Hardball

Hardball #1

by William Sanders

An agent for hire with a passion for justice.

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

this is William^^^Sanders

William Sanders served with the US Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War. He is the author of more than 20 published books and many stories and articles; his short fiction has been nominated for major awards, including the Hugo and Nebula, and has twice won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick time-waster. Only problem was nothing happened for the first half. Our hero goes to a private island, runs off some redneck teen creeps and gets seduced by politicians week-end fling. The second half is not much better. Some islamic extremists come to take revenge on Dane, our hero. Once again, not much action. This book was written like it was going to be made into a low budget TV movie.

The characters, settings and mood is laid out well. It just runs a bit thin after awhile. I bought this book under the assumption it was a men's action adventure book like the Gold Eagle or Pinnacle books of the 80's. It turns out like a 90's P.I. tale. I'll read the next two books in the series. Hope they get better.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe closer to a 3.5, its a little slow for the first half and really only has a little action. Dane, the main character is interesting and a couple of the support characters are well done. Basically Dane just got out of a prison in the middle east, he used to be CIA but now is freelance. Anyway the company got him a cushy jib of taking care of a little island off the coast of Texas, basically a sand spit. However when an important visitor shows up it makes the simple job more dangerous, then it got more so when the enemy found out who he was.

Recommended, its the first of a trilogy and it did enough to make me want to read the others to see how it continues.

[Stoney Setzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book way back in 1992, right after it was first published. It was meant to be the first installment in a series about CIA Operative Randall Dane. The good news was that this book was a fast, fun read that I still remember to this day, even if I no longer have my copy. The bad news was that the next installment wasn't nearly as good as the first, and the series fizzled. However, if you ever happen upon a copy of this first book, and you like a book that reads like a late 80s - early 90s action movie, then give this book a shot.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard luck is what brings Randall Dane to Texas, guarding a small Gulf Coast island for the CIA. An easy job, until it's invaded by bloodthirsty Middle Eastern commandos avenging the death of their holy leader. They're after one man: the killer, Randall Dane.

Meant by the author to be "the next Travis McGee," this series died quietly after three books.

Much better than it sounds...great characterization.

[Ömer Oral · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Sanders always likes charmingly. Great characters, settings and descriptions.