Review: Caribbean Kill: Mack Bolan: The Executioner #10

Caribbean Kill: Mack Bolan: The Executioner #10 by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A compressed timeline story that also further introduces Jack Grimaldi, a mob plane and chopper pilot, who later changes his allegiance to Mack Bolan. The novel takes up immediately after the events in Las Vegas (Vegas Vendetta) and into reliable Don Pendleton high gear with some terrific action and adventure sequences. There are no dull Mafia backstories, females needing protection to advance the plot, no fat to trim, just flat out action. Yeah, the violence and gore can be a bit disturbing so the book may not appeal to most readers. On the Executioner/Bolan scale I give this four solid stars, one of the better of the early novels in the series.

Available from Amazon in paperback or digital.

Review: Return to Vietnam

Return to Vietnam by Stephen Mertz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the pantheon of Mack Bolan stories this book holds a high place for a couple of reasons. First, it returns Bolan to the jungles of Vietnam where his experiences as an extraordinary and deadly soldier led to the creation of the vigilante known as “The Executioner”. Second, it was a precursor and influencer of the POW/MIA movies that soon followed such as “Rambo II”, “Missing in Action”, and “Uncommon Valor”, plus scores of fiction dealing with this issue. The short novel tells the story of Bolan, now a government operative known as Colonel Phoenix, accepting a mission to rescue a POW imprisoned in a modified Vietcong temple. It’s a compressed timeline story with a linear plot and all of the events taking place in a four hour window so the pacing and action is relentless. Bolan is ably assisted by an aging and noble Vietnamese warrior, his beautiful daughter, and a ragtag group of fighters. It’s a definitely a strong entry in the series and I’m thankful to the writer, Stephen Mertz, for helping to bring the POW/MIA issue to the forefront.

Review: The Executioner: Vegas Vendetta

The Executioner: Vegas Vendetta by Don Pendleton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mack Bolan stops off in Vegas to relieve the Mafia of a load of cash and ends up rescuing undercover cop Carl Lyons who tells Bolan about some sinister mob activity in town. Bolan decides to stick around, help out a comedian that has been targeted, and take down a Casino-Resort that is mobbed up. The hip 70’s idioms were a gas, the police are called “the fuzz” and independent women are “Women Libbers”. Bolanverse regulars Hal Brognola, Jack Grimaldi, and the deadly  Talifero brothers all make appearances too. Another lean and muscular action thriller in the long running series that is difficult to put down.

Available for Kindle

Review: Chicago Wipe-Out

Chicago Wipe-Out by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bolan arrives in Chicago, a hotbed of mob activity, and vows destruction of the Mafia families that control the corrupt city. Rather than battle the mob directly, Bolan uses the information provided by a man who had researched the corruption, a man who paid a steep price when his life was devastated by revenge, to identity and manipulate the families into a war with each other. It was interesting that the the book focused more on the Mafia characters than Bolan himself, and that the obligatory love interest, a dancer named Jimi, was merely a minor character. Another very good entry in the long-running series.

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Review: Dead Man Running

Dead Man Running by Stephen Mertz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final entry in the significant, albeit unnamed, Executioner trilogy finds Mack Bolan, using his alias John Phoenix, back in the USA after being framed for a political murder by the KGB and still seeking vengeance from those responsible for the brutal assault on Stony Man Farm. He quickly discovers a conspiracy between the KGB and the Mafia, who are both after him, and Bolan racks up an impressive body count while uncovering clues that lead him to the very heights of the US government. The novel delivers the goods for the riveting spy/espionage action and the relentless violence. Mertz ties up the loose ends to a satisfying and surprising conclusion, and sets in motion a major transformation in the Mack Bolan mythology.

My reviews of the other two books in the trilogy:

• Day of Mourning
• Terminal Velocity

Review: Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity by Alan Bomack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Terminal Velocity is the middle book of an important transitional trilogy in the “Bolanverse” and is the first of the “Super Bolan” books, a whopping 380 pages, more the twice the size of a traditional Mack Bolan book. I was dubious that any author, Alan Bomack - a pseudo for Davide Wade in this work, could pull off an action/adventure book of this length but he handles it with aplomb, weaving three stories into a seamless tale of international espionage. The major plot arc tells the story of Bolan stealing a prototype Soviet helicopter in Afghanistan and the KGB effort to successfully frame the big guy for a high-profile assassination, stranding him overseas, on the run from the law, alone in his effort to clear himself, and still reeling from the devastating attack on his home base in the first book of the trilogy. A fine successor to the excellent Day of Mourning.

Here are my reviews of the other two books in the trilogy:

• Day of Mourning
• Dead Man Running

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Review: The Hostaged Island

The Hostaged Island by L.R. Payne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the series is conceptually strong, telling the story of a group of violent outlaw bikers working in cahoots with a rogue Soviet agent to capture and hold for hostage Catalina Island off the coast of southern California. The narrative shifts from the incursion of Able Team and their efforts to rescue the 1500 local residents of the island that are being held captive, the captives themselves plotting a rebellion against the bikers guarding them, and a small band of locals that have evaded the outlaws and are planning their own attack. Tightly plotted and fast moving, this a wild ride of a book, although some may be turned off by the copious amounts of violence and gore inherent in these types of books.

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Review: Day of Mourning

Day of Mourning by Stephen Mertz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great opening with Bolan fighting terrorists and sharks underwater, ala Thunderball, while retrieving a sunken nuclear warhead. Author Mertz continues to pull out all the stops as Bolan investigates a major plot to attack his base of operation, Stony Man Farm, taking him to Washington D.C. and violent encounters with hired assassins, more terrorists, and for old times sake, the Mafia. Meanwhile Able Team is is heading into a deadly trap in Asia with no way to communicate the danger. Bolan hopes to finish up his detective work, get revenge for the killing of one of his men in an earlier raid that also took out communications, and prevent the looming assault on Stony Man in a race against time. The book is a complete knockout. An outstanding entry in the Executioner series.

My reviews of the other two books in the trilogy:

• Terminal Velocity
• Dead Man Running

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Review: Tower of Terror

Tower of Terror by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The series starts off with a bang as gonzo writer L.R. Payne (G.H. Frost) spins a wild tale with Puerto Rican terrorists, shady businessmen, Vietnamese agents, and ex-commies involved in a “Die Hard” type attack on a NYC skyscraper. Non-stop action with an exciting and exceedingly gory climax are highlights. Lack of character depth and a hurried ending are weaknesses. The mysterious Frost wrote most the the early Able Teams books and I like his out-of-control style. I have some of his other works in my TBR queue. Looking forward to reading them.

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Review: Nightmare in New York

Nightmare in New York by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mack Bolan is immediately wounded in a gunfight with Mafia assassins upon arrival in NYC and is rescued by three hippie-type chicks who nurse him back to health, unfortunately putting themselves into deep danger. Typical action book heroics ensue with Bolan making a series of assaults on the five mob families of NYC. The scene with Sam the Bomber and his wife was a nice touch, showing some of Bolan’s humanity and compassion. The final assault with Bolan infiltrating then destroying the mob compound on Long Island was a satisfying climax. In general a good entry in the series.

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Review: Assault on Soho

Assault on Soho by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bolan is ambushed at the airpot by mobsters in London on his way back from his adventure in Paris and is rescued by a beautiful kinky sex club owner. The Mafia raises the price on Bolan's head and recruits an army of assassins and mobsters, including Bolan's friend and mob infiltrator Leo Turrin. Bolan fights for survival with the aid of the sex club owner all while solving a murder mystery and taking more vengeance on the mob. A fun read, albeit a bit wacky, and definitely incentive to keep reading the Executioner series.

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Review: Continental Contract

Continental Contract by Don Pendleton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of a James Bond vibe to this one as Bolan goes international with an unexpected visit to Paris and the French Riviera, including the casino in Monte Carlo. All this doesn't lend itself well to the established Executioner premise and there are a few times that Bolan acts out of character, some credibility straining coincidences, and more than a few plot holes. I still found it to be an entertaining read although it doesn't quite match up to the previous entries in the series.

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Review: Battle Mask

Battle Mask by Don Pendleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fine entry in the series as Pendleton really fleshes out his Mack Bolan character and the the plot focuses more on intrigue and espionage than on pure action, which can become a bit monotonous and predictable. My favorite of the initial Executioner trilogy.

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Review: Death Squad

Death Squad by Don Pendleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mack Bolan rounds up a team of his former Viet Nam colleagues for a "Death Squad" in his continued war with the Mafia in this action-packed second entry in the series. Much of the action takes place while driving the streets of Los Angeles which reminded me of the Fast and Furious movies. The ten members recruited for the Death Squad seemed a bit excessive and it was hard to keep them straight. A couple of them end up being members of the spin-off series "Able Team" along with a rogue cop who is also introduced in this novel, so this book is probably one of the more essential reads in the Executioner extended universe.

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Review: War Against the Mafia

War Against the Mafia by Don Pendleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read a smattering of randoms Executioners over the years I'm glad that I finally got around to reading the first book in the series. Mack Bolan's motivations and actions are clearly more morally ambiguous in this book, and although Bolan has dedicated himself to a relentless and brutal destruction of "evil", readers may find this somewhat bordering on psychotic. I think that this level of depth makes Bolan a fascinating character, much more than a typical action hero. All in all an excellent action book.

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