Death Squad (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) [Paperback]

D. Pendleton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pinnacle (July 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558170251
• ISBN-13: 978-1558170254
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Pendleton (1927-1995) was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the age of fourteen, during World War II, he enlisted in the Navy, serving until 1947 as a Radioman. He returned to active Naval duty during the Korean Conflict. Following the war he worked as a railroad telegrapher, CAA/FAA air traffic control specialist, and aerospace engineer. In the latter career, he worked as a senior engineer for Martin-Marietta's Titan ICBM programs and as an engineering administrator in NASA's Apollo Moonshot program. He published his first short story in 1957 and his first novel in 1961. Leaving his aerospace career behind, Don turned to full time writing in 1967, produced a number of mystery, science fiction and futuristic novels, a screenplay, and numerous poems, short stories and essays.

In 1969, War Against the Mafia, featuring Mack Bolan, the Executioner, was published. The phenomenal success of the first novel led to thirty-seven sequels over the next twelve years. Dozens of imitators, inspired by Pendleton's success, arose during the 1970's to constitute a new particularly American literary genre and the term Action/Adventure coined by Pendleton himself, has since spread to encompass television and motion picture formats as well. The original thirty-eight Executioner novels have been translated in more than twenty-five languages with in-print figures of more than 200 million copies worldwide. Pendleton franchised "Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan" to Harlequin's Gold Eagle Books in 1980, and more than 600 books based on the Executioner and spin-offs--Phoenix Force, Able Team, Stony Man, Mack Bolan, Super Bolan, have been published under their continuing program.

Don's more recent works include a series of six mystery novels based the exploits of Joe Copp, Private Eye, and another six mystery novels based on the character, Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective.

Don turned to nonfiction in 1990 and, with his wife, Linda, produced To Dance With Angels, a definitive study of life after death and spirit communication. Published in hardcover by Kensington, it is now in its fourth edition. They also co-wrote Whispers From the Soul. Don's last novel was Roulette co-written with Linda Pendleton.

Together, Don and Linda, adapted and scripted The Executioner, War Against the Mafia, to Comic graphic novel format, which was published in 1993. Following Don's death, Linda adapted and scripted the second Executioner novel, Death Squad, published in 1996 by Vivid Comics.

His last nonfiction books are A Search for Meaning From the Surface of a Small Planet, and The Metaphysics of the Novel and a Novelist by Don Pendleton with Linda Pendleton, a book for aspiring writers.

Don was a long time member of the Authors Guild; Authors League of America; Writer's Guild of America, West; Past West Coast Director of Mystery Writers of America; International Platform Association; and a frequent speaker on campus and writers' symposiums.

Don Pendleton published more than 125 books in his career. For biographical reference and bibliography on Don Pendleton, see:

Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers, (St. Martin Press); Contemporary Authors (Gale); Queen's Edition, Dictionary of International Biography (Melrose - London, England); Murder Ink (Workman); Who's Who in the Midwest.

Photo of Don Pendleton by Linda Pendleton.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death Squad... Essential Reading for any Bolan-ite!, October 28, 2000

By 

Kevin J. Giltrud - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Squad (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) (Paperback)

Being the second in a series that nearly numbers 500 today, 'Death Squad' is a pivotal story. The early extension of 2 tour Viet Nam sniper and veteran, Sgt. Mack Bolan's war with the Mafia. The story begins with Bolan on the run, with a $1,000,000 contract on his head and the bad guys close behind. Aided by a fellow bush beast named 'Whipering Death' Zitka; Bolan prevails and hatches a plan to assemble a small, mobile and very deadly squad of veterans and specialists. The team comes from near and far. Snipers, like Bolan. Demo men. Surveillance and heavy weapons men. Together, this Deady Dozen take Bolan's special kind of war to the Capo and Families of Los Angeles. The writing is lean. The action totally beliveable on all sides. Especially the LAPD's response to being bugged and their radio transmissions jammed. Plus the introduction of one of it's detectives; Carl Lyons. Who first hunts Bolan and the squad, only to join with fellow 'Death Squad' members Hermann 'Gadgets' Schwartz, and Rosario 'Politician' Blancanales much later on as part of Able Team. Yes, 'Death Squad' is violent by today's standard. This series began back in 1969, while the war in VietNam was still raging. But Mr. Pendleton's style of writing lets you understand the motivation of Bolan and his squad. Disciplined, well trained and confident soldiers with a clear understanding of right and wrong. Some would even say that there's a bit of Bolan in Tom Clancy's character of John Clark. If you have picked up and read any of the newer Mack Bolan stories, and they are legion. You owe it to yourself to reach back for the 'originals'. Numbers 1-38. To get a better, closer, cleaner look into one of America's longest lasting literary heroes.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a classic in the Mack Bolan tale - a must read!, October 12, 2009

By 

T. Roof - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Squad (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) (Paperback)

Book #2 in the Executioner series, September, 1969, written by Don Pendleton himself. If you like Mack Bolan you owe it to yourself to read the early books. Gives perspective into Mack Bolan's character. You also meet some people for the first time that still are a part of his books to this day.

From the back cover: Bolan's back!...with a $100,000 Mafia contract on his life. And every trigger-happy gunman in the country is trying to collect. At the same time, local, state, and federal police forces have also banded together in the greatest manhunt in history to stop Mack Bolan, the Executioner. Once again Mack Bolan runs the gauntlet in his own no-man's land between the law and the Mafia.

Fired with an unholy vengence, Bolan recruits nine buddies-all heroes of the Vietnam war, all specialists in the more sophisticated aspects of dealing out death-the Executioner's own dedicated Death Squad, who prove that no gangland figure is too high or too low for their special brand of swift, merciless justice!

4.0 out of 5 stars very pleased, September 14, 2009

By 

Joseph Thibault (camden,arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Squad (Paperback)

Amazon was great, the book i got was in great shape, mack bolan series is a great series. I recomend amazon.com to everyone

Thanks
Joe Thibault