BolanFan

This is a short, moderately entertaining story. Of Cunningham’s efforts I’ve read to date, this is by far my favorite. Bolan hits the mob heavy with the help of his brother Johnny. The author crafted some memorable sequences, such as the one portrayed on the cover. The action sequences in the book are done well and are quite enjoyable. The last 30+ pages of the book tell of a historical account in Mack’s life. I’m not quiet sure why the book was broken up like this…but the main story is very short.

Tom Arnett delivers an enjoyable story…though there were some unbelievable portions regarding the plans and missile launchers. I liked the use of Jack Grimaldi and Able Team in this book. As mentioned in other reviews…there is an lengthy absence of Bolan during the book that makes it a little strange. However, with the steady action and extended use of Able Team, this is a solid book worthy of a read.

Hammerhead reef was an average story. Mack is called into a scenario that was a bit confusing as the author was tying together a religious zealout, his past nemesis (Strakhov), and Rafael Encizo’s relative. It seems the author tried too hard to tie this to the Bolan lore and ended up bringing too many idea together and finishing none of them. With that being said, there are very entertaining parts to the story. I’ll reread this at some point, but it’s far from being placed on my list of favorites.

This is an absolutely terrific book...thankfully after the #80 mess. The author brings back a Mafia scenario with many familiar faces. As always, I love the tie back to several Bolan-verse regulars - Sally, Hal... We also see a new antagonist with ties to a former...for a subtle story twist.

I didn’t like this book at all. The story was okay at best, but there were so many corny lines in this book...many of which didn’t seem Bolan-ish at all. It’s rare that I’m so hard on a book given my average ratings, but this book was not good.

Hollywood Hell is a great book. One of the better books I've recently read. The Mafia is back center-stage in LA, and many familiar faces jump back into Bolan's life. When a missing girl draws Johnny Bolan's attention, he pulls Mack into a world of porn-kidnapping-slavery-Mafia. Hollywood Hell has many of the elements I look for in a Executioner. #1) Ties to the originals. Newton pulls on several original characters...Johnny Bolan, Capt Braddock, Mafiosos...etc. This make for an enjoyable read and does a great job tying it back to Pendleton's books. #2) Various emerging story sequences. This is always present in an Executioner, but it is in H.H. At one point toward the end, there are three parallel storylines Newton ties together in building the story to a climax. #3) An original storyline. This is by far an original story idea, and its very refreshing to read something fresh. Additionally, Newton's descriptions are so clear, you really get a hatred for the antagonists.

It was a decent story...no really strong points, but not overly terrible. It was a little strange trying to follow the plot; it seems the author was trying to write a plot twist, but it was a little difficult to follow what exactly was going on. With the negative out of the way, there were a few strong points. 1) Jack Grimaldi's presence was welcomed. In fact, he plays a fairly prominent role and has a rather unique affect toward the end of the book...nice touch. 2). The more detail on Strakhov was solid and it's apparent the authors during this time of the series really wanted that adversarial relationship to stick. 3) The "doubles" regarding Khomeini was nicely done as well. This wasn't a great book, but was not terrible either. It was fairly mediocre.

Mack is back in Vegas with an old friend in an entertaining, but nothing extraordinary, storyline that pulls from some of Pendleton's earlier stories. Mike Newton writes a good story and pulls from some of the original storylines and characters...such as Tommy Anders and Hal. The backdrop for the story is in Las Vegas, where three mounting forces are about to collide ... the mafia, a Japanese ninja-like organization, and the old school founders of Vegas' casino action. As these three organization build to a seeming crescendo of aspiration and destruction, Mack arrives and steals the show.

While I didn't necessarily like this author's previous two entries, this was a very entertaining book. Bolan starts off in prison to help a young computer wizard who is the target of a KGB assassination plan. With the assistance of a former ally, Bolan and the computer wizard escape. For the remainder of the story, the stay one step ahead of the KGB and mafia. The action is consistent throughout the end of the book, with several memorable scenes scattered throughout. Enjoyable read!

This book is relatively entertaining, but far from one of my favorites. The Soviets are planning to unleash "Devils Rain" on the Afghani people and Bolan comes in to aid their rescue.

This book was awful. It was hard to finish it. It was too over the top. Everyone Bolan meets is a KGB operative, then every friend or ally he comes into contact with has instant trust in Bolan sharing with him all the secrets. I didn't care much for the plot or the actions sequences. Not a good read from me.

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."

This book was "OK" at best. I thought the plot was decent -- Bolan going undercover to research a missile defense system and stumbles on KGB agents -- but the book never really grabbed me and became a page-turner. Nothing more to add.

Another outstanding effort by one of my favs -- Mr. Mike Newton. The only thing that kept this title from a perfect 10 was the sex scene...which seemed real out of place given Bolan's preceding 48 hours and the recent death of April. After being held by an assassin/bounty hunter and beaten rather severely, Mack escapes and holes up at a farm in Kansas. With Mack knowing its only a matter of time before he's tracked down again by "Cowboy" and his thugs, the Executioner must quickly convince the farmhand and his family (Chadwicks) that they're too in a grave situation. Upon doing so, Mack masterfully collects miscellaneous items from around the farm and fortifies as good as possible...awaiting the attack. Once the attack starts, its Bolan back at it as only he can do. Great stuff! Unlike one or two of the other reviewers, I rather enjoyed the author's 120-page build-up to the action. I thought Newton masterfully created tension that kept me page-turning awaiting the conflict to begin. This build up began in the early pages as there was a hint of wonderment as if this unnamed, wounded man could actually be Mack Bolan. This book goes up there with my Bolan favs. It breaks the typical mold for a Bolan novel and is very unique, but it maintains the time-honored expectations with a Mack Bolan story. I would've give a 10 without hesitation except for the silly sex scene.

This is a great book. Bolan ventures to Lebanon in search of Strakhov in his attempt to get at the KGB. The author weaved in Katz (PF series) to the story in a while I truly appreciate. Katz passed on information from his pre-PF contacts. Once in Lebanon, you have key characters being killed, heart-felt scenes involving a Lebanese boy and woman, and various evil characters that Bolan must address. The book is action-packed with many great sequences leading right up to an ending as good as any.

It was right around average...a "7" is probably a bit generous. The plot was clearly suited for the time of publication during the cold war. You have a villain trying to gain control of USA and USSR satellites in a power pull to demonstrate how deadly the use of nuclear force would be if used. To demonstrate, he's targeted several large cities in the US and then captured a soviet satellite. There were no memorable action scenes in this one. Lastly, I agree with other reviewers...no way does Mack entertain a love affair so soon after April's death Unfortunately, this is a trend seen more than once in the series of books (books in mid- to late 60s).

"White Hell" provides a solid story and is a step up from book 5, "Fury Bombs". This is the Phoenix Force that I remember from reading as a teen. An Irish terrorist group -- INLA -- plans to wreak havoc on the US by interrupting the nation's oil supply/production. In the opening scene, PF stops an attempted terrorist attack in Washington state. After the failed attempt, INLA takes on a more significant endeavor in planning to blow up sequences throughout the Alaska pipeline. In countering PF must deal with the covert nature of INLA, the elements of Alaska, and the shortened time for acting. The author wrote some tremendous scenes, maintained some intrigue up to the final scene, and had some interesting dialogue between the PF personnel as these early authors continue to develop the teamwork and synergy of Bolan's five-man team. The author did a great job of this is book #3 as well.

This book was a little above average. I thought the overall plot wasn't too bad, however, there was nothing that really gripped me. The Irish terrorists plan to detonate stolen nukes in a series of large cities in the United States. PF's tasked is to stop them before the first goes off. To make matters worse, McCarter gets captured while overseas and members of PF are sent in for a successful rescue.

Cambodia Clash was a good read with only one slight negative critique. Overall, the book was well-written with a great plot, well-placed intrigue, and constant tension throughout the heart of the book. A charitable group hires Bolan to go into Cambodia searching for proof that American POWs remain. With the help of a national named Eng, Bolan infiltrates the foreign land and fins POWs not only in Cambodia, but also in Laos. Through a series of well-written and exciting scenes, Bolan uses the help of many to pull of a daring rescue of both sets of POWs ... not only American POWs, but also from several other countries. The action sequences contained armies against armies, tanks, air warfare, etc. It was indeed a nicely written book. My only criticism would be in the broader context of the Bolan-verse. In following the serial context through 62 and 64, it seemed a little out of place to take Bolan from DC, pledging to fly solo from this point forward, right into Cambodia to search for POWs. The author used the first few pages of Cambodia Clash to layout Bolan's history, so it seemed like too large a jump for me. That's the only negative...but the book was great.

Perhaps my favorite all-time Executioner...this is a solid 10! The finale to the Day of Mourning trilogy has it all...including the "return" of Mack Bolan. The final scene in the White House is fantastic with Mack leaving his government-prescribed position and going back to a self-governed war...this time with the KGB. This book had amazing dialogue, spy novel-like intrigue, masterful war scenes, and that fantastic finish.

This is why I read Bolan...Day of Mourning is a great book. When I read Stony Man Farm was under attack...wow! This book is absolutely great from start to finish. The opening scene is some of the best writing in the Bolan series. The race between terrorists and Bolan to a submerged nuke -- to start the book noneletheless - is better than many book's climatic scenes. From there, the story takes off. When Bolan and Jack aren't able to get Stony Man Farm to communicate, Mack knows something is wrong. The Farm was indeed attacked with a foreshadowing of more to come. What's he's unable to figure out is who is attacking the Farm. Back in DC, Bolan is virtually considering everyone from General Crawford (apparently created Stony Man) to the head of security at the farm, Capt Wade. With a significant death early in the story, it's apparent that Mack's friends are in grave danger. This is a game changer for Bolan. The reader senses that on every page. The President is involved, Hal is involved, and Mack Bolan wants answers. In Bolan fashion, he goes on a blitz to determine the mastermind and key actor working against the Farm. While knowing for some time that book 62 was a key title, this did not disappoint in the slightest. In early 1984 when this was released, the regular readers must've been shocked with this title. While I almost envy them, thankfully this is still around for us to enjoy today.

