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The Executioner #3
Battle Mask
In the third book of the best-selling Executioner series, war hero Mack Bolan, wearing a new Sicilian-style face fashioned for him by a plastic surgeon and ex-war buddy, infiltrates the inner family of the Mafia.
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
69 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,517 books188 followersDon Pendleton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, December 12, 1927 and died October 23, 1995 in Arizona.
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 16, 2018
Fine entry in the series as Pendleton really fleshes out his Mack Bolan character and the the plot focuses more on intrigue and espionage than on pure action, which can become a bit monotonous and predictable. My favorite of the initial Executioner trilogy.
June 29, 2023
Anyone who knows me well knows I grew up on the post-Don Pendleton entries in the Mack Bolan/Executioner franchise, particularly those written by Michael Newton, Douglas P. Wojtowicz (the man who taught me the bulk of what I know about writing), and Chuck Rogers. I picked up some of the older ones from the eighties and early nineties down the road (including Stony Man Doctrine, a book I loved as a teenager but feel like it could use a little polish as an adult).
It wasn't until a couple of years ago, when Don Pendleton's widow, Linda (RIP), reacquired the rights to the original novels and had them republished as eBooks, that I was able to get my hands on said originals. I read War Against the Mafia and Death Squad, two novels in the original lore that defined a lot of the post-Pendleton era.
They were quality turbo-murder novels (in entries that arguably could be defined as the originator of turbo-murder). Battle Mask takes it to another level.
Mourning the loss of his Death Squad, Bolan realizes his heat level is too high. He goes to a doctor he'd saved in Vietnam and gets a new face. He uses that as a means to infiltrate the DiGeorge syndicate, putting him a degree of separation from the man who ordered the execution of his Death Squad mates.
It starts with fireworks, then transitions into a slow burn as Bolan plays the syndicate's internal elements against one another. It's also arguably the strongest evidence thus far of Bolan's master-level strategic mind. He's never been portrayed as a mindless gun-hand, but his guile and fast thinking are front and center in Battle Mask, especially in the latter half of the novel.
It was a hell of a read, and it still holds up over a half-century since its publication.
It wasn't until a couple of years ago, when Don Pendleton's widow, Linda (RIP), reacquired the rights to the original novels and had them republished as eBooks, that I was able to get my hands on said originals. I read War Against the Mafia and Death Squad, two novels in the original lore that defined a lot of the post-Pendleton era.
They were quality turbo-murder novels (in entries that arguably could be defined as the originator of turbo-murder). Battle Mask takes it to another level.
Mourning the loss of his Death Squad, Bolan realizes his heat level is too high. He goes to a doctor he'd saved in Vietnam and gets a new face. He uses that as a means to infiltrate the DiGeorge syndicate, putting him a degree of separation from the man who ordered the execution of his Death Squad mates.
It starts with fireworks, then transitions into a slow burn as Bolan plays the syndicate's internal elements against one another. It's also arguably the strongest evidence thus far of Bolan's master-level strategic mind. He's never been portrayed as a mindless gun-hand, but his guile and fast thinking are front and center in Battle Mask, especially in the latter half of the novel.
It was a hell of a read, and it still holds up over a half-century since its publication.
January 5, 2021
Some of the books have been released in audio. And I'm loving them. Shawn Compton does a great job voicing Bolan. This is another sad and brutal one. Why does it hold up? Because the cartels of today are the Mafia of the 60s and 70s--brutal, viscious, and deadly. They don't care who gets hurt. I wish there was a real Bolan. Then and now. Original 2014 review: This book is a blast from my past. Once upon a time, I read every new Executioner book as it released. Since I'm basically older than dirt, this was back in the dark ages when genre fiction paperbacks could be had for under a dollar. Somewhere around #70...#100, I stopped collecting them and ended up donating the whole pile to my local library when I made a big move. Yes, I'm kicking myself now. I ended up with this book instead of the first book (War Against the Mafia) that I'd ordered for nostalgic reasons. Curious, I read it. Would it be as good as I remembered? (Oh, hella yeah!) Did it hold up to the ravages of time (probably better than I have!) This series has endured and the original Mack Bolan evolved with the times. Back in the beginning though, in this 3rd book, he's reeling from the deaths of his team, (Book 2), and he taps one more friend from the war, a plastic surgeon. With his new face, Bolan is ready to take on the Mafia once again. There's no rest for this warrior and those whose lives he touches are just as likely to die as survive. There's a part of me that loves the original Mack--a man honed by the savage reality of the Viet Nam war who returns to bury his family, finds no justice, and decides to mete out a little of his own. I see the appeal. Then and now. Yeah...Someday, I'll rebuild the collection of the originals.
April 15, 2024
Mack Bolan doesn’t just walk away from explosions— he causes them!
August 5, 2025
This is a direct sequel, actually the second half of book two. Be sure to read them in order.
June 28, 2020
Mack gets a new face and heads back into battle with the mafioso. Still full of typical Executioner action but with more of a focus on infiltration and destruction from inside the organization. A more human side of Bolan is shown as he deals with the loss of several good friends and allies that become collateral damage in his impossible war.
January 18, 2024
The books penned by Don Pendleton are the best of the Executioner series. Fun 60s/70s action.
April 10, 2018
I would rate this a 3.5 - 3.75*
Another good pulp action offering, that has Mack Bolan firmly behind the wheel of his warmachine against the Mafia. The story is not an earth shattering philosophical revelation. Nor is this literary gold.
Just good old fashioned adrenaline infused action, that kept me turning the pages until the last bullet casing drops to the floor and the smoke clears.
Another good pulp action offering, that has Mack Bolan firmly behind the wheel of his warmachine against the Mafia. The story is not an earth shattering philosophical revelation. Nor is this literary gold.
Just good old fashioned adrenaline infused action, that kept me turning the pages until the last bullet casing drops to the floor and the smoke clears.
September 21, 2022
Bringing Vietnam jungle combat tactics to the American underworld Bolan contacts a medical doctor from his days in Nam that he saved his life twice to change his face. With a new face Bolan will leave the small town with a dozen dead mobsters, injured cops, burning buildings, obviously wherever Bolan goes destruction and havoc prevail. His friend the surgeon gets tortured by the mob, his nipples twisted with pliers, ribs exposed through torn flesh, fingers whittled to the bone, earlobes missing, Bolan finds him half alive, they certainly did the Turkey on him. Bolan has RAGE now that is going to be unleashed, with his infiltration into the mob family he will kill the boss and cause confusion, and leave the rotting mess with the bosses daughter.
November 22, 2009
Don has plastic surgery and strangly enough some violent problems. Okay but it's good action and theystill have a story line here.
From reviews of the first 2 books:
Before I went in the army back in the early 70s I read several of these books. Being a shooter/gun enthusiast Pendelton's detailed account of the weapons used (something i'm sure drove some people away from the books) I found very interesting. Aside from that the stories were adrenaline charged violent thrill rides and that's all that young men need sometimes.
If you want a good fast exciting read find the early Executioner books. As a point of interest I read that Marvel acknowledged that "some" inspiration for The Punisher came from The Executioner as did "some" for DCs The Vigilante.
From reviews of the first 2 books:
Before I went in the army back in the early 70s I read several of these books. Being a shooter/gun enthusiast Pendelton's detailed account of the weapons used (something i'm sure drove some people away from the books) I found very interesting. Aside from that the stories were adrenaline charged violent thrill rides and that's all that young men need sometimes.
If you want a good fast exciting read find the early Executioner books. As a point of interest I read that Marvel acknowledged that "some" inspiration for The Punisher came from The Executioner as did "some" for DCs The Vigilante.
February 7, 2017
I enjoyed this one, but it seemed a little too similar to the first volume. Bolan once again infiltrates the mafia, but this time he has plastic surgery to totally change his face. It just seems a little far fetched the mafia would welcome a stranger into the organization so easily, even if Bolan does look different. I also hate it that Bolan keeps getting his friends and associates killed, but unfortunately that's probably just how it would really happen in this situation.
Otherwise, another good installment with plenty of action. Pendleton writes great action and his books never seem long winded. If you're looking for great action/adventure and don't mind some graphic violence, this is the series for you.
Otherwise, another good installment with plenty of action. Pendleton writes great action and his books never seem long winded. If you're looking for great action/adventure and don't mind some graphic violence, this is the series for you.
October 4, 2018
By happenstance i picked up a book that I had assumed myself to have outgrown almost 20 years ago. Mack Bolan reminds me of my teenage days and fantasies of going out there and changing the world all by myself. So when I decided to go back to his world, it made sense to explore it from Don Pendleton's viewpoint and not the many other writers who have followed. Which brings me to this book. To put it simply it was extremely refreshing. For the people who are going ga ga over Reacher, Mack Bolan has been there and done that. Mack's logic is simpler and his task even more so. Also, Pendleton's understanding of the Mafia is not some fluke so if you are looking for a western based in the heart of Mafia owned america, its time to ride with The Executioner.
May 16, 2024
The literary equivalent of one of the "Death Wish" sequels. Follows the formula but focuses on action more than new territory. He gets plastic surgery to gain anonymity and the mafia torture and kill in an attempt to find out what he looks like.
December 10, 2020
Despite a somewhat downer of an ending to book 2, Mack Bolan escapes to fight another day. Bolen starts the book realizing that his face is too well known. What does he do? Gets a new face… courtesy from a “friend” from Vietnam. A bit too convenient, but I just let it go and enjoy the ride. This book includes several returning characters from the previous one: the two main cops from the Anti-Bolan task force as well the mob boss who got away.
This book also has several characters who become collateral damage in Bolen’s war. This allows Bolan to once again soul-search about the costs of his war. Bolan feels responsible for these attacks, which makes me wonder if he will try to not involve others in his war in later books.
Bolan, with his new face, also infiltrates the mob, which is something he did in the first book, although Pendleton seems to have a lot more fun with it in this book. This gives him insight on the mob and allows him to plan his attacks. It also allows him to pursue a contract on a mob enforcer.
The best scene in the book is when one of the mob enforcers gets ahold of a sketch of Bolan’s new face. He must chase down the enforcer before they can get away and blow his cover. It was written very well and you could sense the desperation and panic we see in Bolan. Bolan has always planned his attacks. However, here he must attack with no plan and rely on his instincts and luck. It is a reminder that he can’t plan for everything and sometimes pure skill will get him out of a jam.
The book ends with pretty much every plot thread from the previous book tied up. Overall, an entertaining and fun over-the-top action book. Of course, there will always be more mafia leaders for Bolan to pursue.
This book also has several characters who become collateral damage in Bolen’s war. This allows Bolan to once again soul-search about the costs of his war. Bolan feels responsible for these attacks, which makes me wonder if he will try to not involve others in his war in later books.
Bolan, with his new face, also infiltrates the mob, which is something he did in the first book, although Pendleton seems to have a lot more fun with it in this book. This gives him insight on the mob and allows him to plan his attacks. It also allows him to pursue a contract on a mob enforcer.
The best scene in the book is when one of the mob enforcers gets ahold of a sketch of Bolan’s new face. He must chase down the enforcer before they can get away and blow his cover. It was written very well and you could sense the desperation and panic we see in Bolan. Bolan has always planned his attacks. However, here he must attack with no plan and rely on his instincts and luck. It is a reminder that he can’t plan for everything and sometimes pure skill will get him out of a jam.
The book ends with pretty much every plot thread from the previous book tied up. Overall, an entertaining and fun over-the-top action book. Of course, there will always be more mafia leaders for Bolan to pursue.
December 16, 2023
I truly believe Pendleton found his footing with this, the third novel in the Executioner series.
It picks up right after the second book (reminding me that these were much more heavily interconnected than later action series), but unlike that book, which had too much focus on the police response to Bolan and some less than stellar action sequences, this one gets back to form.
Bolan gets a new face courtesy of a war buddy turned plastic surgeon, and he intends to use this new appearance to infiltrate the DiGeorge Family (the surviving boss from the previous novel). Naturally, there are complications. Most of them violent.
The pacing is vastly improved in this one, following more in the lines of the first, with bloody action scenes interspersed liberally with the story beats, including one of the greatest car crash scenes I have ever read! Absolutely a highlight of this action-heavy book, and the first time Pendleton ever wrote Bolan as Pissed Off, capital letters required!
More solid character work helps elevate this above the standard action potboilers of the era, with a lot of memorable side characters lending gravitas to the proceedings. DiGeorge has a frisky young daughter who takes an interest in the new Bolan as he worms his way into her father's suspicious graces, we meet a stalwart sheriff more suited to the Old West than the modern era, and finally have some villains worth mentioning in Julian DiGeorge and his thugs!
The final sequence lacks the cinematic action of some of the earlier setpieces, but it still makes for compelling reading thanks to Bolan's swift and clever psychological games against the mobsters.
A fine slice of 70s action and essential reading for anyone looking to read the best of Pendleton's run.
It picks up right after the second book (reminding me that these were much more heavily interconnected than later action series), but unlike that book, which had too much focus on the police response to Bolan and some less than stellar action sequences, this one gets back to form.
Bolan gets a new face courtesy of a war buddy turned plastic surgeon, and he intends to use this new appearance to infiltrate the DiGeorge Family (the surviving boss from the previous novel). Naturally, there are complications. Most of them violent.
The pacing is vastly improved in this one, following more in the lines of the first, with bloody action scenes interspersed liberally with the story beats, including one of the greatest car crash scenes I have ever read! Absolutely a highlight of this action-heavy book, and the first time Pendleton ever wrote Bolan as Pissed Off, capital letters required!
More solid character work helps elevate this above the standard action potboilers of the era, with a lot of memorable side characters lending gravitas to the proceedings. DiGeorge has a frisky young daughter who takes an interest in the new Bolan as he worms his way into her father's suspicious graces, we meet a stalwart sheriff more suited to the Old West than the modern era, and finally have some villains worth mentioning in Julian DiGeorge and his thugs!
The final sequence lacks the cinematic action of some of the earlier setpieces, but it still makes for compelling reading thanks to Bolan's swift and clever psychological games against the mobsters.
A fine slice of 70s action and essential reading for anyone looking to read the best of Pendleton's run.
December 11, 2019
Gotta say, I'm thoroughly enjoying these Executioner books. That said, lemme preface this brief review with a note about my rating. My ratings (in stars) are not a flat, universal scale. I rate on general enjoyment and relative quality of the writing. The "relative quality" is in regard to similar books and not across everything I read. So books in The Executioner, Able Team, The Destroyer, and other similar pulpy adventure series are rated in comparison to one another and not in comparison to something more literary.
That said, Mack Bolan is back for the third round here, and--as has been the norm for these books so far--the action is fast and furious. There are moments taken for a bit of introspection, but those moments last for usually only a few pages or for a paragraph or two sprinkled throughout and never really slow the pace of the story down. And Pendleton sets a fast pace for these books.
Infiltration is a big part of this book, but the actual backstory of the infiltration is told quickly in a few pages, keeping the action galloping along. There are lots of shootouts, some rather brutal scenes (probably the most brutal I've come across yet in the series), but the highlight of this entry is the way Mack sets things up for the climax. Mack has always had a knack for outwitting his foes, and here in "Battle Mask" it's his penchant for manipulation that really shines. In fact, this book would've been an enjoyable 3-star read, but watching the way Mack's plan unfolds at the climax earned it a 4th star.
That said, Mack Bolan is back for the third round here, and--as has been the norm for these books so far--the action is fast and furious. There are moments taken for a bit of introspection, but those moments last for usually only a few pages or for a paragraph or two sprinkled throughout and never really slow the pace of the story down. And Pendleton sets a fast pace for these books.
Infiltration is a big part of this book, but the actual backstory of the infiltration is told quickly in a few pages, keeping the action galloping along. There are lots of shootouts, some rather brutal scenes (probably the most brutal I've come across yet in the series), but the highlight of this entry is the way Mack sets things up for the climax. Mack has always had a knack for outwitting his foes, and here in "Battle Mask" it's his penchant for manipulation that really shines. In fact, this book would've been an enjoyable 3-star read, but watching the way Mack's plan unfolds at the climax earned it a 4th star.
October 10, 2022
Oh, good! We're back to form with this one. The second one (Death Buddies? or whatever) was a real struggle to read, but this one sparkles and is a lot of fun. Pendleton still has a little difficult at times with verisimilitude and pacing, but the former isn't really what I'm reading these books for, and I feel like he's getting better at the latter.
My favorite part about reading these is seeing EXACTLY what Punisher would rip off later. The whole plot in this novel revolves around Mack getting facial reconstructive surgery and looking like someone else so that he can infiltrate the mob AGAIN. This plotline was used at least once in Punisher, the time that he came out of surgery as a Black man! Yeah, that storyline doesn't get mentioned much these days.
There were a lot of good little bits in here. I think the best was how he gets facial reconstructive surgery, is TOLD IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS how he can't move for at least a couple of days, then IMMEDIATELY gets into a firefight and, like, less than 24 hours gets smacked in the face. I really wanted there to be a line, like, 'Luckily the mob boss didn't notice the HOLDING PIN FLYING OUT OF MY CHEEKBONE.'
Anyway, just a pure shot of adrenalin from beginning to end. Hoping this ride continues to be fun, and I'm really glad I didn't stop after the lackluster sophomore outing.
My favorite part about reading these is seeing EXACTLY what Punisher would rip off later. The whole plot in this novel revolves around Mack getting facial reconstructive surgery and looking like someone else so that he can infiltrate the mob AGAIN. This plotline was used at least once in Punisher, the time that he came out of surgery as a Black man! Yeah, that storyline doesn't get mentioned much these days.
There were a lot of good little bits in here. I think the best was how he gets facial reconstructive surgery, is TOLD IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS how he can't move for at least a couple of days, then IMMEDIATELY gets into a firefight and, like, less than 24 hours gets smacked in the face. I really wanted there to be a line, like, 'Luckily the mob boss didn't notice the HOLDING PIN FLYING OUT OF MY CHEEKBONE.'
Anyway, just a pure shot of adrenalin from beginning to end. Hoping this ride continues to be fun, and I'm really glad I didn't stop after the lackluster sophomore outing.
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June 11, 2020So apparently Bolan is so broken up about getting seven of his buddies killed in the previous book that he immediately gets an innocent old man killed by enlisting the dude's help escaping from some mob hitmen. Over the next few weeks he gets another army buddy to help him (who then gets TORTURED and killed) and a small-town sheriff to help him (who then gets killed -- his wife too). But hey it's a holy war against evil and he's the "good" guy! LOL
Venting complete.
Ignoring the f'd up morality of these books, this one was very entertaining. The pacing and plotting shows significant improvements over the first two books. I think this is where Pendleton started to figure out what he wanted to do with these stories and these characters.
Carl Lyons (future member of Able Team) transitions from his look-the-other-way collaborator of book #2 to a full-fledged ally, and Hal Brognola makes his first appearance, essentially offering Bolan an off-the-books job working for the feds. The mob mythos is expanded with details about the Mafia's national (maybe international?) ruling council and their elite hitmen, Pat and Mike Talifero.
On to Miami...
Venting complete.
Ignoring the f'd up morality of these books, this one was very entertaining. The pacing and plotting shows significant improvements over the first two books. I think this is where Pendleton started to figure out what he wanted to do with these stories and these characters.
Carl Lyons (future member of Able Team) transitions from his look-the-other-way collaborator of book #2 to a full-fledged ally, and Hal Brognola makes his first appearance, essentially offering Bolan an off-the-books job working for the feds. The mob mythos is expanded with details about the Mafia's national (maybe international?) ruling council and their elite hitmen, Pat and Mike Talifero.
On to Miami...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2024
This book picks up very quickly after the last one left off. It’s one of the things that is very different about the early books in this series compared to the later ones. There is a lot more continuity than in the later books. Police officers from the previous novel also reappears as Bolan goes after a mobster who got away.
The premise of the novel is that Bolan gets a face-job that is apparently completed in one night without needing bandages. He then uses his new looks to infiltrate the mob, do some informing for the FBI to hurt their business, and then turn the mobsters on each other in a climatic conclusion. None of that is a spoiler. He is pretty straightforward about his plans.
This is one of the better novels in the series. It’s got good action as long as you don’t think about it too much.
The premise of the novel is that Bolan gets a face-job that is apparently completed in one night without needing bandages. He then uses his new looks to infiltrate the mob, do some informing for the FBI to hurt their business, and then turn the mobsters on each other in a climatic conclusion. None of that is a spoiler. He is pretty straightforward about his plans.
This is one of the better novels in the series. It’s got good action as long as you don’t think about it too much.
December 13, 2020
Bolan looked to the west and into the blood-red of a desert sunset. “Oh no,” he muttered, swinging east, “I’m not heading into that.” But the Executioner did not need a symbolically red sky to overshadow his future. The red of blood was etched into his very shadow, and all compass points would lead inevitably to the same horizon. If there had been reason for the Mafia to hate and fear Mack Bolan in the past, the time was fast approaching when they would rise up with all their wrath and power to crush this greatest of all threats to their continued existence. Pat and Mike lay just across the Executioner’s next horizon. In Bolan’s shadow world of the immediate future, all skies were bloody red.
Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/244680487
Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/244680487
January 10, 2023
After having sampled so many of the later entries in this series, it's quite interesting to circle back to the early volumes. The concrete of the Pendleton-Bolan formula hasn't yet set, so we get more scenes from side character perspectives and more of a sense of danger for our Superman. Probably the most notable change is the much greater sense of continuity between the books. While entries later on would feature general recaps, this one continues the action more directly.
Ultimately, these little changes add up to an experience that's a little more engaging than the average latter-day Executioner
Ultimately, these little changes add up to an experience that's a little more engaging than the average latter-day Executioner
March 2, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
Picking up right where the previous book left off, Mack Bolan is the only surviving member of the Death Squad. Most are dead, though some are now behind bars.
Bolan, known mostly as 'The Execution,' has declared war on the Mafia after the mob was responsible for the deaths of his family. His skills were honed by the United States military, where he was one of the best snipers the U.S. has had. He was cool and detached and could carry out a killing flawlessly. But now he's put those skills to use on American soil, taking on the mob - something America's own police force hasn't been able to do with much success.
In the previous book, Bolan and squad took on the mob in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles police have a task force dedicated solely to taking down The Executioner, and the mob has a $100,000 bounty on Bolan's head. This book begins with some mob connections getting a fix on where Bolan is hiding out. Despite a careful plan of attack, Bolan manages to fight his way clear, though only just barely.
It clearly isn't safe for Bolan, what with some friends dead and the others captured, and a price tag on his life. There's only one thing The Executioner can do to escape the net closing in on him in Los Angeles... he needs a new face. And with that, he can once again get inside the mob, learning names and locations.
Of the three Executioner books I've now read, this one maybe has the least amount of action (though it's sometimes difficult to think of it that way since it starts out with such a high-powered sequence). And it almost feels like it comes full circle with Bolan infiltrating the mob and becoming one of their best hit-men.
One thing that is becoming more and more obvious with each book is that Bolan relies on the generosity of others much more than I expected. Here, an Army surgeon agrees to give him a new face, and a local sheriff looks the other way as long as Bolan promises to take the fighting elsewhere. But because of this outside help, his status as a ruthless killer who can avoid capture becomes legendary.
This third book didn't hold my attention quite as well as the others, but I'm still interested in reading more in this series as I find it. A recent trip to a local used book store had me surprised to find almost an entire shelf filled with Executioner series books, though none in sequence at the beginning, where I am currently reading.
The Executioner series is a thrilling read for those interested in pulse-pounding action sequences and watching the bad guys get decimated by the good guy.
Looking for a good book? Battle Mask, by Don Pendleton is the third book in the Executioner series and falls just a little short on the action as seen in the first two books, but still delivers on the quick-moving story.
Picking up right where the previous book left off, Mack Bolan is the only surviving member of the Death Squad. Most are dead, though some are now behind bars.
Bolan, known mostly as 'The Execution,' has declared war on the Mafia after the mob was responsible for the deaths of his family. His skills were honed by the United States military, where he was one of the best snipers the U.S. has had. He was cool and detached and could carry out a killing flawlessly. But now he's put those skills to use on American soil, taking on the mob - something America's own police force hasn't been able to do with much success.
In the previous book, Bolan and squad took on the mob in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles police have a task force dedicated solely to taking down The Executioner, and the mob has a $100,000 bounty on Bolan's head. This book begins with some mob connections getting a fix on where Bolan is hiding out. Despite a careful plan of attack, Bolan manages to fight his way clear, though only just barely.
It clearly isn't safe for Bolan, what with some friends dead and the others captured, and a price tag on his life. There's only one thing The Executioner can do to escape the net closing in on him in Los Angeles... he needs a new face. And with that, he can once again get inside the mob, learning names and locations.
Of the three Executioner books I've now read, this one maybe has the least amount of action (though it's sometimes difficult to think of it that way since it starts out with such a high-powered sequence). And it almost feels like it comes full circle with Bolan infiltrating the mob and becoming one of their best hit-men.
One thing that is becoming more and more obvious with each book is that Bolan relies on the generosity of others much more than I expected. Here, an Army surgeon agrees to give him a new face, and a local sheriff looks the other way as long as Bolan promises to take the fighting elsewhere. But because of this outside help, his status as a ruthless killer who can avoid capture becomes legendary.
This third book didn't hold my attention quite as well as the others, but I'm still interested in reading more in this series as I find it. A recent trip to a local used book store had me surprised to find almost an entire shelf filled with Executioner series books, though none in sequence at the beginning, where I am currently reading.
The Executioner series is a thrilling read for those interested in pulse-pounding action sequences and watching the bad guys get decimated by the good guy.
Looking for a good book? Battle Mask, by Don Pendleton is the third book in the Executioner series and falls just a little short on the action as seen in the first two books, but still delivers on the quick-moving story.
April 30, 2018
4.5 out of 5 Stars
I quite enjoy Battle Mask. Its a near flawless book by Don Pendleton filled with action, smarter mafia tough guys, interesting side characters (I really adore Andrea D'Agosta, the capo's daughter ) and we get to meet Hal Brognola, a key figure and ally to Mack in later books.
It also shows a side of Mack's personal rage when people he's close to get butchered. A man that has no family anymore, even most of his nam' buddies killed in the last book and yet, he keeps losing people and that's a tough pill for him to swallow, even self doubt creeps in.. If the war is really worth it.
In the end, an excellent read. Best one in the series yet imo
December 14, 2020
Entertaining and fast-paced
Battle Mask is an entertaining, fast-paced addition to Don Pendleton’s The Executioner series. This was much better than book 2, but not quite as intriguing as book 1, which thus far is the best of the series. Mack Bolan, The Executioner, is becoming a more interesting character with some added nuance we haven’t seen before. Some of the other supporting characters in the series are also gaining some complexity which makes them more substantive. I am interested to continue on to book 4.
Battle Mask is an entertaining, fast-paced addition to Don Pendleton’s The Executioner series. This was much better than book 2, but not quite as intriguing as book 1, which thus far is the best of the series. Mack Bolan, The Executioner, is becoming a more interesting character with some added nuance we haven’t seen before. Some of the other supporting characters in the series are also gaining some complexity which makes them more substantive. I am interested to continue on to book 4.
March 18, 2021
A step up from book #2 (Death Squad) as Mack Bolan is more interesting when he is working alone as a one-man wrecking ball. After receiving some plastic surgery to get a new face, Bolan works his way into the DiGeorge mafia organization to start fucking things up from the inside. The Executioner series delivers a testosterone fueled story of revenge, violence and bloodshed. Absolutely killer for those that remember those Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone action flicks of the early 80's.
December 3, 2025
Battle Mask is my third Executioner book in a row and it's the one a prefer so far. Is it because I've become familiar with the characters or because the story was much better? I dont' know but the fact is it was a very good read. Mack Bolan got, literally, a new face and he's infiltrated the local mafia from the inside and started to build people against each other in the organisation. The result is a full-on internal war that decimated the "family. Classic Executioner stuff well written and very entertaining. The Executioner series keeps living up to its lofty reputation as THE trend setter and I'm happy that there are so many more for me to read.
September 18, 2018
Book three of the Executioner is my favourite one yet. With a new face Bolan infiltrates the DiGeorge crime family and its pretty action packed. The continuity is nice as well, with a recurring villain from the last book as well as allies in Bolan's war against the Mafia. There is a prologue at the start to get readers up to speed, but this novel works a lot better if you've read the first two.
April 7, 2022
This book reminded me of being a kid and the paperback book spinner rack at my local pharmacy. It had all the Pinnacle action hero books: The Butcher, The Death Merchant, The Destroyer, Edge, The Executioner, The Penetrator, The Private Army of Colonel Tobin. I wasn't allowed to read these books then. I was too young. But I remember the characters and the covers always caught my eye.
July 9, 2024
Mack Bolan is absolutely apocalyptic when it comes to ridding the city of organized crime . His friends, though, seem to be the weakest link for him. So he is not my friend, but if I see him in need imathrow down wit him. Mack Bolan, the savior of the infirm, the weak, the destitute, and whatever else
February 19, 2020
Pendleton was the best in the men's adventure business. Early on in my re read of his Executioners I'm finding out how true that is, as good as the genre gets.
Highly recommended, required reading for fans of the genre and could create a few new ones even all these years later.
Highly recommended, required reading for fans of the genre and could create a few new ones even all these years later.
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