SHARPSHOOTER!!!

#1: The Killing Machine (August 1973)

When his entire family is murdered by the Mafia, millionaire John Rocetti becomes the one-man killing machine known as Johnny Rock. Armed with state-of-the-art weaponry, Rock drives a wedge between two Mob families, systematically eliminating key figures in each gang. Along the way, he meets up with Iris Toscano, widow of former mob figure Dominick Toscano, who desires to mete out the same justice on the scum who took her husband’s life. The two vigilantes manage to rack up an impressive number of Italian corpses on their way to the big finale, a showdown with the biggest Dons in the syndicate.

Granted, THE KILLING MACHINE is not the most original of concepts, but it never gets boring and chugs right along to its anti-climax (we’re promised by Iris and Johnny that their work can never be truly finished as long as there remains Italo-scum in the free world. Leisure Books, to my knowledge, never adapted to the 20th Century oddity known as proofreading and THE KILLING MACHINE is no exception. Commas are dropped into sentences randomly and rapidly. THE KILLING MACHINE is rough, but it gets the job done.

GRADE: B-