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The Executioner #36
Executioner 36: Thermal Thursday
Book by Don Pendleton
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1979
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,538 books196 followersDon Pendleton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, December 12, 1927 and died October 23, 1995 in Arizona.
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 11, 2026
The Executioner Mack Bolan is in Florida to take on a mafia crew who has bought a coastal island amid rumors of a project called "Lucifer's Ladder." Bolan's investigation takes him inside the project there undercover, the details of which I'll hold off here since it would be spoilery.
The Bolan-targeted mafia is essentially a shadow government of evil and destruction laying waste to millions of Americans with its narcotics, gambling, prostitution, and greater vices, setting the stage for an epic one-day conflict.
A quick series situation note: the Executioner Mack Bolan, who spends his post-Vietnam life in America as a vigilante operative against the mob, has been offered a pardon by the President for his prior crimes. Now Bolan is trying to eliminate the entire American mafia in a single week before accepting the pardon. This "Thermal Thursday" (1979) is the fourth day of that week.
"Thermal Thursday" is the 36th episode of the long-running series and was written by series creator Don Pendleton. Mack Bolan, aka The Executioner, aka "Sergeant Mercy," aka the Blacksuit, is a mob-killing vigilante, a war vet with a photographic memory, wiretapping skills, the ability to go undercover as a bad guy, firearms and explosives proficiency, and the owner of a tricked-out RV dubbed the Warwagon, a “rolling dreadnaught with advanced electronics systems that had added new dimensions to his war effort.”
In keeping with the One Week motivation for destroying the mob before he accepts his pardon, "Thermal Thursday" is the fourth of a sequence of tales that are essentially one-day missions to take out parts of the American mafia, and will continue with "Friday's Feast" next.
Verdict: A really fun action and subterfuge caper with a dastardly evil sinister plan to foil by America's greatest warrior against organized crime.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
The Bolan-targeted mafia is essentially a shadow government of evil and destruction laying waste to millions of Americans with its narcotics, gambling, prostitution, and greater vices, setting the stage for an epic one-day conflict.
A quick series situation note: the Executioner Mack Bolan, who spends his post-Vietnam life in America as a vigilante operative against the mob, has been offered a pardon by the President for his prior crimes. Now Bolan is trying to eliminate the entire American mafia in a single week before accepting the pardon. This "Thermal Thursday" (1979) is the fourth day of that week.
"Thermal Thursday" is the 36th episode of the long-running series and was written by series creator Don Pendleton. Mack Bolan, aka The Executioner, aka "Sergeant Mercy," aka the Blacksuit, is a mob-killing vigilante, a war vet with a photographic memory, wiretapping skills, the ability to go undercover as a bad guy, firearms and explosives proficiency, and the owner of a tricked-out RV dubbed the Warwagon, a “rolling dreadnaught with advanced electronics systems that had added new dimensions to his war effort.”
In keeping with the One Week motivation for destroying the mob before he accepts his pardon, "Thermal Thursday" is the fourth of a sequence of tales that are essentially one-day missions to take out parts of the American mafia, and will continue with "Friday's Feast" next.
Verdict: A really fun action and subterfuge caper with a dastardly evil sinister plan to foil by America's greatest warrior against organized crime.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
December 8, 2022
he Executioner series has never been realistic (one man single handedly and constantly besting the most well organized crime syndicate in the world with the eventual blessing and basically a blank check to continue from the President? Not exactly the most believable), however they’ve always at the very least readable and mostly entertaining.
While that trend continues with Thermal Thursdayit’s easily one of the most out there of the original 38 and therefore one of the harder to suspend my disbelief on. Readers are now expected to believe the mafia is somehow capable of connecting massive underground highways that span the length of the entire western hemisphere to transport their illicit goods back and forth right under the nose of the FBI.
Yeah, Pendleton went the James Bond route with this one…but I guess when there’s only 2 books left until Bolan’s tactics go in a totally different direction, he had nothing to lose in writing it.
While that trend continues with Thermal Thursdayit’s easily one of the most out there of the original 38 and therefore one of the harder to suspend my disbelief on. Readers are now expected to believe the mafia is somehow capable of connecting massive underground highways that span the length of the entire western hemisphere to transport their illicit goods back and forth right under the nose of the FBI.
Yeah, Pendleton went the James Bond route with this one…but I guess when there’s only 2 books left until Bolan’s tactics go in a totally different direction, he had nothing to lose in writing it.
March 8, 2022
Well during this final week of Bolan's war on the mafia he arrives in Florida. He knows of smugglers who are hijacking the more amateurish ones and taking their loot, called the devil force. He breaks in on them and let's one "escape", this runner leads him to a underground mafia base and something called The Lucifer Ladder. He has the day to figure out what it is and how to stop it.
Highly recommended, I enjoyed it quite a bit just trying to figure out what all the mafia's plans were. Bolan also is fun in his undercover role trying to piece together what is going on while strolling along with all of the mafia goons.
Highly recommended, I enjoyed it quite a bit just trying to figure out what all the mafia's plans were. Bolan also is fun in his undercover role trying to piece together what is going on while strolling along with all of the mafia goons.
December 9, 2022
Structurally, this is almost trying to be a science fiction novel, which would be really interesting if it were pulled off with any grace. Pendleton gives us the barest idea of a premise before diving back into a "Bolan impersonates a mafioso" plot, which, by this point in the series, was wearing pretty thin as plot devices go. This could have worked well in the Super Bolan series with the additional space to explore the details of the smuggling scheme, but in this shorter format, there's not enough time to tell a satisfying story.
May 12, 2015
An excellent men's adventure series from the 60s, 70's and 80's. The first 38 books are outstanding but then the series is taken over by a bunch of new writers writing under the name of the original creator and they take the series into a new direction I did not care for. The first 38 books are very recommended
September 14, 2019
What is Satan's Hammock?
What is Satan's Hammock? And why is the Mob interested in it? It's up to Mack Bolan to find out. Will he stop the evil plan? Or is this the end for Mack? Read it, and find out. You'll be glad you did!
What is Satan's Hammock? And why is the Mob interested in it? It's up to Mack Bolan to find out. Will he stop the evil plan? Or is this the end for Mack? Read it, and find out. You'll be glad you did!
April 3, 2021
now it was the fourth day. The place was Florida. The time was Thursday. The situation was, yeah, possible … but just barely.
September 6, 2026
2026 - War Against the Mafia (The Executioner series by Don Pendleton. One book a week for the year with a bonus short story.)
Week 36
Two days left before Mack becomes a government agent. Two books left and I may call this challenge done.
Week 36
Two days left before Mack becomes a government agent. Two books left and I may call this challenge done.
February 27, 2018
A nice quick afternoon read. Nolan is the man!
April 7, 2019
Almost through that 'last' week
December 8, 2019
Not one of the best. The book gets bogged down when it becomes a geology lesson in the second half. Just skip the large paragraphs of geology.
April 21, 2022
This might be the worst of the original Pendleton canon. The whole final week theme becomes tedious by Thursday.
October 23, 2023
The Mob is building a weapon of mass destruction? why??
July 8, 2014
The three stars is how I felt this book fit into the whole series. This one was average. The writing was engaging and economic. April Rose was either less annoying than normal, or I've just come to accept her grating dialogue. There is a big spoiler in the next paragraph, but I need to say it--sorry.
This installment seemed more mystery than action, and the story was fun but quite unbelievable. There is a Doctor Evil-like secret mafia base in the Everglades where the Mob kidnaps drug-smugglers and forces them to build a tunnel to Cuba, or Columbia, or Peru...it never quite cleared up where the Mob was trying to go, but the tunnel was going under the sea and had a Disneyland-like monorail for Mack to ride in. Sadly, there was no Pierce Brosnan era James Bond shootouts from the Mono--that would have been on par with this episode.
This series really ended in '#29 Command Strike.' Only two of the books since #29 were good, this one was a bit silly. I'll read '#37 Friday's Feast' soon enough, but I have a more serious read to get through first.
This installment seemed more mystery than action, and the story was fun but quite unbelievable. There is a Doctor Evil-like secret mafia base in the Everglades where the Mob kidnaps drug-smugglers and forces them to build a tunnel to Cuba, or Columbia, or Peru...it never quite cleared up where the Mob was trying to go, but the tunnel was going under the sea and had a Disneyland-like monorail for Mack to ride in. Sadly, there was no Pierce Brosnan era James Bond shootouts from the Mono--that would have been on par with this episode.
This series really ended in '#29 Command Strike.' Only two of the books since #29 were good, this one was a bit silly. I'll read '#37 Friday's Feast' soon enough, but I have a more serious read to get through first.
September 1, 2014
One of the breezier Executioner installments I've read. Bolan gets wind of the mob's involvement in some hijacking in Florida and stumbles upon a much more nefarious plan. Like Executioner #35 the book feels like a bit of a shift from Mack's relentless war against the mob as the series sets up for his coming in and becoming an anti-terrorist operative for the US government.
December 21, 2007
read 05.08.84
Read
May 26, 2013silly but fun to read
August 17, 2016
read some time in 1981
June 24, 2018
Lots of action in this final week. If you like Pendleton's writing (which I do) you'll like it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews