Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind: Suspicious Deaths, Mysterious Murders, and Bizarre Disappearances in UFO History

by Nick Redfern

Everyone has heard of Close Encounters of the Third Kind . But what about close encounters of the fatal kind? The field of UFOs is rife with unsettling examples of suspicious deaths. Accounts of accidents that might not have been accidents after all, abound. Researchers and witnesses have vanished, never to be seen again. Conveniently timed heart attacks are reported.

Out-of-the-blue suicides that, upon investigation, bear the distinct hallmarks of murder, are all too common. And grisly deaths at the hands of both extraterrestrials and government agents have occurred.

Highlights of Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, Mystery, History

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2014

About the author

Nick Redfern is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist who has been an active advocate of official disclosure, and has worked to uncover thousands of pages of previously-classified Royal Air Force, Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence files on UFOs dating from the Second World War from the Public Record Office.

He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.

Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.

In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.

Reviews

[Carol Cassada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen author Nick Redfern on numerous shows including Ancient Aliens. I love his insights on the subject and decided to read one of his books and I chose Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind. The book delves into the mysterious deaths of people who were involved in UFO cases. Some of the cases I was familiar thanks to the show Unsolved Mysteries.

Redfern does a good job of stating the facts of the mysterious deaths and how the victims played a role in top secret UFO cases. He makes a good case of why the deaths were suspicious and how the victim may have been silenced in order to protect the government’s involvement with aliens.

Some of the stuff seems far-fetched, for instance there’s a claim that President Kennedy’s assassination may have been part of UFO cover up. Yet, some of the cases are mysterious and leaves you wondering if there’s more going on with the government and UFOs than they’re letting on.

This is an interesting read and the book allows you to draw your own conclusions. Whether you believe it or not, reading the cases helps keep the debate about UFOs alive.

So if you’re a UFO fanatic like me, this is a good read.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but it moved towards people who worked for the government dying under mysterious circumstances over dying from actually UFO encounters. Otherwise it was good.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me the heebie-jeebies. I found several of these stories to be so far-fetched that it kind of annoyed me at several points making me believe I was wasting my time on this book. However, as I neared the end, this gifted author and researcher brought it all together in such a way that in addition to these new unfamiliar stories, familiar stories that I had never made connections with in the past suddenly started to click as potentially being authentic, and maybe connected, and, the thought of that struck home just as I was on the portion on the Moth Man. The very eerie feelings I experienced when I had first learned of that entity and story bubbled back up and suddenly I felt fear that, what if all this is real, like really real. Better to not say Candyman in the mirror three times, just in case. Be careful when you look into the abyss; the abyss stares back at you.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hazards of Research

This is another great book from author Nick Redfern. It was extensively researched and contained a number of issues that conspiracy theorists would love. Many little known facts are included. I read this book using immersion reading, while listening to the audiobook. Narrator Shaun Grindell handles the narration beautifully.

[Z. Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did a great job of encompassing the dangerous history of UFO encounters. I liked how each chapter built on the other. Definitely made me thinking twice about scanning the skies at night!

[Jacob Smithson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book in the ufo phenomenon! Loved it! Will be reaching more from this author.

[Savannah C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really makes you think 🤔

[Phillip Fitzsimmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting and well written book. I recommend it.

[Ed Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read for those interested in UFOs,cold war conspiracy theories,etc.

[Kelly Cundiff]

Redfern, N. (2014). Close encounters of the fatal kind: suspicious deaths, mysterious murders, and bizarre disappearances in ufo history. Pompton Plains, NJ:Career Press Inc

Reviewed by: Kelly Cundiff

Reference Type: Biographical Reference

Call Number: 001.942

ISBN 13: 978-1601633118

Content/Scope: This book covers different accounts of unexplained deaths and disappearances and their connection with supernatural activity and UFOs.

Accuracy/Authority: The book provides bibliographic references to many government documents, police reports, interviews and other reference sources. While many questions are left unanswered, the facts have been checked across multiple sources.

Arrangement/Presentation: The book is broken the book into 18 chapters by type of encounter. There are subheadings within each chapter, breaking the text down into smaller, easy to read chunks.

Relation to other works: This book contains some references and reports that are not covered in any other source the library currently has. With so many personal accounts in the world of UFOs and Extraterrestrials, it would be difficult to call it a stand-out “go-to” source for all information needs.

Accessibility/Diversity: This book is suggested for grades 6 and up. This could be of interest to some of the struggling readers, as it is slightly below grade level.

Cost:$15.99

Professional Review: Girffin, A. (2014, July 21). BOOK REVIEW: "Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind" by Nick Redfern. Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://www.reddirtreport.com/rustys-r...

[Crystal Smith-Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother gave me Nick Redfern's Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind: Suspicious Deaths, Mysterious Murders, and Bizarre Disappearances in UFO History for Christmas last year, and I'm glad he did because it's one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I've been interested in aliens/UFOs since childhood, and I've read a lot of books on the subject, so of course this one was right up my alley. Here are a few interesting things the book covers:

-Joao Prestes Filho, who basically melted in front of doctors in June 1947
-James Forrestal, the first U.S. Secretary of Defense...he died after supposedly jumping from the 16th floor of Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1949, but some believe that he may have been pushed because he knew too much about UFOs
-Pont-Saint-Esprit (France), where hundreds of people had hallucinations of terrifying creatures in August 1951
-JFK and his connection to UFOs: He'd told William Holden of the Air Force that he wanted to tell the public what he knew about the UFO cover-up, and rumor has it that there's a CIA document stating that JFK knew the truth about the Roswell crash and told Marilyn Monroe about it.

If you're interested in UFOs, you should check out Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind; it's one of the most interesting books I've read on the topic, and I really enjoyed reading it. Nick Redfern has written several books, and I'm definitely going to read some more of them. : )

[Chris Scherer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redfern, N. (2014). Close encounters of the fatal kind: suspicious deaths, mysterious murders, and bizarre disappearances in ufo history. Pompton Plains, NJ:Career Press Inc.

Citation by: Chris Scherer

Type of Reference: Biographical Reference

Call Number: 01.9

Content/Scope: It is an account of UFO encounters that have been documented and verified for their accuracy. This can be used as resource for explaining supernatural events throughout history,

Accuracy/Authority: The author claims to have checked all his sources validity by date of publication. He includes a very large bibliography of reports, interviews, and other research he used for his writing.

Arrangement/Presentation: Redfern has broken the book into 18 chapters with subheadings inside the chapters. Each chapter deals with different types of UFO encounters.

Relation to other works:Like any other UFO book, it leaves questions left unanswered.

Accessibility/Diversity: This book could be read by anyone above 6th grade. It is easy to read and the chapters are very short.

Cost:$15.99

Professional Review:
Redfern, N. (2014). Close encounters of the fatal kind: suspicious deaths, mysterious murders, and bizarre disappearances in ufo history. Pompton Plains, NJ:Career Press Inc.

[Jim Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabs you and holds you

I learned a lot that I had not heard before. The operative word or words are, "Not heard before". This does not mean that these things are true. For that matter doesn't mean they are not true. Some things sounded extraordinary where they are difficult to believe. I feel compelled to sight specific examples then explain my thoughts but I don't want to ruin the book for those who have not read it yet. Better for each person to draw there own conclusions. I will say the book keeps you and absorbed and is thought provoking. If the things written in the book are indeed true then it's a rather frightening book. One thing I will reveal is this. The author speaks of researchers and other authors as well as people in government or government contractors as being silenced by foul play. My question is, with all the revealing information in this book, has this author ever felt threatened ? Why have we not seen threats against well known people like Bob Lazar ? Overall the book will hold your interest and keep you coming back for more.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 3 out of 5]

British author Nick Redfern presents an intriguing list of often suspicious deaths with connections to the UFO phenomenon. There's the usual suspects including connections to Murray Island or Roswell and the deaths of various researchers as well as some not so usual ones where there are tantalizing hints of a UFO connection such as the deaths of a number of people in the UK connected to Ronald Reagan's SDI program in the 1980s. Other times, Redfern seems to go off on tangents trying to connect dots that likely aren't there such as a few pages on deaths connected to the Mothman sightings in the 1960s or the JFK assassination. For those with an interest in the UFO world, it makes for intriguing reading though it doesn't always present a convincing case and (not surprisingly) often raises more questions than answers.

[Kyle Philson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Philson-Host of Expanded Perspectives Podcast
-Free review copy provided by Warwick

I have read numerous books concerning UFO's and I have read numerous books by Nick Redfern. This by far is one of my favorites. I have never read anything that depicts all of the strange and unusual deaths surrounding UFO's. From bizarre suicides to peoples flesh being melted off, this books highlights the sinister side of both those who actually encounter UFO's to those trying to keep the phenomenon a secret. If you are interested in UFO's and/or people who die under mysterious circumstances then this book is for you. Great Job Nick!!

[John Kilgallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Nick Redfern's books, especially this one. Well documented for sources in the notes and bibliography.

My favorite case in Ufology is the Thomas Mantell incident. This ANG pilot died when his F-51 crashed after climbing to intercept an unknown.

Also of note was the number of UFOlogists and persons involved with incidents that died on June 24th. (Not all the same year, but the same calendar day) Redfern point out that this is the date of Ken Arnold's sighting in 1947 of the "Flying saucers" over Mount Rainier!

[Bmj2k · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. The links between the various people profiled are sometimes tenuous and sometimes unclear, and this book would have benefitted from a less conversational writing style, but an overall good book.

[Lisa Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased, I think Nick is a terrific researcher and I love his books. Even the scary ones.

[Adrienne Amborski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me wonder.....