Save the Children

Bolan takes on evil in its purest form-child pornographers. This was my first Mertz novel, and he has got some strange sentence structure at times. Still, he manages to craft a captivating and intense read that was quite fluid and enjoyable. It was a solid adventure packed with equally solid action and good side characters. Definitely give this one a read.

Superb entry in the series if you have read and enjoyed the original series by Don then you WILL love this one for sure. The author has taken a tried and tested formula as the basis for the title and added some excellent characters the female Mafia Boss the detective the female sidekick just to name a few, inserted some exciting action scenes which keeps you turning the pages, a believable search to locate sections as he hunts down the Bad Guys and one of the better finishing sections going in these series. I thought he was gone at the end but all of the little side track sections through the title come together at the end to make sense and allow what happens to happen. My major gripe is that this author has given us some of the best work in this series and this is it finished his last title and I for one would love for him to come out of retirement and pen another gem for us to read. If you happen to read this Steven what about it?

Bolan is blitzing in Chi-Town and finds himself up against a female Mafia boss who sells children into sexual slavery. The book's structure is fairly traditional. Bolan pops up in Chicago and starts punching the local Mafia and things start to shake loose. I thought the opening hit sequence was very Pendletonesque. Very nicely done in tone and description. The following car chase, however, was unrealistic because Bolan can't catch up with a Lincoln limousine in a Corvette of all things. Mack should have sucked the doors of that limo at will... The sequence with the two guards on the boat who talk about thinking that Mack - in role-camouflage as a technical diagnostician - could in fact have been the much feared Mack Bolan...was a nice touch. They weren't Mensa candidates, but it was nice to see Mack's opposition show some brains. The character of Denise Parelli - the actual power behind the Capo throne of her son - was a worthy villain. It probably fit the standards of the day, but having Lana Garner pull the MAC-10 from Mack and shot Parelli (so Mack wasn't executing a woman) felt like a cheat. Mack doesn't war on women and children...but Denise Parelli had earned having a marksman medal left on her lifeless corpse. In truth, I think the weakest part of the book is those last couple of chapters. Amidst factual mistakes (18 wheelers use diesel engines...not gasoline) and yet another sequence of the Chicago cops trying to capture Bolan (this time...surprise, surprise...successfully so there can be a dramatic scene between Bolan and the possibly dirty copy Detective Lester Griff) we get Lana Garner joining into the climatic firefight...until she acts "like a chick" and rushes blindly to look after the kids (Ripley and Jonsey the cat at the end of Alien felt less stupid). It basically got a little too pulpy for my preferences. Mack's armament is basic in this story. The Beretta 93-R, Big Thunder and a MAC-10 with a suppressor. Still...not a bad book. I think I'd probably reread this one at some point.

It may sound cliche, "Save the Children" really is like a roller-coaster ride. The story takes place over a single night, with Bolan pulling a marathon running all over Chicago battling the Windy City mob. It starts out blazing, slows down for a few moments, then takes off again, etc. etc. If I had the time I could probably have read this one in just two or three sittings. Though it wasn't my favorite, this Bolan had some really fine elements. Our hero has numerous run-ins with police officers, and the contrasts between the two are intriguing. The police consider Bolan no better than most of the scum he battles, since he has no patience for standard law enforcement procedure. Bolan regards the police as being on the same side as him, but hopelessly tied down by rules and regulations. I also enjoyed the way Bolan's reputation precedes him. The scenes where the thugs realize they are facing The Executioner is priceless - like they thought he was actually some kind of urban legend, and when they find he's real it's their worst nightmare come true. (Yet for some reason, they still think they can take him down.) Bolan sees things in this novel that even he finds disturbing. And with the number of children that vanish in this country every year, more than ever it makes you wish there was a real Bolan who could just wipe out these sickos. Highly recommended.

This was a good book but not one of the best. I like how he killed the senator but the fight in the health club was all right.

Here's the deal: I like "Save the Children" but I can NOT understand why. Mertz' got some sort of mystical intangible authorial quality unmatched by the more technically proficient of the Bolan scribes, and as disgusted as I am by his diction and his sentence construction, as distressed as I am by his cliched metaphors and out-worn Bolanisms, I can't deny that his writing takes a hold of me in way I haven't felt since the first time I read "Monday's Mob." That is, at the end of almost every chapter I found myself breathless, tense, concerned, troubled. Each paragraph, despite obvious flaws (most particulary in the second act of the warehouse scene) leapt, unbidden, off the page and into the realm of my imagination. My right brain kept shouting, "toss this trash aside and take up a more worthy work like "Kill Zone" or "Crude Kill"" but my left brain took over, handling my body like the big guy handles an automag with an extra-large clip. "Keep reading!" it said. "This time, you can't let Bolan down!" Needless to say, I didn't let Bolan down. Take a sit down and take a read of "Save the Children." Also--I work with children, and for those of you who spend a lot of time with young people, this one can be a real eye-opener. Eric Formic

"To the families of missing children. There's hope." Thus reads Steve Mertz's dedication to this truly unique installment in The Executioner series. Unlike most Bolan tales, there are no quotes...simply this dedication. And none are necessary. Just by a strange coincidence, this book came up in my reading rotation a scant 24 hours before the news networks were filled with the glad and astounding news of the recovery of young Elizabeth Smart. Safe and hopefully sound, rescued from the clutches of Animal Man, thanks to the astute observations of citizens who cared enough to take notice. This was THE major news happening in our country just days ago prior to our armed forces engaging in yet another battle against another face, another aspect of the Animal...and it was with this perspective I read this novel. This was truly classic Bolan, at his best, outgunned and outnumbered, battling corruption and evil from both within (the corrupt and perverted US Senator) and without (the evil Parelli clan) the system. Like classic Pendleton, this tale moved from soft probe, to recon and discovery, to a spellbinding hellfire blitz in the classic manner of Mack The Bastard. This novel really brought home the true meaning of Bolan's everlasting war, the protection of INNOCENCE from those who would deny this basic freedom...and in this one it's more then personal...it is to "save the children", our most precious resource. Hell, yeah... If you can remember prior to the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the news was filled with tales of our nation's missing children, it was enough to make the strongest feel despair. And yet... ...wtih the recovery of the young child and the arrest of the evil bastard behind the knife point seige of her very bedroom, it was possible to breath a sigh of relief. As Mr. Mertz said, all those years ago, there is hope...! This book was indeed very cathartic, tho' one can find yourself thinking, however wistfully, that Bolan was out there to deal Justice to the real-life perpetrator, we'll have to hold our faith in the far more realistic hope for swift and hard retribution from our legal system. This book also served as a reminder that you don't need megalomaniacs and weapons of mass destruction to have true evil...in Bolan's world or in ours... Now pardon me as I try to climb off this soapbox...:) Kudos, Mr. Mertz! Well done!

Whewwwww... talk about prescient! Nearly fifteen years before child abductions began to haunt the headlines with disturbing regularity, Steve Mertz tackles a subject every bit as fear-instilling as the threat of terrorism. Yes, at the time it was no doubt a decided change of pace for Bolan to be tackling this type of foe, but for me that makes this book all the more worthy of attention. Ten stars for great writing, snappy dialogue, a keen insight into Bolan's soul, and some riveting action sequences. Worth tracking this one down, boys and girls...

I'm giving this one 8 stars even though in my opinion, it was the weakest book in the number 90's. That shows you how good these books were at this time period. This book isn't as explosive as most books, but it is fast paced, and deals with subject matter that is unique from other titles in this series. Good writing that makes you cheer for Mack as he helps these kids.

Mertz at his best here, spinning a taut yarn that reads as if it were prompted by the spate of child-snatchings last year, though of course it was written years ago. One of the better books in terms of showing Bolan's human side, and after reading so many terrorist-themed books it was refreshing to see Mack go up against his original foes, the Mafia. Highly recommended.

This is a really good book and has really good details..

Probably the only Bolan book with a child on the cover and the book itself was unique in showing an almost paternal side to his character that makes him more well-rounded. Of course, when it came to push and shove, The Executioner came out fighting and took no prisoners in true form. All in all a nicely written, well-plotted entry to the series.

One of my favorites in the series. Steve Mertz was mentored by Don Pendleton, and it shows in his writing. This one is no different in capturing the style of the original books.

The story was realistic and true when it was written and (sadly) still is today. Another great read in the series, whether you read it when it first came out or just recently.

An outstanding entry. The action scenes are very explosive.

A TRUE HERO OUTLOOK AT MACK BOLAN. JUST AWESOME!!!!

This one was definite classic.

This was indeed a great book. The cover is a classic & the story is so realistic. Mack is indeed a hero to all.