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Mack Bolan the Executioner #74
Savannah Swingsaw
Don Pendleton, Mack Savannah Swingsaw, paperback
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,520 books190 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
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 14, 2023
A perfect blend of action and intrigue as Mack Bolan goes undercover in an Atlanta prison to protect a young man from a Russian assassin. Throw in a female vigilante group known as Savannah Swingsaw and the Mafia and you have the makings of one of the best Executioner stories.
June 12, 2021
The best Executioner book I have ever read. A few of the reasons are that the author, Ray Obstfeld. He also wrote the novelization of Invasion U.S.A. which was a great book. He also wrote some of The Warlord series under the name "Jason Frost." That was another great set of books. This also doesn't read like a usual Mack Bolan book. There is very little patriotic flag waving and none of the Bolan diatribes against all things evil. It reads more like a really good 70's action book like The Penetrator.
This starts out with Bolan getting arrested for robbing a liquor store. It's all a set up. He wants to get booked and sent to prison. He needs to find a young man in his early twenties who is marked for death by the KGB. He has no idea why. Neither does Mack.
He gets involved with the Savannah Swingsaw as well. Four women who are giving hell to the southern mob. He joins with them to fight the mafia boss who is after the girls. So Bolan fights on two fronts. One, his old war with the mob. Second, his new wars with the KGB.
This starts out with Bolan getting arrested for robbing a liquor store. It's all a set up. He wants to get booked and sent to prison. He needs to find a young man in his early twenties who is marked for death by the KGB. He has no idea why. Neither does Mack.
He gets involved with the Savannah Swingsaw as well. Four women who are giving hell to the southern mob. He joins with them to fight the mafia boss who is after the girls. So Bolan fights on two fronts. One, his old war with the mob. Second, his new wars with the KGB.
August 13, 2016
Definitely an interesting book due to the time frame in which it was written. References to Vietnam, Beach Boys, and incredible sexism are throughout the writing. It's a typical action novel, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more of the series.
December 4, 2023
Quick easy read, similar to Reacher stories. I liked it!
May 7, 2024
Men's Adventure Mayhem going on here to celebrate the coming heat of the summer. My wife does volunteer work for a charity book sale and occasionally books come through that she thinks I might like. Stuff like this. Fast and violent and stupid.
Actually, I don't think books like this are stupid. The other night we were having drinks with friends of ours and the subject of book clubs came up. There was an older lady there, about 70, who told us she reads a lot of books each year. However, she made sure to let us know, she only reads novels that teach her something. She only reads novels that teach her about other places, other countries, in the world and are set in historical settings so that she can learn from them. She doesn't like trivial books that are written to entertain. She then went on to tell us, in great detail, of a historical novel book she was reading about a doctor in Morocco, or somewhere, I last track, in the middle-ages. She was the classic book snob that you run into now and then. Someone who wouldn't be caught dead reading something as vapid as a romance novel or a mystery novel. Those sorts of books find no place on her shelves. Only books of importance and educational value are worth reading in her opinion. She then asked my wife how many books she's read so far this year, prepared to outdo her in quantity and quality. When she finally bothered to ask what I was reading I replied "I don't think you'd appreciate what I'm reading right now. It's about good guys killing bad guys and a team of female vigilantes in the south and lots of guns and well...I'll just let it go at that." I would like to say that an awkward, and grateful, silence ensued but she went on to repeat the plot about medicine in Morocco or somewhere without even registering my response. The hors d'oeuvres were good though.
So, as for this Mack Bolan caper, it's like I said. Good guys killing bad guys. A jail break to rescue a guy who's the target of a KGB assassin. Prison fights, an all-female vigilante squad taking on the mob in Atlanta, chases in the swamp, shootouts, gun play, evil assassins, despicable mobsters, a plot to poison America, all that kind of good shit for guys who like reading stuff that they just don't write anymore. I guess you could say this is a historical novel, in a way. I still don't think that book snob from the other night would appreciate it though. Some people, there just ain't no helping.
Actually, I don't think books like this are stupid. The other night we were having drinks with friends of ours and the subject of book clubs came up. There was an older lady there, about 70, who told us she reads a lot of books each year. However, she made sure to let us know, she only reads novels that teach her something. She only reads novels that teach her about other places, other countries, in the world and are set in historical settings so that she can learn from them. She doesn't like trivial books that are written to entertain. She then went on to tell us, in great detail, of a historical novel book she was reading about a doctor in Morocco, or somewhere, I last track, in the middle-ages. She was the classic book snob that you run into now and then. Someone who wouldn't be caught dead reading something as vapid as a romance novel or a mystery novel. Those sorts of books find no place on her shelves. Only books of importance and educational value are worth reading in her opinion. She then asked my wife how many books she's read so far this year, prepared to outdo her in quantity and quality. When she finally bothered to ask what I was reading I replied "I don't think you'd appreciate what I'm reading right now. It's about good guys killing bad guys and a team of female vigilantes in the south and lots of guns and well...I'll just let it go at that." I would like to say that an awkward, and grateful, silence ensued but she went on to repeat the plot about medicine in Morocco or somewhere without even registering my response. The hors d'oeuvres were good though.
So, as for this Mack Bolan caper, it's like I said. Good guys killing bad guys. A jail break to rescue a guy who's the target of a KGB assassin. Prison fights, an all-female vigilante squad taking on the mob in Atlanta, chases in the swamp, shootouts, gun play, evil assassins, despicable mobsters, a plot to poison America, all that kind of good shit for guys who like reading stuff that they just don't write anymore. I guess you could say this is a historical novel, in a way. I still don't think that book snob from the other night would appreciate it though. Some people, there just ain't no helping.
January 16, 2024
Yet another awesome continuation in The Executioner series as this time Bolan goes undercover in prison to protect an accidental witness to a KGB/Mafia plot to destroy America from within.
As usual, this one is pretty cliched with its plot but Obstfield makes up for that with one of the most action packed and relentless releases up to this point.
I’ve made it pretty clear before that we got all the mafia we needed with Pendleton’s original 38 books, but between prison fights, a team of femme fatale’s, car chases, Russian hitmen, a battle through the Everglades of Florida, and an eventual climax of Bolan versus the antagonists, the mafia subplot here doesn’t even really matter. All that matters is just how damn fun “Savannah Swingsaw” was and is.
The 1985 release year of Executioner books has gotten off to a great start with back to back 5 star stories. Hers hoping the year of Reaganomics, cocaine, and crime waves made for truly great dadlit.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews