Black Hand

Pretty average novel. Bolan is up against a terrorist team of six instead of hordes of fanatics. The bad guys are left wing loonies who seem to think that killing people will somehow enlighten the masses. It was slow going sometimes, although I did like the fact that Bolan was somehow more human when faced with fewer opponents rather than a killing bullet proof automaton that he is sometimes portrayed as.

I liked this book, although it was not close to being among the top levels of novels in this series, I will generously give Black Hand an 8 mainly because of a couple positive points. For one, Bolan's adversary in this book is limited mostly to a small group of turkish terrorists, the "black hand" numbering five in all, with just a few outside badguys thrown in to the mix. A vast majority of Bolan adventures ignore this approach in favor of hoards of generic terrorists mowed down by Bolan every few pages. This book has a good focus on the badguys and their internal struggle, with a great portrayal of the very evil leader of the band called Muzo Dora. That's him on the cover, although in the book he is described as wearing a mustache. The other thing I really liked about this story was the character of Bolan's ally for the first portion of the book, Arpinar. A well drawn character, and was a total contrast from Bolan's later ally, the sometimes annoying Saidra. While the focus shifted away from one ally to the other, I was in a way disappointed, but at the same time it added more depth to the story. The pacing and adventure moved along at a good clip, the overall story good, and the ending was fine, although it read like some parts were cut out of the ending sequences. All the action takes place in various cities and places in Turkey, so maybe a map of the country would be a help, as I had difficulty picturing where all these cities and places were at.

Well the second book by David Robbins and I was looking forward to reading this title as I am reading/re-reading the series in order from 1 to ....... and gave his first effort a vote of 9, I find after reading his second effort a 9 yet again. Action purists may be slightly disappointed but if you like a good plot with excellent character development interspaced with action sequences some humour and generally good reading which keeps you turning the pages none the less. This is for you HIGHLY recommended. I really enjoyed this guys style of writing in his first two books and look forward to some of the upcoming books which I am going to read. my two bobs worth........

A Leftist group in Turkey has taken on America. After attacking the US embassy, the president calls on Bolan. The Executioner works with Turkish authorities to root out the terrorists. Not a bad Bolan book. The organization that Bolan is up against, The titular "Black Hand", is small, only 6 members, so Bolan is not rampaging against an army. His targets are few, and correspondingly more difficult. This gives a sense of accomplishment each time Bolan takes one down. Unfortunately, it also slows down some of the action. Furthermore, Bolan is paired with various Turkish government officials. It always seems to cramp his style when he is working with a government. The Turks do give him plenty of room, tho, so it isn't as bad as some novels. Overall, the book is solid, but not outstanding. It entertains, but is not among the series best.

This book was a different one in the series. The pace was slower and there was alot of dialogue and not as much action. Bolan has a love interest in this one, and it added to the story. There were some slow parts, but as I kept reading, the story developed and became very interesting. The ending wasn't the usual one. David Robbins is a colorful, expressive writer. Black Hand is offbeat and original.