Reviews – The Devil’s Darning Needle.

Hi-tech counter-terrorism thriller (Rating 5 of 5)
Cheryl C. Malandrinos

A unique and engaging hi-tech counter-terrorism thriller can be found in "The Devil's Darning Needle" by Ben Furman. Years ago, FBI undercover agent Frank Durazo infiltrated the terrorist organization known as FALN and helped to bring their leader Ojeda Sanchez to justice...but it cost him greatly. Now that Sanchez is out of prison, Frank believes the FALN is regrouping and planning an attack on world leaders gathered at the President's gravesite. Unconvinced by Duranzo's suggestion about Sanchez and already stretched for resources, Frank's superiors want real proof before they'll put manpower behind him. But time is running out. Duranzo's son, Luis, who's building top-secret micro-aerial vehicles for the U.S. Military is missing and the woman Frank has loved for years is in danger...and Sanchez and the FALN plot is connected to all of them. Can Frank stop Sanchez and the FALN in time without losing anyone he loves? "The Devil's Darning Needle" is an intense, engaging read from page one. Frank's history with Sanchez propels this story forward and keeps the reader turning pages. While I'm not usually a big fan of backstory taking up the beginning chapters of a novel, Furman's decision to set the scene for the attack that will unfold in present day is a smart one. The author's wealth of experience in counter-terrorism truly shines through and draws the reader right into a world of hi-tech weapons, the mind of a terrorist, and the work of the FBI. This novel also provides an interesting look into how politics impacts the work of the department. As a woman reading this book, I must admit that Furman handled the relationships in "The Devil's Darning Needle" very well. Not every author can portray personal relationships in such an action-packed novel, but Furman made it seem easy. Kudos go out to cover designer Frank Rivera. The picture of the Capitol Building in the background with a dragonfly whose transparent wings float into the title is stunning, as is the color selection. Readers who enjoy the work of Tom Clancy should definitely check out "The Devil's Darning Needle" (The Devil's Darning Needle)


Hi-Tech Thriller (Rating 5 of 5)
Rich DiSilvio

Very unique story. Despite it being fiction, it's clear that the author writes from a perspective of experience. Only a former FBI chief of counter-terrorism could write something this real and this terrifying. The technologies available to criminals these days exceed what most ordinary citizens could ever imagine. Mixed in with this evil plot is a tangled web of love and hate that keeps the reader nicely engaged. Highly recommended (The Devil's Darning Needle)

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Terrorists kill Jimmy Tag Along - Excerpt, The Devil's Darning Needle

A counterterrorism thriller by Ben R. Furman

The entrance to the Roosevelt Roads Navy Base was less than three blocks away and for the military and civilian personnel working there, the station was a convenient stopping place. El Gordo couldn’t afford to have his Coke machine out of commission long, so it was always quickly repaired. In about a week it would be ready for salting again. Easy money.

Johnny took a bag of rock salt from Frank, who had carried it from home and complained all the way. “You do the heavy lifting because you’re stronger. Quit complaining. I, Johnny el Grande, do all the hard work. Grab the sprayer I hid behind the big bush.”

Johnny screwed off the top, poured several handfuls of salt into the sprayer and carried it into the women’s bathroom. He turned on the hot water tap and waited. When the brackish water faded to tan, he filled the sprayer and stirred it. Satisfied, he screwed the plunger back in and pumped the air pressure as high as he could.

Jimmy signaled El Gordo was still under the pickup. Johnny stuck the sprayer nozzle into every opening, pumped the witch’s brew deep inside, and in short minutes the sick machine threw up its treasure. Johnny grinned and did his victory dance.