Tiger War provides much to like about a Bolan story. After Rafael Encizo's sister dies from a drug overdose, Bolan goes to SE Asia to destroy a heroin producing group. He's set to destroy the #1 guy, Liu. Hence, the Tiger War begins and the Executioner won't stop until the man ultimately response for Encizo's sister's death pays. There is a lot of action from the start as Bolan enter SE Asia and then builds an army in exchange for gold. Bolan uses this army to confront the drug lords army and ultimately destroy the leader. In doing so, we see standard Bolan -- no Thai army personnel are to be injured. The author did a great job of keeping Bolan's principles at the forefront. With that being stated, Tiger War provides many first-time, unique scenes. In this story, Bolan goes to war on an elephant (like the cover), Bolan uses a pieced together army (as I referred to), Bolan captures a train, and Bolan fights the main antagonist in a sword fight to the death. After killing Liu, Bolan then helps Liu's daughter escape in what seemed like a bonus 20 pages full of action in a very well-written scene. The first time author provided a solid first effort.

This book was extremely average. Newton is one of my favorite authors, so this was somewhat disappointing. I applaud the idea of bring historical characters back, but Smiley is not one of my favorites. It's remarkable how easily and often she gets into trouble, and its fairly obvious when she's in a story that Mack will be continuously saving her. The Omega reference at the beginning was the highlight. The Black Ace brings back to memory some of my favorite Pendleton story-lines. Starting the book with that may have added to my overall disappointment when it turned into the standard kidnap-rescue themed adventure. Some of the scenes in Algiers were okay. The sniper scenes brought some action, but overall not my favorite work from this author.

Overall, I liked the book quite a bit. It is solid from beginning to end built around a good plot. Bolan is tracking down a terrorist -- Lufti -- who is using threats of release millions of gallons of oil to get big money in return. Bolan, which Jack's help, infiltrates an oil transport ship and begins picking apart Lufti's team, man by man. Upon saving the day, Bolan sets out to take down Lufti in what was several pages of very good "cat and mouse" type of action. Now to knit pick...I could only do a "7" rating because there are far too many Bolanverse inconsistencies for me. While I can come up with a dozen names for Mack from his books, the "nightfighter" is one I've never seen. The author used this countless times throughout the book, which each occurrence strengthening a pet peeve of mine against it. Secondly, another bad authorial intent...Bolan calls Jack "G-force" in the book. I don't really understand taken such liberty in writing book 59 of the series. Thirdly, at the end of the solidly written scene between Bolan and Lufti, Bolan is begging Lefti to choose life over death and Bolan tells the terrorist that he'll help him find his family. Very strange scene...not Mack Bolan. With that being said, a "7" rating was all I could go. Its a shame because it was really a well written, well told story.

This book was decent as Phoenix Force showed up in an Executioner series book. While some parts of the book were strange (out of character) for a Bolan book...multiple double-crossings at end & a healthy dose of Katz's background...the ending was action-packed and somewhat saved a relatively uneventful middle portion of the book. I enjoyed the flash-back to Katz, but I'm not exactly sure why it ended up in an Executioner book. I wonder if this was a marketing strategy to increased the Phoenix Force readership during the early run of that series. Anyway, the storyline was good. Bolan and PF sent to Africa to find a load of stolen diamonds and some papers that are detrimental to the US. The entire African scene is filled with various characters -- both good and bad -- that does get somewhat confusing at times. As previously mentioned, the ending is well-written and highly entertaining. The very ending was classic...nicely done.

This book did not seem like a Bolan book. There was just a variety of stuff that seemed out of place in an Executioner book. There were so many references to things you don't see in a series book...Bolan boxing, Little League World Series, TV shows and singers, a birthday party for Hal, and Bolan wanting to see a Willie Nelson song. Strange. The plot was okay, but I do thing the April Rose use was off the theme of the series through "50s" (book #s). Since she was just severely wounded in Europe, I can't see how Bolan would so willingly use her throughout the last half of this novel. It doesn't jive with Mack's attitude in the couple preceding books.

Churchill provides another solid story. There is quite a bit of action and some very good (and many) characters to keep this title interesting. A terrorist group has essentially taken over a small town in Maine. One of the residents calls for Stony Man's assistance ... not sure how he knew about them. Bolan goes out to intervene and introduces two interesting points. First, we see signs that Bolan is considering going solo again. Secondly, Bolan references his satisfaction with being in a small-town vice the big-city/international stuff he's so frequently been involved with of late. Once in Maine, he stumbles on the scene. Bolan meets a young kid who is in the middle of it all. His friends have been impacted, a member of his family killed, and his girlfriend is missing. Bolan then does what Bolan does. The book has action sequences from front to back.

I thought a bit on 9 versus 10, but went with 10 stars. This is a great book; my second 10 rating for Newton (#387). A terrorist from Bolan's past, Paradine, returns on the scene to take up vengeance against the Executioner. He devises and sets out on a plot that entails taking hostages, demanding a billion dollars worth of diamonds, and enacts a plan to bring Bolan into Paradine's cross-hairs. How? Paradines states he'll kill the hostages if the diamonds are not delivered by John Phoenix. Bolan brings the diamonds into the gambit and the battle begins. Newton does an extraordinary job of capturing much of Bolan's universe...Hal, April, and a rebuilt war wagon. Great stuff. Bolan, with the frequent help of April, sets out to track down Paradine through multiple stops. Bolan's every war capability seems tapped as he hunts down Paradine and attempts to retrieve the hostages. In doing so, April gets severely wounded, Bolan takes an injury, and Newton keeps you turning the pages with the highly-detailed action scenes. Paradine's Gauntlet has the new war wagon, car chases, and great fighting scenes. This is definitely a title recommended for reading.

For me, a 7 star rating is average, and this is a 7 star rating. I can understand why some may not like it, but I thought this was a decent book. While there was nothing that was extraordinary about it, there was a relatively good plot, likeable characters, well-thought out antagonist, and many messengers of death striking flesh. Bolan is sent in to investigate the Colorado mountains where a madman -- frequently tied to trouble, but never proven to be responsible -- is attempting a drug that quickly kills its intended target. Once Bolan arrives on scene, he penetrates the site and methodically takes out the villains one by one ... it true Bolan fashion. However, he doesn't get out clean, so the evasive maneuvers at the end keeps the strain on the readers through the final pages. Hence, this is a solid, yet unspectacular effort.

I did not like this book at all. I fear for someone who makes reading this his/her first Bolan adventure. In fairness, the story-telling is good. The author described scenes vividly enough that it put the reader right there. He can really write. However, I did not like the plot as it didn't seem anything like a Mack Bolan book. The main antagonist is attempting genocide and creates a virus that turns people seemingly into zombies...their called "crazies" in the book. He then turns this virus loose in an Armenian town to monitor the results and efforts of his work. It just so happens that Bolan is in this Armenian town to capture an Armenian crime lord. So, Mack is thrust in the middle of this scene with all of these virus-infected crazed people. For ~100 pages in the book, it was more like a Stephen King book than a Mack Bolan. When the Armenian crime lord and Bolan are trapped in a vehicle with the "crazies" breaking into it and the crime lord asks Bolan if he's seen the movie World War Z, I strongly considered stopping reading. Oh and Bolan ends up getting infecting with the virus, but he's able to fend off the virus' impact and control it. Far from the story type that interests me with Mack Bolan's universe...

The Invisible Assassins is below average and somewhat boring. At times it felt a little James Bond-ish, which I don't really mind. However, the overall story did indeed drag on at times. I also thought it a little lame that at the start of the book, Bolan has nothing for an attaching ninja. However, toward the end, he marches through ninjas as he moves through the castle to get to the Lord of the Red Sun. The setting -- in Japan researching the death of a biochemist -- isn't too bad and Bolan quickly realizes this crime is much larger that the death of the biochemist. I also found the history presented about the ninjas, Jonin, and Japanese dynasties to be interesting as well. However, overall the books was not good.

Back-to-back good books in the Executioner series. Terrorists based in Italy have kidnapped a mother/daughter of a military senior leader. Their intent is to discredit him by making him state false testimony publicly in an attempt to get America and NATO out of Italy. Mertz presented a great story, with likeable characters, and several solid action sequences. We have familiar faces -- such as Leo -- and some new allies, such as Gia Vallone. They all work together in combating the terrorists. This title had a solid escape scene, well-thought out interaction between Italian police and Bolan, and a climatic rescue scene. The only negative is that it had an abrupt ending. I reached page 160 thinking there was another 20 -- as most monthly Executioners -- and then I had the epilogue. The final 20 pages or so advertised upcoming books and presented a short catalogue of Bolan's weapons.

This book was about average, at best. As was pointed out, there were several aspects of the book that seemed out of character. Bolan putting the woman in jeopardy at the beginning and Jack getting his feelings hurt because Bolan seemingly requested a different pilot. I also thought it was a real stretch trying to bring the SR-71 in, not to mention Jack getting in and flying it as if he'd been trained to do so. With all that being stated, there were some good aspects. I thought the villain was portrayed nicely, and I appreciated the "bait and switch", deceptive way in which Yareem was attempting to pull a fast one over on the US Government.

Finally...back on point. I enjoyed this book, and it was an original story line. Mack takes a vacation, meets a young boy who reminds him of times past, and runs headlong into a group that is trying to remove the Executioner from duty. Yes, this is a good book. I liked the idea of Bolan finally getting some R&R time. As he starts his time away from duty, he evidently gets identified enroute because a hit squad is in waiting at the vacation spot. Upon arriving, Mack meets a young man that reminds him of his brother. The author used this to refer back to the early Bolan books...a story-telling technique I think is valuable to the series -- reflecting on Bolan's past. The action sequences are entertaining, and the scenes on the river are well done. As was previously pointed out, the book had both a good finish and a solid epilogue. The epilogue brought closure to the story and reminded us of the sacrifices Mack takes in his war against terror.

Second consecutive book that I didn't really enjoy. I knew from reading the plot description that it'd probably not be one of my favorites. A former Vietnamese soldier -- from the war -- becomes a religious leader, brainwashes a congregation, solicits KGB help, and then captures a senator's daughter. Then, of course, after Mack saves the girl, she manages to get herself re-captured alongside her father. After Mack saved her so early in the story, there was no doubt in my mind this is how it'd all play out. The action sequences were just average (at best), and the villainous Minh never really enticed any emotion out of me. Not a favorite...

