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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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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The Devil's Darning Needle -- Adult Counterterrorism Thriller

(La Aguja del Caballito del Diablo)

A counterterrorism thriller by Ben R. Furman.

Western folklore said the dragonfly was in league with the Devil, and in the dead of night while everyone slept, it would enter bedrooms and sew up the eyes and mouths of misbehaving children, scolding women, and lying men. The dragonfly became known as the Devil’s Darning Needle. I use the term to describe the robotic dragonflies that are the attack vehicles in the story. If the government’s cutting edge technology has caught or surpassed that I’ve described, I don’t know. No one will say. But something very similar is “out there.” I did the drawing above to provide a visual for the robotic dragonflies. Click on the picture to take a closer look.

A Department of Defense (DOD) article said the micro aerial vehicle (MAV) project started with a government sponsored forum on future technologies for military operations. The world’s best aeronautical scientists discussed the practicality of producing micro vehicles, including aircraft systems, that were no larger in size than a hummingbird and could be scaled down to less than a centimeter. Primarily the vehicles would be used for surveillance, but they needed the ability to convert to a weapon’s system.

I took literary license with the specifications but these are pretty close to the overall requirements spelled out in the original forum: The aircraft had to be less than six inches in diameter, fly up to thirty kilometers at a top speed of 50 miles per hour, remain aloft for twenty minutes to two hours, and carry a payload of at least three ounces. It should be launched by hand, or by launch munitions, or from a larger aircraft. The operating software program had to be interchangeable with existing military software and hardware to eliminate retrofitting or reprogramming. It had to be compatible with the military ground control stations and software protocols that were used for military unmanned drones and surveillance aircraft. Most of all, it had to be G.I. proof. It would be a one mission, expendable vehicle that had to be inexpensive to produce.

Book excerpt…Luis flipped on the control station, and opened a case that held three MAV prototypes. He handed one to Angel, who turned it over in his hands, examining it from every angle.

Angel hadn’t seen anything that remotely resembled the robotic creature. “Does this little bug really fly, Luis? It’s so small and compact.”

“Five inch segmented body and six inch double wings for stability, and this baby can be used for real time clandestine surveillance or it can be converted to a weapon to deliver plastic explosives. The yield comes close to a military fragmentary grenade. We can link up four of the critters and we’ll have a pound of high explosives.”

“What’s the covering, Luis?”

“Compressed carbon fiber or paper for short. It’s nearly invisible to radar, and if it did pop up on a screen it would be dismissed as a bird. If detection isn’t a problem the skin can be switched to segmented metal that will increase the kill zone by flying shrapnel.

“It’s powered by microwave beams that are converted to an electric current inside the MAV that fuels the electric motor, which in turn drives the wings. The principle’s much the same as a household microwave oven, but instead of producing heat, we’re producing energy for the electric motor.”

Luis showed Angel the control station. It had a large video screen, a scrolling topographical map that ran simultaneously with the video, and a compass overlay in the top right of the screen. The map and the video provided real time geo-referenced information that gave the operator the vehicle position, direction and sensor orientation.

“If the operator’s good, a dozen dragonflies can be flown at the same time,” he said as the dragonfly lifted silently into the air, hovered, and waited for flight instructions.


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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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