THE RAT BASTARDS #2 DEATH SQUAD BY LEN LEVINSON

Copyright 1983.

Friend of foe, stay out of their way. Malaria can’t slow them down. A stockade can’t keep them penned up. Tanks can’t stop them. They’re the most blood hungry platoon of killers in the jungle. The enemy fears them. Their own army hates them. When they’re on their red meat rampage of terror, you’d better steer clear of The Rat Bastards!

The Rat Bastards are now the recon platoon for the Twenty-third infantry regiment. Colonel Stockton has a plan to stop the Tokyo Express. This is the resupply of troops and supplies to the Japanese on Guadalcanal. Send the bastards behind enemy lines to locate when the Express will unload its supplies and call in the navy. They get dropped in by submarine, but Sgt. Butsko’s squad gets captured. He is tortured by the evil captain that was in charge of the Bataan Death March. Sgt. Bannon defies orders to stay and rescue him. They succeed and leave a trail of Jap bodies behind as they manage to escape and find the location of the Tokyo Express.

The second book starts off right after the victory of defending Henderson Field. There is plenty of action from the beginning and it doesn’t let up until the end. Corporal Bannon gets to shine in a leadership role. Butsko gets revenge on the Japanese captain that tortured and killed his friends. There is an over-the-top scene at the end of a PT boat sinking a battleship. Real historical events and people mixed in to give it a sense of authenticity. Levinson proves once again that he is a master of such action, and I can’t recommend this series enough.

THE RAT BASTARDS #1 HIT THE BEACH! BY LEN LEVINSON

Copyright 1982.

  Start with an insane sergeant with a genius for leadership and a lust for blood. Add a bank robber. A racketeer. A guy who goes berserk on the battlefield. A gun-happy Texan. A silent Apache. A movie stuntman who swings from trees. Put them together and you have the killing machine known as:

  The Rat Bastards-

  You can’t kill ’em and you can’t take ’em alive.

So stated the paperbook jacket to the original book. The book starts out with a green squad that is part of the Twentythird Infantry Regiment. They land on Guadalcanal under fire and all their officers and noncoms are killed. Bannon a rancher from Texas gets promoted to corporal and he is the main character we see events through. Although the perspective shifts between other Americans and Japanese including some historical figures. The have brutal hand to hand combat with the Japanese to defend Henderson field.

This is the first in a series from the eighties by Len Levinson. He is considered a trash genius, and I loved this book. Levinson served in the Army just after Korea and never saw combat but heard stories from those that did. Combined with his knowledge of weapons and tactics training similar to that in WWII and you get a feeling of realism in the story. The battle scenes are brutal and violent. As he stated in his afterword these stories weren’t written for little girls at bedtime. The characters have believable traits and most of them are not positive. The sergeant is a survivor of the Bataan Death March and escaped the POW camp. He has a visceral hatred of the Japs. The Americans view them as treacherous for Pearl Harbor, The Rape of Nanking and Bataan. The Japanese view the Americans as weak and cowardly. Not nice but a very accurate depiction of attitudes at the time.

This series has been released at a reasonable price with the original cover art and not some generic drawing. I am so happy that this is getting released for those that had the misfortune of not buying them when they were originally published. I am sure to check out the other titles in the series and other Levinson works from his prolific career.

THE TAKERS SUMMON THE DEMON BY JERRY AHERN SHARON AHERN

Copyright 2001.

On a small island off the coast of South Carolina there is a conflict starting. On one side is Momma Cinda a practitioner of good voodoo. The other is Fidelito a Cuban agent who is also a Satan worshipper and practices the dark voodoo. Fidelito has created an army of zombies and kidnaps Momma Cinda to find her secret to Blackbeard’s treasure. Cinda manages to send out telepathically help to her good friend Mary Mulrooney. Mary became friends with the voodoo priestess while researching voodoo for her next book. Mary goes to the island and drags her boyfriend Josh Culhane into it also. Culhane is the author of the popular adventure series The Takers. Together they get into a plot that involves a racist sheriff and equally racist antiquities dealer. It cumulates with Fidelito calling on the demon Asmodeus to help him hijack a nuclear submarine through magic to set off a massive nuclear explosion in Charleston during a massive hurricane. The resulting explosion will spread fallout all over the world.

