War Against the Mafia (The Executioner #1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Don pendleton (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (1976)
• ISBN-10: 0523009100
• ISBN-13: 978-0523009100
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,941,566 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS ONE STARTED IT ALL!, August 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Executioner 1-War Against (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1969, Don Pendleton crashed into the literary scene with this novel which would become the first in a long line of books to follow--Don's legacy lives on today, with some 500 separate titles in print on the life and times of Mack Bolan! While probably one of the most mythical of heroes (and the first one to start the new action-adventure genre in literature) Don Pendleton's greatest feat was in what he had to say about the metaphysics of violence. Mack Bolan isn't some maniac... he is truly one of America's all-time heroes. And so is Don Pendleton. If you haven't read Don's "original" Executioner series, then you need to. As a published action-suspense author, I HIGHLY recommend this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reader, August 30, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executioner 1-War Against (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mack Bolan is a US Army sergeant, and a sniper in the Vietnam war. In fact, he is so good at that, he has ended up with a nickname, 'The Executioner'.

He is granted leave when it is discovered his father has killed his mother and sister, and then committed s*icide. His younger brother is still alive, so the army gives him a post at home, so he can be his guardian.

The Executioner takes this familial loss, a little hard, and promptly sets out to live up to his namesake, methodically taking out the 5 mafioso involved, after acquiring the necessary gear.

The police realise it is him, but aren't that keen to arrest someone doing their job for them.

He boldy applies to join the Mafia, to learn more, telling them he knows who killed their guys, and getting some complimentary servicing, to boot.

The action, and body count, escalates markedly from there. Everybody under the sun is after him, even the military.

Bolan is an intelligent man, but sees the Mafia issue in black and white, they are evil, he is not, it is his job as a man of action to put them down.

One character produces a surprise later on, as well.

A couple of great lines Pendleton throws in, during a mafia conversation :

"Didn't you know?" Turrin grunted. "He's the frackin' Phantom. The frackin' Phantom knows everything."

"I thought that was The Shadow," Plassky mused.

* * *

Later on, Bolan is injured by ignoring Turrin's wife, who shoots him. He stumbles into a woman's home, who, luckily for him, helps him out, and he stays they for a couple of days, recovering. :

"Honestly, that is the most ridiculous outfit. Who do you think you are--Captain Marvel?"

All in all, a fine setup for further adventures.

5.0 out of 5 stars The executioner #1,2,3,&4, February 7, 2011

By 

Kim Hoff - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Executioner 1-War Against (Mack Bolan: the Executioner) (Mass Market Paperback)

the books the executioner series was a good buy for the price i paided. i would buy more executioner series from amazon.