Fatal Error

I'm trying to read the books in order (thought I do skip authors I completely despise), making this time in the series rough going. Lots of mediocre books sprinkled among terrible ones. Maybe that has made Fatal Error seem better than it really was, because if you break it down it is by-the-numbers Newton. A damsel in distress (the only difference being it is Val this time), Bolan in role-camo pitting factions against each other, rattling Mob cages around town...however, this time it really works. The extra emotion of a loved one from #1 and a really creepy villian boost this book to a must read. Extra credit to Newton for resurrecting Carboni; it is a long way from #88 and I assumed he had been forgotten about.

Fresh and exciting plot with a blast from the past. I have rarely liked the Mafia books in general but this one was very interesting from the first page and kept me going on till the climatic flaming end. Man, Carboni was like a wild beast, raw and very dangerous and he is up there in the hall of fame for the best villain in the Bolan saga so far…….. being the jing of Bolan´s jang, like an evil twin brother who´s out of control with hatred and rage. The guy was just bad to the bone to say the least!!!! I really love the classic Omega role Bolan uses time and time again to infiltrate and manipulate the Mafia boys and here this role is very well done and not overplayed as often has been done in the past. The tender moment in the end between Bolan and Val was a tender, personal one which added a special yet fitting touch to the end of this exciting book. The verdict……..highly entertaining book with a different, exciting twist. Read it and you will enjoy it (Iceland – 2007)

Excellent book but maybe should have been called Boston Blitz 2. Leo is here and Val makes a comeback but we also see Vince Carboni return from the dead as the bad guy. I guess it's all been done before but Mike Newton writes a good book so if you are reading the series in order as I am this is one of the better titles. my two bobs worth..........

When Newton wants to he writes incredibly great novels. This novel is in his upper tiers for greatness. Not as good as The Trial or Eternal Triangle but oh so fine. I love how this in many ways was a classic mafia novels - for some reason the domestic mafia novels are always the best ones. I loved the return of Val Grey yes she seems only to appear like Princess Daisy from the Super Mario games - ie save the princess from evil clutches. Was this as good as Boston Blitz? No. BB was a far more emotional novel with Mack at his most primal and as close to out of control as I can think of. A true beserker in that novel. Here more mature and in control. I also liked the return of Omega and how the two bosses didn't really buy that he was really an Ace. Carboni was as close to a perfect match for Mack as you can get. I like how he used Mack as a ruse to do his hits. Carboni seemed to be a Mack out of control. Its a shame he didn't stick around as being a Mack foil kind of like Mack's Joker. Carboni would have fit the role well - beyond his burn problem. Its a shame that there has been no steady main villians since Strakhov. All just one shots. I believe Newton had one line wrong and I could be wrong but when Val was getting married I thought Leo not Hal brought Johnny to St Louis. The action scenes were typical Newton - well done and rather short. The scene in the railcar area was a fun scene and rather chaotic with 4 groups fighting each other - Hal, the two mob bosses, Mack and Vince. The lesson of the day for all Mack killers - shot don't gab.

Another excellent mafia story from Newton. In this book, not only does Val Querente and Leo Turrin have roles, but a bad guy from an earlier book is resurected to fight Bolan another round. First appearing briefly in Council of Kings, Vince Carboni ends up getting burned and left for dead in #88 Baltimore Trackdown. Newton must have got inspiration from the Nightmare on Elm St. movies, with the burned and scarred Carboni returning from the dead complete with missing fingers, leaving a claw with thumb and finger, in stead of Freddies claw glove. Mack pulls a great classic role as Omega, in some of the best manipulation of the mafia goons I've read since the Pendleton books. This is what the Executioner does best, and Newton does a great job, I was entertained. With Val captured, it sets Bolan on another of his blitz modes, looking for the man who wants revenge on him, using Val as a lure. The final confrontation with Carboni was a little too brief, but I still rate this story a 9.

A long-time friend of Bolan's has been kidnapped, with an unusual message left at the scene. Meanwhile, a "Bolan Blitz" has started in Denver, while Bolan himself is miles away. Two rival mafia families blame each other, and prepare for war. Enter Mack Bolan. This is one of the better novels of the series. It flashes all the way back to when Don Pendleton was writing the books. Bolan always seems at his best in lone-wolf mode, and although Leo and Hal make appearances, they don't bog down the narrative. The action is fast and furious, the writing better than average, and the ending is satisfying. The only reason this doesn't get a higher rating is that no new ground is broken with "Fatal Error". Nearly all has been done before. However, it is still a good read, and a welcome addition to the series.

Excellent entry. The return of Val and Carboni electrified the story. This one rocked.

It is always fun to see an old villain return. The story was better written than Chet Cunningham's original (council of kings).

BOLAN'S GONE UP AGAINST SOME PERSISTENT OPPONENTS BEFORE BUT CARBONI JUST DIDN'T GET THE HINT. BOLAN CANNOT BE BEATEN. GOOD ONE-ON-ONE IN WHICH BOLAN REMAINS THE VICTOR OBVIOUSLY. YEAH!

This was just a "good" book from Newton, but the final scene of Bolan and Val was a great moment.