Along with plenty of Bolan affiliated action, Dan Schmidt wrote two military team-based series' – 'Eagle Force' and this one, 'Killsquad'. It launched in 1986 with the debut “Counter Attack”, eventually running through nine total installments on the Avon publishing label. This novel, “Mission Revenge”, is the second of the series picking up just 18 days since the events of “Counter Attack”.
The Hangman John Smith is recuperating with his half-dozen killers after the shake-downs in Algeria and Syria. While the World Strike Force is running the show, Killsquad is ultimately a trickle down effect with Smith commanding his team. As the series promises, we know “Mission Revenge” is just another assignment for Killsquad. The reader wants fireworks and Schmidt concocts a familiar story to set the tone.
Eli St. Judas is called The Preacher. He's a TV evangelist taking money from the poor and gullible and building his New Order Church regime in West Virginia. Coincidentally, this same set-up was used by Rich Rainey for his “The Protector #2: The Porn Tapes” using a vile character named The Reverend. Or by Norman Winski for his “Hitman #3: Nevada Nightmare”. Turns out placing a crooked, perverted preacher on the pulpit is a sermon action-adventure readers love to hear. The Preacher has built a mountain fortress in West Virginia and hired an ex-Green Beret team called Charlie Company to protect it (similar to Schmidt's use of Eagle Force vs Phantom Plague in “Eagle Force #3: Flight 666”). We know Charlie Company is going to fight Killsquad...but how much of The Reverend plowing his Queen from behind do we need before we get to the inevitable confrontation? Sadly, this one takes a great deal of patience.
Sometimes this author swings for the fences and lands the perfect combination of action and dialogue. With “Mission Revenge” it just all falls flat. There's a side-story of Russian soldiers being kidnapped and held for ransom...but by this point no one cares. Sure, it is Killsquad invading the religious compound to capture The Preacher but it's just a failed plot that's redundant and more convoluted than its own good. It's a hard pass from me. I carried that cross so you wouldn't have to. 'Killsquad' may not get a resurrection from me anytime soon. Stay away!
In 1953, Fawcett Gold Medal released Charles Williams’ fourth published novel, Hell Hath No Fury. It was later reprinted several times under the alternative title of The Hot Spot, and under that name, it was adapted into a 1990 movie starring Don Johnson and directed by Dennis Hopper.
Our narrator is Harry Madox, the new-in-town, amoral car salesman who observes some odd behavior from the sexy 21 year-old girl in the dealership’s collection’s department. On the same day, he also notices an appalling lack of security at the small town’s local bank. And then there’s the matter of his boss’ voluptuous wife with her lusty eyes trained on Harry.
These three story threads (the girl, the bank, the boss’ wife) are all swirling around Harry’s head when he begins planning a bank heist. As a certified expert in crime fiction bank jobs, I give his plan, execution, and post-robbery actions a solid B+. The complications that arise thereafter are due to minor flaws in the planning amplified by drama with the two women in his life.
Williams’ writing is always top-notch and this is no exception. The prose is crisp, conversational and hardboiled. When one character tells another that he sticks out “like a cooch dancer at a funeral,” you know that you’re in literary good hands. The plot twists and turns were crafted by a master of noir who knows how to reveal great surprises along the way to the conclusion.
It’s hard to believe that Williams only authored 22 novels in his 24-year writing career before his 1975 suicide. His impact on the noir genre really can’t be minimized, and Hell Hath No Fury is a superb example of his early suspense work before he shifted gears to maritime-themed suspense books. Highly recommended.
Author Nicholas Cain is a former US Army MP, sergeant and Vietnam Vet. After penning his experiences for the manuscript “Saigon Alley”, he was later rejected by publishers and convinced by Zebra to convert it to a series entitled 'Saigon Commandos', which ran 12 total books. Cain wrote the 'War Dogs' series as Nik Uhernik, eight entries of 'Chopper-1” as Jack Hawkins as well as writing three novels for 'Able Team' as Dick Stivers. In 1989, the 'Little Saigon' series debut, “Abel's War”, was launched by Lynx Books. It was the first of six novels starring Police Lieutenant Luke Abel, a former MP and Vietnam War vet. The character parallels the author's own life, but is it worth reading? Sadly...it's hit or miss.
