Fatal Error

Mack Bolan the Executioner #142

by Don Pendleton (Series Creator), Michael Newton (Contributor)

An anonymous assassin is knocking off Mob kingpins - and Mack Bolan is getting the blame. At the center of a syndicate shipping uncut China white to the States lurks a phantom hitman whose life's obsession is to see Bolan buried. Now the Mob wants Bolan's head for his killings, and they've set a trap by kidnapping someone dear to him. It's a trap Bolan cannot refuse to enter.

With cunning and courage, Bolan slips into the lairs of the big bosses themselves. Then all hell breaks loose.

Now, with death ahead and a relentless killer behind, there's only one way for the Executioner to go. It's got to be an all-out Bolan blitz.

220 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Don 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

Reviews

[Erich Jacoby-hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent addition to the Executioner series by Mike Newton. In many ways, it parallels his earlier book "Eternal Triangle" (#101), in that both books involve a survivor of a past Bolan blitz trying to turn the tables and lure Mack into a trap. But there are enough differences to make this a worthwhile read. Once again, Mack's enemy is someone he didn't realize existed, who has been observing the Executioner long enough to learn some of his habits and use them to set a trap, even imitate the Executioner to create extra confusion. But this time, the stakes are higher - not only Bolan but an old friend (from the first book in the series) are in peril. Luckily he also has friends on his side. The body count in this book is higher than in #101, as a feud between rival mob factions plays a bigger role. You are left until the very end to find out whether the hostage will survive or not, and if so, in what condition.

The Bolan of this book stays true to his colors, but is challenged by not knowing who or where his opponent is, leaving him to try and find a way to adapt his usual blitz tactics to flush him out.

[David Hamilton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t like this one. The Mack Bolan I’ve come to enjoy is cool and blows up lots of stuff, but this story was a bit too dark. Not quite my thing. Still, there’s always one more mission.