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Badge of Honor #4
The Witness
The robbery ended in murder, the killers claimed to be terrorists, and the only cooperative witness feared for his life. Police officer Matt Payne knew the dangers of his profession--but never thought that he himself would be the one who needed protection...In BADGE OF HONOR, W.E.B. Griffin reveals the explosive world of law enforcement with the same power and authenticity that made his BROTHERHOOD OF WAR and THE CORPS series nationwide bestsellers.
426 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
245 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,298 followersW.E.B. Griffin was one of several pseudonyms for William E. Butterworth III.
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 6, 2020
This was another amazing book from Griffin starring Mathew Payne. There were so many amazing and hilarious moments throughout. It was absolutely adorable how David and his wife got engaged and are absolutely happy together. There was a lot of action, things going wrong, and it was hard to see that one of their own actually betrayed them. Once again, everything was resolved at the end of the book, this author definitely focuses on the journey instead of the goal. But, it was a fun read. Definitely looking forward to the next one in the series!
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July 8, 2024An intricately plotted police procedural. Lots of politics and information that may initially seem to be extraneous, until it all starts to come together.
March 13, 2022
Griffin continues his habit of devoting too many words to backstory, telling us in every book the life history (it seems) of every character. Just about the time a scene gets flowing, Griffin throws in a line or two about this or that character’s history. This wouldn’t be so bad if it happened once and done, but he never misses a chance to tell us that Matt Payne killed a serial rapist or that Jesus Martinez and Charley McFadden took down the man who killed Dutch Moffitt.
Griffin has too many characters in these stories, too. In the real world, police departments are made up of many officers, but in a book, keeping them all straight is a chore that detracts from enjoying the story. Not helping matters is several characters sharing the same first name (Matthew for one). Again, this happens in real life, but it doesn’t make reading this book (or others in the series) any easier. I have now read the first 4 books in the series, and there are still characters I can’t keep straight.
A second problem with this book is it’s slow. Almost the first half of this 426-page novel is set up. I kept wondering when the premise in the back cover blurb – Matt Payne needing protection – was going to happen. It never did.
And that’s where this novel fails epically. Nothing happened throughout all 426 pages.
There was no tension. The reader never felt as if any character was in danger. Except for the vague ill-defined need for protection for Matt Payne – a threat that never materialized – there was no threat to anyone. Several story lines were never really were resolved, only wrapped up in a rush via a bunch of short paragraphs in the last chapter. And the murder of a patrol officer early in the book, which should have been a major component of the story, disappeared except for brief comments here and there.
Quite frankly, this book reads like Griffin was pressured by his publisher to crank one out and this lame effort is the result. If this was the first W. E. B. Griffin book I ever read, it would have been the last. I never would have read another.
So, overall, a book that was a colossal dud. Any author can have an off day, so I’ll give Griffin a chance to redeem himself. But if his next book is no better that this one, he’ll be off my ‘To Read’ list.
Goodreads: Can you tell me why the first two books in the series list John Kevin Dugan as the author while W. E. B. Griffin is listed as the author on the rest? How about a little consistency?
Griffin has too many characters in these stories, too. In the real world, police departments are made up of many officers, but in a book, keeping them all straight is a chore that detracts from enjoying the story. Not helping matters is several characters sharing the same first name (Matthew for one). Again, this happens in real life, but it doesn’t make reading this book (or others in the series) any easier. I have now read the first 4 books in the series, and there are still characters I can’t keep straight.
A second problem with this book is it’s slow. Almost the first half of this 426-page novel is set up. I kept wondering when the premise in the back cover blurb – Matt Payne needing protection – was going to happen. It never did.
And that’s where this novel fails epically. Nothing happened throughout all 426 pages.
There was no tension. The reader never felt as if any character was in danger. Except for the vague ill-defined need for protection for Matt Payne – a threat that never materialized – there was no threat to anyone. Several story lines were never really were resolved, only wrapped up in a rush via a bunch of short paragraphs in the last chapter. And the murder of a patrol officer early in the book, which should have been a major component of the story, disappeared except for brief comments here and there.
Quite frankly, this book reads like Griffin was pressured by his publisher to crank one out and this lame effort is the result. If this was the first W. E. B. Griffin book I ever read, it would have been the last. I never would have read another.
So, overall, a book that was a colossal dud. Any author can have an off day, so I’ll give Griffin a chance to redeem himself. But if his next book is no better that this one, he’ll be off my ‘To Read’ list.
Goodreads: Can you tell me why the first two books in the series list John Kevin Dugan as the author while W. E. B. Griffin is listed as the author on the rest? How about a little consistency?
December 9, 2015
I'm a pathetic loser. Why do I keep thinking that this series will get better? If W.E.B. Griffin took out 1/3 of the references to drinking that are really unrelated to the story, and another 1/3 of the references to going and getting food... He would have a 42 page novel.
Instead, the story begins well, and has two or three instances of decent police work. The story finally manages to meander its way to a less than eventful conclusion. In the meantime, Griffin spends more time dealing with the politics of police work, and how his hero manages to thread his way through the bureaucracy, then he does with any actual real police work. Wohl, keeps getting called to the mayor or the commissioner's office.
That doesn't mean that there isn't an element of police work-- but more that there is more sitting around and discussing police work as the novel creeps along a a pace that would make a snail seem like Speed Racer.
Adding to the problem is that the books are hopelessly dated. Terms like "honky" and the like date it stuck in the 70's with no Starsky or Hutch to save them.
Griffin does manage to write about policemen in a real way at times. We see that some of them are great cops, some are not so good, some are drunks, and others encounter other domestic problems. Some are stymied when they want to investigate what they feel is an obvious lawbreaker. The frustration with being a cop is well mixed with the occasional privilege.
I kept hoping for some redeeming moments, but they really never came. This is a pitiful excuse of a series and if I find anymore in my library on my TO READ shelves--- they will wind up on the fireplace grate as kindling-- That will be where I discover their real value.
Don't bother with this series unless your nightly sleepaid medication isn't working.
Instead, the story begins well, and has two or three instances of decent police work. The story finally manages to meander its way to a less than eventful conclusion. In the meantime, Griffin spends more time dealing with the politics of police work, and how his hero manages to thread his way through the bureaucracy, then he does with any actual real police work. Wohl, keeps getting called to the mayor or the commissioner's office.
That doesn't mean that there isn't an element of police work-- but more that there is more sitting around and discussing police work as the novel creeps along a a pace that would make a snail seem like Speed Racer.
Adding to the problem is that the books are hopelessly dated. Terms like "honky" and the like date it stuck in the 70's with no Starsky or Hutch to save them.
Griffin does manage to write about policemen in a real way at times. We see that some of them are great cops, some are not so good, some are drunks, and others encounter other domestic problems. Some are stymied when they want to investigate what they feel is an obvious lawbreaker. The frustration with being a cop is well mixed with the occasional privilege.
I kept hoping for some redeeming moments, but they really never came. This is a pitiful excuse of a series and if I find anymore in my library on my TO READ shelves--- they will wind up on the fireplace grate as kindling-- That will be where I discover their real value.
Don't bother with this series unless your nightly sleepaid medication isn't working.
September 2, 2019
9.5 out of 10 stars. Reading a series in order is a good thing, but sometimes things are related differently from a previous book in the series like who actually killed someone or did something. I always prefer reading a series in order and some series end too soon while others drag on too long.
June 15, 2023
The story was good. But the ending left a lot to be desired.. it is like the author realized that the book was long and POOF,,,in a few pages the mystery was solved and the book was over. I was disappointed in the way it ended..
"The robbery ended in murder, the killers claimed to be terrorists, and the only cooperative witness feared for his life. Police officer Matt Payne knew the dangers of his profession--but never thought that he himself would be the one who needed protection."
"The robbery ended in murder, the killers claimed to be terrorists, and the only cooperative witness feared for his life. Police officer Matt Payne knew the dangers of his profession--but never thought that he himself would be the one who needed protection."
April 18, 2018
Another good good rainy day book
I've enjoyed 7 books of the series and like the characters but still get a little bored with the repetition. There's so much explanation of previous cases in other books, I tend to jump over them. But over all I still enjoy the series.
I've enjoyed 7 books of the series and like the characters but still get a little bored with the repetition. There's so much explanation of previous cases in other books, I tend to jump over them. But over all I still enjoy the series.
January 16, 2023
I shouldn't like these books but I can't help it. The characters draw you in, the grittiness of the street and city politics is compelling. And even the little details that come as information dumps are interesting.
August 21, 2018
I enjoyed this book except for the frequent taking of the Lord's name in vain.
December 21, 2019
Possibly one of the greatest series of all time. My father read this and passed it down to me. Great reading.
January 14, 2020
Excellent, I am starting to really enjoy these books.
July 13, 2022
took me months to finish this.
January 2, 2023
I'm having a blast rereading this series, I forgot how good it was
March 8, 2023
I am a huge fan of WEB Griffin’s books. His characters, the story lines and the dialogue are exceptional.
August 23, 2023
Great cast of characters
September 24, 2024
Awesome
Just another riveting part in this awesome series. Always hard to put down, chapter after chapter. On to the next.
Just another riveting part in this awesome series. Always hard to put down, chapter after chapter. On to the next.
October 17, 2025
See my comments on Men in Blue in this series.
October 8, 2023
Love this series.
What I love about this author (and this series) is he clearly spent an immense amount of time developing his characters before he wrote a word. The characters in this book, and in this series, are fully-developed characters with their own unique voice. No easy task with a cast as large as in this series.
What I love about this author (and this series) is he clearly spent an immense amount of time developing his characters before he wrote a word. The characters in this book, and in this series, are fully-developed characters with their own unique voice. No easy task with a cast as large as in this series.
April 23, 2014
So this is my review of the preceding book in this series:
"This book is CLEARLY a part of a series ... and that is the reason for the low rating ... it - at least to me - quite literally ends as if it is the end of a chapter in a longer book, not the end of a book per se.
As in many good books, there is more than one story going on here ... there is what might be called the main story, but then there are several back stories going on as well. Especially in this book, there two sub stories that - simply - end. The image here should - for those readers old enough to remember them - evoke the feelings left after a Saturday morning serial movie or TV show ... no closure, no answers, no satisfaction ... just an arbitrary-feeling end.
This, then is NOT a book to buy, unless you feel the urge to be frustrated or to buy more than one. This is a book to borrow from a library, read and enjoy what is in most part a fun, quick, light read, and then return and borrow the second half of the book to finish."
I was wrong in that review ... this book is NOT the "second half" of the preceding one ... it is simply more in the long drawn out series of chapters that may, at some point, comprise a complete book.
I may come back later and read more chapters in this exercise in literary tedium, because it does have some carefully and thoroughly buried fun moments, but - for now - I'm going to take a little break and go read some real books ...
"This book is CLEARLY a part of a series ... and that is the reason for the low rating ... it - at least to me - quite literally ends as if it is the end of a chapter in a longer book, not the end of a book per se.
As in many good books, there is more than one story going on here ... there is what might be called the main story, but then there are several back stories going on as well. Especially in this book, there two sub stories that - simply - end. The image here should - for those readers old enough to remember them - evoke the feelings left after a Saturday morning serial movie or TV show ... no closure, no answers, no satisfaction ... just an arbitrary-feeling end.
This, then is NOT a book to buy, unless you feel the urge to be frustrated or to buy more than one. This is a book to borrow from a library, read and enjoy what is in most part a fun, quick, light read, and then return and borrow the second half of the book to finish."
I was wrong in that review ... this book is NOT the "second half" of the preceding one ... it is simply more in the long drawn out series of chapters that may, at some point, comprise a complete book.
I may come back later and read more chapters in this exercise in literary tedium, because it does have some carefully and thoroughly buried fun moments, but - for now - I'm going to take a little break and go read some real books ...
