Created, the Destroyer (The Destroyer, #1) in SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group

Jun 01, 2015 Mike (the Paladin) rated it really liked it

Shelves: action

Back in the 1970s I was fond of what were then usually called "Men's Adventure Books". Today I suppose that would be considered Politically Incorrect. However I did enjoy them at the time...no apologies here I also like double cheeseburgers, french fries and chocolate malts...not to mention the occasional beer.

Oh, and Coca-Cola, I love Coca-Cola...my one true addiction.

Of late my attention has been drawn back to these old treasures of violent yet simplistic action by a younger friend here on Goo Back in the 1970s I was fond of what were then usually called "Men's Adventure Books". Today I suppose that would be considered Politically Incorrect. However I did enjoy them at the time...no apologies here I also like double cheeseburgers, french fries and chocolate malts...not to mention the occasional beer.

Oh, and Coca-Cola, I love Coca-Cola...my one true addiction.

Of late my attention has been drawn back to these old treasures of violent yet simplistic action by a younger friend here on Goodreads who has discovered them (thank you Frankie).

These books (and here we're talking about The Destroyer) were largely a reaction to a sharp rise in the crime rate. The country was in in the throes of a fairly pacifistic reaction to...well to almost everything. This was also when I was in the military and Vietnam was at it's height. Criminals were largely being viewed as victims and many people were very frustrated with it all. It was the era that gave us Dirty Harry (Callahan), Paul Kersey (Death Wish), Bullitt (1968), The Punisher and other vigilante type heroes.

Here we meet Remo Williams, a police detective going to "The Chair". He's to be executed for killing a drug dealer.

BUT he is swept away to receive training in all forms of combat and stealth. He is at last given over to the tutelage of Chiun. I won't go into Chiun as to avoid spoilers but he does seem to have written the introduction to the edition of the book I have.

Anyway Remo now works for CURE a secret agency set up by President Kennedy... They must deal with criminals the system can't.

If you read any of these series you'll see that as a popular theme. Either an agency, a shadowy group or an individual sets out to fight some criminal element that the courts simply can't deal with, criminals who always end up walking free due to some technicality.

Okay...I like many if not most of these books (though some do give me a good laugh from time to time). Like the huge soft drink, the large steak meal at the steakhouse, like the huge burger with extra cheese and maybe bacon, like a boilermaker or that triple fudge sundae this is great mental junk food. This book, it's sequels and the others in this almost forgotten group of series books it/they are pure adventure. There is violence, obvious good guys and bad guys usually a touch (or sometimes much more than a touch) of sex it's all fast action in a quick tale.

Enjoy, I plan to catch up on a lot of these I haven't looked at for like 40 years. ...more

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