Frank scooped up the last of the coins and Johnny signaled Jimmy that it was time to go. The high pitched squeal of a cargo van’s tires ripped the air when it missed the turn at the intersection. It jumped the curb, smashed into the pumps, and spewed a fountain of gas in every direction. Five men in army fatigues with guns jumped from the back. El Gordo ran out of the service bay yelling and waving his lunch bucalaito menacingly in their direction. He was killed with one shot. Frank felt and heard the slap of a bullet as it passed his right ear. A meek groan came from behind. He turned. Jimmy had been shot in the head and crumpled slowly to the ground.

A second van screeched to a stop and the men leaped inside. Frank stood frozen, and then he saw the shooter who was only a few years older than he, pointing a rifle at his chest. In a rush of rage and defiance, Frank spit in his direction.

The barrel rose slowly and the teen, who had so calmly killed El Gordo and Jimmy, gave him a nod of acknowledgement and said, “You’ve got guts cabrito.” Then he pulled a lighted cigarette from his lips and motioned toward the woods behind the station. Frank ran toward the path with Johnny on his heels.

The driver of the van shouted, “Damn it, Ojeda, come on.”

As the van sped away, Frank took a quick glance as the flipped cigarette touched the widening pool of gasoline.

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The Devil’s Darning Needle -- Excerpt

The Obrero Gang

By Ben Furman

The Obrero Gang was Frank Durazo, Johnny Salinas and Jimmy Tag Along. The ten year olds had grown up on a nameless, carved-out street in Barrio Obrero on the outskirts of San Juan, and throughout the barrio it was well known that when one was sighted the other two would be right behind. It was time to hide the valuables.

Frank was the biggest and fastest, and he could more than hold his own with the older kids. He possessed the hand-eye coordination of a shell-game operator, and in moments of fancy, thought his athletic ability would be his ticket out of poverty. Perhaps a baseball scholarship. His grades could be better. He was bright enough, but he realized that he wasn’t the gifted student who could breeze through school effortlessly. But he was dogged in anything he decided to do, and through will and determination he got by.

Jimmy Tag Along’s mother had explained to them that Jimmy would always remain a “little boy.” They didn’t understand what she meant, but it really didn’t matter. In a sacred ceremony the boys had sealed their friendship by cutting their thumbs with a pocket knife and smashing their thumbs together. “Now we’re blood brothers,” Johnny said. They vowed to take care of each other come what may.

It was sweltering and nearing noon as the gang stepped from the wooded path that ended at El Gordo’s gas station. Their target was the soft drink machine that was pushed tightly against the side of the building next to the bathrooms. El Gordo was the only employee and whenever he was working on a car or eating, which was often, they would hit the machine. They found him wedged under an old pickup with a bucalaito in one hand and a wrench in the other. Good. It would take only a few minutes for them to score.

As they moved in the pent-up heat in the blacktop burned through the soles of their sandals, and each hopped from one foot to the other to reach the shade of the building.

Johnny liked the heat. As he told Frank too often, “It’s good for business. The hotter the more people drink, and that means more money in our pockets. Easy money!”

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Black Hawk Press Counterterrorism Blog

Welcome to the counterterrorism blog of Black Hawk Press publisher and author Ben Furman!

This blog provides you with posts concerning the ongoing terrorist picture here and abroad, and what is being done to checkmate it. This is my background: I was an FBI agent for twenty-two years, during which I investigated bank robberies, kidnappings, extortions, organized crime, and terrorism. The rough-and-tumble world of counterterrorism proved to be my greatest but most rewarding challenge. As a counterterrorism chief I directed multi-agency task forces that combated chemical, biological and nuclear threats against the United States. Currently I am the CEO of the Rexus Corporation, a private security and investigation firm that does national and international work.

I also write thrillers that are based on my counterterrorism experience. The SWAT tactics, investigative techniques, cutting edge technology, the interplay between agencies, and the point - counterpoint between agents and terrorists gives you an insider’s look at the underbelly of a frightening world. The clock is ticking….

Please return often for my commentary and feel free to add your comments or ask questions. I'll give you my best answers. For more information, visit my main site at www.blackhawkpress.com or follow the "Home" link above.

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