hundreds of mobsters over the course of his original 38 novels. Also in the pulp tradition, he left a trademark "calling card," in his case a marksman's medal, wherever he struck. After 15 Executioner novels, Pendleton became involved in a legal battle with the publisher, Pinnacle Books, over ownership of the series. Pinnacle had the next entry, The Executioner #16: Sicilian Slaughter, written by William Crawford under the pseudonym "Jim Peterson." Pendleton ignored "Sicilian Slaughter" and wrote The Executioner #17: Jersey Guns, as a sequel to #15, Panic in Philly, under a contract with New American Library. The contract was ultimately voided by the terms of his settlement with Pinnacle and he returned to Pinnacle for 21 more novels. Spin-offs (1980–present) Since 1980, The Executioner, Mack Bolan books and spinoffs - Able Team, Phoenix Force, Stony Man, and Mack Bolan - have been written by Harlequin's team of writers. The Harlequin Gold Eagle books moved Bolan into a fight against terrorism, in whose course he was given the cover identity of "Colonel John Macklin Phoenix." Since 1980, Harlequin has produced new novels, and the writer's name is mentioned on the copyright page as a provider of "a contribution" to the work, pushing the number of Mack Bolan novels into the hundreds; all of them bear the byline, Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan. Joe Copp, Private Eye series (1987–1992) Pendleton's other enduring series was the Joe Copp, Private Eye novels, told in the first person by 6'3", 260 lb. Joe Copp, a private investigator. The novels were formulaic hardboiled detective fiction, always opening in the middle of the story, with Copp pursuing a variety of criminals, with the story then flashing back to the beginning to describe how Copp got into his current predicament. The Joe Copp series of six hardcover novels often had over-the-top action moments reminiscent to those found of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. The books were first published in hardcover by Donald I. Fine and then released in paperback by Harper. Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective series (1986–1988) The first book of Don Pendleton's Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective series, Ashes to Ashes, was published in 1986 by Warner Books. The Ashton Ford character is a former naval officer and spy, skilled in cryptology and able to see into the future. Bibliography Mack Bolan novels War Against The Mafia (1969) Death Squad (1969) Battle Mask (1970) Miami Massacre (1970) Continental Contract