Backlash

Well for me this is one of the worst books I have read in the series and quite frankly it seemed like some sort of spy thriller CIA type story with the big guys name pasted in at appropriate places. He does very little in this title until the end and you will read a spaghetti plot line which introduces characters by the page and then forgotten until later, you will wonder what the hell is going on and wish you had a spreadsheet handy with nice columns arranged to sort out who is who. Two thirds way through this you will finally figure out what is going on and there are two candidates being sponsored by the CIA for the upcoming Nicaraguan elections and the big guy is guarding one of them ? Why? They are both MASS murderers and guilty of gross atrocities and the big guy is going to protect one of these animals as the last couple of years in exile has mellowed him out a tad to oust Ortega? Crap! This is NOT Bolan let me give you the tip. If you know the character and read this you will constantly stop and query what you are reading and think umm/well/huh/okay but hmm why? I think it would be fair to say that apart from the Easter Bunny Ears and the occasional rewrite by his nibs I rarely slate a title but I absolutely hated this with a vengeance let me tell you. The last hundred/and fifty pages I struggled to even finish it but my pet hate is reviews of titles which have not even been completed so I forced myself to finish this gem. Now folks let me tell you that even if you have never read one of these associated series titles there are a few things which are set in stone for the Mack Bolan character. I personally think that the two MOST important of these being 1) the big guy WILL NEVER endanger innocents in any way and has on numerous occasions called off pending actions to protect those same or 2) that he WILL NEVER DRAW AND SHOOT on a Police Officer who he regards as soldiers on his side. FACT he won't do it his whole character after how many hundred titles this is the essence of the man and it is disgraceful for an author of these series not to be aware of the character he is writing about. BUT continue original revue.... And it didn't finish with anything special apart from Mack (James Bond) enabling the remote detonator for the bomb on the dais where guess who is and detonating same with thousands of innocents crowding the stage? HOW MANY PEOPLE (INNOCENT PEOPLE) were killed in that explosion ????????? This goes against EVERYTHING that the big guy stands for! NOT THE FIRST TIME check out Executioner #132 The Big Kill this same author has no compunctions with the big guy just blowing away cops? HUH ????????? Not for me I am afraid.

I think this is McDade's best Bolan since Meltdown, the pacing is consistant through the whole book, and it is loaded with adventure and action between the covers. It does have some problems, one of them being times where you were not clear on just where a scene was taking place, or how or why they were there. Scenes jumped around a little too much, and Bolan spent a lot of time reacting to situations, rather than having a plan of action. His shooting seemed off the mark too often. Most of the first half of the story takes place in south Florida, and the second half is in Nicaragua, where a dictator wanna be named Pagan is getting secret help from top level CIA agents. Unfortunately they are backing the wrong guy, in it for the money rather than supporting the best regime for the country. That's where Bolan comes in, to sort through the mess and help the General who opposes Pagan. A fair amount of conspiracy, entertaining scenes, and nonstop adventure made up for the books faults, and I enjoyed the novel.

Bolan takes down a drug smuggler only to find that he may have been CIA sponsored. Before long, Bolan is involved in a power struggle in Nicaragua, fighting both corrupt officials and CIA agents gone rogue. Blehh. Maybe this book meant something in the early 90's, but it has not stayed fresh. The Cold War battle has lost a lot of punch in the last decade. However, it was the writing that really brought this book down. Action scenes are few and far between. Even worse, the narrative is extremely disjointed. For several chapters, the point-of-view bounces between Bolan and a CIA ally. However, there is not enough to sustain interest in even one plot line, much less two simultaneous plots. Overall, this was a poorly thought out book. The drug smuggling aspect vanishes before being fully exposed, and Bolan is dropped into a confusing, poorly-written, dated plot that fails to excite.

This was a pretty good read which I did enjoy-the begining was entertaining, Mack being attacked by the helicopter and all. The chase through Miami and the scene above the warehouse were also interesting, and the end was great, but it had too many slow parts.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER AND A LITTLE DIALOGUE WOULD HAVE HELPED.

Better than Flash Point, but still nothing great. An average read, but what a great ending