Jeremy

This having been my first Bolan book, it's kind of hard to rate it, as I didn't really have anything else to compare it to. I could only rate it for it's stand-alone value (or purely by content). Being a Punisher fan, I was surprised to learn that Bolan was an inspiration for the comic series. Now on to the review... The plot was great! A rich American newlywed couple is kidnapped in the South China Sea, their yacht stolen by pirates ( operating out of Malaysia), and they are held for ransom. There's just one problem: the bride's family (Stroud) has taken a hard-line stance against negotiating with terrorists, and convinced the groom's family (Ryan) to do the same. The U.S. gvmnts stance is the same. The solution? Send in Mack Golan (unofficially, of course) to rescue them. This book is non-stop action from start to finish. I enjoyed the way certain situations were portrayed from each character's point of view. The development from David Yun (from a by-the-book cop, to one that realizes that sometimes forceful action-when necessary-must be taken). Yun struggles with the executions that both he and Bolan carry out, but (though the killings become easier-almost automatic-as the story progresses), in the end, Yun still finds that he is still human, and it is not something that he takes pleasure or feels vindication doing. Bolan, on the other hand, is portrayed as a killing machine, threatening and wounding his prisoners to get info out of them, and-once that's achieved-shooting them anyway. I imagine that his years of experience (dispatching the baddies) has left him feeling indifferent to it. For him, it's just another mission and, if you're on the wrong side, you pay....pure and simple. The character of Hirawa stands between the two, in that her need for revenge (after the pirates killed her parents) is driving her to do whatever is necessary (including killing), but she still struggles somewhat with the horror that a person feels, when they take a life. The "romantic" feelings that are supposed to exist between Hirawa and Yun, seem to manifest out of nowhere, but I assume they were supposed to have sparked during the time that Bolan-under the guise of Mike Belasco, Hirawa, and Yun spent together on the boat (heading for the place where a fake ransom is set up, and the hostages are supposed to be rescued). Either way, it felt out of place and only served as filler. As I said earlier, the action was non-stop, and it was great getting into the minds of N and Lee, as they realize there's no stopping Bolan, and (as much as they reason with themselves, and like to think they'll be the victor in the end) thre's not a damn thing they can do about it. The ending was spectacular, and why there is not as much character development (as there are in some genres), there is more here than in other,similar, series that I've read. I think in a world where criminals get their wrists slapped, and repeat offenders are given the chance to victimized again and again, we all want to see a vigilante (even if it's only in novels) take down the scum, put the fear of god into them, then dispatch of them. That's what inteested me in this book, and I'll enjoy reading others as well