Andrew Salmon

This one is a double whammy for me. Not only do I like Mack's Vietnam experiences but I'm also partial to Executioners that are a change of pace. First thing you need to know abut this one is that, if you're expecting a typical Mack adventure with rocket-fire action and quick plotting, you WILL be disappointed. Sure, we all love those tales that why the series ran so long. But it is refreshing to have a different take now and then. This one is the epitome of a slow burn. At 252 pages, Mack doesn't even go into action until the last 30 pages. The bulk of the novel sets up the characters and plot while the action is provided by a lot of flashbacks. That action IS satisfying but that's really all we get. This doesn't mean things get boring. Kevin Randle did the heave lifting on the very good Vietnam Ground Zero series so the guy knows the subject matter and how to tell a compelling story. Although Mack spends most of the novel traveling to Vietnam, Randle keeps things interesting with his smooth style. The flashbacks are all fully realized scenes which helps to provide a satisfying reading experience. For me, this would have been a 10/10 but lost a star because the final showdown with Mack's 9old Vietnam nemesis is no real showdown at all and is over in a flash! With so much build up, the ending seems to have more to do with reaching a specific word count than what was best for the story. Still, I give the book a 9/10 because, as a change of pace entry, it works very well. It's well worth a read.

This short-lived pamphlet is hard to find today but it's worth hunting up as it contains one of, what I believe to be, 3 Mack Bolan short stories. The previous 2 are not hard to find, one is an ebook recently released, the other has Mack meeting up with Sherlock Holmes and it can be found in the 1975 Ballantine Book edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles. As for the pamphlet, it kicks off with a 5-page history of Mack. Very concise and tells you all you need to know. After this comes a 6-page short story called Night Probe by Mike Newton. This one's a fun quick-strike. Bragnola asks Mack to rescue a mob snitch snatched from protective custody. Not much room for anything else but some great fast-paced action as Mack infiltrates the house where the snitch is being interrogated so the mob can find out what he squealed to the Feds. It's a short snappy read.

This one is simply a MUST READ! We all know and love the Executioner formula but when a book in the series goes way off plan with so much style, it makes for a special read. Mack goes deep undercover in the worst prison in the world and what follows is a trippy adventure I guarantee you you've not read before in the pages of an Executioner book. Mack, undercover, is a hipster, wise-cracking, worldly guy, the center of attention in the hell hole. Throw in MMA cage fights, transvestites, cool enigmatic older prisoner, Shawshank-channelling and tons of action. As I said, we all love the formula but if you're in the mood for Mack, but not necessarily the formula, then find a copy of this one. Do. Not. Miss. It

If this one could have lost that stupid girl power group of Mafiosas, we're looking at a 10-star read. As inane as those chapters were, this is still one of the best Bolans I've ever read. Johnny and Mack re-united. Come on! That was great stuff. Their interaction felt real and Johnny's battle experience was pulled off brilliantly. I loved how the book pulled no punches in showing just how scummy the Mafia could be and Johnny learns a hard lesson as a result. Also, Johnny and Mack work well together. Just a joy to read. Great action. Mostly great dialogue and characterization (ugh, those girls!) make this one a top-notch read. Well worth hunting up a copy. I thought it was great.

Run of the mill doesn't quite cut it for an anniversary book. Nothing spectacular happens in this one which leads me to believe that these "anniversary" books are just whichever is the next book slated for publication. I like the idea of terrorists being recruited to cause chaos in the US and the action was all right. There wasn't much characterization to speak of. Sure, we don't expect much of that for the genre but it read like your typical action yarn with nothing particularly Bolan-esque about it. I'm being hard on the book, I suppose, but it did get the milestone slot so it's okay for the reader to expect something more than average. Average is what we got.

Very disappointed in this one. The kidnapping plot is great but the books is bogged down in endless repetition of the thoughts and feelings of the character. The set up is great. Brognala's family is kidnapped, he's also branded a traitor selling secrets to the Russians while in bed with the mob and the kidnappers are manipulating him to do their dirty work. Well aware his family won't survive the ordeal, he brings Bolan in to save the day. Great stuff! But the novel is a broken record. I lost count of how many times Bolan reminded himself that Brognola was a friend in need or that they were out of time but would carry on anyway and bathe the town in blood. How many times did Brognola despair at the clicking clock or vow revenge if things went sour? Even the bad guys repeat where they are coming from over and over and over. Like a word repeated over and over until it losing its meaning, that's how #100 read for me. By the time the action climax came about, I just didn't care anymore because I'd been bludgeoned with repetitive character motivation. Oh well, they can't all be great. Pick this one up for the story, not the execution of said story.

This one lives up to the hype! I've had it in my collection for awhile and have heard endless things about this first part of the quintessential Mack Bolan trilogy. Well, the proof is in the reading and this one pays off! It begins with a great underwater action sequence and yet you can feel the clouds of doom gathering. The writing here is top notch as Mack returns to Stony Man Farm, heads off to meet the president, which kicks off the next phase of the book. The screws turn tighter and tighter and you can sense that the mission to save Stony Man Farm and Able Team is not going to end well. A rival agency has it in for the Stony Man operation and is pulling strings behind the scenes. Fighting forces on the ground is one thing, but Mack and the rest are at the mercy of a puppet-master. Fantastic action throughout, a well conceived, heart-rending conclusion. To put it simply, this one is not to be missed.

This was an excellent entry in the series. The first one I've read where Mack heads to the Soviet Union. I liked everything about the book. Mack saying farewell at the grave of his dead love, "sneaking" behind the Iron Curtain Bolan-style, the colorful cast of characters... The story also had some great twists and turns that kept this reader guessing. The action was great as well since Mack had a personal motivation behind what he was doing. Also it was good to see him undercover again. This is the first Stephen Mertz Bolan I've read and I was very impressed. Snag a copy of this one if you can. It's Mack at his best!

As I've just completed the Pendleton 38, and am jumping around the long history of Mack, Mike Newton is rapidly becoming my favorite Mack ghost writer. Run To Ground is an excellent adventure. Mack does not do much in this novel as he is hole up with an injury in a small, desert town with goon closing in. Newton gives us a memorable array of townsfolk deftly drawn with a few quick descriptions and it's easy to care about what happens to these people. When the brutality erupts, their fate drives the story and it's great to see Mack and crew defend what the town. Also the story works as a microcosm of Mack's war: a small, American town, like any town, beset by evil men in the shadows who commit atrocities on the citizens until something is done to remove them. This is an excellent novel. One that would easily have earned 10 stars if not for the fact that it needed to be cut down by about 40 pages. Newton has an annoying habit in this story: every time we cut back to a character, we are treated to about half a page detailing everything they've done to that point (and we've just read) as well as their thoughts on what they are doing and how they feel about maybe not making it in the end. These are far, far too frequent and slow the book down. I mean halfway through the novel, the reader is well aware of how each of the main characters feel. As mentioned above Newton does a great job of painting these characters. It's a minor point but as it slightly affects the reading experience, it cost the book a star. But barring this, Run To Ground is one of the best Bolans I've read. Hunt up a copy and give it a try. It does not disappoint.