77. Coin of the Realm, 256 pages, 1989 (Murray)
78. Blue Smoke and Mirrors, 224 pages, 1989 (Murray)
79. Shooting Schedule, 255 pages, 1990 (Murray)
80. Death Sentence, 221 pages, 1990 (Murray)
81. Hostile Takeover, 252 pages, 1990 (Murray)
82. Survival Course, 253 pages, 1990 (Murray)
83. Skull Duggery, 256 pages, 1991 (Murray)
84. Ground Zero, 253 pages, 1991 (Murray)
85. Blood Lust, 256 pages, 1991 (Murray)
86. Arabian Nightmare, 237 pages, 1991 (Murray)
87. Mob Psychology, 250 pages, 1992 (Murray)
88. The Ultimate Death, 255 pages, 1992 (Murray, Meyers & Mullaney)
89. Dark Horse, 256 pages, 1992 (Murray)
90. Ghost in the Machine, 256 pages, 1992 (Murray)
91. Cold Warrior, 255 pages, 1993 (Murray)
92. The Last Dragon, 251 pages, 1993 (Murray)
93. Terminal Transmission, 256 pages, 1993 (Murray)
94. Feeding Frenzy, 250 pages, 1993 (Murphy & Murray)
95. High Priestess, 349 pages, 1994 (Murray)
96. Infernal Revenue, 349 pages, 1994 (Murray)
97. Identity Crisis, 349 pages, 1994 (Murray)
98. Target of Opportunity, 349 pages, 1995 (Murray)
99. The Color of Fear, 346 pages, 1995 (Murray)
100. Last Rites, 349 pages, 1995 (Murray)
101. Bidding War, 347 pages, 1995 (Murray)
102. Unite and Conquer, 346 pages, 1996 (Murray)
103. Engines of Destruction, 349 pages, 1996 (Murray)
104. Angry White Mailmen, 348 pages, 1996 (Murray)
105. Scorched Earth, 349 pages, 1996 (Murray)
106. White Water, 349 pages, 1997 (Murray)
107. Feast or Famine, 348 pages, 1997 (Murray)
108. Bamboo Dragon, 349 pages, 1997 (Newton)
109. American Obsession, 348 pages, 1997 (Philipson)
110. Never Say Die, 347 pages, 1998 (Newton)
111. Prophet of Doom, 347 pages, 1998 (Mullaney & Snaggers)
112. Brain Storm, 347 pages, 1998 (Mullaney & Snaggers)
113. The Empire Dreams, 347 pages, 1998 (Mullaney)
114. Falling Marks, 348 pages, 1999 (Mullaney)
115. Misfortune Teller, 348 pages, 1999 (Mullaney)
116. The Final Reel, 349 pages, 1999 (Mullaney)
117. Deadly Genes, 349 pages, 1999 (Mullaney)
118. Killer Watts, 348 pages, 2000 (Mullaney)
119. Fade to Black, 348 pages, 2000 (Mullaney)
120. The Last Monarch, 347 pages, 2000 (Mullaney)
121. A Pound of Prevention, 346 pages, 2000 (Mullaney)
122. Syndication Rites, 352 pages, 2001 (Mullaney)
123. Disloyal Opposition, 347 pages, 2001 (Mullaney)
124. By Eminent Domain, 346 pages, 2001 (Mullaney)
125. The Wrong Stuff, 349 pages, 2001 (Mullaney)
126. Air Raid, 346 pages, 2002 (Mullaney)
127. Market Force, 348 pages, 2002 (Mullaney)
128. The End of the Beginning, 346 pages, 2002 (Mullaney)
129. Father to Son, 349 pages, 2002 (Mullaney)
130. Waste Not, Want Not, 346 pages, 2003 (Mullaney)
131. Unnatural Selection, 352 pages, 2003 (Mullaney)
132. Wolf's Bane, 349 pages, 2003 (Newton)
133. Troubled Waters, 348 pages, 2003 (Newton)
134. Bloody Tourists, 346 pages, 2004 (Somheil)
135. Political Pressure, 346 pages, 2004 (Somheil)
136. Unpopular Science, 347 pages, 2004 (Somheil)
137. Industrial Evolution, 347 pages, 2004 (Somheil)
138. No Contest, 352 pages, 2005 (Somheil)
139. Dream Thing, 349 pages, 2005 (Somheil)
140. Dark Ages, 352 pages, 2005 (Somheil)
141. Frightening Strikes, 348 pages, 2005 (Somheil)
142. Mind Blower, 347 pages, 2006 (Somheil)
143. Bad Dog, 352 pages, 2006 (Somheil)
144. Holy Mother, 347 pages, 2006 (Somheil)
145. Dragon Bones, 352 pages, 2006 (Somheil)
The New Destroyer
All titles by Warren Murphy and James Mullaney:
146. Guardian Angel, 260 pages, 2007
147. Choke Hold, 250 pages, 2007
148. Dead Reckoning, 256 pages, 2008
149. Killer Ratings, 279 pages, 2008
In the Corgi reprints, the numbering is changed slightly as #13: Acid Rock was published as #11, #11: Kill Or Cure became #12 and #12: Slave Safari became #13. Warren Murphy has declared that books 108-110 and 132-145 (written by Mike Newton, Allan Philipson and Tim Somheil) are not part of the Destroyer canon.
Related Works
There are also the companion books:
• The Assassin's Handbook, Pinnacle, 285 pages, 1982 (Murphy & Sapir)
• Inside Sinanju (which is a revised and expanded version of The Assassin's Handbook,), Pinnacle, 268 pages, 1985 (Murray)
• The Assassins Handbook 2: Chuin's Big Book of Rainy Day Fun!, Ballybunnion Books, 263 pages, 2003 (Murphy & Mullaney)
• Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (the movie novelization; also titled Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous), Signet, 253 pages, 1985 (Murphy & Sapir from a screenplay by Christopher Wood)
• New Blood (a collection of short stories written by fans of the series), Ballybunnion Books,265 pages, 2005 (edited by Murphy)
The short story 'Terminal Philosophy" appeared in the magazine All-Star Action Heroes #1: (1989).
The Comics
Marvel Comics over the years has published three different series of the Destroyer:
• Vol. 1 (1989-90): Nine issues in the larger magazine format in black and white, the stories featured were a mixture of adaptations and original stories. In 1991, the first three issues were reissued in trade paperback and colored.
• Vol. 2 (1991): One issue in comic book format.
• Vol 3 (1991-92): Four-issue mini-series in comic book format.
The comics and the novels shared a symbiotic relationship; the comics adapted some of the books and later some of the books were based on the plots of the comics (for example, Vol. 3, no. 4 became #92: The Last Dragon) as Will Murray wrote both the comics and some of the later novels.
Film and Television
The Destroyer has been filmed twice.
The first film was released in 1985 and starred Fred Ward as Remo, Joel Gray as Chuin, and Wilford Brimley as Harold W. Smith. Titled Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous) it takes liberties with the premise of the series but manages to capture something of the magic that is the Destroyer. In this, Remo is Ed Macon, a cop who was believed killed and became part of CURE. The portrayal of Smith was way off base but Remo and Chuin interact well. This was novelized by Sapir and Murphy.
There was a pilot to a television series aired once and never seen again. It starred Jeffery Meek as Remo and Roddy McDowall as Chuin. The movie was based on the novella 'The Day Remo Died" by Sapir and Murphy which appeared in The Assassins Handbook.
Dexter (Dexter Morgan)
Four books by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who preys on other killers. At the age of three, Dexter was witness to the brutal murder of his mother and he and his four-year-old brother, Brian, were left in the blood-drenched room for days. Dexter was adopted by one of the police officers who found him, Harry Morgan, and Brian was placed in foster care.
As Dexter grew older, Harry noticed that Dexter was exhibiting signs of sociopathic tendencies and so Harry instilled in his son what Dexter calls the Code of Harry. Harry trained Dexter to fake emotions, blend in and kill only other killers. Dexter's first kill was a nurse killing her patients with morphine overdoses and who was treating Harry.
Dexter became a blood splatter expert with the Miami-Dade police department. He uses his access to police records to track other serial killers, having claimed over forty victims and keepin
g a drop of their blood as a trophy. In each book Dexter is called to assist his adopted sister Deborah in tracking down other killers such as the Ice Truck Killer and Dr. Danco. In Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter notices that his girlfriend's children, previously traumatized by their abusive father, are starting to display the same tendencies as himself and he resolves to teach them the Code of Harry.
Behind the Scenes
Jeff Lindsay lives in southern Florida with his wife and three daughters. Lindsay is the pen name of Jeffry Freundlish. Born in 1952, he is married to Ernest Hemmingway's niece. Darkly Dreaming Dexter was nominated for the best first novel in the 2005 Edgar Awards until it was discovered that Freundlish had previously published several crime novels as Jeffrey Lindsay and the nomination was vacated.
The Books
All books were published by Doubleday:
1. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, 288 pages, 2004
2. Dearly Devoted Dexter, 292 pages, 2005
3. Dexter in the Dark, 320 pages, 2007
4. Dexter by Design, 320 pages, 2008.
The Show
In 2006, Showtime launched Dexter, the first season adapting the first novel, starring Michael T. Hall as Dexter. The show does vary from the novel, the television format allowing for more character interaction.
Season 1:
1. "Dexter"
2. "Crocodile"
3. "Popping Cherry"
4. "Let's Give the Boy a Hand"
5. "Love American Style"
6. "Return to Sender"
7. "Circle of Friends"
8. "Shrink Wrap"
9. "Father Knows Best"
10. "Seeing Red"
11. "Truth Be Told"
12. "Born Free"
With the second season the show began to take its own path, only borrowing elements of Dearly Devoted Dexter.
Season 2:
1. "It's Alive"
2. "Waiting to Exhale"
3. "An Inconvenient Lie"
4. "See-Through"
5. "The Dark Defender"
6. "Dex, Lies and Videotape"
7. "That Night, a Forest Grew"
8. "Morning Come"
9. "Resistance Is Futile"
10. "There's Something about Harry"
11. "Left Turn Ahead"
12. "The British Invasion"
Dog Team
Two books by William Johnstone
The first book follows the adventures, both military and sexual, of Terry Kovak, starting with his sexual initiation with his sister-in-law at fifteen, then his first kill on his sixteenth birthday in 1954.
Kovak is recruited into the Dog Teams — the elite of the elite military — who operate by taking out the targets that are too sensitive and tough for anyone else. After the disbanding of the Dog Teams in 1965, Kovak became a mercenary fighting in Africa for freedom as he saw it.
After Kovak's death and funeral in the late 1970s, we discover that the Dog Teams have been reactivated and that Kovak's son from one of his earlier relationships is to be one of the members of the new Dog Teams. We see the reactivated Dog Teams tackle terrorist and other threats to America around the world.
Behind the Scenes
The series was created by William W Johnstone, author of numerous horror, adventure and western novels. Johnstone was discharged from the French Foreign Legion for being underage, then worked in a carnival, became a deputy sheriff and did a stint in the army. He started writing in 1970 but did not make his first sale until 1979 with The Devil's Kiss. Johnstone died in 2004 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Books
Book 1 was published by Zebra Books; Pinnacle reprinted book 1 in 1997 and printed book 2:
1. The Last of the Dog Teams, 252 pages, 1981
2. The Return of the Dog Teams, 304 pages, 2005
Connections
Barry Rivers, the Rig Warrior, took the codename Dog because he had read a book about the Dog Teams. In his second adventure Rivers met the president, who confirmed that there were Dog Teams.
Dracula
Nine books by Robert Lory
In 1883, a group of unnamed vampire hunters, implicitly Van Helsing and his band, drive a stake through the heart of Dracula. The master vampire remains dormant until he is revived by Professor Damien Harmon in the present day to fight crime, very much against his will. Harmon used to be a criminologist and in 1938 he was in the field on a case and he was beaten severely and confined to a wheelchair. Since then he has fought crime with the help of various agents, most recently Cam Sanchez. Cam is the only agent to share Harmon's interest in the occult and so he has become the longest serving.
Harmon has a limited psychic ability and has implanted a mentally controlled device in Dracula's chest which will drive a sliver of the stake through his heart if the vampire does not comply with Harmons requests. Harmon has developed a synthetic blood substitute to prevent the vampire from attacking humans. Dracula is not very happy that Harmon is making him drink fake blood.
Added into this mix is Ktara, who can change from human to cat form, an agent of Dracula who lead Harmon and Cam to the vampire's resting place. Throughout the series it is hinted that both Ktara and Dracula are from Atlantis.
Harman blackmails Dracula into being his ultimate agent and together they fight other vampires, mad men who set vampire bats attacking New York, and voodoo doctors as well as take on more personal crusades, such as retrieving gold stolen from Castle Dracula and rescuing Harmon's niece Jenny.
Behind the Scenes
This series was written by Robert Lory. Lory was also the author of the Horrorscopes series under his own name as well as the writing several books in The Expeditor series. It is interesting to compare the Dracula and the Expeditor series as both involve wheelchair bound crime fighters who utilize field agents to fight crime.
The Books
All books were published by Pinnacle Books:
1. Dracula Returns, 124 pages, 1973
2. The Hand of Dracula, 127 pages, 1973
3. Draculas Brothers, 140 pages, 1973
4. Draculas Gold, 142 pages, 1973
5. The Drums of Dracula, 128 pages, 1974
6. The Witching of Dracula, 126 pages, 1974
7. Draculas Lost World, 181 pages, 1974
8. Dracula's Disciples, 179 pages, 1975
9. Challenge to Dracula, 180 pages, 1975
Dracula Returns should be considered a sequel to Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.
To this list I should add an unofficial entry. The American editions were published by Pinnacle Books but the British reprints were by the New English Library. New English Library brought out another Dracula book, Dracula and the Virgins of the Undead (124 pages, 1974), by Etienne Aubin, which has the number 3 on the front cover and pictures of Dracula Returns and The Hand of Dracula on the back cover, implying that it is part of Lory's series.
The book has nothing to do with Lory's series at all and is set in Wiltshire, London, where local squire Adam Cochrane investigates strange events and discovers that Dracula is behind it all.
Eagle Attack Team
Six books by Larry Hicks
In 1988, the president of the United States decided that he needed a small rapid-deployment team to quickly and quietly eliminate potential threats to world safety. Codenamed Fire Storm, this highly classified and covert twenty-one man team operated six helicopters including Hueys, Blackhawks and Apaches. These machines are constantly being replaced and updated with the latest classified equipment, such as anti-radar and radiation sensors.
The Eagle Attack Team draws its members from retired and active personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines with service in every war and operation theatre from Korea to the Gulf War. Each copter has a pilot, a co-pilot and a gunner. The rest of the unit consists of maintenance personnel. With the dangerous nature of the mission undertaken by the team, new members are often joining to replace injured and deceased members.
The core of the team consis
ts of:
• Lt. Col. Mack "Truck" Grundy: retired US Army Special Forces who served in Korea and Vietnam. Commander and lead pilot of the team. His daughter Linn served as helicopter pilot flying support out of Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm.
• Chief Warrant Officer Cliff "Bad Bear" Sate-Zalebay: retired US Army Special Forces in Vietnam. This Kiowa Indian is second in command and a demolitions expert.
• Lt. Col. Stewart "Stu" Barringer: US Army retired, veteran of Korea and Vietnam as well as POW raids on Laos and northern Vietnam. The operational expert of the team, he organizes transport and support for the team on their missions.
• Warrant Officer Jackson "Push" Okahara: US Army and the head of the maintenance team, nicknamed Push because he can drop and do 200 pushups at any time.
• Warrant Officer Stanton "Belch" Fullove: US Army, electronics and computer expert.
The team is able to travel all around the world, undertaking missions such as rescuing freedom fighters in Albania, destroying Neo-Nazi bases in the Bavarian Alps, eliminating rogue Soviet forces in Armenia and even undertaking a mission during Desert Storm.
Behind the Scenes
Larry Hicks is a veteran of operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
The Books
All books were published by Diamond Books:
1. Eagle Attack Team, 210 pages, 1991
2. Debt of Honor, 212 pages, 1991
3. Tank Killers, 196 pages, 1991
4. Desert Fire, 198 pages, 1992
5. Night Strike, 194 pages, 1992
Serial Vigilantes of Paperback Fiction. An Encyclopedia from Able Team to Z-Comm Page 9