I wasn't really thrilled with this book. The author created a story with a long-lost love from Mack Bolan being kidnapped. This led to Mack's involvement with a terrorist bent on capturing a bio weapon. While I didn't like the overall story, I did fine the action sequences -- especially toward the end -- very enjoyable. Jack Grimaldi joined in for a series of well-written aerial battles that at least made the final pages enjoyable. For what it's worth, the book cover was phenomenal.

I enjoyed the book and really like Krauzer's writing and stories. In this one, Bolan confronts a double agent and his evil intelligence group. It had a James Bond-ish sort of feel to it, which is probably another reason I like this book. That, along with some characters from prior books, and some well-written action sequences, and this is my favorite title from the previous few books. Renegade Agent also presented a rare time that Bolan gets wounded, and we see it impact him throughout the story. I thought these scenes were once again well written.

Tigers of Justice was a solid effort based upon an original storyline. A resentful KGB agent is supported by a number of ninja-like warriors in an effort to payback the U.S. for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The plan is for this terrorist group -- Tigers of Justice -- to pay the U.S. back by creating a nuclear facility meltdown on U.S. soil. After a failed attempt, Phoenix Force is brought into the game in what turned out to be perfect timing. They're crucial to withstanding a series of attempts and the final biggest attempt on California. This is the first PF book I've read that accentuated KO's character, so that was also a nice change of pace. Overall, an enjoyable book.

There is little a like about this book. So little, that I'm not sure what to write here. The plot was alright, but the book was overall very corny. Bolan infiltrates a German terrorist group and influences them to fight against another terror group based in Germany. The villains were not very intriguing and the whole prisoner scene with the olympians was ridiculous. Didn't like it at all.

It had everything I enjoy in a Bolan book. An evil mastermind, the mafia, bio-chemist, and a missing agent all draw Mack into another adventure. Bolan researches a missing agent and stumbles upon a plot to create a bio-weapon that'll support the efforts of a paramilitary group. Mack infiltrates a hidden compound in Florida, saves a father & daughter, and then destroys the place piece by piece. There are several great action sequences, simply written, that culminate in an air-to-air helicopter battle. All the while, Mack has to ensure he doesn't let this airborne biological weapon released. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the great history of Bolan's life these early books contained. Through the use of a mafioso, the author used dialogue to describe Mack's past efforts in taking down the mafia in Florida. There is also a chapter containing a page from Col Phoenix's journal that gave good insight into Bolan's character. Historical stuff is great...

It was a decent read, not great. There are some personal nuances about Pollata's writing that probably lowered the score for me. A nuclear device -- the T-bomb -- is stolen and all indications are a controversy between China and Russia is brewing. A Slovakian force is behind the efforts with a high-class, wealthy elitist from Arkansas involved from the home shores. As a result, Stony Man is engaged. Able Team take on the domestic threat and remove any possibilities for acquiring this weapon for Duvall to sell across the globe and make money. Likewise, Phoenix is sent overseas to take back the weapons and destroy the militants that have released two versions of the bomb in a show of force. On a positive note, the pacing of the book over the past 100 pages is very good. The author bounces between teams and sites to keep the reader engaged to the end.

I enjoyed this title...and also thought the book's cover was one of the better covers by far. It really captured the closing sequence. The story sets on a terrorist capturing a young woman to get her father -- a nuclear scientist -- to provide the details of a small nuclear bomb. The terrorist them planned to give a world-wide group of terrorists copies of the device. All these terrorists are gathered in a "summit" in the Middle East. Throughout the book, the author did a good job of highlighting four key terrorists and giving enough background on each to draw the reader's emotions into the story. The ending of the story is real good...when Mack goes into the summit and changes the agenda. In preparation for that and to set the stage, Mack again uses his skills of blending in with the enemy as he pretends to be from a rival group.

This book was marginally above average. I didn't think it was one of the better books, but it was decent. For starters, I'm not sure who wrote this - Russell Davis or Dylan Garrett. The plot was good. A local military member in Phoenix is selling US Army weapons to a Mexican cartel. The cartel kills a border patrol agent who had previously worked with Mack Bolan on another case...so Mack is upset. In typical Bolan fashion, he builds a small team and seeks retribution against the cartel. The action sequences were good, however, I thought some of the jovial dialogue between Bolan-Merice and Bolan-the mercenaries was weak. I don't recall Bolan being a James Bond-ish "jokester" during fights.

This book intrigued me when I read the plot as I thought it could be real good. It was alright, but not great. I did appreciate some of the history the author brought in relating to Bolan's original time in Vietnam. There were also some good action sequences throughout the book. I thought the dialogue between Bolan and the Vietnamese woman was lame. At this stage in the series, Bolan and April are supposed to be a thing, and here Bolan starts falling for this girl in four hours in Vietnam. It also made little sense when the guy broke Bolan's comm equipment because "his girl didn't consider him a man." I agree with another reviewer...what about Bolan being a fine pilot(???) and Jack showing up out of nowhere.

Newton's first book was a good. After returning from Turkey (book 40), Mack is immediately called to St. Paul where Pol's sister was beaten and raped. This was the 6th beating/rape within the previous 18 months and Bolan is on site to figure out what's going on as Pol's sister is still in jeopardy. "The Violent Streets" had a great plot, and memorable characters as Newton brought in corrupt cops and long-standing mafia members. I also enjoyed the increased use of Pol and the reference to the previous story ... it makes these books feel inter-related in reading one after the other.

The "Iranian Hit " is the best book since the New Wars started…slightly better than book 40. While I agree there was some strangeness to the book -- who has the Berretta, April and Hal's spontaneous argument -- this book was good! I'd have given this a 10 if not for some of that weirdness. Hal gives Mack the task of stopping the assassination of an Iranian general, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Soon, Mack is confronted with a desperate wife, an unknown traitor, Iranian bounty hunters (of sort), and an impending attack. Shortly thereafter, Mack takes the reigns of the General's protection crew and the action begins there. I really enjoy how these early writers -- those right after Pendleton -- bring Bolan history into these novels. It is key to making these books feel related to the early Pendleton efforts. That is something I wish the current writers would do. This book had action, intrigue, damsel in distress, a sort of villains, and a solid ending. I couldn't have asked for a better last 15 pages!

Executioner 40 was a nice rebound from the previous book. "Double Crossfire" brought the series back to the string of good books that Pendleton wrote in ending the mafia series. In this episode, Mack is placed in the middle of the KGB, Turkish Armenians, and high-level American-Armenians. At stake in all of this is heroin trafficking from the Middle East to America's shores. Led by a ruthless pain of villains -- Paradine and Takim -- KGB interests in large scale heroin production is dealt a wicked blow by Mack Bolan. There are some wonderfully written action sequences, especially after Bolan arrives on foreign soil. Likewise, the secondary characters are done very well. Bolan meets up with a Turkish woman/boy who aid him in his quest to find kidnapped American-Armenians. The author also sprinkles many references back to Bolan's history from the Pendelton books, which I thought was an ingenious touch of bridging the Pendleton books to these new war stories.

I'm not a big fan of this book. It was alright and average at best. With this being the first book after Pendleton stopped writing, I understand the difficulty in this being the transitional book. However, I don't think this was even written well. The story was ok. Mack sent in to South America to rescue a kidnapped agent, and the terrorists hell-bent on destroying the Panama Canal and taking over a U.S. satellite...all for the purpose of controlling American oil interests. It was nice to have the gang together -- Mack, Jack, Hal, Pol, etc -- however, there was little in terms of character development. In fact, I thought some of Mack's and Jack's comments were out of character. Similarly, much of the dialogue in the first 100 pages, especially between Mack and Soraya, was just lame.

This is an absolutely great book! This is my first read of a Michael Black book, but I can't wait for more (if there are any). I thoroughly enjoyed this story as it had an amazing amount of depth. In "Payback", there are a host of characters...scandalous Senator, villainous sponsor, Russian mafia, drug runners, drug lord, biker gang, and genetically enhanced soldiers. This book has it all and the author generated a wonderful story bringing all those characters together. After getting setup on two occasions, Bolan and company set out to find a missing federal agent and fall into this wicked word of play counter-play. Not only are the feds setup, but so is an enhanced supersoldier and it starts a massive game of retaliation. Throughout the entire book, the reader anxiously awaits the meeting of Bolan and this supersoldier...in what seems to be a powerful alliance. In getting to the final scene, Black brings together fives different entities converging upon the same missing goods (military weapons) in what was truly a great final 50 pages. This was the most enjoyable book I've read in some time!

The Final Week is over, and its somewhat exciting getting to the Stony Man stuff to see how that part of the series started out. In "Satan's Sabbath", Bolan is back in New York taking down the final mafia bigs that are attempting to take over the mafia top spot once again. As he'd done throughout this final week, Bolan infiltrates the mobland using one of his aliases...this time the black Ace Omega. One of the cool aspects of the book...a hot call from Lauderdale comes in to the mob house identifying Frankie Lambert as Mack Bolan. However, Bolan took the call...great stuff. There is some tension, there are some good action sequences, and Sergeant Mercy shows up in a big way at the end of the book. Pendleton slowly built up to the climactic ending and then ended the book rather quickly. Looking back, I'd have thought Pendleton would've spent more time with the Col John Phoenix aspect and discuss how this was going down. Maybe Pendleton was quite sure how the Phoenix character would go.

Friday's down...one day to go. Friday's Feast wasn't Pendleteon's best, but it was a real good book none-the-less. Bolan is in Baltimore taking on the alias of Frankie Lambretta...."Black Ace". As in the previous book, Mack infiltrates a mob stronghold under the Black Ace name for the purpose "of making an assessment of their actions." In doing so, Bolan gets the mob bickering from within as he takes on the task of removing the 50 million dollars the mob has collected. This book contained one of my all-time favorite parts in the Executioner Series. Pendleton takes 2-3 pages to describe Leo Turrin's reflecting upon his appreciation and admiration for Mack Bolan. It's good stuff in terms of character development for both Turrin and Bolan. It's good stuff that is absent in many of the modern books.

Thursday is down...two days to go. Overall, I enjoyed this book as it contianed all the items required for a great action/adventure novel...a great Bolan novel. In true fashion, Bolan infiltrates a mob haven and spins them around. First, Bolan sends the on-site Boss back to Miami to make ammends with the Mafia leadership...all fabricated by Bolan. Next, he fabricates a promotion on site to win over the remaining leadership. Brilliant. We have a major play by Hal in supporting Bolan...again a foreshadowing of the coming Stony Man adventures.. I do agree with another reviewer though and see a somewhat large disconnect in the story line. Why would Bolan have gone to FL in the first place? He had no idea about the underground, money-making cavern the mafia was putting in place. He literally just stumbled on that, so it doesn't really flow with the final week scenario. Other than than... a great book. Thusday down & two to go.

Another top-rate action adventure book in the series! Pendleton kept the creatiivity and excitiment going with Wednesday's effort. With the introduction of "Col John Phoenix", this book indeed greatly foreshadowned the Stony Man books we've grown to appreciated. In Wednesday's Wrath, we see Hal and Co. take on a greater role, we have familiar adversaries, and the character of Mack Bolan continues to be seen as he struggles with the idea of whether or not he's having an impact in taking down the mafia. The ongoing discussion between Mack and Hal regarding the Executioner's impact on the mafia is tremendous. I've really enjoyed how Mack has thought threw his efforts and the subsequent future of what's he's planning to do. Add in the wonderful storyline of military invovlements, chemical biological weapons, potential world-wide impact, and you have everything needed for a first-rate action book.

Tuesday's action and book was much better than Monday's. I truly enjoyed Terrible Tuesday. For Day 2 of Bolan's last week, he returns to California and addresses an interesting problem. He also has a reunion with former characters from early in the series, and the relationship between Mack-Hal and Mack-April continue to develop. The result: a phenomenal book that is 9+ in my mind. Apparently after Mack destroyed the CA mob early on, there were remnants being rebuilt and Bolan intended to take them down permanently before going to the Feds. The mafia, local political leaders, the local police, and Hal & team all play an important role in this one, and Pendleton did a tremendous job tying it all together. Factor in a kidnapping of Mack's love for the 2nd consecutive day and Terrible Tuesday has everything needed for a action/adventure thriller. Finally, Pendleton gives several high-impact action sequences and a great ending to cap of this great book.

This book was slightly above average. There were some enjoyable aspects: introdcution of April Rose, increased involvement from Hal, and the beginning of the "final week." However, I didn't find the story line all that intriguing, nor was I all that impressed with the mid-western mafia. As this final week gets started, the stage is set for some terrrific stories, but this when fell a little short for me.

A solid 10 in my book...Pendleton at his best. While I'm sad to see the war against the mafia coming to a close, Hal's offer changed the Executioner series and brought us the spin offs. What a story! Carl and Smiley are missing and Bolan comes to town to find them. In true Bolan fashion, Mack goes undercover -- again as the Black Ace -- and injects himself right into the middle of a Nashville clash. This time, Omega takes down one side and ends up planting the necessary means in the other so that neither will stand. Tennessee Smash had a perfect blend of action, drama, and (of course) intrigue over the offer Hal made to Mack in the final pages. This book rocked from the start to the finish. I enjoyed the opening scene where Mack infiltrates...to cut a deal with the feds. From there, he saves a mafioso's wife, Carl, Smiley. He does so with the help of some old friends. Then we have Hal's offer. This is a great title and one key to not only the Executioner series, but the other Bolan' series as well.

Not one on of my favorites to say the least. Overall, the story seemed disjointed. Not much else to say about it. There were some interesting villains, but this "giant" seemed out of character for a Bolan book. The ending within the castle was interesting.

A solid story with many positive points…terrorists, aerial combat, pesky journalists, questionable cops, and Navy Seals. I would've given this a 9, but I don't think the author developed the villainous characters very well…although the opportunity was there to do so. The book had many strong suits. First, there was much historical information provided about Bolan. I really enjoy when the authors take time to discuss Bolan's past -- Vietnam vet called home amidst tragedy and subsequently ends up taking revenge upon the mafia. There were also many solid action scenes. From the rescue at the warehouse, to the helicopter combat, and on to the Seal Team 6 assisted victory at the end, Night Hit had some memorable reading. Lastly, after being extremely annoyed with the (somewhat) overdone negativism of the Chicago PD against Hal and Mack, one of the Chicago PD officers finally came to his senses and aided Bolan toward the end. Having Trebeck, the Seals, and Bolan join together to take down the terrorist leaders, brought a true sense of realism. Again, solid effort and the first Mel Odom book I read definitely has me wanting to read more of his work.

I'm not really sure why the book received so many less than stellar reviews. I thought Pendleton gave another solid effort. This book was very enjoyable. Bolan goes to Arizona tracking down a drug connection, takes on the mafia, and ultimately runs into dual mafia families, a corrupt U.S. Senator, and some hired guns Mack previously knew in Vietnam. In true Bolan fashion, he pits the rival mob groups against each other and negates the big plans the US Senator (Weiss) and a Mob Boss (Borelli) are planning. Early in the book, Pendleton describes some of the thoughts and motivation of Bolan and provides us keen insight into the Executioner. I really enjoy when the writers gives us Bolan's thought process. As the story develops, we see the rival groups become more and more aggressive in confronting one another, all as a result of Bolan's plan. For one other fascinating item in Arizona Ambush, Pendleton brings some of Bolan's Army mates from his time in 'Nam. These fellas are hired guns for Morelli's group, and Mack comes face to face with many he served with. Cool stuff. All in all...a solid 8 stars. There was less direct action in Arizona Ambush, but the overall story was tremendous.

"Point Blank" is a fun read that is somewhat nostalgic in it pits Mack alongside mafioso against a ruthless crime organization. The story had it all…US Marshalls killed by a foreign crime organizations, helpful cops, corrupt cops, mafia used by Bolan, and other destroyed by Bolan. And a female in distress. After a crime organization kills US marshalls, Bolan goes to Italy seeking recompense. Upon arriving, he soon finds the crime group is now seeking to destroy the family of a "traitor' to the group, and being aided by the local law enforcement. Bolan intervenes. As Mack does so, he comes across a ruthless villian, Don Magolino. The author does a great job of describing the motivation and exploits of Magolino, and really draws upon the reader's emotion. Toward the end, I couldn't wait for Bolan to meet Magolino face to face...it was worth the wait. "Point Blank" ends with a great final climax. This book really took me back to the early Pendleton efforts. Great read!

After a bit of a break, my first Bolan read in quite a while and it was a good one. Clearly a solid "8" rating as we see quite a bit of depth to Bolan's character and a solid overall story. The Executioner arrives in Cleveland to find some political clout pulling off an attempt to manipulate natural gas resources. However, its more than just a shoot-em-up style as Bolan meets up with Susan Landry. Bolan's relationship with Landry, and the abusive exploits of Tony Morello on the young both provide an emotional stir not necessarily contained in all books. I really enjoyed the antagonist Morello, and the passion that Bolan tracks him down at the end. There are a few scenes with Bolan not too frequently seen. From the misty eye in the rear-view mirror to the soul-searching done over some of his tactics, the inclusion of Landry really opens up Bolan to the reader. I enjoyed seeing Bolan thinking these things through. Cleveland Pipeline has good action scenes with gun battles and covert take downs, and a range of villainous characters setting the stage for a solid ending.

The third straight decent book right out of the gate in the PF series. After being a little disappointed with #2, I really enjoyed this one. I'd list it as the best of the first 3. Ramirez does a great job of creating some very detestable adversaries. The scenes in which they wreck havoc amongst the US servicemen creates a disdain that sets the stage for pulling for PF to intervene. Intervene they do! Bolan's team is brought in to recover a state-of-the-art gun before it gets into the hands - permanently - of Libyan terrorists. To do so, they quite impressively track the terrorists to a sub headed for Cairo. One of my favorites scenes is when Raf & Manning submerge to bring the submarine up to the surface. It is written very well, seems believable, and is the only way the PF could accomplish the mission of stopping the terrorists and recovering the weapons unharmed. As with the 1st book, the author did a great job of providing history for the animosity between Yak and the lead villain, Gahzawi. Nothing like the ending scene concluding with emptying 32 rounds into a corpse.

Welcome to the series, Mr. Reynolds! This is a great book filled with several very-well described and integral characters, along with a solid plot and many memorable action sequences. After reading this one, I'm looking forward to future titles by this author! Bolan is brought into an effort to stop illegal activity at the US-Mexico border. During his initial intervening, he meets an undercover operation -- "James" -- and they quickly join sides. In doing so, the Executioner is brought alongside an alliance with INTERPOL as well. Tanzir, the INTERPOL agent, has a personal vendetta against a criminal mastermind she's been tracking for some time. Together, these three face insurmountable odds as several thugs from various organizations are also aligning to facilitate criminal activity. Each of the three heroes face near-death experiences, and in the end its the Executioner's action to save all three, and to put down the pending threat of crime entering the southern US border. This book had it all! Suspense, great characters, tremendously written action sequences, and a great scene when Hal is brought into a dire situation to establish the credibility of Mack Bolan. Further, the author did a great job of drawing emotion from the reader. I can't image anyone reading about Digger and not wanting to see Bolan intercede! In rating this a 9, I again say welcome Joshua Reynolds!

Without question, this was my least favorite Jerry Vancook effort, and he is one of my overall favorite Bolan writers. Nothing really stood out in the book as overly negative, but it just never picked up steam. The basis for the story is three "U.S. enemies" work together in an effort for a simultaneous strike. Bolan must confront adversaries from Syria, Iran, and Venezuela. The story unfolds as the Executioner, one-by-one, dismantles the plan from each terrorist group. As would be expected, he must travel to each of the countries -- Syria, Iran, & Venezuela -- to disrupt their attempts. To battle these groups, Bolan build a team with a cast of characters, each somehow tied to one of the terrorist groups. So, throughout the story, we see Bolan wondering whether or not he can actually trust his "allies". However, I never really believed that he had a reason to not trust, so some of the potential intrigue never materialized. Had the author actually had one of the back-stab Bolan, I think the book would've been much better. One of the bright spots was the inclusion of many of the Pendleton characters. We see cameos from Brognola, Price, Hawkins, and Kurtzman. It is always a strong plus for me when a writer interweaves these characters into the books.

Pendleton carried the story over very well ... next day (i think) ... from "Savage Fire." Command Strike was a 9+ in my mind, and it just missed getting a perfect 10. Bolan accomplished a lot in #s 28-29. ** SPOILER ALERT ** He ridded the scene of Augie, saved Leo, handed Hal a trophy, and greatly disenfranchised the NYC mob scene. In truly Pendleton fashion, he laid out a story where Bolan takes on a big-shot, Ace persona as "Omega". In doing so, he literally pits several factions of the Mafia against one another all driving to the same point: their own self-defeat. Coming out of 28, he set-up Eritrea and in 29 takes him down. This was a very entertaining book, high of intrigue and action, and one with a remarkable secret laid out toward the end. Bringing the Talifero brothers into the story after the wars against them in the past was icing on the cake. Pendleton truly created greating writing and stories in these Mafia wars, and Command Strike was one of the best.

Executioner #28 is a great story. I'm becoming a little saddened knowing there are only a handful more of Pendleton's personal efforts. Bolan is back in Pittsfield -- great scene -- as some unknown warriors are targeting his undercover pal, Leo Turrin. The author creates a scene involving a few of the well-known Bolan characters, including one form the original "Pittsfield story" Al Weatherbee. There is also an Augie sighting, who is one of my favorite villians. The Executioner's saving play in "Savage Fire" involves a seemingly common mafia infiltration as a black ace, a major use of the warwagon, and some very valuable information gained from the Atlanta action, in "Dixie Convoy". Bolan, Turrin, and even Brognola all face steep opposition as the play to save Turrin's wife, who is kidnapped mid-story, takes on a fervor pace. This was a page turner and didn't get a 10-rating from me for one reason. The rescue of Angelina was such a short scene, and seemingly too simple for the hardsite described in the earlier pages. Great book and phenomenal story! Pendleton at best!

Bolan battles a large operation based out of Atlanta in episode #27. This was the second in a row I'd rate slightly above average ("7") after four great books, #s 22-25. The Executioner stumbles on a massive operation of trafficking, to include everything from drugs to stolen goods, etc. These items are being moved from the east coast to northern Mexico, and Bolan intervenes to disrupt the mafia's service. Bolan works along side a young fed name Ecclefield, which creates some good dialogue and some insight into Bolan's thought process as he educates his partner. They join forces to take on mafia mogul Sciaparelli and his minions, while Bolan also has a run-in with four "Aces". The one significant drawback from the book was the overabundance of CB talk, as was expressed in other reviews. I too found this a bit much, rather boring, and not adding much to what could've been a real quality story. All-in-all Dixie Convoy wasn't a terrible book. It had moments that I really enjoyed it and was flying through the pages. However, the over-the-top trucker sequences ... for me ... took away from the story.

Executioner 406 is a great book! Newton is clearly one of my favorite authors in the series, and this book delivered another entertaining story. Bolan is called in after a former Navy Seal goes missing after searching for his kidnapped daughter. The story has several great characters, a great pace to the story, and an unforgettable ending (who shot the ministry official and judge?). Bolan intervenes the the life of the Seal, a cop with a strong conscience, and a devilish female antagonist with savage desires and no remorse. In the end, you have a great story and one I'd strongly recommend to others. It was so much more than a series of strung together head shots and over the top action sequences.

Here is one I had for quite some time and had been waiting to read. A friend of mine kept telling me about "the tanks." Overall, not a very entertaining story. As previously assessed on this website, this was a fairly common storyline. Foreign contact we hope Bolan can trust, mysterious woman from a competitive gov't, etc. The one bright spot of the story is the way in which the author brought 3 groups against one another in competing for the stolen military hardware. The two main opposing groups, and a police force, all combine on the battle scene at the exact time Bolan and company show up. This prep'd for a potentially great finish. However, the final scenes were very vanilla, and the overall story never reached a crescendo, though the ending scene was entertaining.

This was a good overall read from Pendleton. I do think his previous to this 5 efforts were much better. Bolan does perform a series of kill missions in Acapulco. He quickly befriends some alliances and runs into old friends ... which I like. The setup to the ending of the book is done well, although it seemed like Pendleton could've built it up a bit more. I did love the way Bolan taunts the local mobster ... yacht, airplane, etc. It was classic Executioner action.

This is a great action book! Without question my favorite Phil Elmore writing that I've read. This book has a great plot, great characters, great action sequences, writing that pulls upon the reader's emotions, and major involvement of Jack G ... one of my favorites. The author did a great job of setting the foundation from the story. Whether it was Nitzche or one of the Berwalds, there is detailed historical information provided that draws out tremendous depth in the story. You can almost feel the anger in Bolan's final scene toward the end ...great stuff! Not too mention Hal's "epiphany". There is little to critique on this one. A "10" in my book and highly recommended title to all action readers.

This was a decent book...not great, but not bad. Other than book 1 a few months ago, I last read the PF series in the late 80s, so this is interesting going back through now. I was hoping for quite a bit more coming out of the first in the series, Argentina Deadline. With the characters initially being laid out in book 1, I thought the emphasis would be to further develop. However, that didn't happen...to any extent. There was very little character development of the main five. Further, Charma could've been a great antagonist, but he was not used as much as could've been. The story begins when some Americans continue as hostage in South America. PF is called in as one of the hostages is a key governmental employee (though I don't remember actually ever finding out which one). I agree with other reviews...I really like the Sweetie Pie character and thought he brought something very likeable to the story. His interaction with McCarter/Manning was good writing, with good dialogue. After the first 20-30 pages (spit scene), the story just sort of floated along and never really picked up any steam. I thought a lot more could've been done between the PF, paramilitary, and the guerillas. Decent, not terrible....hope for more in later titles as I remember this series being much better.

This is a great book and a foundation-setting story. With book 25, Pendleton continues to develop Bolan as a usable force to the country. I'm really torn whether to go 9 or 10 stars. I'll probably lean toward 9 because of the relative ease that Bolan completely dissembled this great paramilitary plan at the end of the story. Great plot...Bolan is lured to Colorado and soon finds he's up against quite a bit more than the standard mafia thugs. He's not only pitted against a top-notch military group, he's familiar with the adversary and even commends their abilities. To make matters worse, Bolan is not even the main target, rather they have much bigger plans and a much bigger target. The battle scenes are great, and I love how the author continues to describe the exceptional way Bolan infiltrates the opposition. Up against such tremendous odds, Bolan again stealthily joins the enemy military force and one-by-one destroys their plan. Lastly, Pendleton's use of Leo and Hal is again phenomenal. I really enjoy seeing the size of their impact and involvement in these stories, and I wish the current writers would use more of them. In Colorado Kill-Zone, we see a tremendous foreshadowing of things to come when "the man" knows who it was that really saved he and his family.

Another great Pendleton story...the third really good one in a row. Bolan goes north of the border to address a major developing story: the mafia looking for world-wide influence and control. As with books 22 & 23, Canadian Crisis is not the normal mafia war that we saw in the first 21 books. Pendleton tells a unique story regarding world-wide implications, a Canadian revolution, and familiar faces from previous stories. The mafia is trying for a big takeover, a revolutionary group is seeking to take Quebec, and Mack Bolan is in the middle of it all. To assist, we not only see same familiar faces, such as Leo and Hal, but we also see an older familiar face -- Andre Chebleu. There is intrigue, superb action sequences, and great character development. The pacing of the book is flawless and this is another overall great book to recommend.

Another 10 in my book…Pendleton in best form! Bolan's former pals (Gadget, Pol, Toni) invite him to St Louis as something big is quickly taking form. They all pull together to confront a building mob play to make St Louis the pinnacle of mafia action. However, DP breaks the former mold and Bolan doesn't just destroy the mafia leadership and move on, rather he has a plan much more in depth than that. In this book, we have tremendous insight into Bolan's character, as well as that of Pol. We see the Executioners motives (hell vs heaven) in discussion throughout the book. Further, for a 3rd person POV, we see that Bolan is tired and worn out. The author give us a very personal side to Bolan. Further, Johnny B is brought into the story, and we see the inner struggle of those in this war against the mafia is Johnny, Mack, Leo Turrin, and Val. Pendleton included more detail on the warwagon and a few really well-written attack scenes. I greatly enjoy seeing the Able Group, Bolan's personal side, and more cops edging toward Bolan's side.

Finally, the first solid new-release Executioner in some time. I really like Russell Davis' writing...quickly becoming my favorite for the current writers. I absolutely enjoyed this story from cover to cover. After weapons grade uranium is found in Detroit, Bolan is re-tasked to get involved. This book had it all -- great storyline, well-developed supporting characters, good antagonizing enemies, and well-written action scenes. Bolan begins his assistance in a somewhat passive role, taking some direction from the local PD lead -- Denny Seles. After getting sent on one false lead after another, and then identifying a "leak" in the PD, Bolan takes charge and gets results...Executioner style. The supporting characters are well-developed and used extremely well. Seles and Allison are both used enough to be integral to the story. This doesn't always happen to supporting characters in the current Executioners. Not to mention the other characters -- Chief, IMAM, cocky Washington bureaucrat, etc. Many enjoyable characters. Similarly, there are two key adversaries that the author hangs the story line on, and he does so quite well. Great story...believable plot...well-written. This is a must read.

Wow! This book is fantastic. There is quite of few negative comments on this book, but I don't really understand why. This is a great read and sets up many of the forthcoming books and series. The Executioner ends up in Hawaii on a lead and ends up running into an international scene. He goes on a mob hunt, but soon learns that its much bigger than that. I don't see this as a loose plot or bad writing. I think Pendleton greatly expanded the storyline and (again) setup Bolan for bigger things in the future. I also think we see tremendous character development with the SOG group and especially with Brognola. The scene where Hal "turns the other way" is clear evidence of him using Bolan for the govt's need. The only thing keeping this from a 10 is the carryover from "Firebase Seattle" ... too short a closing scene. If DP would've developed a lengthier closing scene, this book would've been an easy 10. BolanFan

This one not one of my favorites, but it is (somewhat) typical of some of current day writers...average story lacking a strong story line. The premise of the story, unrelated or not, shows a very inept American military that requires Bolan to save the day. Fortunately, there were some decent support characters that kept me drawn to the story throughout the closing pages.

Here is an entertaining story that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to another. Terrorists kidnap students at a private school and Bolan is sent in to intervene. There is some intrigue as major political figures are involved in this plot to bring about their own desires. There wasn't alot of depth the characters, but the action sequences were outstanding.

The are some very good aspects to the book. #1) The continued development of the relationship between Turrin, Brognola, and Bolan. Pendleton, by this point in the series, is really pulling these characters together in the conflict against the Mafia. The scenes with the three the final 50 pages is good stuff. #2) The war wagon is described and used at a far grander scale than the preceding books. This was a great idea of Pendleton, and the use of the war wagon in Firebase was well-done. This is some serious equipment ... I hope in coming books we find out more about it's origination other than sketchy details about the builder. #3) The final scene was solid, though a little short. The build-up to the final battle, Bolan's "hardest touch against the mob") was solid and momentum building. However, a few more pages of the attack could've made it sensational. With all that being said, I had a couple fairly significant detractors on the book. First, I never really got into the ENEMY. The mob, this command post island, the 200, etc., there was never really a clear threat that we emotionally accepted. Secondly, the ladies ... their scenes were weak, period. Finally, as I already stated, the final scene should've been much more extended. Overall, I enjoyed Pendleton and Bolan, so I did have a level of enjoyment reading the book. However, not one of my favorites.

A top-notch thriller and masterpiece! I just stumbled on this at a used bookstore and was thrilled -- as I knew it was a high-ranking book on mackbolan.com. There is nothing negative to say about this book. I read the early PF books in the late 80s and stopped until recently. This was my first "super" and it was genuinely that. I am a huge Calvin James fan and love him being a part of PF. The book starts out on fire and continues to the end. The kidnapping of the president and the premier set the pace for a page turner. The PF travel the globe hunting down enemies and essentially save the world. This was suspenseful and action-packed! The character descriptions are great -- both PF and the villains -- and well though out, the dialogue is on, and the pace is consistent throughout. There are no wasted pages in this one. Wow! I can't wait to read it again.

This was a decent book. There was nothing over-the-top that makes this great, but it was an enjoyable story. Bolan went to New Orleans to take out an elderly mafia Boss and those waiting to ascend the throne. He quickly found some "complications". NO Knockout had some strengths. There were likable support characters, the return of some favorite characters, great portions of dialogue, and a nice overall storyline. However, this book didn't have any fantastic battle scenes and was a little light on action throughout. There was a greater emphasis put on the war wagon and that set the stage for things to come. It was James Bond-like. All-in-all a solid book, but not quite as powerful as the last few.

This was book overall mediocre at best. I absolutely disliked the first 100 pages and never understood the mercenary thing. I can't see Stony Man Farm leaning upon mercenaries. Plus, some of Bolan's discussion with the merc group seemed too over the top. Yes, half-way through I would've easily given this a five-star rating. However, the end did somewhat save it. The end of the book was very good. The last two battle scenes were outstanding. Rogers can definitely write a battle scene. Not only the battle scene action, but there was great dialogue between Bolan, the Farm, and the team of warriors he'd put together. Therefore, I did bump my rating up one. One last final touch ... the ending scene between the Executioner and Mnan was priceless!

This was a great intro to the Phoenix Force series. The first 45 pages were tremendous at laying out the chartacters, providing background into each, and transitioning for Bolan's single war to the purpose and goal of P.F. Yes, the War Room scene at Stony Man was awesome. Great job! The story was simple and not too complex. A kidnapping for ransom to generate cash for a terrorist organization. P.F., working together for the first time, begins to learn of one another, and we see the formation of a team. There were two things that really stuck out in Argentine Deadline! First, we see some of the historical background of Yak due to the German Otto. This provided some nice detail into Yak's past. Secondly, we see the young K.O. come of age in the daring rescue of Yak. This was a great, enjoyable novel that did a solid job of starting the series.

This was a good read, but nothing I would consider fantastic. Overall, I enjoy Newton's story's as he normally does two things: (1) provides great action scenes. and (2) creates enjoyable supporting characters. In this Bolan adventure, Newton used the same formula. There were several well thought out and described action sequences with the Executioner besting the antagonists. The final battle scene is entertaining, and then there is the epilogue -- classic Bolan. There were many very well developed support characters. I really enjoyed the Nambian cop that teams with Bolan. It was good to see this man standing for justice amidst a very corrupt authorial system. << SPOILER ALERT >> It was a shame to see him go down the way he did. I'm not sure why Mack left him alone. Newton also created some very antagonistic -- enemies -- characters. The pirate leader, teaming with the captain(s) made a formidable foe. There was just enough dialogue between these men to create animosity between the reader and these villians, leaving you rooting for Mack to take them out. All in all a decent story and very typical of a modern-day Mack Bolan. Nothing fantastic, but an entertaining 180+ pages.

Another solid effort by Pendleton, but not among his best. The book has some really good points, but it wasn't an overwhelming success from cover to cover as many of his others have been (2-4, 14, 17-18). I enjoyed the opening sequence. He did a great job of bring the reader up to the speed with current events and Bolan laid out a wonderful plan to infiltrate the Detroit mob. The author also continued to develop repeat characters. Detroit Deathwatch continues to bring along Turrin and Brognola, and the Bolan-Brognola relationship inches ever more closer to what we understand in the recent Executioner/Stony Man series. There are also minor repeat characters. Overall, the book just didn't have the pace and heart-pounding action that the great books have come to be known by. It's a good read and enjoyable story, it's just not Pendleton's best. By the way, I do agree with "Carl Lyons" below ... regarding Bolan's handling of Sal. I though it was much too easy and probably emblematic of his Sgt Mercy characteristics.

Another great Pendleton story! As with the early books (1-4), Pendleton hit his stride with "Jersey Guns" and now "Texas Storm". This book had it all. It had a great plot ... the Mafioso striking out to gain possession of Texas oil, with MUCH larger plans that just that. It had great characters, Grimaldi was a significant character in the book, and Brognola made an important appearance -- his prounouncement (pg 133) of Bolan's true intent was a phenomenal revelation of things to come. It had great support characters, both Klingman and his daughter filled out the story very well. It had great villians. Tolucci and Lileo both presented a good nemesis to the Executioner, and there were multiple great scenes of interaction between them. Lastly, the battle scenes were done very well. They weren't dramatically over the top -- like many of the current stories -- but they were very believable and unique in comparison to the first 17 books. The oil scenario was masterfully interwoven into Bolan's war on the mafia.

This book was great from alot of fronts. #1) We see Bolan's character continue to develop. This wasn't the jacked-up, wanna-be bolan that Peterson messed up for "Sicilian Slaughter", but this was the real deal -- Mack Bolan. We see Bolan's continued aggression toward the mob, his merciful side show toward the support characters (Sara, Bruno), and we even see his mercy toward the mob boss with the white flag. Pendleton does a great job of showing that inner balance Bolan has ... justice and mercy. #2) We get a pick into Bolan's upbringing. Pendleton uses the good part of a chapter describing Bolan's high school experience, including interview with teachers and classmates. This gives us a great perspective on the pre-war Mack Bolan. #3) I love the battles with the Taliferos and heres another. After the Talifero's imposing on Bruno's life, it makes me wonder if Bolan had any regrets from Vegas. #4) Pendleton continues to develop Leo's and Hal's characters seemingly setting the foundation for the Stony Man series. Leo's been a mainstay somewhat in previous adventures and now we are seeing Hal fall in line. This was a great story and a wonderfuly return to Pendleton's character after the atrocious Sicilian Slaughter, which really only slaughtered Don Pendleton's wonderful characters. This, along with books 2, 3, and 4, are on top of my favs list for the Bolan adventure! Thanks, Don.

This book was OK at best. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. The story of "Jungle Hunt" was a great idea, but the overall story was average at best. I greatly enjoyed the start of the book throughout the first 50 pages. There was a great storyline started, as I referred to, and strong ties to the Stony Man Farm. (I really enjoy when Stony Man characters show up in Bolan stories). Morgan did a great job of bringing in several strong support characters that prep'd for a great book ... ecologists, humanitarian relief, etc. Through 50 or so pages, this was primed for a hit. Then, the story went no where. It seemingly dragged on for 75 pages with nothing happening. There was one major hit on a local village, but other than that it was wasted pages and little story development. At the end, the pinnacle scene was ok, but nothing to highlight nor save the book. After reading three from this author, I truly enjoy his ideas for stories, but this was the 2nd in a row that I'd rate a little below expectations.

Pendleton definitely had it going for Panic in Philly. This was a bit of a roller coaster ride from Mack almost getting taken down by the cops at one scene to taking over the Mafia house in another. In true Bolan fashion, he begins with a massive strike on a Mafia site to reveal his arrival, and then he moves on to taking down the city main man. While doing so, the Executioner protects many as he destroys the villains. The main battle scene at the end is a brilliant move by Bolan (great work by Pendleton). It didn't have as much action as many of it predecessors, but it was a great read and one I'll definitely be looking to re-read in the future.

I'm glad that one's over. I was ready to quit reading after 40 pages. To be honest, the last 40-50 pages weren't too bad. Good action sequences and I was really intrigued by the last scene. However, three major flaws with the book. 1) As has been pointed out throughout the reviews, this was not Mack Bolan. I don't know if it was a dig at Pendleton, but either the publisher or the stand-in author clearly created their own "Bolan". He's violent with by-standards, taking advangtage of women, and content with killing a cop ... I don't think so. 2) There was no character development at all. It seemed like the author's only intent was to change everything we know and enjoy about Pendleton's Mack Bolan. 3) The dialogue was awful. Nothing like vulgar language for the sake of it. It seemed like every isolated incident had a secondary character lusting over a woman (body guards daydreaming and cops looking a nudie mags). Very strange. Anyway, I'm glad it's over, surprised I made it through it, and looking foward to Jersey Guns ... Pendleton's sequel to Panic in Philly.