June 13, 2013
The Islamic Liberation Army makes its debut (AAL predecessor). A gaggle of Afro American muslims decides to make their debut in style by robbing a furniture store and killing a maintenance man doing so. The police identify one solid witness who can put all of the idiots on the scene, but prickly things start happening from the inside out. With great relief, Matt pounds ADA Stillwell's wife who seduced the young stud but complicated Payne's work life. As villain publisher Arthur Nelson villifies the police via the Ledger, an assassin gets past witness protection and facilitates the death of The Witness. As all hell breaks around Peter, a second witness comes forward to put the ILA away and the Ledger wimpers away.
February 2, 2015
WEB Griffin's "The Witness" is a good read. The detailed police procedure as well as the detailed political meddling done by the mayor of the city appears to be very realistic. The story line is good and completely realistic. The themes from dirty cops to Islamic extremists to cop killers and bank robbers are melded together extremely well. The only thing that is not enjoyable is the authors need to go into detail several times throughout the novel to explain what happened in the previous novels in the series. The reason for this is that the author makes several big mistakes in his recounting events happen out of order and the detaals are a mess. This does not however take away from the story at all. All in all, "The Witness" is a enjoyable entertaining read.
October 15, 2016
Not my favorite W.E.B Griffin book. This one just dragged on and on. But, I kept reading because I enjoy his writing. I did see some repeats from the Army and USMC series, including the annoying habit of re-summarizing events that happened in previous books as a new character is introduced, multiple reference to food and inane discussions of police work without any particular conclusion. The characters are becoming familiar and are mildly intriguing, some are good cops and some are bad cops...just like real people. The "ending" was merely a transition to the next book...no particular climax. I'll be surprised if I get though book number five without chucking the entire series.
September 30, 2011
This is number 4 in the Badge of Honor series and I really like this one. I suppose part of my 5 star rating is that after 4 books I am really in the know of the characters, their thinking, their ever evolving relationships and suspense of "what happens next" Well written -- is an understatement-- my only complaint is the redundancy of going over ( for new readers I am sure) of what has transpired in the last several books -- its painful but necessary I understand--
An Easy laid back read-- that is only entertainment--for sure
An Easy laid back read-- that is only entertainment--for sure
October 3, 2010
Although I enjoyed this book, the ending was kind of abrupt. It was as though Griffin was on a timeline and simply threw something together. It was no suprise that the main charachter received accomodation for his actions after being put through the ringer by his administration. I think that Griffin could have built off of keeping Payne in uniform and then built him back up, maybe in another novel. Overall, it is a good read and the progression of events made me want to keep reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2011
This book is about a robbery that has taken place. There is one witness that can help the police catch the thieves. Now its the cops job to protect this person until the trial where the detectives can prosecute the criminals.
This book was ok. It was a bit long and very slow paced. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless you really like cop/detective books.
This book was ok. It was a bit long and very slow paced. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless you really like cop/detective books.
March 27, 2012
I found this book hard to get into at first. So many different characters at beginning to remember and wonder how of them are going to connect. Halfway through the book I found I had a hard time putting it down. It was a very intriguing story and I enjoyed it and found at the end it made total sense.
November 22, 2022
Standard warning to all readers that the language in this books is full of all kinds of slurs that are not considered appropriate these days. Written in the 90s set in the 70s.
While long and very detailed, this story pulled me along at a good clip. Still a great ensemble of characters, but I think the series is reaching it's max load of characters.
While long and very detailed, this story pulled me along at a good clip. Still a great ensemble of characters, but I think the series is reaching it's max load of characters.
July 11, 2012
Continues this wonderful series with another solid entry. Matt Payne almost seems like a real-life Harry Potter in that he is continually screwing up on the Philadelphia P.D. and receiving accolade after accolade. Great characters in this series.....
July 14, 2014
Really good story. The first 100 pages was the reader's digest version of the previous 3 books with information dump in between. If I didn't love the characters Wohl and Payne so much I may have struggled through those pages. But then the story took off and it was amazing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews