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Badge of Honor #10
The Vigilantes
The dramatic new novel in Griffin's New York Times - bestselling chronicle of the Philadelphia police force.
There's a sudden spike in murders in Philadelphia, but no one seems to mind much because the victims all seem to be lowlifes. The more Homicide Sergeant Matthew Payne investigates, however, the more he gets a bad feeling-one that only gets worse when vigilante groups spring up claiming credit for some of the hits, even though Payne knows it can't be true. As the targets get bigger and events start moving out of control, Payne realizes that if he and his colleagues can't figure out who's behind this very soon, the violence could overtake them all.
Filled with authentic color and detail, this is a riveting novel of the men and women who put their lives on the line-storytelling at its absolute best.
There's a sudden spike in murders in Philadelphia, but no one seems to mind much because the victims all seem to be lowlifes. The more Homicide Sergeant Matthew Payne investigates, however, the more he gets a bad feeling-one that only gets worse when vigilante groups spring up claiming credit for some of the hits, even though Payne knows it can't be true. As the targets get bigger and events start moving out of control, Payne realizes that if he and his colleagues can't figure out who's behind this very soon, the violence could overtake them all.
Filled with authentic color and detail, this is a riveting novel of the men and women who put their lives on the line-storytelling at its absolute best.
342 pages, Hardcover
First published August 10, 2010
319 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,299 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 103 reviews
July 5, 2012
The action revolves around Matt Payne, his driving around talking to people about talking to other people, his many hours at the task force command center 'to look at evidence' when he is really checking out all the cute screen savers and pointer apps. Worst of all, Matt's constant text messages to his girl friend.
'Why is this so bad?' you may ask--- because it is written like a parody of Griffin's best books. Every single line reads false, every plot point is stupid and poorly thought out, and the bad guy killer does his work based mostly on blind luck.
There is also a rich bad guy politician, who gets away with it, I think mostly to become Matt's enemy in the next book. Too bad the rich bad guy was the only well written character in the book. Father and son managed to reduce every other character, including ones who were well written in the rest of the series, to cardboard cut outs.
That aside, please be aware if you are contemplating spending your money on The Vigilantes that the quality of writing and plot substance is not even remotely close to what we have come to appreciate from W.E.B. Griffin's earlier writings. This book is poorly written (think Dick and Jane - Run Spot Run) and the overuse of outdated cliches is most painful. How many times do real Philadelphia police officers say to one another that "the long arm" reached out to them? Probably much less than the term is used in The Vigilantes. If you love to read a W.E.B. Griffin book, don't read this one. You will be very disappointed. A better approach is to re-read earlier books from this or other series. Stay away from anything co-authored by William E. Butterworth IV unless you are prepared for mediocrity.
The vigillantes don't even appear to be the subject of this snoozer...rather the criminal activities of a Philadephia councilman...the subject vigilante almost appears to be a undeveloped distraction.
Shallow medical "research" is further proof of a slap-dash approach: succinylcholine indeed is a widely used muscle relaxant, and the heart indeed is a muscle (albeit a different kind) ... but that doesn't mean that succ stops the heart; quite the opposite fortunately, succ paralyzes the breathing (and other) red muscles, but thankfully has minimal effect on the heart.
It was so CORNY! You already explained the cursor in the form of a smoking gun once, so why do you have to explain it five more times? You already explained the car you're driving, so why do you have to explain it five more times? And calling his girlfriend the Angel Goddess? PUHLEASE! Way too much description. At one point, they describe a coffee-stained mug with a patch on it and and on the patch was the skyline and behind that - WHO CARES? Cut to the chase!
In the book guy goes around killing, Matt Payne repeatly says "we need to look for the rock under the rock" and "I can't believe what a beautiful girl friend I have". That's the entire story. Too bad Griffin didn't go looking under a rock under a rock for the plot before we wrote this one.
'Why is this so bad?' you may ask--- because it is written like a parody of Griffin's best books. Every single line reads false, every plot point is stupid and poorly thought out, and the bad guy killer does his work based mostly on blind luck.
There is also a rich bad guy politician, who gets away with it, I think mostly to become Matt's enemy in the next book. Too bad the rich bad guy was the only well written character in the book. Father and son managed to reduce every other character, including ones who were well written in the rest of the series, to cardboard cut outs.
That aside, please be aware if you are contemplating spending your money on The Vigilantes that the quality of writing and plot substance is not even remotely close to what we have come to appreciate from W.E.B. Griffin's earlier writings. This book is poorly written (think Dick and Jane - Run Spot Run) and the overuse of outdated cliches is most painful. How many times do real Philadelphia police officers say to one another that "the long arm" reached out to them? Probably much less than the term is used in The Vigilantes. If you love to read a W.E.B. Griffin book, don't read this one. You will be very disappointed. A better approach is to re-read earlier books from this or other series. Stay away from anything co-authored by William E. Butterworth IV unless you are prepared for mediocrity.
The vigillantes don't even appear to be the subject of this snoozer...rather the criminal activities of a Philadephia councilman...the subject vigilante almost appears to be a undeveloped distraction.
Shallow medical "research" is further proof of a slap-dash approach: succinylcholine indeed is a widely used muscle relaxant, and the heart indeed is a muscle (albeit a different kind) ... but that doesn't mean that succ stops the heart; quite the opposite fortunately, succ paralyzes the breathing (and other) red muscles, but thankfully has minimal effect on the heart.
It was so CORNY! You already explained the cursor in the form of a smoking gun once, so why do you have to explain it five more times? You already explained the car you're driving, so why do you have to explain it five more times? And calling his girlfriend the Angel Goddess? PUHLEASE! Way too much description. At one point, they describe a coffee-stained mug with a patch on it and and on the patch was the skyline and behind that - WHO CARES? Cut to the chase!
In the book guy goes around killing, Matt Payne repeatly says "we need to look for the rock under the rock" and "I can't believe what a beautiful girl friend I have". That's the entire story. Too bad Griffin didn't go looking under a rock under a rock for the plot before we wrote this one.
October 19, 2012
There is an up spike in murders of Philadelphia's criminal elements. No one is too concerned because of who the victims are. Sergeant Matt Payne finds that there is more than meets the eye.
February 5, 2011
I'm sorry but must be in the top 5 worst books I have ever finished.
Poorly written, no plot that I could find, and the "thought bubble" and "news clippings" way of filling in back ground information nearly drove me insane.
I have no idea why half the characters in the book were even mentioned? His girlfriend served no purpose to the story (or him it would seem). The Russian? Why was he there? It was woeful.
No plot, no linking of events, no substance, no ending so to speak of. Why did I keep reading????
Poorly written, no plot that I could find, and the "thought bubble" and "news clippings" way of filling in back ground information nearly drove me insane.
I have no idea why half the characters in the book were even mentioned? His girlfriend served no purpose to the story (or him it would seem). The Russian? Why was he there? It was woeful.
No plot, no linking of events, no substance, no ending so to speak of. Why did I keep reading????
July 8, 2019
I haven't read a lot of books by this author, but the ones I''ve read have a action packed,and this novel is no different. In this installment,the idea of vigilante justice is explored and the consequences that come with it. A huge trigger warning is in order because a lot of violence is present in the novel,as well as mentions of sex crimes,so stay far away if that's not your thing. However,if you can stomach it, you're more than likely going to be impressed with Griffin's hard hitting and cinematic writing style. A quick read despite its'length!
July 10, 2012
Average, probably the weakest in the Badge Of Honor series. It seemed to me that the book didn't know where it was going at times....and where is Peter Wohl? I guess they just dropped his character from the earlier books. I hope the next in this series picks up the pace some.
February 9, 2013
This novel gets better after the first quarter and has plenty of action, drama, tragedy and even humor. 7 of 10 stars
March 9, 2022
If you have read one of his books, you know the formula.
Except: he can/could make the formula fresh.
Except: he can/could make the formula fresh.
August 18, 2011
Loved this series when it started. Tailed off a bit when brought into "present time". This last one was a stinker though. I really think his son is writing these books and he's just adding his name to them. At least that is what I hope...
September 17, 2010
I was looking forward to another in the Badge of Honor series, but this one wasn't up to previous standards.
June 18, 2025
The son keeps the series alive and well!
I haven’t read any books in the several excellent series started by W.E.B.(Butterworth) Griffin in a while. I had seen the addition of the son’s name to a few books before Griffin sadly passed away in 2019 but thought it was just to finish off partially written books.
However it seems that not only does the son write more books, there are new books that have other names added to his byline.
I strongly suspect that anyone reading this is a fan familiar with Griffin’s detailed stories with characters that are well defined and by now are familiar old friends. While this story CAN stand on its own, the back story & all of the interpersonal relationships between the characters is a significant factor in making these good reading.
This book is actually a bit less complex than most previous novels, with a large number of story arcs neatly tied up before the book ends. Still a good read though!
