Balefire [Import] [Paperback]

Kenneth Goddard (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Corgi Book; New Ed edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552123935
• ISBN-13: 978-0552123938
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A near-prefect thriller, November 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Balefire (Mass Market Paperback)

What can one terrorist do against an entire police force? You'd be amazed...

"Balefire" is a cuningly crafted look at what a well-planned, patient terrorist assault can do to the average American town. Predictably, the town circles the wagons -- but The Terrorist simply attacks from the middle and watches as the citizens turn and fire upon themselves.

This novel is as well-crafted and well-paced as any I've ever read. It fixes itself on the mind and bores itself into that danger zone that says "My God, this could really happen..."

Notably, this book was brought to my attention by a manual on terrorism prevention I was assigned to read while in the U.S. Navy. It was the only fiction book on the list, but it was included alongside the scholarly journals on terrorism for its unflinching look at the havoc a well-trained insurgent could wreak upon an unsuspecting city.

This novel quickly transformed me into a page-turning automaton. Ignoring the car that needed to be washed and the lawn that needed to be mowed, I read "Balefire" from start to finish on a Saturday afternoon

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should have been a made into a movie, February 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Balefire (Mass Market Paperback)

I first read this book immediately after the 1984 Olympics, and now reading it again. Having been in Law Enforcement for 26 years now, the accuracy of tactics and how the police would respond to the scenarios in the book were amazing and made the book very chilling to read. The author did a great job in developing a story about a lone terrorist causing chaos in a west coast community just prior to the 1984 Olympics. It was a very easy and fun read.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Story, Still A Great Read!, August 13, 2000

By 

John Vester "Johnny V!" (Indianapolis, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Balefire (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the reviews for Balefire (here on Amazon) after reading First Evidence. When I started reading the book, I had doubts that I would lose interest, given the fact that Balefire was written back in the 1980's. However, Mr. Goddard wrote Balefire in a way that it felt like the book was written regarding the current 2000 olympics!

The story line takes a few pages to get established, but the author does not spend time presenting information to you that you would never reflect on again. (example: the key being placed in the radio.)

Even the ending is unpredictable...so it's well worth the 400 pages in the paperback you will go through to reach the ending!

I totally recommend this book to readers of mystery and action.