Serial Vigilantes of Paperback Fiction. An Encyclopedia from Able Team to Z-Comm
Page 7
Lynch signed on with Halloran to tackle various terrorist threats around the world with a rotating group of mercenaries, starting with an assassination attempt on Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi.
The assassination attempt only killed a look-alike decoy but Lynch signed on to rescue hostages in Beirut, ferret out traitors and to rescue Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip when the IRA captured the Britannia.
Behind the Scenes
Paul Mann was born in England and worked as a journalist for many years in London, New York, various parts of Canada and Sydney, eventually settling in South Australia. Working as a freelance writer, much of his journalist work appeared in leading newspapers and magazines in Australia.
The Books
All books were published by Pan Books:
1. The Libyan Contract, 260 pages, 1988
2. The Beirut Contract, 349 pages, 1989
3. The Traitor's Contract, 370 pages, 1991
4. The Britannia Contract, 443 pages, 1993
Counter Force (Steve Crown)
Nine books by Dan Streib
Billionaire Adam Crown was unimpressed with the way that the United States government was fighting communism, especially after his only child, an aerospace engineer, defected to the Soviet Union after the death of his wife in childbirth. As Adam Crown was establishing his own private agency Counter Force, he was also raising his only grandchild and heir Steve Crown.
In time Counter Force became the agency that the official agencies such as the CIA and NSA came to when the situations became too much for them. At age twenty-nine, Steve Crown was not only one of the directors of Counter Force but also the top agent.
Crown and Counter Force tackle missions such as assisting defectors, stopping assassins, fighting terrorists and hijackers and preventing the use of super weapons as well as fighting gangs and hit men hired to kill members of Counter Force.
Behind the Scenes
Dan Streib, born in 1928, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1950-53) and died in 1996 of a heart attack. An extensive traveler for both work and pleasure, San Diego based Streib used the locales he visited in his works, which include the Hawk series under his own name The Death Squad series under the name Frank Colter, romances under the names of Louise Grandville and Lee Davis Whilloughby, and westerns under the names Jonathan Schofield and J. Faragut Jones.
The Books
All books were published by Fawcett Publishing:
1. Counter Force, 192 pages, 1983
2. Trident Hijacking, 208 pages, 1983
3. Death Shuttle, 192 pages, 1983
4. Karate Killers, 199 pages, 1983
5. Terror for Sale, 170 pages, 1983
6. Titan's Duel, 208 pages, 1984
7. Mind Breakers, 208 pages, 1984
8. Body Hunters, 224 pages, 1984
9. Bloody Rose, 224 pages, 1985
Crime Minister (Richard Dartley)
Five books by Ian Barclay
Richard Woodgate was the son of upper-middle-class parents, people so sure in their superiority that for a variety of reasons they considered every president since Truman to be an idiot.
Richard hardly lived up to this superiority, coasting through school with a C average and no ambition or drive. This aimlessness continued even when he was drafted to Vietnam; Richard learned to kill but he never applied himself and wasn't very good at it.
Woodgate discovered his purpose in life when his father, supposedly on a business trip to Miami, was found dead in Rio. With this Richard discovered that his father had been an agent for the CIA, fighting to keep America safe from her enemies. Suddenly, Woodgate had a goal and with his new focus he began to train to join the CIA. After a year of training with his uncle, a gunsmith for hire, Woodley applied to the CIA. The CIA, looking at his record and not understanding his motives, rejected his application.
Changing his name to Richard Dartley, he became a freelance operator, eventually building a reputation that commanded a one-million-dollar fee for his services. Dartley carefully selects his jobs, fighting against those he considers evil and only killing the people he imagines that his father would have killed.
Dartley is hired by business consortiums to kill drug dealers, eliminate dictators, stop rival assassins, and eliminate political rivals. On one occasion Dartley was even hired by the CIA.
Behind the Scenes
Ian Barclay is the pen name of George Ryan. Under his own name, Ryan wrote the 1997 novelization of the movie Speed 2. As Spike Andrews, he wrote the CA.T. Crisis Aversion Team series for Warner Books. Ryan also wrote under the names Chad Calhoun and Lee Davis Willoughby.
The Books
All books were published by Warner Books:
1. Crime Minister, 395 pages, 1984
2. Reprisal, 313 pages, 1985
3. Rebound, 310 pages, 1986
4. Reckoning, 220 pages, 1987
5. Retribution, 188 pages, 1987
Cross
Two books by Andrew Vachss
Cross and his team of mercenaries offer a revenge-for-hire service to those people who can find them at their headquarters, the red 71 located in the worst area of Chicago, or at the Double X bar, which the team owns and operates. The various missions they undertake can take just Cross himself or various members of his team.
The team consists of:
• Cross: The product of reform schools, Cross was given the choice between jail and the Army to serve in Vietnam. He joined the Army and eventually became a mercenary serving in Africa. Cross never cared if he lived or died and has a bullseye tattooed on his right hand.
• Buddha: This chubby, Asian, money-hungry Vietnam veteran met Cross during the war. He is the only member of the team who has legal status and all assets are in his name. His wife, So Long, is constantly nagging him to make even more money.
• Rhino: This giant of a man met Cross in reform school where his voice was permanently damaged by being force-fed Drano.
• Princess: This giant body builder has the intellect of a child. He was captured as a youth and forced into cage fights. Rescued by Cross and his crew, he joined the team and is looked after by Rhino. So named because he wears makeup and pink tutus, Princess will not start a fight but he will finish it.
• Ace: This African American hit man met Cross in reform school and joined his crew after the war. He got his name from the death card, the Ace of Spades.
• Falcon: A Chickasaw Indian who is a freelance operator working with the crew as needed. Falcon operates primarily in the city and he has a tribe who he looks after. Falcon met Cross during the war.
• Tiger: another freelance operator and the only female member of the team. Her name comes from her striped hair and vicious streak.
• Luis and Maddox: former team members, who are no longer available.
The crew helps people who have been wronged, targeting stalkers, dog killers and pedophiles, freeing kidnap victims and on occasion acting as assassins for hire.
Behind the Scenes
This series of short stories are written by Andrew Vachss, an attorney who specialized in child abuse cases. Before that Vachss worked for a relief agency in Biafra and for children's services. He is the author the Burke series as well as Batman: The Ultimate Evil.
The Stories
Both story collections were published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard: Born Bad, 1994, featuring "Bandit" (3 pages), "Cripple" (2 pages), "Mad Dog" (5 pages), "Statute of Limitation" (8 pages), "Crossfire" (27 pages), "'Value Received" (2 pages), "Head Case" (12 pages), "Kidnap" (32 pages), "Stone Magic" (6 pages).
The following stories are not identified as part of the Cross series but the nameless protagonist of these stories might be Cross: "Cain" (5 pages) and "White Alligator" (3 pages). A character named Falcon appears in "Anytime I want" (5 pages).
Everybody Pays, 1999, featuring "'The Concrete Puppy" (12 pages), "Harvest Time" (17 pages), "Pigeon Drop" (9 pages), 'Two-Way Radio" (3 pages), and "Everybody Pays" (114
pages).
Three Cross novels have been written but have not been published to date.
The Comics
Between 1992 and 1993, Dark Horse comics adapted a number of Vachss' stories as comics in a ten-issue series Hard Looks. Most issues adapt various Cross stories as outlined below. The stories are adapted by a number of writers and artists, including Tim Bradstreet, Gary Pleece, Warren Pleece, James Colbert and Phil Hester.
Issue 1: "Statute of Limitations"
Issue 2: "Value Received"
Issue 3: "Cripple"; "Anytime I Want"
Issue 6: "Bandit"; "Mad Dog"
Issue 7: "Stone Magic"; "White Alligator"
Issue 8: "Head Case"
Issue 9: "Cain"
Cross also appeared in original comic stories published by Dark Horse:
Cross hunted the alien Predators in the following titles:
Dark Horse Presents #67-69
(collected as Predator: Race War Ground Zero), 1993
Predator Race War #1-4, 1993
The complete series was collected in trade paperback in 1995.
Then in 1995 and 1996 Dark Horse also published a seven-issue series Cross based on a story by Vachss with James Colbert with script by Chet Williamson and art by Geofrey Darrow. This adapted the first of three unpublished Cross novels, Genesis.
Dagger (Christian Dagguerre)
Two books by Carl Stephens
Christian Dagguerre, despite his youth, was a veteran war correspondent, having covered conflicts all over the world, including Vietnam. With danger such a part of his work he did not expect any problems during a vacation in Mexico with his fiancee.
But his employer, Hannibal S. Kydd, nicknamed Captain Kydd, leaked a rumor that his star reporter was hot on the trail of a dangerous terrorist. The terrorist, fearing capture, decided to strike first, killing Dagguerre's fiancee. Kydd, a multimillionaire, realized that such a personal vendetta makes for great reporting and even better ratings.
Dagger is unaware of the machinations of his employer and suddenly finds himself hunted and on the run. Dagger uses his investigative and survival skills to track and destroy those responsible for the attack.
After taking revenge on the terrorists who killed his fiancee, Dagger becomes a willing participant in Kydd's rating-grabbing war on terrorism, traveling the world investigating and fighting terrorism with his first assignment taking him to Japan to fight the Red Army.
Behind the Scenes
Carl Stephens was a pseudonym used by Roy Obstfeld. Obstfeld is an associate professor of English at Orange Coast College and is the author of more than forty books, including several writing guides. Under the Don Pendleton house name, Obstfeld has written four novels for The Executioner series. In 1982, Obstfeld was nominated for the Edgar award for his thriller, Dead Heat, published by Charter Books.
The Books
Both books were published by Gold Eagle Books:
1. Centaur Conspiracy, 1983
2. Ride of the Razorback, 1984
A third book was written but, due to poor sales, the series was cancelled before its publication.
DC Man (Brian Peterson)
Four books by James P. Cody
Brian Peterson was a former military intelligence agent who retired and became a successful lobbyist. He was married to a senator's daughter and had a small daughter. When his father-in-law lost his seat, Peterson helped him to pack up his office. It was then that he got the call that changed his life. Two teenage joyriders had caused an accident that killed his wife and child. Peterson was devastated and moved to the bottom of a bottle in Key West. The Senator found him and helped him to dry out and return to his old life.
