Stand Down

I could probably copy and paste the review I submitted for the previous title and in fact will for the final part. Once again a first time author in the series who also feels compelled to publish in another name not his own (never figured out why authors do this but anyway)? Very good title for a first up effort original plot and I must admit from the start I enjoyed the writing style as I progressed through. I enjoyed the characters introduced especially the snotty nosed son of the Drug Lord and the daughter of the couple murdered at the start. Lots of good action scenes which will keep you interested but again a major flaw as with the previous title and the following HAS been copied and pasted from the previous review. Recommended reading here and very much looking forward to this authors next release in whatever name he chooses to publish under. BUT only a rating of 3 you may ask. Simple Mr. author I can only hope prior to you releasing your second work in this series which has already been published you actually spent some time in researching the character you are writing about if you did you would find a MAJOR FLAW with your first release in this series and this stands out with flashing lights to anyone who has read any more than a few titles in these series. HE DOES NOT KILL COPS! FULL STOP, END OF STORY EVEN CORRUPT ONES. HE DOES NOT KILL COPS! FIVE stars deducted from what was a good read in the series.

Welcome John Helfers. This was nicely done. I like the "oh, by the way" aspect of this story. On his way back ??, Bolan stops off an a small little community like any other to find a major conspiracy. Unlike virtually all other Executioner books, there is no Washington DC directed, the world or country is at stake, etc., kind of theme. Bolan happens upon a small town with average people all apart of something that few recognized ... until they were "touched" by it. Also, with the teenage girl, local police, et al, there were a few well-written and included support characters. This was more than the usual Bolan destroying dozens with single shot, and the action sequences were quite meaningful due to the reader's emotional relations with the support characters. Perhaps the only draw back for me was the town's people involvement at the end as it seemed a little to unbelievable. However, it did support the small town, all for one mentality that you'd expect to find in a small, mid-western area. Yes, the opening was great, and it continued right until the end. I'm now anxious for 399 and the author's next work!

I admit it. I have a sotft spot for this kind of Bolan story--no big mission handed down from on high, no nukes, no threat to the world as we know it; just a town of innocent people who need help. In fact, this book had two huge factors going for it, in my opinion: the first, I just described. The second, this book is more about the story than about the acttion. Yes, there's plenty of action, but this book is much more about the characters and the plot. This makes the action scenes so much more engaging. Too often in Bolan stories, there's so much emphasis on bloodshed and body count that it's easy to get lost and forget what the hell's going on in the first place. That never comes close to happening in this book. My cudos to the author for making the choice to tell this kind of story in this way. I, for one, had a great time reading it.

For the most part, this one was written decently, sometimes it just didn't sound like Bolan would say the things he said or thought. But that's just me. I did enjoy the plotline of the town under the control of a drug dealer. Not a whole lot of action...it moved in fits and starts, but the angle with the missing daughter was very good. I had mixed feelings about the final battle where the townspeople get in on it, but the car chases were slick. So, overall a good adventure, but a few issues from having me rate it higher.

This is a well written story with plenty of action. It starts with Mack coming across a situation while driving through a small town. He knows something is going on and being who he is he has to investigate. He rescues a teenage girl and it is nice to see how he interacts with her while keeping them both alive. His conversations with Bear were great. And at the end it was nice how he got the towns people to help save their town. All around a well written story. No over the top mission to save the world just Mack doing what he does best- protecting the innocent.

After the demise of the Room 59 series, the authors have moved on to other GE series. Davis has his second Executioner in this shipment, this time under his Room 59 alias of "Garret Dylan", and Helfers, after chipping in a couple Deathlands books, takes his first crack at Bolan with Stand Down, this time under the guise of "Travis Morgan". Overall, I thought Helfers did a better job with the Bolan character compared to Davis, even though it felt at times like just another agent by another name that could have been in a Room 59 story. Nevertheless, I thought this first-time effort was done very well, and the balance between storytelling and action was just right. What I really liked about this adventure was Bolan starts off driving through the middle of America, comes through a small town, finds a bad situation happening, and decides to get involved. At the end, he continues on, having not only an adventure as only Bolan could have, but making a significant impact on a place where most writers would not have thought or bothered to write about. There is no world hopping, country crossing, foreign adventure here, just a small town in the middle of nowhere, Kansas, but I like reading this kind of Executioner story now and then. A variety of chases, rescues, infiltration, and danger keeps the story moving, with a decent selection of allies and villains as Bolan is determined not to leave this town until the drug lord and his whole business is eradicated from this town. I loved the last paragraphs, it was an excellent way to cap the story.