Protagonist Luke Abel worked seven years in Old Saigon, three in Santa Ana and another ten years for the L.A.P.D. The book's beginning has Abel working for an elite Department of Justice arm called M.A.G. (Metro Asian Gang) task force. The traditional territorial boundaries between police and Sheriff's departments in the L.A. metropolitan area are largely ignored by M.A.G. The officers selected for this division are skilled veterans approved by the Justice Department and given free reign to conduct investigations as detectives. The book's premise is the rivalry between Chinese and Vietnamese gangs in Little Saigon as the Tet Lunar New Year festivities approach.
This debut plays out like a weird episode of 'ChiPS'. There's talk of the rivalry and a few centralized run-ins with a gang leader, but overall it is just a series of daily procedures in the life of a M.A.G. Officer. None of it is really that interesting and it has taken nearly 2 weeks to complete all 214 pages. It's a bit cumbersome with a lot of flashback sequences revealing Abel's MP work in Vietnam and his unfortunate separation from Xinh, the love of his life. I'm hesitant to agree with the book's title as there really isn't an “Abel's War” to be found here. It's just a standardized police procedural that sort of mucks along. Depending on how much you like the police sub-genre is the gauge on “Abel's War” entertaining you.
I'll pass on the next volume but I'm giving a tip of the hat to Nicholas Cain. His volunteer service time in Vietnam (despite a high draft number) and as a Colorado state trooper is commendable. In 1990 he stopped writing to concentrate on private investigation.
Extensive polling of Men’s Adventure Fiction fans has firmly established that the Parker series of heist novels by Donald Westlake (writing as Richard Stark) is the most popular series of all time. The ninth book in the series, “The Rare Coin Score”, is a great example of why this is the case.
This 1967 installment finds Parker set for money but restless and bored. He’s running through loose and disposable women like old Kleenex while he awaits an invitation from his broker to join a promising heist crew for a good score. Instead, he meets Billy.
Billy is an amateur and a fool putting together a crew of professionals to knock over a rare coin convention in Indianapolis. It’s a challenging heist because the convention will be in a hotel guarded by Pinkerton men. Moreover, collectible coins are hard to steal because they require the thieves to be able to distinguish the valuable ones from the dead weight. And then you’ll need to fence the coins with someone who will give fair value for the plunder. Despite his legion of shortcomings, Billy knows coins has the hookup for the fence, so Parker and other pros go forward with the planning despite their misgivings about the guy.
“The Rare Coin Score” is also the Parker novel where our hero meets Claire, the woman who becomes a significant figure in Parker’s life for the remainder of the series. Parker’s interest in Claire provides the tension of the novel because Billy has his eyes on her as well. Can everyone just set aside their pettiness, puppy love, and jealousy to rob a coin convention like professionals?
It’s not too much of a spoiler to tell you that the heist goes sideways. The Parker novels generally follow the same narrative structure in that most of the novel is told in third-person narration from Parker’s perspective. However, there’s always a section that puts the reader into the head of the other characters leading up to the heist before returning to Parker for the action-packed conclusion. It’s this insight into the secondary players that always reveals the egos, spite, and hidden agendas that ultimately undermine the smooth success of the job. Westlake was an amazing writer, and this literary revelation trick never fails to deliver excitement.
Some Parker paperbacks need to be read in specific order (the first three, for example) and others stand alone nicely. “The Rare Coin Score” is one of the better books in the series that does not require any historical knowledge of previous books. It’s a great origin story for Parker’s girl, and a damn fine heist novel by the master of the genre. Highly recommended.
