Voodoo Die

The Destroyer #33

by Warren Murphy, Richard Sapir

Under the Communist President-for-Life, a voodoo priest named Generalissimo Sacrist Corazon, the natives of the Caribbean Isle Baqia aren't complaining, thanks to a delicious drug they call "mung." When shot through with radiation, however, mung becomes a powerful weapon: it literally liquefies the opposition, and Generalissimo Corazon has no qualms about using it. After an innocent missionary becomes the latest victim of Corazon's mung machine, the world is alarmed, and deadly forces are inspired. The Chinese, the Russians, and the CIA all vie to control the mung machine, while CURE's own powerful weapons, Remo and Chiun, make their way to Baqia and further discover nuclear warheads aimed at the United States. Sacrist Corazon must be stopped, but has the Destroyer met his deadly voodoo match?

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Pulp, Action, Martial Arts

181 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Warren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.

Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.

His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.

He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.

He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.

Reviews

[Bruce Coulter · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely bonkers

[Bryan457 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby Gonzalez #1

An island dictator gets a new and powerful weapon. Everyone wants it, and agents from nearly every country in the world show up to steal it. Remo is on strike. The president sends Chiun to get it. The CIA sends the least valuable agent they can find, Ruby Gonzalez. She has no training and is on the payroll because she is black, a woman, and has a Spanish last name (affirmative action at its best). Ruby is clever, street smart, self taught, and a sharp business woman, well able to take care of herself.

I love the few books with Ruby in them. Lots of great satire and action.

Favorite tidbits: Ruby treats Chiun with respect, so he thinks she is wonderful. She treats Remo like dirt; I think her favorite names for him are “turkey” and “dodo;” chiun thinks she is funny.

Warning, sex and graphic gory violence.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of Voodoo Die is fairly weak. A fictious Caribbean nation has discovered a new superweapon that disintegrates people and the nations of the world are trying to make a deal with them to obtain it. Their dictatorial leader is erratic at best and there is a parody of spies racing around trying to find the weapon and obtain it. In fact, just about every nation in the world has sent their spies except the U.S. because the CIA of Jimmy Carter’s Administration is so terrified of Congressional investigations that they don’t do their job anymore—at least not until Carter twists their arms and they agree to send a part-time untrained woman named Ruby Gonzalez to pacify the president.

Ruby is the highlight of the novel. She’s smart, practical, competent, and funny and her interactions with Remo and Chiun are often hilarious. She lifts a mediocre plot into something much better, and because she is going to appear in at least the next two novels, that is a very good thing.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Paul Harmon · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was just terrible. A wasted premise, a wasted opportunity for a great showdown and battle between 100 spies, no action, I feel dumber after reading it. worst action book I've read there's no action, horrible dialogue, and by today's standard kinda cringe on the race stuff it's very stereotyping and lazy writing.

[John Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you want in a 70s pulp novel: zombies, voodoo, death rays, government incompetence and commie dictators. Introduces Ruby Gonzalez and there's criticisms of the American public school system that are shockingly current year. One of the best of the original Pinnacle run.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#33 in the Destroyer series. Remo & Chiun battle a voodoo priest and his mysterious weapon, ably assisted by CIA officer Ruby. Much chaos ensues.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doubles up on the problematic, with a new protagonist, Ruby Gonzales Jackson (which the name about covers it) and a location that is not geographically specific enough to know if it is Caribbean or African, but is very obviously peopled by black persons.

The Jackson character manages to be even more cringe than Detta Walker/Susanna Dean/Odetta Holmes in Stephen King's Dark Tower books, and I mean the original audiobooks in which you got to hear Steve himself enthusiastically crow (as her character) "Morning, Whitebread!!!" But the instinct is the same, creating a black female superhero who can hang with the leads, and so for these older guys, I guess it's worth giving points for good intention?

Some of the shots at the CIA and Russians are pretty funny, and obviously well deserved, so there's that.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the big men's adventure series from the 70's than ran an impressive 145 books. The series while an adventure/action story is also full of satire toward much of the mainstream fads and icons of the time. An interesting main character and the sarcastic mentor makes this a funny action/adventure read. The team must protect the newest death weapon the Mung Machine. Recommended

[Waynestennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neither the best nor worst of the Destroyer books up to this point. It was interesting to see a new predicament for the heroes... It lent a bit of novelty to this book - as these books are fairly predictable and routine (but entertaining nonetheless).

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remo, Chiun, new female protagonist, voodoo, zombies, mystical weapons. The only problem this time around is that Remo and Chiun end up observing more than participating in the events. But this gives more room for the new female protagonist, so it actually works pretty well.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a Tuesday,and I'm reading about Ruby.

Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir offering. Suitable for teens and adults. Remo and chiun meet ruby Gonzalez. The most important woman they will ever know. They also cause regime change, but that's unimportant compared to ruby.

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

not the best