I haven’t read any books in the several excellent series started by W.E.B.(Butterworth) Griffin in a while. I had seen the addition of the son’s name to a few books before Griffin sadly passed away in 2019 but thought it was just to finish off partially written books.
However it seems that not only does the son write more books, there are new books that have other names added to his byline.
I strongly suspect that anyone reading this is a fan familiar with Griffin’s detailed stories with characters that are well defined and by now are familiar old friends. While this story CAN stand on its own, the back story & all of the interpersonal relationships between the characters is a significant factor in making these good reading.
This book is actually a bit less complex than most previous novels, with a large number of story arcs neatly tied up before the book ends. Still a good read though!
May 17, 2017
Not the best Griffin/Butterworth that I've ever read. This one just sort of spins in place. The usual summaries and discussions of inane objects, stuffs a good 9 hour book into 13 hours...yawn. Now, the plot revolves around a rich guy paying bounty for scalps of bad guys. The collection increases with a pervert whacko in the lead. Our hero, Matt, spends his time looking at screen savers and collecting information as he's been banned from action, but finally finds it. NO! It wasn't suspenseful; rather, it was boring. None of the other characters that we know andl love are really players in this story. Maybe I'll go on to #11...maybe not.
June 30, 2021
This was an odd one not in the fashion of the previous editions. Totally focused on Matt, no Wohl, no Amy, no Brewster and family. If the object was to do a deep dive into Matt’s character and how he thinks and how he is handling his recent promotion, then it was a start but it lacked the cohesiveness of the others, and hard to believe the writer wants us to think his Rabbi’s and mentors are letting him run free and be included in top brass meetings as a new sergeant. I love this series but this one left a lot of loose ends.
December 29, 2019
I gave this one star - which was a high rating. I don't think it's possible to give NO stars on this site. BUT...l don't want to be too harsh here. This book-on-tape, purchased somewhere in Illinois from a thrift shop for $1 got me through the entire state of Iowa on my Vermont to California cross-country trip with my dog, Rosie. She slept. I stayed awake. That counts for something.
April 11, 2020
Not the best of the series, but I did finish reading. Abrupt ending, hopefully will deal with certain other political criminals (too much time given to them to not deal with them in this book). I will finish the series, but I like other Griffin series much better---it may be Philadelphia that drags the series down a bit.
July 20, 2022
A good story. It did take a bit of reading, until the end to decide what they were after. Even at the end I didn't know what they had accomplished. The corrupt city councilman was still in power. His partner, the Russian was still in the picture.
December 1, 2022
great read
As always the author keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat with a spell binding story. Badge of honor series is an awesome series. Got to find the next book in this series.
As always the author keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat with a spell binding story. Badge of honor series is an awesome series. Got to find the next book in this series.
November 2, 2023
One of the key reasons I am a WEB Griffin fan is that he develops great characters with engaging dialogue. Problem is a few of my favorites have been missed from the last couple of books. Disappointing.
December 6, 2024
The more Homicide Sergeant Matthew Payne investigates, however, the more he gets a bad feeling-one that only gets worse when vigilante groups spring up claiming credit for some of the hits, even though Payne knows it can't be true.
Great!
Great!
November 24, 2025
I really enjoyed reading the first eight books in this series. Then WEB Griffin’s son began writing the series. He is a very poor author and has basically ruined the series. I have book eleven but I Donita know if I will read it.
February 3, 2017
A quick paced crime novel. A bit rushed at the end... wish the author would have wound it up more slowly.
December 31, 2017
Not the best book of the series. The ending is weak, and could have been better.
June 21, 2018
Someone is going around killing men who raped women. Matt and the police department try to find this person who is leaving fingerprints all over the place but is not in any system
August 14, 2018
ok book....didn't like hearing what people were thinking or the text message notes (really)......maybe it was just an old book
May 31, 2019
Too violent.
August 25, 2019
I remember why I stopped reading these books. Apparently the next one is the real low point, and then it gets better. So I guess I'll plug on.
November 10, 2019
The 5F offers a 10k reward for each criminal brought in. which create additional problems for Matt and the police. And a surprise at the end.
March 14, 2020
This one is just garbage, so many failings they are too numerous to list--and for that reason I am out
May 20, 2020
too much violence - but guess that was to be expected.
Read
June 15, 2020Matt Payne again a very good main character
October 18, 2020
Ain't no clocks in a crack house! That's all I got out of this wretched book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews