Double Action

"Double Action" is pretty good but comes just short of being great. It starts a bit slow but picks up once the setting moves to Alaska. There were also some good plot twists along the way. The sequence where Bolan confronts the pair of enemies at the cave was one of the best I've read in any Bolan book. What's ironic is that a lot of times SuperBolans seem padded to me; as if they're a bit too long and might have been better off being trimmed down for the Executioner series. This book, on the other hand, might have worked better if it was fleshed out a little more and made into a SuperBolan. But maybe the grass is just always greener somewhere else. In fairness the story moves at a good pace, reflecting the urgency of the situation. The book could probably used some more action scenes, or at least made the ones it had a little bigger. Apart from the sequence where Bolan battles the baddies in the vineyard, most of the action sees him only fighting a couple men at a time, which doesn't present much of a challenge to our hero.

Double Action was an engaging read. Renauld had a solid grasp of the characters and how to write action. The villians were well developed and belivable. However the book felt a little flat and overall the plot was a little on the dull side. The book was far from bad or even average but not one of the best in the series either.

I thought this was an excellent title in the series. The plot is not only original but believable unfortunately not the same could be said for the villans/bombers/terrorists as just who or what is Mertarda? Putting aside a few disappointments like the above the books rocks, I loved the sections in the snow and the cave during and after the avalanche the excitement of the chase of the terrorists is well written and extremely exciting reading. This is a really really good read if you are a fan of these series or just looking for a good action type book to read get it. my two bobs worth........

With the unfortunate demise of the PF and AT series, many of those writers then joined the Executioner writing squad around the time this novel came out. (With much rejoicing!). Fieldhouse and Linaker from PF, and North and Renauld from AT. I was concerned though about which Renauld was going to show up for Double Action. The one who wrote the awesome Strike Force, or the one who wrote the gimpy Dead Zone? Thank heavens this book is written the way I was hoping for, and it sure packed a lot of entertainment between the covers. A well developed plot, plenty of action, suspenseful scenes, great locations, and a host of crafty villains make this an above average Bolan adventure that I enjoyed reading a lot. From the coast of California to the frozen tundra of Alaska, Bolan must track down an elusive mastermind who plots to damage the US oil industry. I liked the scenes in the snow, where Bolan must deal with the elements as he tangles with some bad guys and natural disasters. I liked how all the characters had different connections and the loose ends all came together nicely in an ending that had my pulse pounding at the final pages.

Double Action? Not really. The book wasn't that bad, but it wasn't very good either. There were several poorer parts about it, the worse was Bolan's actions in the raid on the vineyard. Bolan is on a night probe, when he is discovered by a casual worker that, after helping himself to a bottle of wine, wakes up from sleeping and spots Bolan. Bolan immediantly kills the guy with a knife. It is not stated that the guy was a terrorist or that he had any weapon. He is a casual labourer, killed by Bolan. For a while I had visions that I was reading another series in which the main character went around killing any and every witness. Further there was mention of a fictious country (how I hate those) with several imported terrorist that play very little part in the plot and the usual cardboard personalities that come and go with very little thought. So what did happen to Mookie after the plane crash? On the plus side, the villain(s) this time were not masterminds but quite ordinary. The main guy turns out to be the head of the labour union at the troubled Ranton Oil Company. He kills a little too easily for an opportunist, and it seems that he has no regard for his brothers, both of whom die early on in the novel. So, all in all it was an average book, with average villains and an average plot. It gets and average score from me.

Bolan is called to California to try and stop terrorists from fictitious "Mertarda" from entering the US. The chase leads to Alaska and a plot to destroy the Alaskan pipeline and endanger the environment. Pretty good read. The action is crisp and the setting provides for some interesting scenes. The plot is typically vague and the "Mertardan's" seem like mere window dressing, only an excuse to get the plot going. But the book does deliver a good read and has very good pacing. This one keeps you turning pages. Well done.

Fare book. Not the best book i've read in the Executioner series.

NOTHING NEW OR SPECTACULAR HERE. NOT A BAD READ, THOUGH. PASSABLE ENTRY INTO THE SERIES.