The best Pendleton Bolan since Miami Massacre -- I really enjoyed this story. Firstly, it was great to see the old comrades -- Pol & Gadgets & Carl -- in this story. Almost makes me want to grab an Able Team next, but I need to follow Bolan to Philly. Seeing Pendleton bring these characters back into the series, and continue to develop there character was a breathe of fresh air to the series. Secondly, this story had great characters. Did I already say that? The Able Team crew, along with the Tatum, bring a solid story-line often missed in the modern-day Bolan books. Thirdly, it was great to get some Bolan history, with the Death Squad crew in the book, and the "Howlin" theme, granted Pendleton the opportunity to talk of the Vietnam days. Lastly, the ending chase scene on hwy 5 was fantastic. Pendleton again demonstrated a wonderful "action-sequence writing" style that has drawn and kept me a fan of this series. Easily 9 stars ... now, on to Philly ...

I'll take this review in two parts: the book and the event. First, the book. I rather enjoyed the book. There was a nice blend of action -- Executioner style -- with a solid plot. Bolan (literally) stumbles on a cop in trouble and is soon thrust into political intrigue. Cops, thugs, politicians ... this book has it all and the story is tied together quite nicely. The author draws you into the story with enjoyable characters and develops the characters quite well. I was very soon personally attached to the story, page after page. Secondly, the event. I was very disappointed in the absolutely dismissal of the significance of the 400th book. A cute little 1-inch sticker in the top left corner, really? That is good as we can get after 40 years of support from the readers and fans? It sure would've been nice to get some consideration of the history and success of the series. I sure am thankful for this website ...

I was a very disappointed in this book. After reading 393, I was really looking forward to "Nuclear Storm" as Helfers was outstanding in that effort (rated 393 a "9"). Nuclear Storm didn't have any real character development, the plot was somewhat weak, and the ending was extremely poor. The introduction was quite enticing and had me captured early on as the opening scene was entertaining. However, Bolan's introduction into the story was lame as Helfer's again brought us into a "Bolan stumbles on a plot" scenario. While he nailed it in 393, Nuclear Storm never developed the same excitement. The idea of these eco-terrorists outrageous goal, the park ranger's involvement, and the atrocious chase scene at the end left little lasting value. Again, 393 is one of my favorites and really up'd my anticipation for Nuclear Storm, but this was probably my biggest letdown in the series.

A page turner … this is the quickest I've read one of these in sometime. While I enjoy most of the Bolan series books, some are very entertaining. This is one. As with a few of the Bolan books, this one seemed very much like a James Bond novel. Bolan begins to hunt down the responsible party of murdering a young girl and using her body for a terrorist attack on a senator. However, the author takes us for quite a ride as the story takes shape. No one could've seen the end coming in this one, and except for a few highly unbelievable moments (the coast guard guard letting Bolan and company on the base at the end), this would've been in my personal "top 10" Bolan adventures.

In starting to read this, I didn't think I would like it. I wasn't too sure about the teenage cadet storyline and the "drill instructor" Bolan leading the way. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the building excitement and (literally) rooting for the young warriors as they learned from the best. Rogers is a fantastic writer. There was indeed a high level of suspense in the book, and the author did a great job of (1) creating several layers of enemies, (2) adding depth to the characters of the cadets, and (3) creating anger in the mind of the reader at the atrocities of the villians. Also, the action/battle sequences of the book were well-written and very detailed. After completing the book, I think the story was a great idea and was very original ... a different type of Executioner book.

A great story with many well-developed and engaging characters. Newton provided a very readable, believable, and entertaining book. After an American businessman is gunned down, Bolan is sent to Scottland where he'll encounter folklore, WWII survivors, and modern day revolutionists. This book contains my storylines and twists, and it is as believable as any Bolan book I've read. The characters, from the SO15 agent to the villians, are well-described and draw the reader into the story. Well done! My only criticism was the unknown and un-expected ending. I'm not sure if this is suggestive or "lochness" or if I'm overanalyzing it. Of course, this was probably the author's intent.

Overall, this was a rather boring book. I never really bought into the cult scenario, and there lacked any real character development at all. The attempt to build up the Detroit cop character failed largely. I couldn't wait for this one to end. This was by far my least favorite Bolan book to date.

Welcome John Helfers. This was nicely done. I like the "oh, by the way" aspect of this story. On his way back ??, Bolan stops off an a small little community like any other to find a major conspiracy. Unlike virtually all other Executioner books, there is no Washington DC directed, the world or country is at stake, etc., kind of theme. Bolan happens upon a small town with average people all apart of something that few recognized ... until they were "touched" by it. Also, with the teenage girl, local police, et al, there were a few well-written and included support characters. This was more than the usual Bolan destroying dozens with single shot, and the action sequences were quite meaningful due to the reader's emotional relations with the support characters. Perhaps the only draw back for me was the town's people involvement at the end as it seemed a little to unbelievable. However, it did support the small town, all for one mentality that you'd expect to find in a small, mid-western area. Yes, the opening was great, and it continued right until the end. I'm now anxious for 399 and the author's next work!

VanCook wrote a great story based in New Orleans. I've really enjoyed all the New Orleans based stories recently written, and this one is right there with the others. Bolan uses all of Stony Man's resources to infiltrate a "criminal kingpin's" operations. This is imperative as this sole criminal is causing unhindered destruction. The author did a great job creating scenarioes that challenged Bolan's personal ethics as he's often faced with moral decisions with tremendous impact to his cover.

This one was slightly difficult for me to rate because it was a great read … just not what I had expected. The back of the book is somewhat misleading and gives the idea the story centers on a hijacking. It doesn't. However, the hijacking infuriates the Executioner to track down an international terrorist(s). I did greatly find the primary antagonist -- Raven -- as one of my favorite in the non-Pendleton books. The idea behind multiple Ravens is a genius idea and one that keeps the reader, and Bolan, guessing up until the end of the story.

I have a little more harsh criticism of this book than any of Pendleton's others since book 6, because the potential was there for an excellent read -- Mafia ruling Washington DC's political process! The author introduced us to many characters, but the overall antagonish -- Lupo -- was shrouded in such mystery it was greatly confusing trying to follow the characters throughout the story. I also thought it was a bit of a reach trying to show moral integrity in Claudia. In summary, quite disappointing (7 maybe to high) but I may be a little too harsh because I had such high expectations going into it, so I chose a 7 over a 6. I though this could've been one of Pendleton's masterpieces.

I've given my 4-straight 8 (books 9-12) as I obviously like the series. This was a great read seeing the angry warrior looking for Val/Johnny. The only real negative would be how he knew where all the small mafiaoso were located and operated in Boston. However, the positives in the book greatly outnumbered this one criticism. I though the journal Pendleton put in expressing Bolan's thoughts was a great idea. This provides the reader with an ever identifying character that he/she can relate to and understand. The battle sequence ending the book was one of the most well-written in all of Pendleton's Executioners. Bolan was on a mission and it was evident during the last few pages.

Somewhat of a different shift from the two preceding books, and for some reason the intro of my book (UNIFORM CRIME NETWORK bulletin) speaks about Bolan's most recent activity being in San Francisco (which hadn't happened until after this story -- very strange). I like Pendleton's bring together of various major organizations in a battle for the bay area, however, I did get a little lost about Mr. King. This was one of the few books that I had a hard time following Pendleton's main point. Pendleton used the scenes with Mary to give us a great insight in Bolan's psyche and we see him questioning somewhat the person he is becoming. A great thread throughout this solid work.

Pendleton greatly drew upon Vegas Vendetta as a set-up to this book, and I thought he did so masterfully. After his narrow escape from both Mafia and Gov't in Vegas, Bolan moved to Carribean to hit Mafia hard. The opening sequence is very well-written and action-packed. We also see the continued development of a key "Executioner series" character, Jack Grimaldi. C.K. was action packed and had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader wondering where the author was taking him/her next. This book was so good for most of the story you can't determine who Bolan's allies were, nor who his primary enemy is going to be. He arrived in Carribean focused on Mafia leader, but soon discovered there was a bigger enemy to bring down.

A great story that continued to develop two longstanding characters -- Jack Grimaldi and Carl Lyons. To fans of the series, along with the spin-off series, these adds a bit of nostalgia to reading these early Executioneers. Pendleton did a nice job of tapping into the genius of Mack Bolan as he uses psyops in penetrating the mafia establishment in Vegas to bring them down in an amazing way. I especially liked to inclusion of Brognola into the story and Brognola's internal struggle over whether or not to take down Bolan. I think the one casino scene between Brognola & Bolan could be the one that expresses the two men (informally) fighting on the same side of the law. A very entertaining read ...

Shadow Hunt is a great book! I hope Russell Davis gets many more opportunities to story-tell about the Executioner. In his first attempt, Davis created a great story of mafia and corrupt local and federal authorities. When Bolan is called to look into the disappearance of a US Marshall, he soon finds himself in a no-win situation. However, with the aid of a couple unlikely heroes, the Executioner soon turns the odds and lives to tell about it. The final chase scene is masterfully done, and I really enjoyed getting into the mind of Nick as he contemplated the man that was after him. I also hope Remy takes Bolan's advice and makes the call. It'd be great to see him in Stony Man in the future. Thanks Mr. Davis for a great read!

This was a solid piece and very entertaining. Mike Newton did a great job of developing and early plot and carrying it on through to the end. Unlike some of the recent Executioners, this wasn't a mere "shoot 'em up" throughout. Rather, Newton developed a storyline that incorporated Bolan, an ATF agent, and two militia groups that made for a great book. It was very fun watching Bolan use these militia groups as pawns, reminiscent of the mafia days, in his plan to derail a potential national tragedy. This book had well-timed out action sequences and a great scene when the Executioner give a training lesson to weekend warriors. All-in-all, this was an enjoyable book.

This was -- by far -- one of my favorite reads from the recently published books. This, along with Power Burn (#387), lay-out what the current writers should focus on. It was a believable plot, a myriad of well-written characters, and several very-well written action sequences. When the U.S. food supply is in jeopardy by a well-hidden plot, only the Executioner is able to derail the plans of a group of terrorists. The cat & mouse chase near the end of the book, with a seemingly comparable war veteran, is one of my favorite scenes in the later series. Any action book reader would enjoy this one! I'd go 9.5 if given the option ...