The Aherns decided to do a third book in their Takers series a decade later. Unfortunately, I can’t really say that I liked this book. The first two were really fun little adventures with ancient aliens, Nazis, lost Amazon civilizations, Soviets and nuclear terrorists. This book’s plot with zombies and voodoo really underwhelmed me. It meandered with too much exposition and general inaction. I found it a bit goofy overall. A demon easily manages to take control of a nuclear submarine. Our hero has no problem convincing the navy that it is voodoo, and they help him fight it with voodoo. I found the book a real slog to get through. It is a shame since I love the concept of two authors having real life adventures around the world. This did not live up to my expectations. A sad ending for a fun series.

THE TAKERS RIVER OF GOLD BY JERRY AND S.A. AHERN

Copyright 1985.

Mary Mulrooney is investigating stories that a lost tribe of Amazons escaped from Greece and settled in the Amazon. She goes to Istanbul to get some archeological proof and gets involved in a KGB plot. The Soviets are interested because they believe this civilization has the secret of eternal young. Josh Culhane gets involved with a friend of his dead brother. The guy a rich man had his wife kidnapped at the wedding and the terrorists are demanding a million in gold.

Both writers converge on the Amazon. Mulrooney to investigate a captured Amazon while Culhane to deliver the ransom. They are captured by real Amazons. They then find out that the gold is actually plutonium and must stop the terrorists from nuking a conference.

The second book in the Takers series is another fun read. It is filled with exotic locations and plenty of action. It has Spetsnaz commandos, a lost Amazon tribe, cannibals, and nuclear terrorists. A colorful cast of villains and friends to support them on this crazy adventure. I enjoyed the first two books in this series. A fun escapist time.

THE EXECUTIONER #11 CALIFORNIA HIT BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1972.

Mack Bolan has come to San Francisco to continue his war on the Mafia. His first hit he manages to save a young Chinese woman. This girl has some type of affiliation with the local Tong. Bolan finds out that the mob is working with the Red Chinese. A nationalist Chinese who heads the Tong is working with a renegade mobster. Bolan manages to turn the mob once again against each other. All this while avoiding the local police and helping out some porn actresses that got into trouble. At the end he hears that his young brother and the woman he loves might be in trouble.

Another action-packed book with Bolan starting off in a violent attack. Once again, he finds some hot chicks to help him out. The guy is a chick magnet. He connects with another veteran from Vietnam who is on the police force to help him out. The big item in this book is the introduction of the .44 automag. This pistol would become very iconic for the character. Ends with him finding out his young brother and the woman he loves is in possible danger. Pendleton really knows how to write and interesting and action-packed story.

THE EXECUTIONER #10 CARIBBEAN KILL BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1972.

Mack Bolan heads off to Puerto Rico to continue his war on the Mafia. He lands at their base and gets ambushed. Fortunately, Bolan proves too good and fights his way out. Along the way he rescues a young woman who is an undercover cop. She joins forces and with some of her local friends manage to wipe out Quick Tony. Bolan hears the real brains behind the Caribbean operation is Sir Edward based in Haiti. Bolan hijacks a mob helicopter and assassinates him.

Another entry in the series is another fun read. Once again it starts off with action and ends up with Bolan wiping out the mob operations. This time it takes him to Puerto Rico and Haiti. He gets the help once again from a beautiful woman. Another entry of pure escapist fun.

THE EXECUTIONER #9 VEGAS VENDETTA BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1971.

