2014 may become known, at least in some circles, as “The Year of The Equalizer.” Some of you will recall a TV drama called “The Equalizer” that ran for four seasons between 1985 and 1989. The series featured an ex-CIA agent named Robert McCall, who quietly but dramatically righted wrongs perpetrated against the downtrodden of a number of different stripes. It was addictive storytelling; one could not watch the show without hoping that there was just such a person out there doing exactly what McCall did. Television and film have given us some similar plots since the cancelation of “The Equalizer” with varying degrees of quality, but the original is now back as a book and as a movie (in theaters September 26th) with somewhat different viewpoints.

We will note only briefly that the film version is a relaunch, with a number of elements changed, including the locale, some of the back story and the race of the protagonist. The book, titled simply and appropriately THE EQUALIZER, is a revival of the original character. Both film and novel are guided by the creative hand of Michael Sloan, the co-creator of the series.

"It’s wonderful to have McCall back, a bit older but still active, and --- dare I say it --- out somewhere doing what he does. Strongly recommended for everyone,  especially those who watched the original series."

THE EQUALIZER opens with McCall hiding in plain sight in New York. He has no contact with his former colleagues at the CIA and, interestingly enough, no desire to involve himself in the affairs of others. He is content to function as a bartender at a high-end Manhattan tavern, observing and listening but otherwise staying disengaged from others. Two events change what is his current life course.

The first is that McCall intervenes in a street hassle when he comes across a pimp brutalizing a prostitute. His actions are almost reflexive, and while he doesn’t intend to continue down the previous well-traveled road of his good intentions and violent actions, he soon finds that he is drawn back to them yet again. One of the tavern’s regular customers is a young woman who is an employee at Dolls, a club run by a Chechen gangster who is using it as a tool for extracting information from its wealthy and politically connected clientele. She finds herself being forced slowly into prostitution, with her daughter being used as a pawn. McCall interjects himself into the situation, using tough and tender methods to strike a deal with the mob boss.

Meanwhile, a former lover of McCall’s --- a CIA asset herself --- is murdered in Moscow during an operation that goes very wrong. It is this second occurrence that slowly and exquisitely collides with McCall’s life and newly awakened re-involvement in the affairs of the otherwise powerless. It is a complex story, with a number of plot lines simmering under the primary one, but Sloan never lets the reader get lost in the thicket, if you will, as he keeps several distinct and separate plates spinning with equal speed as McCall does what he does best.

While THE EQUALIZER is not a literary adaptation of the film by the same name, Sloan brings his cinematic viewpoint to the printed page, putting it on full display. For example, if you live in or visit New York, you will never step into Grand Central Terminal again without feeling the back of your neck itch. That is all I will say --- Sloan worked too hard on the scene to which I am referring for me to give it away here --- but it is great fun. It’s wonderful to have McCall back, a bit older but still active, and --- dare I say it --- out somewhere doing what he does. Strongly recommended for everyone,  especially those who watched the original series.