Customer Reviews

Balefire

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

Most of the other reviewers say "pageturner" and "could not put it down". I totally echo those sentiments. When I first read this in about 1984, a buddy had given me this, and Red Dragon.....did I have eyestrain after a few days? You bet!
As Balefire was reaching its conclusion, I was getting ready for a date where I was to make dinner for my lady & another couple, but I could not stop reading this book. I think I was like 90 minutes late. I walked in, tossed the book on the table, & said "Read this. You'll know why I'm late." Two of the three people ended up reading it, & loved it. Then I passed "Red Dragon" on to them. Uff da!!
I recently picked up a copy at a Goodwill, and even though it was set 25 years ago, even though I knew the outcome and had read it a couple of times, this was the first time in the new millenium, and just like 25 years ago, it is still totally gripping

I first bought this book in 1985 in an airport during an unexpected layover - I recall reading it cover to cover between the wait and the flight. Remembering it, I recently bought another copy, and it is even better than I remembered. Written before the events that brought acts of terrorism to US soil, the book seems an eerie prediction of the world we now live in. Tom Clancyish in its unashamed hawkish patriotism, yet it still gives attention to the factors that produced, as the original cover said, "... a killer who is not afraid to die."

This book was written before the 1984 Olympics. Today - one month before the 2004 Olympics - I found the story just as plausible and terrifying now as it was 20 years ago. I think the most disturbing part of the book is how successfully a single (yet well-financed) terrorist could disrupt, distract and divert the focus of law enforcement by knowing how they think and using it against them. Perhaps the greatest feat in Balefire is not the physical action (there's plenty - it's not all psychological), but the ability of the protagonists to think outside the box they let themselves get herded into. I don't know why this never got made into a movie. Maybe it's too real. Read the book -- with the lights on.

Huntington Beach is a small, sleepy, suburban beach town in Southern California where "crime" is usually defined as traffic violations, drunk and disorderly conduct, domestic disputes and, occasionally, kids experimenting with drugs.

A few of the cops on the Huntington Beach Police Force are psyched because in a little over a week they will pull plain clothes duty at the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA - "an eighteen day vacation from traffic stops, puking drunks, the uniform and the goddamned rain!" Senior Patrol Officer Daniel Branchowski, a long time department veteran and his partner Jake Farber are raring to go.

Then an armed robbery is called in, and when it is over Jake is dead, along with three suspects, Branchowski is down and out for the count, and the action has barely begun!

A professional terrorist has been sent to destroy the city of Huntington Beach. His plans involve taking on the entire police force first...and winning! He is deadly, mind-boggling efficient, and has been trained to do things the police have never dreamed of. (This novel was written well before 9/11, and is probably more relevant today than when it was first published).

A " balefire" is a large outdoor fire; a signal fire; a funeral pyre. The ultimate goal of this terrorist, and the organization that sent him, is to ignite the evening sky so that the Olympic Games' audiences all over the world will receive the signal that the US "could no longer inflict agony and suffering upon other nations and then run home to sanctuary." A flame would be lit "to warn others that the massively powerful United States of America could not protect even one of its cities from a single man."

As one reads this chilling thriller and envisions how one single terrorist is able to manipulate a population and wreak havoc through extreme violence, threats, intimidation and coercion, the impossible becomes a done deal, and a large force of trained law enforcement officials, unprepared for a terrorist attack, can, in fact, be brought to their knees. One major dilemma the author presents is about choices and priorities. When one's immediate family is threatened, as well as one's community, and one's own life, which becomes first priority? Who does one defend first?

In a recent interview author Ken Goddard stated that, "Balefire" was my first published novel, and it remains my favorite to date, (although "Double Blind"comes in a close second...").

I found "Balefire" difficult to put down. It really is an exciting read. The writing is OK. Nothing offensive about the prose style. There is little character development, of course - but this is not the kind of novel where one looks for developed characters. The action is nonstop and the villain is everywhere at once, seemingly. Scary!!
JANA

I am surprised to see that this book did not rocket back into print with all the recent events. This was an epic thriller first page to last with a great touch of forbidden eroticism. The view from inside the mind of a terrorist was fascinating as was the emotional upheval he caused for these officers and their families.

this was the first book i read by ken goodard and enjoyed it very much, especially when i found my name in the book and getting killed off. mr gooddard was kind enough to reply to a letter that i wrote to him. the book will keep your interest, not wanting to put it down

this was the first book i read by ken goodard and enjoyed it very much, especially when i found my name in the book and getting killed off. mr gooddard was kind enough to reply to a letter that i wrote to him. the book will keep your interest, not wanting to put it down