Serial Vigilantes of Paperback Fiction. An Encyclopedia from Able Team to Z-Comm
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Remember the Alamo shares a similar plot to the New Destroyer: Guardian Angel, both were released in 2007 and dealt with a Mexican terrorist group seizing the Alamo.
Stoner (Mark Stoner)
Four books by Ralph Hayes
Mark Stoner is a treasure hunter and an adventurer travelling the world, hunting valuable items for his salvage and antiquities business in Key West, Florida, which he runs with his partner, ex-shrimp fisherman, Zeb Curry. Mark has done it all: salvage diving, gold prospecting, tomb raiding, and trading in gems and other precious stones. Stoner is tall with brown hair and eyes who in his life of adventuring has made many friends and enemies. Stoner is often called on by his friends to help them to recover treasures that have been stolen or otherwise lost. In other cases, Stoner is contacted by people who are aware of his reputation to help them either recover lost treasures or find missing loved ones who had been hunting treasures.
Behind the Scenes
Ralph Hayes was born in 1927 and served in the Air Force 1945-47. After leaving the Air Force, he studied and became a lawyer specializing in insurance. In 1969, Hayes became a freelance writer, writing a number of travel guides and individual novels as well as the Buffalo Hunter western series and Agent for COMINSEC, the Hunter and Checkforce series. Under the Nick Carter house name, he wrote eight Killmaster books. Hayes travelled extensively and utilized that experience for his travel guides and the settings for his books (Contemporary Authors Online, 2002).
The Books
All books were published by Manor Books:
1. The Golden God, 127 pages 1976
2. The Satan Stone, 184 pages, 1976
3. All That Glitters, 181 pages, 1977
4. Kings Ransom, 192 pages, 1978
Stony Man
Ongoing series created by Don Pendleton
When the Executioner ended his war on the Mafia (#38), he faked his death and was given the new identity of Col. John Macklin Phoenix. He began his war on terrorism and to conduct this war he was given a base known as Stony Man Farm, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. "'John Phoenix," Able Team and Phoenix Force operated out of this base. Eventually, there would be a mission that would require everyone to work together. The first such mission was Stony Man Doctrine (which was marketed as the first Super Bolan [see Executioner]) where all three teams worked together. They continue to do so, though Bolan's estrangement leads to only Phoenix Force and Able Team working together. With the demise of Able Team and Phoenix Force as individual series, their continued adventures are recorded in the Stony Man series.
Behind the Scenes
Notable ghosts for the series include Mike Newton, Mel Odom, and Dan Schmidt.
Mike Newton trained with Don Pendleton, co-writing several Executioners with Pendleton for Pinnacle Books and writing numerous books for that series for Gold Eagle, making him the most prolific writer of Executioner novels. Newton has also written several western series under the pen name Lyle Brandt as well as four entries in the Destroyer series. Newton is also the author or several nonfiction works, including How to Write Action-Adventure Fiction and several reference works on serial killers and cryptozoology.
Mel Odom is the author of a number of children's books, including the junior novelization of the first Tomb Raider movie as well as a number of books for the Executioner and its spinoff series. Under the Alex Archer pen name, he contributes to the Rogue Angel
series.
Dan Schmidt is the author of a number of horror novels, the Eagle Force series under his own name and the Killsquad series under the pseudonym Frank Garrett.
The Books
All books were published by Gold Eagle:
1. Stony Man Doctrine, 371 pages, 1983 (Dick Stivers)
2. Stony Man II, 347 pages, 1991 (Mel Odom)
3. Stony Man III, 347 pages, 1991 (Odom)
4. Stony Man IV, 346 pages, 1992 (William Fieldhouse)
5. Stony Man V, 349 pages, 1992 (Odom)
6. Stony Man VI, 346 pages, (Fieldhouse)
7. Stony Man VII, 349 pages, 1993 (Mike Newton)
8. Stony Man VIII, 346 pages, 1993 (Jerry Van Cook)
9. Strikepoint, 349 pages, 1994 (Newton)
10. Secret Arsenal, 346 pages, 1994 (Odom)
11. Target America, 346 pages, 1994 (Newton)
12. Blind Eagle, 347 pages, 1994 (Fieldhouse)
13. Warhead, 346 pages, 1994 (Michael Kasner)
14. Deadly Agent, 349 pages, 1995 (Van Cook)
15. Blood Debt, 349 pages, 1995 (Newton)
16. Deep Alert, 346 pages, 1995 (Kasner)
17. Vortex, 346 pages, 1995 (Newton)
18. Stinger, 346 pages, 1995 (Kasner)
19. Nuclear Nightmare, 349 pages, 1995 (Mike Linaker)
20. Terms of Survival, 349 pages, 1996 (Odom)
21. Satan's Thrust, 346 pages, 1996 (Patrick F. Rogers)
22. Sunflash, 348 pages, 1996 (Kasner)
23. The Perishing Game, 349 pages, 1996 (Fieldhouse)
24. Bird of Prey, 348 pages, 1996 (Kasner)
25. Skylance, 349 pages, 1996 (Rogers)
26. Flashback, 346 pages, 1997 (Linaker)
27. Asian Storm, 347 pages, 1997 (Van Cook)
28. Blood Star, 346 pages, 1997 (Newton)
29. Eye of the Ruby, 346 pages, 1997 (Kasner)
30. Virtual Peril, 349 pages, 1997 (Odom)
31. Night of the Jaguar, 346 pages, 1997 (Rogers)
32. Law of the Last Resort, 347 pages, 1998 (Odom)
33. Punitive Measures, 349 pages, 1998 (Van Cook)
34. Reprisal, 346 pages, 1998 (Kasner)
35. Message to America, 348 pages, 1998 (Alan Philipson)
36. Stranglehold, 346 pages, 1998 (Van Cook)
37. Triple Strike, 346 pages, 1998 (Kasner)
38. Enemy Within, 349 pages, 1999 (Van Cook)
39. Breach of Trust, 348 pages, 1999 (Kasner)
40. Betrayal, 347 pages, 1999 (Kasner)
41. Silent Invader, 346 pages, 1999 (Tim Somheil)
42. Edge of Night, 347 pages, 1999 (Kasner)
43. Zero Hour, 347 pages, 1999 (Kasner)
44. Thirst for Power, 347 pages, 1999 (Somheil)
45. Star Venture, 348 pages, 2000 (Kasner)
46. Hostile Instinct, 346 pages, 2000 (Kasner)
47. Command Force, 346 pages, 2000 (Linaker)
48. Conflict Imperative, 349 pages, 2000 (Kasner)
49. Dragon Fire, 347 pages, 2000 (Linaker)
50. Judgment in Blood, 348 pages, 2000 (Kasner)
51. Doomsday Directive, 346 pages, 2001 (Kasner)
52. Tactical Response, 349 pages, 2001 (Dan Schmidt)
53. Countdown to Terror, 347 pages, 2001 (Somheil)
54. Vector Three, 349 pages, 2001 (Ron Renauld)
55. Extreme Measures, 349 pages, 2001 (Linaker)
56. State of Aggression, 346 pages, 2001 (Rogers)
57. Sky Killers, 348 pages, 2002 (Nick Pollotta)
58. Condition Hostile, 346 pages, 2002 (Kasner)
59. Prelude to War, 348 pages, 2002 (Somheil)
60. Defensive Action, 346 pages, 2002 (Linaker)
61. Rogue State, 347 pages, 2002 (Linaker)
62. Deep Rampage, 346 pages, 2002 (Pollotta)
63. Freedom Watch, 346 pages, 2003 (Kasner)
64. Roots of Terror, 346 pages, 2003 (Renauld)
65. The Third Protocol, 349 pages, 2003 (Somheil)
66. Axis of Conflict, 346 pages, 2003 (Schmidt)
67. Echoes of War, 347 pages, 2003 (Schmidt)
68. Outbreak, 349 pages, 2003 (Kasner)
69. Day of Decision, 348 pages, 2004 (Linaker)
70. Ramrod Intercept, 348 pages, 2004 (Schmidt)
71. Terms of Control, 349 pages, 2004 (Somheil)
72. Rolling Thunder, 349 pages, 2004 (Renauld)
73. Cold Objective, 348 pages, 2004 (Schmidt)
74. The Chameleon Factor, 348 pages, 2004 (Pollotta)
75. Silent Arsenal,
346 pages, 2005 (Schmidt)
76. Gathering Storm, 348 pages, 2005 (Linaker)
77. Full Blast, 347 pages, 2005 (Linaker)
78. Maelstrom, 347 pages, 2005 (Jon Guenther)
79. Promise to Defend, 347 pages, 2005 (Tim Tresslar)
80. Doomsday Conquest, 349 pages, 2005 (Schmidt)
81. Sky Hammer, 349 pages, (Pollotta)
82. Vanishing Point, 349 pages, 2006 (Guenther)
83. Doom Prophecy, 346 pages, 2006 (Douglas C. Wojtowicz)
84. Sensor Sweep, 349 pages, 2006 (Guenther)
85. Hell Dawn, 346 pages, 2006 (Tresslar)
86. Oceans of Fire, 348 pages, 2006 (Chuck Rogers)
87. Extreme Arsenal, 349 pages, 2007 (Wojtowicz)
88. Starfire, 346 pages, 2007 (Schmidt)
89. Neutron Force, 348 pages, 2007 (Pollotta)
90. Red Frost, 348 pages, 2007 (Philipson)
91. China Crisis, 349 pages, 2007 (Linaker)
92. Capital Offensive, 349 pages, 2007 (Pollotta)
93. Deadly Payload, 346 pages, 2008 (Wojtowicz)
94. Act of War, 346 pages, 2008 (Pollotta)
95. Critical Effect, 346 pages, 2008 (Guenther)
96. Dark Star, 317 pages, 2008 (Pollotta)
Related Works
The romance novella collection Femme Fatale (375 pages, 2003), featuring "Shaken and Stirred" by Doranna Durgin, "The Getaway" by Meredith Fletcher and "End Game" by Virginia Kantra, all feature heroines who are operatives for Stony Man with references to Stony Man support staff and a reference to Able Team and Phoenix Force. This collection was published by Gold Eagle's sister company, Silhouette Romance, making this a romance serial vigilante hybrid.
Superhawks
Four books by Mack Maloney
In the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, a mysterious spy known as Bobby Murphy formed a strike force of military personnel who lost family members during those events. This force, called Superhawks and modeled on the post-Munich Israeli hit squads, turned the tables on the al Qaeda terrorists who planned the September 11 attacks, killing them and preventing further terrorist attacks. The Superhawks team consists of over fifty members but focuses on the following members:
• Captain Wayne Bingham: navy officer nicknamed "Bingo"
• Martinez: Army colonel commander of the Delta Force soldiers
• Ron Gallant: Air Force chopper pilot who looks exactly like Clark Kent
• Colonel Ryder Long: USAF reserve officer test pilot for top secret experimental planes in the base nicknamed "war heaven." His wife was returning from a business trip to Boston when her plane crashed into the World Trade Center
• Red Curry: Gallant's fellow special ops chopper pilot
• Gil Bates: National Security Agency (NSA) head spook, electronic counterterrorism expert and super hacker
• Sgt. Dave Hunn: Delta Force infiltration expert
The Superhawks discovered an al Qaeda plot to attack the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Hormuz. The team is able to stop the attack but several of their members were captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay. The Defense Security Agency (DSA), a new agency formed after September 11 to track missing weapons and missiles and uncover traitors in the armed forces, begins to track the rogue team. This three-person agency consists of:
• Major Carlson Fox: this tall, handsome and rugged former CIA operative was lured out of retirement to head this agency
• Lieutenant Mikael Ozzi: this naval officer is second in command. A third-generation intelligence agent, Ozzi is short and balding, a workaholic who barely leaves his office to sleep
• Mary Li Cho: the daughter of a Marine colonel, Cho discovered just out of college that she had talent for counterterrorism. The Asian American beauty passed on "'The Women of the Pentagon" pictorial offered by Playboy. Cho's pose as a secretary allows her access to a great deal of intelligence.
The DSA members join forces with the Superhawks to help them prevent terrorist attacks. Their investigations uncover that the terrorist attacks were a cover for a traitorous plot to overthrow the United States government.
Behind the Scenes
Mack Maloney is the author of several series including the Wingman, Starhawks and Chopper Ops series. Maloney's father had served in World War II and read a lot of military books. Mack then started reading them and science fiction. These interests combined the post-apocalyptic Wingman series and the science fiction Starhawks. Maloney is a former sports journalist and publicist for General Electric (mackmaloney.com).
