastic surgery gimmick and the one man war on crime.

This book shows Pendleton hitting his stride. I always imagine that this was the book he was working on when the word came down that he had a hit on his hands. Everything comes together as Bolan sees how violent the Mob's revenge can be. Brognola makes his entrance with the first inklings of the Fed's desire to work with Mack. All in all a great effort.

Well this book, again was great. I wasnt as impressed with this as i was with Death Squad, but still it was very exciting, Mack infiltrating the Mob with his new face was fun. I was sad to see Dr. Brantzen die, and very happy to see Deej get his.

A very good story I was glad to Deej dead after nearly destroying the Death Squad.

Great story. It took off where Death Squad ended. Good opening scene where Mack opens up with the M-60. I always enjoy reading the first 10 books because it gives me a sense of history. It's good to see the author still struggling with making a good background for the Executioner. Too bad for what happend to the surgeon though.

GOOD FOLLOW-UP TO THE 'DEATH SQUAD'. THE NEW FACE WAS A NICE TOUCH. IT SET THE STAGE FOR FUTURE UNDERCOVER ROLES FOR BOLAN DURING THE MAFIA WAR. LYONS AND BROGNOLA WERE ALSO A NICE ADDITION TO THE STORY. THE 'PORTFOLIO' OFFER BROUGHT A SMILE TO MY FACE, SINCE IT SETS THE STAGE FOR THE STONYMAN OPS IN THE YEARS TO COME. A TRUE BOLAN CLASSIC.

A good book. A good set up for the role camoflauge that follows in the novels, as well as gives Bolan the "Frankie" name. I would suggest it for anyone...

Good early undercover role for Bolan. Loved the car-crash scene, and the discovery of the "turkey".