Mack Bolan’s next stop on his war against the Mafia brings him to Las Vegas. He decides for a quick stopover and ambushes a convoy carrying their skimmed profits from casinos. He manages to rescue an old friend. Carl Lyons of the LAPD was working undercover and a prisoner of the mob. Bolan decides to stay awhile and take out their Vegas operation. This brings in the Talifero Brothers who are the enforces to the mob. The feds are also coming because there is political pressure to stop Bolan. Bolan brazenly assumes a mobster identity and takes over a casino. He pits the mob against each other and takes off for Puerto Rico. He discovered a new operation being funded called the Caribbean Carousal with Vegas money.

Another action-packed book in the Bolan saga. This time another iconic city identified with the mob. It brings back the fearsome Talifero Brothers. It also brings another associate that Bolan had dealings with a Carl Lyons the LAPD cop. This book starts out with an action scene and never lets up. This time the feds are very much committed to taking Bolan down. They have shoot to kill orders. He also infiltrates the mob and assumes an identity to turn them against each other. Another troupe Pendleton likes to use. A fun and enjoyable entry in the series.

THE EXECUTIONER #8 CHICAGO WIPE-OUT BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1971.

Mack Bolan continues his war with the Mafia. After destroying them in New York his next stop is Chicago. Chicago is the model city for the mob that they envision for the whole country. Bolan has a simple plan, wipe-out the Mafia in Chicago. With the help of a crusading attorney, he gets all the information needed to launch his war. He manages to turn them against each other.

Another book that has Bolan wage his one-man war against the Mafia. This time it brings him to Chicago. I think everybody has the image of Chicago as a Mafia town. Bolan does notice that this city seemed to have created the mob. Yet he doesn’t bother with the corrupt unions and businesses or the crooked political machine. That is something the people have to deal with. He does manage to wipeout a good portion of the mob. The book starts like they all do with him in the thick of the action. He has an audacious plan and sees him wipe out hordes of gangsters. Another fun book in the series.

THE EXECUTIONER #7 NIGHTMARE IN NEW YORK BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1971.

Mack Bolan comes back to America. On landing at New York, he is immediately ambushed by the mob. He escapes with the help of some young ladies that give him shelter in their apartment. Bolan has come to New York because he wants to take on the leadership of the mob. He starts by going after the main capo‘s operations. Along the way he discovers an insidious plan to take over the whole country. A big conference out on Long Island is his target.

Bolan is back in America and continuing his one-man war. He buys himself a VW hippie van and disguises himself as a hippy. There were some great action scenes. A sad tragedy as one of the young girls that helps him gets tortured gruesomely by the mob. This is another instance where Pendleton show how truly evil the mob can be. There is also a moment of mercy where he spares the life of a mobster because his wife reminds him of a former love. This mobster decides to leave the life and go into witness protection. We also get a hint of some big plan to take over all aspects of the government. Install their puppets in high positions including possibly the presidency. A strong entry in the series.

THE EXECUTIONER #6 ASSAULT ON SOHO BY DON PENDLETON

Copyright 1971.

Mack Bolan has come to Britain. He is right away ambushed coming off the ferry at Dover. Fortunately, he gets help from a mysterious woman. This woman takes him to a sex club in Soho called Museum de Sade. Bolan finds out he is getting help from some powerful figures because the mafia is blackmailing politicians to get a foothold in Britain. Naturally Bolan continues what he does best killing mobsters. Meanwhile the mafia has decided if they can’t kill Bolan they might as well hire him. His old friend Brognan a fed that is undercover with the mafia is sent to set up the deal. Naturally Bolan has no interest and instead continues his one-man war to rid Britain of the mafia.

This book continues Bolan’s adventures in Europe. Now he is in the swinging seventies decadent London. Like the previous books this was a tightly and action-packed adventure. It starts off in the first chapter with an exciting ambush. Bolan gets some help clandestinely from elements in the British government. It also reinforces Bolan’s ties to sympathetic elements in the US Justice Department. These books never disappoint.