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The Evil That Men Do
Rhiana Rhead hires and joins forces with a paid assassin to hunt down the infamous Doctor who, as an expert in torture techniques and a tool of the secret police, murdered her husband and father. (Made into a movie in 1984).
373 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1978
7 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
R. Lance Hill
7 books10 followersNovelist and screenplay writer. Among his movie screenplay credits are "Road House" (1989). "8 Million Ways to Die" (1986) and "Out For Justice" (1991). Early in his career he was also a writer for the Canadian motor magazine "Track and Traffic". Has used "David Lee Henry" as a pseudonym on his screenplays.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 9, 2023
My father passed away (unexpectedly) on August 16, 2016. This was one of his favorite novels. He read several times over the years. I recall seeing it in my parent's library over the years. The evening of August 16th I started reading it. Seemed appropriate.
The story isn't too complicated. Dr. Moloch is a doctor, sociopath and a sadist who is an expert in scientific torture. His lifelong hero is the infamous Nazi Joseph Mengele. His expertise makes him popular with despotic rulers and he makes a handsome living plying his craft around the world. Moloch is protected by the western powers (the novel was first published in 1978 so the Cold War is a presence - albeit in the wings) since he mostly works for countries that side (more or less) with the West (i.e. not friendly with the Soviets). As a result he is untouchable or so he thinks.
Holland (that's it just Holland) is an ex-pat of the United States, former U.S. Army Special Forces operator, Vietnam War veteran and a true top-level international assassin. He is hired to kill Moloch. Holland is not an unusual character and in 2016 something of a stereotype living a clichéd life. He is a Lone Wolf who lives a solitary existence on a small island in the Caribbean (what is it about tropical islands?) who reads books and swims with his pet fish (I'm not joking) in between jobs. He claims to have no need for money; though his simple and uncluttered existence would take a fair amount of money to maintain. However, I'm in danger of being snarky so let's move on.
The story isn't complicated. It's a genre novel after all. There is a little bit of Ernest Hemingway, Frederick Forsyth and John D. MacDonald thrown in with just enough seventies sexism to make it interesting in a retro sort of way. It does have some solid real world details supporting the plot though. The author (David Lee Henry (R. Lance Hill)) evidently did some research about the United Fruit Company in Guatemala, the overthrow of Allende (Chile 1973), weaponry, torture, international terrorism and Realpolitik. Provides what would otherwise be something of an exploitation novel some heft.
The book is an easy read, but you will not be surprised by the path it takes. Like a trip you have made many times in the past the journey has no real surprises, and you end up exactly where you expected. Nevertheless it's an easy trip with a few nice touches (see above) so you won't feel cheated. The "shocking revelations" that the story contains might feel rather subdued forty years later. Like any older novel, that was considered edgy and topical in its day, "The Evil That Men Do" is a little dated. We're more jaded now and the last fifteen years has probably shown even more Americans that the United States, and its allies, engage in some of the same dirty tricks as our enemies. The world is a big muddy area, and nobody is clean.
While reading "The Evil That Men Do" I grew curious about the writer and did a little Googling about him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he went to Hollywood in the Eighties where he became a script doctor as well as a screenplay writer. His most famous work is that great cult movie hit Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze as the nationally famous bouncer called Dalton (that it's just Dalton) who lives a solitary life between jobs...........well you get the idea. Basically Mr. Henry recycled his novel, and the result is an equally easy to digest movie that has achieved a type of immortality among movie buffs.
This is not a bad book. Don't be fooled by my playful sniping. I picked it up a few weeks before my father's passing because I have such clear memories of it from my childhood. I then read it as a way of remembering my dad. My father liked his novels with lots of action and heros who were doing the right thing. He was a Vietnam veteran and a career police officer who loved his country and his family. He sent me to college since that was something he was never able to do in his life. As a result I probably have a bit more of a jaundice eye when it comes to characters and settings that I believe to clichéd, but this is still a pretty good novel. I used it as a nightstand book which it's perfect for. I'll be keeping my copy like I'll hold onto a few other things that belonged to dad.
The story isn't too complicated. Dr. Moloch is a doctor, sociopath and a sadist who is an expert in scientific torture. His lifelong hero is the infamous Nazi Joseph Mengele. His expertise makes him popular with despotic rulers and he makes a handsome living plying his craft around the world. Moloch is protected by the western powers (the novel was first published in 1978 so the Cold War is a presence - albeit in the wings) since he mostly works for countries that side (more or less) with the West (i.e. not friendly with the Soviets). As a result he is untouchable or so he thinks.
Holland (that's it just Holland) is an ex-pat of the United States, former U.S. Army Special Forces operator, Vietnam War veteran and a true top-level international assassin. He is hired to kill Moloch. Holland is not an unusual character and in 2016 something of a stereotype living a clichéd life. He is a Lone Wolf who lives a solitary existence on a small island in the Caribbean (what is it about tropical islands?) who reads books and swims with his pet fish (I'm not joking) in between jobs. He claims to have no need for money; though his simple and uncluttered existence would take a fair amount of money to maintain. However, I'm in danger of being snarky so let's move on.
The story isn't complicated. It's a genre novel after all. There is a little bit of Ernest Hemingway, Frederick Forsyth and John D. MacDonald thrown in with just enough seventies sexism to make it interesting in a retro sort of way. It does have some solid real world details supporting the plot though. The author (David Lee Henry (R. Lance Hill)) evidently did some research about the United Fruit Company in Guatemala, the overthrow of Allende (Chile 1973), weaponry, torture, international terrorism and Realpolitik. Provides what would otherwise be something of an exploitation novel some heft.
The book is an easy read, but you will not be surprised by the path it takes. Like a trip you have made many times in the past the journey has no real surprises, and you end up exactly where you expected. Nevertheless it's an easy trip with a few nice touches (see above) so you won't feel cheated. The "shocking revelations" that the story contains might feel rather subdued forty years later. Like any older novel, that was considered edgy and topical in its day, "The Evil That Men Do" is a little dated. We're more jaded now and the last fifteen years has probably shown even more Americans that the United States, and its allies, engage in some of the same dirty tricks as our enemies. The world is a big muddy area, and nobody is clean.
While reading "The Evil That Men Do" I grew curious about the writer and did a little Googling about him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he went to Hollywood in the Eighties where he became a script doctor as well as a screenplay writer. His most famous work is that great cult movie hit Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze as the nationally famous bouncer called Dalton (that it's just Dalton) who lives a solitary life between jobs...........well you get the idea. Basically Mr. Henry recycled his novel, and the result is an equally easy to digest movie that has achieved a type of immortality among movie buffs.
This is not a bad book. Don't be fooled by my playful sniping. I picked it up a few weeks before my father's passing because I have such clear memories of it from my childhood. I then read it as a way of remembering my dad. My father liked his novels with lots of action and heros who were doing the right thing. He was a Vietnam veteran and a career police officer who loved his country and his family. He sent me to college since that was something he was never able to do in his life. As a result I probably have a bit more of a jaundice eye when it comes to characters and settings that I believe to clichéd, but this is still a pretty good novel. I used it as a nightstand book which it's perfect for. I'll be keeping my copy like I'll hold onto a few other things that belonged to dad.
October 15, 2021
An excellent high impact story which is much better than the 1984 Bronson film, although the film is a good.
Well written with an excellent pace that will keep the reading turning pages from start to finish.
Well written with an excellent pace that will keep the reading turning pages from start to finish.
June 5, 2011
Love the book. Perhaps that's why I REALLY loathed the movie, with a totally miscast and WAAAAY too old Charles Bronson in the lead.
September 12, 2021
Black sites. Rendition. Abu Ghraib. Guantanimo Bay. THE EVIL THAT MEN DO is a story that is at home in 1978 as much as today. Torture is the coin of the realm and there is one man to teach it to slimeballs at large. A bad guy so talented, Clement Moloch, the grandmaster of torture, he is sought out by despots, cruel regimes, and dictators the world 'round. And he didn't come down with yesterday's rain. He is so hard and cruel that he ritually needs a hot cocoa before bedtime.
You send a maniac to catch a maniac. A crusader out of hell, a mystic monster. An there is such a man; he who whiles away his time in the obscure reaches of the Caribbean and takes swims with a friendly grouper nicknamed Quasimodo. A man so complex he goes by a single name...Holland. The features of his face are a good measure short of perfection, but his skills are unmatched and legendary. Forged in the jungles of Vietnam, Holland's skills at stalking his prey unfurl slowly & the conflict between him and his mission-essential companion are unwaveringly ethical and never sexual.
Interspersed with [fictional] accounts of atrocities committed by regimes in response to civil strife and uprisings, THE EVIL THAT MEN DO is a stark reminder of the evil that men do and the brutal world that exists outside of the perceived clean bubble of Western civilization. Akin to MARATHON MAN (1974) but not nearly as lofty in its end game (diamonds), THE EVIL THAT MEN DO is a straight story of vengeance and countering the subtle currents of malevolence in the human species. If the handbasket ride the world has been on in the last 20 odd years is any indication, THE EVIL THAT MEN DO is a permanent fixture and this novel stands the test of time and will be relevant for quite a few generations to come.
September 1, 2008
One of my favorite books. I really wish Hill would have written more featuring the hero of this book, Holland. Exciting and full of action.
October 29, 2018
Hang on to your stomach as the author takes readers into the cold heart of a man and his sister and the evil the two have no problem inflicting on others. Follow along on this thrilling adventure in a book that takes readers to the deepest places of hate and also the extraordinary lives of those trying to stop the hatred.
January 18, 2018
A real page Turner. Interesting and well defined characters with an exciting and very plausible plot. The violence and the auction sequences are well written and believable, without being overly lurid. A first class read.
July 2, 2018
2 stars out of 5 - A bit of a muddle. Not bad, but not very good either. I almost abandoned it about a third of the way through, but was glad I didn't when the second half turned out to be pretty good.
May 23, 2020
The basis for the violent Charles Bronson thriller
April 30, 2022
Got a copy years ago. One of my all time favorite action thrillers.
June 12, 2013
Absolutely one of the most exciting novels I've ever read, The Evil That Men Do follows the story of Holland, and international assassin who has been hired to kill a man named the Clement Moloch, a.k.a "The Doctor". The Doctor (based on Josef Mengele) is a professional torturer hired and protected by various governments and organizations in exchange for his services and expertise in the field of interrogation. However, after many failed attempts on his life by various groups (including the Israeli Mossad), a widow of a man murdered by the doctor hires Holland (and follows him on his journey) to assassinate Moloch for the crimes he has committed. This novel kept me turning the pages all night, and made me feel as if I was part of their journey as well. Easily the darkest novel I've ever read, The Evil That Men Do is a must read for fans of any genre! (NOTE: This novel is extremely graphic when describing the ways Moloch tortured, some of the methods described still leave me cringing to this day, this is certainly not for the faint of heart.)
December 15, 2011
everyone trashes the film based of this book OK the film isn't good but they had to make a story out of a badly written book with characters that have no redeeming qualities what so ever which is important to have characters that are likable because you care for them throughout their struggle but Holland and rhianna in this novel don't have that i could care less if they were both killed which took me out of the novel if you don't care for the characters then their struggle means nothing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2023
This is one of my favourite books of all time! Excellent book about a very professional, cool assassin. Hired to kill a torturer who deserves to be taken out.
Made into a movie with Charles Bronson and the book was way better. Author must have needed the money. Could have been excellent, but no.
I have re-read this book so many times and it’s always so good. I need to digitally copy this book to put on my Kindle.
Made into a movie with Charles Bronson and the book was way better. Author must have needed the money. Could have been excellent, but no.
I have re-read this book so many times and it’s always so good. I need to digitally copy this book to put on my Kindle.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews