Season of Harm [Mass Market Paperback]

To say that I was raised with Mack Bolan is essentially true. My parents encouraged me to read when I was young and along with Ian Fleming, Don Pendleton was a writer I sought out. I remember my father worked as the superintendent of several housing developments in the Washington DC area, and when he came home on the weekends, he would bring Executioners.

I started picking up and reading them when I was six or seven. That was nearly forty years ago.

I loyally followed Sgt. Bolan through the Mafia Wars, when he lost April Rose, the love of his life, and his campaign against the terrorists. Then Don Pendleton turned the books over to a publishing firm who allowed them to turn to crap.

One story was just like the last story, only the names were changed. It was clear that the writers knew nothing about action fiction, nor the weapons the characters would use.

I quit reading the books a decade ago.

A couple of years ago I picked up one that was written by a fellow named Phil Elmore, and he seems to understand what it takes to write a Pendleton style book.

The newest one, Season of Harm, is a Stony Man novel. Bolan isnt featured in it, but everyone else is, including Jack Grimaldi, Able Team and Phoenix Force.

I wont spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, pick up the Bolans and Superbolans written by Elmore. He can certain write a heck of an adventure story.

Welcome to STONY MAN # 105 written by Phil Elmore, an author of 7 other books in the GOLD EAGLE line of books. Executioners number 346, 352, 358, 369, 380, and 383. Plus he has also written Stony Man 101 and 105, and Super Bolan #133. Both of the Stony Man books have generally met with very favorable reviews by other GOLD EAGLE readers. In this book, 105, we have the Golden Triangle drug business and Russia: i.e., Burma, Thailand, and Moscow.

This book is a bit like a travelogue as these are some of the sites both Able Team and Phoenix Force visit: Camden, N.J., Atlantic City, N.J., Thailand, Southern New York State, Yangon, Myanmar, Moscow, Buffalo, N.Y., Burma, Syracuse, N.Y., Albany, N.Y., Salem, Mass., and Boston. In my memory, after 20-plus years of reading and collecting these GOLD EAGLE titles, cannot recall encountering so many sites within one novel, usually half dozen different locales is tops.

Our man in black, Mack Bolan, does not appear in this Stony Man book. I missed the big guy, as the Executioner and the two teams always work well with one another. In this Stony Man 105, Able Team works within the U.S. and Phoenix Team works outside the U.S.

Throughout all of the team's movements in the various locations the plot stays crisp enough to focus the reader's attention, no confusion here. The book started a little slow for me but after a handful of pages it began to pick up speed to the point of wondering what would happen next. As usual Phoenix Force is pretty much down to earth seriously going about their mission, but Able Team has the more humor, with "Gadgets" Schwarz how could it be otherwise. A good balance of action and dialogue round out this action novel, with some occasional humor from the Able Team guys. Though with Carl Lyons getting roughed up a bit in action, the humor is not always to the Iron Man's enjoyment.

Both teams are using new hi-tech electronics (NetScythe) provided by Barbara Price back at Stony Man to help get ahead and stay ahead of the bad guys, which are people involved with Golden Triangle drugs peddled in both the U.S. and Russia. Most of the plot is not over the top, nor is most of the action unreasonable. Not much pushing the envelope here, and most readers will come away more than satisfied, providing they enjoy almost continuous action scenes.

Another fairly interesting read from the people at GOLD EAGLE books, if a reader enjoys action/adventure, be aware that no one does it better than the golden eagle.

Semper Fi.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  4.0 out of 5 stars