Atlanta native and author Ralph Dennis launched the 'Hardman' series in 1974 for Popular Library. The debut, “Atlanta Deathwatch”, introduces us to the series hardmen, the aptly titled Jim Hardman and his African-American “protector” in Hump Evans. The series ran 12 volumes, finishing with “The Buy Back Blues” in 1977. In December 2018, Lee Goldberg’s Brash Books imprint will reprint these classics starting with the debut: https://bit.ly/2C4BASi
While certainly dressing the part as the typical 1970s armed-action fare, this debut showcases a much deeper narrative that doesn't quite match the stereotypical cover. Sure, the book has the #1 plastered on the jacket, complete with a painting of guns, car chases and a female hostage, but under all that, I would theorize that these books were planned as stand alone mystery novels that happened to feature the same sleuths. With the popularity of 'The Executioner', I'm sure the publisher rode the marketing wave and presented this as another men's adventure series instead of the straightforward mystery that truth-in-advertising ethics would dictate.
Jim Hardman was an Atlanta detective who lost his gig when his girlfriend Marcy fingered him as an accomplice for her crooked employer. Now, Hardman is an out of shape, financially-strapped everyman taking odd jobs for cash. With a bit of anti-hero flavoring, Dennis has Hardman running drugs up to New York for cash while taking “private eye” type jobs to pay the rent.
Accompanying him is Hump Evans, an ex-NFL player who hit hard times and is in financial dire straits himself. Evans is the enforcer, often playing strongman to protect Hardman from the inherent danger of these odd jobs. For 1970s Atlanta, there is plenty of racial tension that spills over into the investigations. Often, Hardman is canvassing black bars and needs Evans front and center. Other times, it's Evans as the minority in the all-white bars probing bit characters for info. So, what exactly is this Atlanta Deathwatch? Well, that part of it is fairly complex.
Hardman takes on a small job watching Georgia Tech student Emily Campbell's activities. Her father is concerned with her well-being and poor academics and pays Hardman to play spectator. It seems innocent enough until Emily winds up dead in the backseat of a car. Before Hardman can even begin piecing together clues, he's forced into a job by a black crimelord simply called The Man. This mysterious criminal was Emily's lover and he's paying Hardman and Evans to locate her killer. Along the way, they run into Emily's former lover along with more criminals associated with The Man. Emily's father, ex-lovers and politicians are all suspects, but as the clues pile up...so do the bodies.
Ralph Dennis has a real passion for the mystery genre and
'Hardman' possesses all of the key elements that make up the genre – plenty of suspects, a riveting whodunit question, strong characters and enough momentum to keep the reader second-guessing the prior clue's validity. What really sets these characters apart from the jacket's misconception is just how average they are. In one hilarious scene, Hardman is attacked by two enforcers in a car. It's written in the first person and our protagonist reminds us that in these unfortunate situations, the only thing he can do is fart while vomiting all over himself.
Hardman is a poor lady's man – losing Marcy and then somehow gaining her affection/sympathy again. There's not even big guns, knives or fists here. Hardman carries a .38 revolver, and former star athlete Evans is a shotgun man. In fact, the author could have easily ran with Evans being the stereotypical 70s black guy. However, Evans isn't conveyed that way to the reader. I kept thinking of an O.J. Simpson sort of character...”gray” in a time when black and white were clearly defined.
Some have compared the Hardman series to both Robert B. Parker's 'Spenser' as well as Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled 'Mike Hammer'. Regardless of influence, Ralph Dennis clearly has a lot of talent and provides the reader with an enjoyable mystery novel that finishes with a bang. I'm already on the lookout for book two.
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Between 1947 and 1966, Thomas B. Dewey wrote dozens of hardboiled mystery novels - most of which featured successful P.I. series characters, Pete Schofield and Mac. He also wrote a couple stand-alone crime novels under the pseudonym “Tom Brandt,” including 1954’s “Run, Brother, Run!” The original 25 cent paperback may be hard to find, but Wildside Press now has it available as an eBook for a buck and a paperback reprint for a ten-spot.
As the novel opens, Jim Stuart is a financially-struggling Chicago private investigator working undercover in a prison as an inmate for an insurance industry client. He’s monitoring the activities of a prolific jewel thief named Big John Halloran, whose latest heist landed Big John in prison but failed to recover any of the valuable jewels he stole. As such, the insurance company hired Jim to pose as an inmate in hopes that Big John would provide a clue leading to the recovery of the stolen jewels.
Jim’s inmate cover is that of a bank robber, and this attracts Big John’s attention. Things get complicated when Big John hatches a prison break plan with his crime partner that relies on Jim’s participation. Killing a prison guard would create unwanted collateral damage in the undercover assignment, but escaping with Big John might lead Jim to the hidden jewels.
The prison break and getaway occur fairly early in the novel, so a sizable segment of the fast-moving book’s first half occurs while the crew is hiding out in Big John’s secluded mountain lodge. Big John imports a group of girls to entertain the escapees with bawdy songs, striptease acts, and sex. This creates a dilemma for Jim as one of the girls knew him years ago in Chicago under his real name. Will she remember him, alert Big John, and blow the assignment? And then how can he ensure her silence?
Eventually, Big John invites Jim to participate in a heist that a repugnant criminal associate has planned. Although this goes beyond the scope of Jim’s undercover assignment, he agrees in hopes that his involvement and proximity to Big John may lead him to the jewels and the successful completion of this assignment.
The plot twists and turns in some interesting ways, and to the novel’s credit, I was never really sure where it was headed. Dewey’s writing is superb, and Jim’s undercover high-wire act is perpetually nerve-wracking for the reader to experience through the first-person narration of the protagonist. Finally the ending was sufficiently bloody and violent to please the action junkies along for this ride. Overall, a solid crime novel from a reliable author in classic era. Recommended.
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It's hard not to find model Steve Holland's likeness when browsing the 50s, 60s and 70s Men's Adventure line. The American actor portrayed the iconic Flash Gordon in 1954, appearing in 39 episodes. Switching from actor to male model, he appeared in several comics released by Fawcett and Gold Key as well as manly magazines like 'Men' and 'Man's Story'. Holland's biggest contribution was the paperback action genre, with his likeness adorning covers for 'The Executioner', 'The Man from O.R.G.Y.', and 'Jason Striker'. His most renowned work is modeling as “The Man of Bronze”, the pulp fiction hero 'Doc Savage' for Bantam's paperback reissues.
Holland's face can be found on countless comics, magazines and books, but when the 80s hit, was there a new version of Steve Holland? In 1985, New York model Jason Savas originally posed as 'M.I.A. Hunter' Mark Stone for the publisher Jove. The curly black hair, smooth shave, Bruce Wayne chin and high cheekbones was the perfect image of the 80s self-reliant hero. Vigorous, bold and exhibiting droves of masculinity, action readers needed this bravado to match the bullets. Savas was that guy, and his likeness adorns a majority of Stephen Mertz's 16-book series.
Savas was an extremely popular model for cover artists to use throughout the 80s and early 90s. In fact, in the late 80s it is hard to find an action series that doesn't feature a painting of Savas, geared in fatigues and headband with the always present CAR-15. He's always grinding his teeth, ready for battle and exhibiting the internal fortitude to fight your fight. It wasn't always in Southeast Asia or Colombia against drug cartels and communists. No, you could find Savas riding the range (Louis L'Amour), six-shooter in hand with a Winchester in the scabbard. He was there as a street savvy vigilante (Avenger), an ex-CIA mercenary (Eagle Force), a doomsday warrior (Out of the Ashes) or the Vietnam grunt (Vietnam: Ground Zero). Savas knows more about our genre than we do. So much that he wrote his own action novel in 1999. "The Messenger" features a Gulf War veteran working as a bike messenger and fighting crime in New York City.
How Savas was able to become the face of the 80s is anyone's guess. Unfortunately, this Paperback Investigation hit a cold trail. We can't locate an address or anyone who is familiar with his whereabouts. If you or someone you know has a contact, send them our way. In the meantime, we have tons of paperbacks to remind us that Savas is Mark Stone, Matt Hawke, Ben Raines...and you and I.
