Ghost Squad: Rise of the Black Legion

by Andrew Salmon, Ron Fortier, Rob Davis (Illustrator)

A United States Senator is murdered on the floor of the Senate by an invisible assassin; a French nobleman in Jerusalem during the First Crusades gives rise to a new order, the Knights Templar; a creature of dark mythology becomes the power behind the Third Reich. Three supposedly unrelated events weaving their way through the corridors of time as if by no reason or rhyme. But what if all these moments were connected through the incredible exploits of one man? An immortal man destined to battle evil throughout the ages!From Munich to the hills of San Francisco and a speeding midnight train across the badlands of Utah, pulpsmiths Ron Fortier and Andrew Salmon unleash an incredible adventure pitting America's secret defenders, the GHOST SQUAD, on their first thrill-a-minute mission. Led by the man who cannot die, they must battle the most sophisticated spy nework ever conceived, the BLACK LEGION! At stake- the life of one of the country's most beloved heroes and the fighting spirit of an entire nation.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2013

Reviews

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that this promising New Pulp series starter didn't lead to more. The premise is that the Biblical Lazarus, raised from the dead by Jesus, continued to live, tasked with fighting evil for the next two millennia. Our story, after vignettes in 41 C.E. and 1918, mostly takes place in 1935, where John Lazarus, working counter-intelligence for the U.S. government, recruits a team to fight The Black Legion, currently aligned with the Nazis, but a far older and more sinister organization. Teamed with handsome pilot Alan Hale and professional magician with real powers Arlene Kane, aka Lady Arcane, the newly formed Ghost Squad assemble at their secret HQ beneath the Washington Monument to foil the Black Legion's newest terror campaign involving assassins using an invisibility device. There's a lot of slam-bang action, including an excellent extended car chase scene in San Francisco involving a crossover with Golden Age character Dan Fowler of the FBI. I would give this five stars except that much more interesting battles with much more powerful opponents are teased for future adventures—this is merely a taste.

[Rabid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun entertaining good vs evil pulp audiobook that would make a great movie. It is an enjoyable fast paced story with plenty of action, suspense, good humour and some great fights. The narration by Scott Bennett fits this book perfectly, he gets the different accents just right and you can feel the humour and visualise the images in your mind as he narrates. You cannot help but be enthralled by the immortal biblical leader, the sexy magician and the lighthearted flyboy, as the Ghost Squad battles the evil of Nazi Germany and then discover whom the real mastermind behind the evil plan is. If you are a pulp fan, you will really enjoy this entertaining story.