The first Linaker book I read was a solid effort. There was action from beginning to end that deal with multiple nationalities of "bad guys" and many different locations of impact. The overall theme was Bolan's attempt to stop the arms dealing that was brutalizing cities throughout the U.S. The various/diverse amount of characters built a lot of suspense in the book and kept me turning pages.

Nightmare in New York was a welcome return to the Bolan action the series provided in books 1-4. After a very disappointing books 5 & 6, Pendleton brought the Executioner to the Big Apple, New York City, where Bolan was up against the Mafia, the police, and an effort to stop a potential national crisis. This book had tremendous sequences of action, planning, vicious displays of cruelty by the Mafia, and even a merciful Executioner. As with many of my other favorite books in the series, the author did a great job of developing secondary characters coming alongside to help Bolan and it really draws the reader in emotionally. Pendleton re-captured the right mix of the first 4 books with this one.

This was another solid effort by Pendleton after two very mediocre books (Continental Contract and Assault of Soho). Bolan returned to American soil in book #7 (Nightmare in New York) and uncovered some very distrubing news about the Mob's national plans.' Pendleton continues that theme in book #8 and the Execuitioner takes his one-man way against the Mafia to Chicago. This story was well-written and had a very solid plot. We see Mack Bolan continue to out-think and out-smart his enemies and I was caught up in Bolan's planning throughout the book. As with Pendleton's previous works, the writing is very believable as Bolan draws in alot of help in destroying the mafia roots taken hold of Chicago. I also enjoyed the support character (Stein) introduced to us in this book. Pendleton was hitting on all cyclinders in Chicago Wipeout. Pendleton's was back with this one and it left me looking forward to book 9.

This was the second straight Pendleton book that I only moderately enjoyed. On some levels, it was an improvement over Continental Contract, but overall it lacked the quality and action of books 2-4. It's the second straight story that has the Executioner on foreign soil facing and taking on the same troubles he started in the U.S. As with Continental Contract, Pendleton doesn't have the overal story theme that draws the reader into it. The weak story line is at times bizarre, and doesn't create the suspense and action that the reader invests into emotionally. I think a rating of 6 is somewhat generous.

This was a good book and entertaining from the standpoint that Pendleton took Bolan international. The scene early on is believable, and the author did a good job of building a scenario taking our Hero to France. However, there is nothing special about this book. Compared to the first four, I'd say this is somewhat disappointing. If I had been waiting for this "new release" back in 1971, I would have been extremely disappointing. The first four Executioners were in one word -- phenomenal. This book seemed a little rushed as it never really developed the deep characters of the first four books, and there isn't a real insight into Bolan's mind -- also a trademark in the first four. There were also some confusing, almost unusual parts. The mobs distant connection from Miami to France, the "Gil Martin" character who was a movie star and seemed to look like Bolan -- but no one ever mistook Bolan for him prior (??). The massive purging of mob leaders at the end also seemed uneventful and not very believable. As did the reason that Bolan put out his heroic hit. For the Bolan Fan, it's a nice read, but it isn't the great story we commonly enjoy in the early books.

This was a great book featuring the Executioner's task of maintaining the protection of two presidential hopefuls in Cameroon. As usual in "Executioner Series" fashion, Bolan doesn't get of the airplane before bullets start flying and grenades begin blowing. This was another solid effort that had enough action and suspense to keep you wanting to continue on to the next page. Throughout the Final Coup, there was enough bait & switch by the author to keep some uncertainty in who Bolan's allies were. A great job by Jerry VanCook and I definitely look forward to his next effort in the monthly series.

This book was fantastic, and Jon Guenther - after reading one book - is one of my favorites. This is a great action-adventure whether one is a Mack Bolan fan or not. The book had a great plot and a lot of suspense that even had the Executioner wondering at times. As with many of my favorites in the Bolan series, there is a great job of bringing supporting characters (Detective Marquez) into the story. Guenther hits the ground running early in the story and it doesn't let up until Bolan finds himself in Saint Petersburg. Likewise, the suspense of the early chapters carries all the way to the final pages. I hope we see the Executioner's war against the RBN in future books.

This was - by far - my favorite new release Bolan title during the past year. This was a fascinating and enjoyable story involving Bolan, guns, world-wide drug trade, drug lords, and high government officials on the take. The story takes place in Colubmia and begins when drug traders make a hit on key government leaders. Bolan is brought in early and the story takes off in great page-turning fashion. In my opinion, the best Bolan books are those that provide insight into Bolan's character while developing strong ties with other, supporting characters. This book does just that. The author provides some tremendous bonds between Bolan and Pureza from the start and continues to develop throughout. The final action sequence is one of the best in the Bolan books. We see Bolan manipulating the adversaries in a tremendous manner to get the most impact against a sliver of the world's evil.

I've rated this as a 10, because I can't imagine a better Mack Bolan read. Pendleton, once again in these early books, creates a very deep character in Bolan and puts him along several very entertaining supporting characters. Pendleton surely develop a deep and thoughtful character in Mack Bolan during these first books. There are several very interesting aspects on this story. First, in this book, Bolan continues to develop Bolan's character and plants the seeds for the relationship between Bolan and Hal Brognola. Also in "Miami Massacre", Pendleton develops intrigue and suspense as the Feds had placed a mole in the Mafia leadership and the concern is how Bolan will interact with this agent. Finally, Pendleton again provides massive action sequences in the "Matador's" fight against the Mafia which culminates in a large-scale battle aided by Bolan's new friend, a Cuban protestor.

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.

A really enjoyable story that'll have you page turning as quick as possible near the end of the book. It appears that the Executioner has met his match, while he searches for answers to what apparently is "supernatural". There were many enjoyable characters with many added throughout the book. It would've been a 10, however, at times I had trouble following the plot. All-in-all an outstanding write.

I enjoyed Guenther's most recent Bolan contribution and now look forward to reading his previous works. <SPOILER ALERT> "Recovery Force" was a great story that contained the normal amount of action and destruction, as well as a great deal of suspense as Bolan must save a high-ranking government official. This book was entertaining in light of the news surrounding drugs, Arizona, etc. The Sinaloa cartel is presented as an above the law organization that seemingly cannot and will not be touched by the authorities. Enter the Executioner. In true series fashion, Bolan comes in and does what no one else is able to do. With the city under siege and the governor gone missing, Bolan was again seeks out to destroy the efforts of relentless criminals. Great action scenes leading right up to and including the final battle!

I read War Against the Mafia after reading dozens of all books. My first Pendleton read was "Death Squad", which I rated higher than this. The book has several strong points that no doubt provided the foundation for a great series. First, there is a tremendous background on Bolan. His family, thoughts about living life, and his view about his specific role in fighting the Mafia is all very clearly and entertainingly spelled out. For anyone wanting to read the series, this book gives tremendous insight into the Executioners mind that is certainly not contained in the newer books. Secondly, his interactions with other key characters, such as Leo and Lt Weatherbie, provide developing dialogue throughout the book, developing Bolan's character right up to the final chapter. This is another feature foreign to the more current shoot-em-up style. Thirdly, the scene development is extraordinaire. Pendleton's style draws emotion from the reader. You can almost feel Bolan's anguish and confusion in the first 30 pages, and you really emphathize with the Executioner as the anger builds against the mafia, for what they've done, and the cops, for what they've been unable to do. My chief complaint against Pendleton's initial work is the un-necessary, much to vivid sex scenes and description throughout. This is a action-adventure book, and not a romance novel. The irony is that Pendleton is writing a novel where the key characters are passionately opposed to this "sex-crazed" style of life, but then he writes these detailed sex scenes that seemingly promote it. I wish Pendleton would've taken the Fleming style of suggestiveness and left this garbage for the romance writers. With all that being said, War against the Mafia is a must read for anyone venturing into the world of Mack Bolan! Just skip the pages where the undressing starts.

This was an action-packed story very entertaining. I debated between 7 or 8 stars, and went with 8 due to the phenomenal action sequences where the Executioner literally brings down everything owned by these drug lords. Bolan gets brought in by the Man to take down a major drug operation involving several cartels. This book had some very revealing parts regarding Bolan, as he's faced with the death of a beautiful, young lady early in the story that fuels his desire for revenge throughout. Here is another demonstration on why Bolan is "the Man's" most important weapon.

With this effort, Jerry goes to the top of the list of my favorite author's writing for the Bolan series. This book was a late-night page turner with, once again, a very believable plot dealing with missionaries and terrorists -- in the Philippines. There is much good about this novel. We once again get insight into Bolan's character and thought process. His leadership ability is also on display as he build a team of "combatants" that work together searching the jungles and cities of the PI in searching for the hostages. To make matters worse for the Executioner, two of his teammates in this novel are shady, and Bolan has a very difficult time in trusting them. While he can't quite figure out why, he lacks complete trust and confidence in these two men. With this one feature about the book itself, the author creates a suspenseful flavor to "False Front" that is not necessarily contained in all the Bolan books. This is a must read for Bolan fans and a good choice for a book to give a first-time reader.

This was a solid effort and an entertaining book. As usual with the Executioner series, this book is based very closely to what could be an expected event that would likely happen today. <SPOILER ALERT? A young genius writes an encryption program that is deemed "unbreakable" by all but the young man himself. Once this program gets on the market and purchased by some shady customers (I'll let you read who they are), this man's life becomes at high risk. As bullets starts flying, Bolan is brought in to figure out why someone is shooting up the DC area. The book is highlighted with the usual intense action sequences, and with a very likable and enjoyable supporting character (the computer genius). The author did a very good job of describing this young man as a stereotypical computer expert. By the end of the book, even the Executioner himself likes this man.

A very enjoyable and entertaining story. Of the dozens of Executioner titles I've already read, this is by far my favorite. This book is a classic for a number of reasons. There is tremendous dialogue between the characters, especially The Executioner, Lyons, and Braddock. There are times in the book that you think you're actually in the room. The discussion between Bolan and Lyons in Lyons' living room is Fleming-like. Pendleton also does a great job of bridging his previous book with "Death Squad." This was clearly intentional by the author and virtually allows someone to read the 2nd without needing to read the initial Executioner book. Lastly, both car chase scenes are action-packed and written extremely well. If all Pendleton's titles are equally as good, I look forward to reading more!