Then one day one of Petersons clients comes to him with a problem, which is dealt with quickly and quietly This is followed by a series of problems solved discreetly and it becomes common knowledge throughout Washington that Brian Peterson is the man to see if you have a situation that needs to be taken care of quietly. Peterson is able to use his military and intelligence contacts and on occasion can call in a favor from those who he has helped in the past. Peterson is called on to investigate security leaks, suspicious deaths, assassinations and kidnappings.
Behind the Scenes
James P. Cody is the pseudonym of Peter Thomas Rohrbach. Rohrbach born in 1926 is a former Catholic priest. Under his own name he is the author of several religious books such as Conversation with Christ and Dynamic Preaching as well as several film and television scripts.
The Books
All books were published by Berkley:
1. Top Secret Kill, 190 pages, 1974
2. Search and Destroy, 192 pages, 1974
3. French Killing, 172 pages, 1975
4. Your Daughter Will Die, 188 pages, 1975
Deadly Force Seven books by Mark Dixon
Deadly Force was founded by Vietnam vet, ex-cop, former CIA agent, inventor and genius — Luke Simpson. After earning six million from one of his inventions, a computer patrol car uplink, Simpson decided to form Deadly Force, Inc. Simpson had been hampered by the rules and regulations all through his career and Deadly Force was the chance to make his own rules. Simpson built his headquarters in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona (Phoenix is the nearest town) and then formed Deadly Force, Inc., a mercenary group frequently used by the CIA.
The rest of the team consists of:
• Jake O'Bannion: thirty year vet of the NY'PD. The team's management and services expert.
• Ben Sanchez: part Apache, ex-Army Ranger, part-time cop and mercenary.
• Calvin Steeples: pilot in Vietnam and part-time crop duster.
• Tran Cao "Frags": South Vietnamese master of science and technology.
Deadly Force, Inc., tackles the tough and dirty jobs, like a crime ring threatening Chicago, sponsored by the Soviets to weaken America. Deadly Force takes the job because the Chicago police department and FBI are busy passing the buck and claiming the problem is someone else's responsibility. Not bogged down in bureaucracy, the force is able to stop the crime wave. In other cases, Deadly Force fights mobsters and fends off assassins and rogue mercenaries.
Behind the Scenes
Mark Dixon is the pen name of Charlie McDade, who has written several books for the Executioner series and, under the name of Bill Duggan, wrote several western novels.
The Books
All books were published by Berkley Books:
1. Deadly Force, 282 pages, 1987
2. Special Delivery, 216 pages, 1987
3. Heart landers, 219 pages, 1988
4. Crimewave, 202 pages, 1988
5. Battlezone, 187 pages, 1989
6. Blood Cult, 187 pages, 1989
7. Body Count, 203 pages, 1989
Death Merchant (Richard Joseph Camellion)
Seventy-one books by Joseph Rosenberger
The Death Merchant is one of the most enigmatic serial vigilantes; we never discover what drove the man known as Richard Camellion to become the Death Merchant, but there are hints throughout the series.
In the first book, we find out that Camellion is considered the best freelance agent in the world. The back cover of the Corgi edition (1971) is suggestive: "Richard Camellion had not been born to a life of crime and killing but circumstance had led him to become a master of murder and cunning disguises." But it never reveals just what those circumstances were. Camellion is hired by the Mafia to kill an informer and kills several other Mafia hoods as well. Oddly, after that first book the Mafia does not appear again as Camellion is hired by the CIA.
In #9: The Laser War, it is revealed that Richard Joseph Algernon Camellion was an ex-school teacher from St. Louis. In #62: The Soul Search Project, when asked if he is Camellion, he lies and says that Richard Joseph Camellion is the name on his baptismal record, suggesting that it is not his real name. Ultimately there is no revelation; Camellion is just the best at what he does as both a master of disguise and murder and no explanation is needed as he get result
s.
The first book of the series had Camellion hired by the Mafia to clean house, but later books had Camellion working for the CIA in adventures that became increasingly incredible, living up to the full series title, The Incredible Adventures of the Death Merchant.
The Death Merchant has faced the unusual situations of retrieving a laser invented by the Nazis, scrolls written by Judas Iscariot, and locating Shamballa, which is a base built by aliens that Camellion had previously encountered. More mundane assignments have included saving Fidel Castro from assassination by the Soviets, preventing a Cuban takeover of the Panama Canal, retrieving downed satellites and foiling a plot to overthrow America.
One feature of the series is that Rosenberger frequently inserted lengthy footnotes into his stories to explain the factual basis for his characters assertions.
Behind the Scenes
Joseph Rosenberger became a professional writer at the age of twenty-one after selling an article. After working a series of jobs including Korean karate instructor, circus pitchman and private eye, he became a full-time writer in 1961. Rosenberger was the author of the Murder Master and C.O.B.R.A. series and, under the pseudonym Lee Chang, created and wrote the first martial arts series Kung Fu (Mace).