Stony Man · #135

Mind Bomb

by Chuck Rogers · February 2015

8.0 / 10 average from 2 rated reviews

Following a series of suicide bombing attacks along the U.S.-Mexican border, the relatives of a dead female bomber attack Able Team, descending from social to homicidal in a matter of seconds. Clearly these bombings are far more than random killings. Searching for an answer to the seemingly psychotic episodes, the black ops group discovers someone is controlling these people's minds with a new drug that leaves them catatonic or dead, after first giving them the extraordinary urge to kill. While Able Team follows leads in the U.S., Phoenix Force heads to investigate similar bombings in the Middle East. With numerous civilians already infected by the drug, they must eliminate the source before the body count of unwilling sacrifices mounts.

Reviews (2)

Jonathan 10/10 December 2, 2025

Now this is more like it. Unlike the previous Stony Man that I tried and failed to start, the first 30 pages of this story just ripped by. The author gives us an intense mission for the teams and I am glad that Able Team got so much story. Yes, mind control has been used in the past, including by Chuck Rogers himself, but I didn't mind. I think the story takes place over a week and there is a lot of globe trotting. Rogers also introduces his unsual outlandish colorful characters, this time in the form of Winters and Rauch. We do not get to meet the villains until the end of the adventure, and I must admit, that part came off feeling a bit rushed. But otherwise this book was thoroughly enjoyable and I recommend. (one pet peeve, and it happens only once, but once again we have characters morphing into each other. Calvin James becomes Carl Lyons who becomes Calvin James within three sentences. Does nobody ever check this stuff?)

Gunslinger 6/10 January 23, 2017

Another of those original plotlines with a drug that causes people to go crazy and kill everything in sight. It was an above-average outing. Both teams getting close to equal time is always a good thing. The Winters character was very cool...sexy, smart, funny and deadly. Loved her interactions with Phoenix Force. The action scenes of normal people just going berserk were rather intense. The Stony Man team hunts for clues as to who the bad guys are, Phoenix has to deal with one of their own being affected. Sort of what Rogers did with Mack in Lethal Trade (which they mention). The final confrontation was just okay, but overall the novel was quite entertaining.