The Final Reel

The Destroyer #116

by Warren Murphy (Series Creator), Richard Sapir (Series Creator), James Mullaney

A dying Sultan Omay of Ebla decides to hit back at his archenemy, the United States, by purchasing a failing movie studio and hiring the Mideast's top terrorist to stage the greatest--and most real--battle epic ever, right in the middle of Hollywood. Original.

349 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published July 1, 1999

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

[Dan Sanderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-written with clever & interesting descriptions, but ultimately a pointless plot based on low-budget action. A socially conservative dislike for Hollywood, marijuana culture, movie stars, and a pointless chauvinism toward women "of a certain age".

[Colin Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remo and Chiun go to Hollywood

Another Satire filled adventure,A plot to bring down the USA. Remo and Chiun save the day. Action, plot and bad acting.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another decent lower-end Destroyer novel.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#116 in the Destroyer series. Remo & Chiun in Hollywood. Much chaos ensues.

[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 Sultan of Ebia, long a hater of America, is dying and wants to see the devastation of his enemy before he leaves this world. To accomplish this, he makes use of the fascination with movies, a tool of the Great Satan. His plan will see the destruction of Hollywood. Recommended

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Master of Sininju meets Hollywood. Action packed and funny.

The Final Reel (The Destroyer #116) by James Mullaney (Goodreads Author), Warren Murphy (Creator)