Choke Hold

The New Destroyer #1

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

Pity poor tobacco tycoon Edgar Rawly.  Thanks to lawsuits, government meddling and the inexplicable deaths of many of his best customers, his megabucks industry is gasping its last breath.  That is, until the introduction of the Cheyenne Smooths, Rawly's latest product.  Not quite tobacco, not quite legal, more addictive than crystal meth.  Suddenly customers are once more beating a path to his door.  That's when the bodies start piling up.  Seems people are not only dying to taste the flavor of a Cheyenne Smooth, they're killing for it. 
 
Enter Remo Williams, the Destroyer, and Chiun, the deadly Master of Sinanju.  They've been sent to kick some butt, but wind up in danger of being snuffed out themselves.
 
Turns out Edgar Rawly is not the only shady character to recognize the value of the Cheyenne Smooths, and things really start to heat up when Remo bumps into a cult of ancient Chinese assassins, an Asian crime lord, and a worldwide addiction that just might send civilization up in smoke...and dump the Destroyer on the ash heap of history.

Genres: Action, Martial Arts

250 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2007

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

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new era in the Destroyer books with one of the ghost writers, Mullaney, apparently leading the action. And he does a very good job. On these pages, some of the inconsistencies of the series are suddenly explained (it took 147 novels to finally tell us why there seemed to be a varying number of steps in the Sinanju art of satisfying a woman) and the relationship between Chiun and Remo has finally developed to a more satisfying father-son relationship.

Naturally, a series that has gone for this long also produces some new inconsistencies. Chiun is, to all appearances, close to 110 years old by now and still kicking like he used to. Remo is in his fifties at least. Both of their youthfulness can naturally be explained by secrets of Sinanju that they both know and master. But the chief of CURE, the secret organisation that they serve, is himself now c. 80 years old and still in charge of the organisation. It seems doubtful that the writers would dare to kill him off and attempt to replace him with someone else after all these years, so if the series continues for a decade or two longer, it will get more and more ludicrous. :D

But, back to the Choke Hold: this was one of the better novels I've read in the series (mind you, I'm more familiar with the sub-50 numbers) and the story actually made me sit on the edge of my seat to find out how it could all be resolved.

[Steve Fahnestalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good Destroyer; a bit longer than some. Not a lot new in this one, but Mullaney did the usual Destroyer barbs--against tobacco, smokers, anti-smokers, people who wished to ban stuff, Canada, etc., etc. A pretty good read overall.

[Colin Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not the cough that carries you off.

Its the coffin they carry you off in.

They say smoking is bad for your health, it’s addictive. A new strain is that and more. Remo face an old Sinaju foe. Chiun hides under ground. Another adventure looms.

[Paul Berner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choke Hold

Fast paced read. It's good from start to finish. The story line is good an the action is good. Overall very enjoyable.

[Bryan457 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinanju records what really happened to the Roanoke colony, and Shakespeare.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun and fast action. Just as the Destroyer I fell for all those years ago. A really good one this.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remo & Chiun save the world once again.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but at least some change from the previous books in the series since the word 'New' is prominent in the series title. I guess that's just a publishing thing, because it really should just be #146 of the series. Same formula, same over-done humor that's fun in short doses. Two books in 2 days was pushing it, I guess.

[Ralph L Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As per usual, loved it! These have been one of my all time favorite series of books. Just great, great stuff. Mullaney is a great choice to continue the tradition begun by Sapir and Murphy many years ago.