Hostile Crossing

I am fairly new to the series, having read a dozen or so in the last year in a half. I generally turn to Bolan when I'm looking for heavy action. This book didn't provide the normal intense shootouts that Bolan usually finds himself in, but I was by no means disappointed. I thought the book was well plotted. Everything fit well together, and the storyline was was fairly believable. I would have liked to see more interaction between Bolan and the Farm, but I don't view that as a negative just a personal preference.

Like all the Jerry VanCook books I have read, Hostile Crossing is well-written and worth reading. But this was my least favorite of his Executioner novels, mostly because I found it too difficult to accept the protagonists as credible. Their hypocrisy was too obvious and it seemed unlikely that their plot would advance as far as it did. Still, it was entertaining.

Well I usually enjoy Jerry VanCook's books but this is not up there with some of the others he has written in the series. The major villan as pictured on the front cover could indeed be described as fresh/new/novel/interesting but could also be described as childish/pathetic/laughable/cowardly/pathetic. Probably a bit of all the above and toss in a sub plot with the Mexican side of the deal where the identity of the major player is not known and this could have been so good. But no as previously reviewed the book seems to focus on Bolan proving himself to the Mexican syndicate and trying to gain their trust. The climax comes in just a couple of pages so take a deep breath and read the last couple of pages and the epilogue and you have it. All of the major players who are still alive of course roll over and spurt information which they have as a result of some crap new weapon which has fired "something" at them ? As mentioned this all happens in the last couple of pages. Very disappointing for me I think he has written far better stuff than this.

This was a big improvement over the last two recent books I read in this series. Much better writing, more developed characters, and some nice plot twists. There were a few spots where I thought the writer dropped the ball -- like another reviewer said, that scene where Bolan leaves his war bag in his car where kids might get to it -- but at least I had the sense that an effort was being made to write a decent book with some originality. I liked the cover, too, even if this guy still doesn't look like Bolan's supposed to. I'll keep trying to get back into the series in hopes that more books are written like this one instead of the other clunkers I read.

I liked this very much down to earth Bolan adveture. No über-villains or mad jihadist this time. Main advesaries were quite beliavable. Role camouflage scenes are all ways good thing. Ending was in my opinion fitting to story. There are only two action scenes involving Bolan but that does not really matter to fact this quality reading.

I found it kinda refreshing, the villan that is. You get the idea from the cover of the book, the young disillusioned college students who think they are gonna change the world - they aren't counting on Mr Bolan though. A good read. The undercover stuff sometimes gets tiresome in these books , how Bolan always has to "Prove" himself. The mission he does to prove he's on the bad guys side was a little far fetched - shooting live rounds mere inches away from some guys head - Would I volunteer for that - I guess I would if Bolan was on the other end of the sniper rifle, but overall a great little novel. Eh Kay says check it out !

I was not happy with the writing of this book at all. The story line was excellent. The writer seemed to me to be just filling in space and not paying attention. IE there was a passage where Bolan was driving a Wrangler jeep he paid a child to watch it but there was no mention of taking his war bag inside the seedy motel. It was a convertable and he would never leave the bag in the open overnight and with kids around. Other little things were irksome too. Like comparing a shower to an old mans urine stream. Just plain odd. Just my humble opinion. Larry