The Books
All books were published by St. Martin's Press:
1. Strike Force Alpha, 368 pages, 2004
2. Strike Force Bravo, 345 pages, 2004
3. Strike Force Charlie, 341 pages, 2004
4. Strike Force Delta, 352 pages, 2005
Related Works
Ryder Long had previously appeared in Thunder Alley (1988) and War Heaven (1991), both written by Maloney and published by Zebra Books. War Heaven is mentioned in Maloney s Chopper Ops series published by Berkeley Books from 1999 to 2000.
Surgical Strike Team
Three books by Jerry Ahern
The Surgical Strike Team was formed by Darwin Hughes, the youngest man to work for the OSS during World War II, after the death of his daughter-in-law on a hijacked airliner and his son's suicide. Hughes recruited three men for this mission:
• Lewis Babcock: African American lawyer and Vietnam veteran
• Abe Cross: former SEAL team commander and the only hostage on the plane to escape
• Feinberg: the youngest member of the team
With the death of Feinberg in the Iranian desert, the three surviving members returned to their civilian lives but their actions had not gone unnoticed and the president authorized that the team be made official with a free hand to operate as they see fit. The three men would be given new identities and operate through their contact, General Argus. The team tackles a variety of missions, including liberating hijacked ships, freeing hostages, preventing terrorist attacks and infiltrating the enemy.
Behind the Scenes
Jerry Ahern is the author of the Survivalist and the Defender post-apocalyptic series as well as Track and, under the name Alex Kilgore, (They Call Me) the Mercenary series. Ahern has also written more than 600 articles for various magazines and is the former president of Deutronics Firearms. Sharon Ahern is Jerry's high school sweetheart and wife. She has provided all the photos to Jerrys articles and has researched, proofread and edited all of Jerry's books. Together, the pair has investigated crimes. They have, on occasion had to check their car for bombs each morning and were almost involved in a shootout with a pair of hoods.
The Books
All books were published by Jove Books:
1. Surgical Strike, 322 pages, 1988
2. Assault on the Empress, 185 pages, 1989
3. Infiltrator, 185 pages, 1990
The Takers (Josh Culhane & Mary Mulrooney)
Three books by Jerry Ahern with Sharon Ahern
Josh Culhane is the author of the best-selling the Takers adventure books starring Sean Dodge, who draws upon his adventurous lifestyle to write his novels. While adventuring, Culhane will frequently make quips about Sean Dodge such as, "Let's see Sean Dodge do this" or "eat your heart out, Sean Dodge." When his identical twin brother Jeff, a CIA agent, is murdered by rogue ex-CIA agent Jeremiah Steiglitz, Josh continues his brother's job hunting down the Gladstone Log, a ship's log that leads to incredible power.
Unknown to everyone, the log had been sent to Mary Francis Mulrooney, Culhane's ex-girlfriend and paranormal investigator. Mulrooney is the author of several nonfiction books on the topic. The couple reunites to find the Gladstone log, which leads them to an alien base in Antarctica, racing and fighting Steiglitz to claim the alien technology. After the defeat of Steiglitz, Culhane and Mulrooney resume their relationship and adventures, investigating paranormal phenomenon such as El Dorado and voodoo cults, as well
as tackling more mundane crimes such as a terrorist attacks.
Behind the Scenes
Jerry Ahern is the author of the Survivalist and the Defender post-apocalyptic series as
well as Track and Surgical Strike and, under the name Alex Kilgore, (They Call Me) the Mercenary series. Ahern has also written more than 600 articles for various magazines and is the former president of Deutronics Firearms. Sharon Ahern is Jerry's high school sweetheart and wife. She has provided all the photos to Jerrys articles and has researched, proofread and edited all of Jerry's books. Together, the pair has investigated crimes. They have, on occasion, had to check their car for bombs each morning and have almost been involved in a shootout with a pair of hoods.
The Books
Books 1 and 2 were published by Gold Eagle Books; the final book in the series was not published by Gold Eagle Books and is only available in e-book or audio book format:
1. The Takers, 382 pages, 1984
2. River of Gold, 378 pages, 1985
3. Summon the Demon, 2001
Cameos and References
Both Josh Cullhane and Mary Francis Mulrooney both appear and take an active part in Track #4: The Hard Way. In Track #7: Master of D.E.A.T.H., Dan Track recalls the events of the earlier crossover working alongside Josh Cullhane to fight off Malina terrorists in Las Vegas. Track mentions Cullhane's signature phrase, "Let's see Sean Dodge top this."