Sigredep

This one now, is different type of warfare we haven't seen in any of previous battlegrounds! Sure there's that Bolan Effect, but it's not fast and furious like in the others. This one is more like playing cat and mouse game to pry out mafioso fingers from the citizenry! Overall, I rated this one an 8 due to it's complexity of creating a scenario where Bolan had very few set targets and shrouded in mystery of who is actually "guilty". It was really great seeing Gadgets and Pol again in this one. For the series, keep truckin' on! Bolan cleaned up once again! Recommended read since this is just a preview of what Bolan can do later. Sig

Hmm... the nation's capital gets to experience Bolan's brand of blitzkrieg warfare. However, this one is a bit of a let-down and that's to be expected after Boston. Yet, this one had some strange twists and the ending was something that could not be predicted until it became clear who exactly Lupo is. If you're looking for a great read, there are others that are better. For the series, it fills in nicely. Sig

Whoooooooahhhhhh... Talk about unleashed rage!!! From the beginning to the San Francisco, we've seen Mack in different modes of combat as a thinking and moving machine with disdan for Mafia. This one completely made it personal for Mack, his rage in Boston is simply too awesome to behold. Imagine an Viking Berserker in modern times Mack Bolan. I got a sense of a human being completely enraged that is barely in control. There wasn't a big Mafia presence in Boston like there were in other cities; however, Mack manages to unearth a plot of having a Mob figure high up in social circles. I gave this one a 10! Any time I look at this book, I'll remember the barely restrained rage while he was looking for Val and Johnny. I'm betting in that wake of the unleashed rage he left in Boston, the Mafia hoods took notice to leave his family alone. You can't afford to miss this one, this is where it shows Mack's true side! Sig

Okay, I read this in series order. I enjoyed the action scenes where Mack took down the Mafia hoods hard. The scene where Mack had to deal with two porn girls cracked me up. I loved it when he rampaged around the Capo's mansion on Nob Hill. A lot of intense battles around that area. However, I have no clue on as to who Mr. King is. The ending fell flat just like it did in previous book in the Caribbean Kill. Where exactly is Mr. Pendleton going with these two books ending with mysterious kingpins. I don't think we'd ever get an answer to that question. #11 in the series, reading on! Sig

By far, this is one of best books to date. Jack Grimaldi makes his appearance here albeit as a enemy for a short while before he finally decided to cast his lot with Mack. I loved that Mack had to pretty much figure a way out of a very tight box and it showed how dangerous he can be when cornered in a very bad spot. His relationship with Evita is beautiful and very simple. The only negative blemish of this book is the ending. I have no clue as to who Mack just whacked the international kingpin. I don't like books ending with little to no info about a particular enemy. #10 in the series... Read on! :) Sig

Don Pendleton... You've outdone yourself in this one! This book I devoured in a hour! This is where we run into the Ranger Girls the first time. I have to say I loved the spunk of Toby Ranger! :) The Ethnologist Tommy Anders isn't even funny at all. I'd have to agree with previous reviewer that his inclusion is a filler. The action begins with Bolan bailing out Carl Lyons, the middle sees Bolan taking over the Casino and in the end he makes his biggest escape. My disappointment is the duel of the Talifero brothers. I expected something else in mind for those two. That's why I rated it as a 9 rather than 10. Don't miss this one! You'll enjoy it! :) Sig

This one took me by a surprise. There wasn't much in the way of action. However, we did get to see a side of Bolan that was only hinted at in previous books. I liked how well he managed to plot a story that showed his thinking at outwitting those Chicago boys. This showed more of a finesse side of Bolan rather than direct action. If you're looking for a lot of action, skip this one but if you are reading it for series. Then, be prepared to see Mack in a different light. Sig

This one I enjoyed a lot! It started out a little slow but those three girls... I suppose I'd enjoy being nursed back to life by those! :D About halfway through, the details of turkey victim of Evie Clifford certainly gave me vivid images of what a turkey looks like. I can't blame Bolan for going after those two-bit hoods hard. I loved the action at the Stoney Lodge. Yet, there are some loose ends that was left there at the end. This one is a fair read and will give you good action! :) Sig

Hmm... this one is a so-so... took me two days to read it when it would normally take me 2 hours to finish a book of that size. London scene is interesting but the content of how he got sucked into a macabre setup... that didn't sound too realistic for it to happen. Though, I liked seeing Arnie Farmer get bought in this one. If anything else... read it for progression of the series. Sig

It gets a 5 because the characters in the book isn't as fully developed as earlier works. Plus, the setting is in southern France and it doesn't seem real. I have to wonder why did Don Pendleton felt the need to bring him outside of US. It does have merits for good action scenes and put in an ultimatum on the Mafia there. The only thing that bothers me a lot is that Bolan didn't kill Rudolfi the first time he ran into him... If I had to guess, Don was having a writer's block on this one. Pass this one if you must, I read it due to being number 5 in the series. :)

Miami Massacre... what can I say? It is certainly different in some aspects. Bolan had to do a bit more of intelligence gathering than he would normally do. Even the information he had, it wasn't all that much. Bolan made do by identifying the hard site and blow it all to hell! I enjoyed the part where Bolan tricked the Mafia idiots at the airport. Also, the part where he managed to elude the cops with a help of Toro was decently plausible. The only thing I hated about this book is Margarita's death. Thus, this is the book where Bolan heard the words: Live Large. Sig

Hmm, this one didn't excite me as much as the first two. Though, I am very happy to see that Deej got it at the end! I did enjoy reading this one due to the amount of role-camouflage that Bolan is famous for. It sucked that Bolan's war buddy Brantzen got turkeyed! I can easily imagine him being part of Stony Man Farm support characters as a doctor and plastic surgeon when it's time to replace faces in order to keep takin' the battle to the enemy! Well, it only is a so-so yarn other than seeing Deej get what he deserved! Sig

I enjoyed this book immensely. However, there are negatives at the end! That's why it's got a 9 star not 10! I will not forgive Don Pendleton for killing off Boom-Boom Hoffower and Bloodbrother Loudelk! Those two would potentially have become part of the Phoenix Force teams if they had survived! I can easily see those two show up periodically along the Executioner's path. The other deaths I can understand why it made it necessary for Mack Bolan to walk the first mile alone! The only one another that I could imagine seeing Mack Bolan hanging out with is the Whispering Death Zitter. If you started reading Mack Bolan, this one is the one everyone needs to read as to why he must walk alone forevermore! Sig

Hmm... where to begin? Aha... I have a quite a bit of a tale to share! When I was 7 or 8 years old in mid 80's, I told my Grandfather that I wanted his entire book collection when he died without realizing implications of what I was asking! My grandpa laughed hard at that! So, over the years, he has been bequeathing some of his collection to me such as Survivalist, Death Merchant, and SOBs series. I enjoyed them immensely when I was a teenager. By the time I was in my 20's my Grandpa and I have begun hunting books together. Although, he and I had different tastes at the time. He was after the missing Mack Bolan series while I was going after Fantasy section. He did mention that he has put my name to take all of his books in his will. Now, I am in my 30's my grandfather decided to give me seven office file sized boxes full of The Executioner, Able Team, Phoenix Force, Stony Man and some of other odds and ends over the recent Thanksgiving break. I actually began reading the Executioner series immediately. It wasn't until I needed to look up the series list to find out what I am missing when I hit #63. Turns out I needed to read Terminal Velocity to link up the series. That's how my search found me here and I decided to go back to the beginning and give ratings with each book since I'm still in early Mack Bolan series. I can easily devour 180 pages in two hours flat. This won't pose a great difficulty. :) Now, time for my actual review! I completely enjoyed this first installment of the series, I could feel the rage that Mack had boiling underneath his hide for the loss of his parents and sister. I have to admit since this one was published way before I was born, I was blown away by awesome battle scenes and how Mack begun his impossible trek against the Mafia. We meet Leo Turrin who would become one of his strongest allies over the years. I wondered how the heck does Mack manage to put Leo's handling of his sister Cindy behind him when he must be holding back the rage he feels towards him. I would have at least popped a fist on his chin for that! Other than that, the book was well-written and I was able to get hooked into Mack Bolan series right away. It is filled with enough battle scenes to make it plausible. However, the sex scenes seemed over the top. Then again, considering how long he hasn't had been with a woman while being the Penetration Specialist in Vietnam for a long time. I can almost forgive those sex scenes. I would've done the same thing if I was in his boots. Though, I wouldn't know what it's like to walk in that first mile! My recommendation: If you are hooked into Mack Bolan books, this one kicks it off to awesome start and his illustrious career as one man blitzing army! You gotta have this one to understand the beginnings of his Mafia war!