Defenders and Believers

The book started off very promising, with Mack taking down a mysterious hitman in his hotel room. From there, the book just gets more and more dull, rapidly descending into typical Newton filler. The book is all build up, no payoff. Bolan also spends a few pages thinking about how he needs to get to an untapped payphone. Once there, he calls up Hal and proceeds to speak entirely in code. Inconsistencies like that really bug the hell out of me. This is yet another in a long line of Newton novels that are best left unopened.

Disappointing read where the almost identical plot has been done previously so the title was hanging out for something to keep it above a heap of also ran titles previously released. Unfortunately it doesn't come up with anything. Ordinary characters with the exception of the Russian who was okay, the story line just creeps along with no real pace and seems to stagnate in quite a few places. This author has produced many finer titles than this one read it only if you have to I reckon.

Average novel. A lot of it seems like filler though. It has a decent premise: the mob/KGB/organized gangs meeting up in one room. But it never really goes anywhere. Bolan goes to the meeting, tries to stir up some trouble between the gangsters and then that's really it. There's no major plot for him to stop or anything and in this case there is nothing in the story to create drama or suspense except one or two attempts on Bolan's life. I did I like the intro with Bolan's hit and taking on his victim's identity, but the rest of it was pretty flat. Character's seemed pretty cardboard. With that said, Newton's writing is still pretty decent and engaging enough to make this book about nothing readable. I suspect the writing of this book faced a very short deadline. That or another book slated for release was dropped/never finished and Newton was asked to come in and write one up as fast as possible. Definitely not in the upper tier of his works.

This one was all right once it got going but in a book of 186 pages it shouldn't take Mack the first 40 pages to get off a plane and drive to a hotel to check in. Pure padding. Also, the characters seemed hollow and rushed, which rendered the build up of suspense to fall flat. Also, Mack's manipulations from within consist of a couple of conversations. Everything leading up to the action seemed tacked on, hurried and did not flesh out the plot. The action at the end was great however. It's my guess Mr. Newton raced a deadling with this one and did not have the time to make the story truly gel. The result: a very average Executioner entry.

A very lackluster Newton book especially for one glaring problem. Didn't he look at Sunscream which was about 3 books prior to this one or did he and decided he could do better? The 80s into early 100s seem very sequential yet this book is remarkably similar to Sunscream. Both books have the premise of the KGB wanting to use the mafia and create a unified force. I thought in fact Sunscream was a better novel overall. I liked the flow of Sunscream more. In Defenders I could not quite figure out why Mack was shot at so soon to his arriving. I thought the NY Don wanted him gotten rid of later on and still he made no real attempts at it. I liked how Mack created confusion in the manor. I also liked the russian and the French Interpol agent. He was a psycho. But still this plot was done before just 3 books back. Ok Sunscream had the most idiotic last 30 pages possible.

This is classic Newton action. I was kept turning the pages in this well written story. A good indication of the quality of writing seen in the 9o's books to follow.

Another good Bolan outing with busting up another summit of evildoers once again. Undercover Bolan at his best.

THIS ONE HAD SILENT SUSPENSE BUILT UP FOR AN EXPLOSIVE CONCLUSION. BOLAN IS AT HIS BEST AVENGING THE GOOD DEAD PEOPLE AND DOESN'T FAIL TO DO SO IN THIS ONE.

Another winner from Mike Newton. Bolan going undercover is very tense.