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Winter Sniper: A World War II Novel
During World War II, a legendary German sniper is sent to assassinate General Eisenhower when Ike makes a top-secret trip to Washington as planning begins for the D-Day invasion.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2011
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
David Healey
61 books91 followersDavid Healey made his publishing debut with SHARPSHOOTER, a what-if historical thriller about an attempt to assassinate Union General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War, published by an imprint of Penguin Putnam. That novel was the result of years of research into the Civil War that included time as a reenactor at Gettysburg and other battlefields.
In its review, the Civil War News wrote: “SHARPSHOOTER has the feel of a techno-thriller, the kind offered by Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz ... SHARPSHOOTER moves quickly and is filled with all manner of intrigue."
Healey has brought that same passion for research and history to his World War II novels, GHOST SNIPER, ARDENNES SNIPER, and RED SNIPER. During a 21-year career as a journalist, he was fortunate enough to interview many veterans of the 29th Division who landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Some of the events and characters in these novels were inspired by their stories.
He loves the idea of a character like Micajah Cole, a self-reliant backwoods hunter who turns out to be unrelenting and ruthless as a sniper, especially against a skilled adversary, in the pages of these books.
In addition to fiction, he has written books on regional history, including 1812: REDISCOVERING CHESAPEAKE BAY'S FORGOTTEN WAR and GREAT STORMS OF THE CHESAPEAKE.
A graduate of Washington College and the Stonecoast MFA program, he was recognized in 2011 as a Chaney Scholar in history by St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Visit him online at www.davidhealeyauthor.com or follow him at Facebook at facebook.com/david.healey.books
In its review, the Civil War News wrote: “SHARPSHOOTER has the feel of a techno-thriller, the kind offered by Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz ... SHARPSHOOTER moves quickly and is filled with all manner of intrigue."
Healey has brought that same passion for research and history to his World War II novels, GHOST SNIPER, ARDENNES SNIPER, and RED SNIPER. During a 21-year career as a journalist, he was fortunate enough to interview many veterans of the 29th Division who landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Some of the events and characters in these novels were inspired by their stories.
He loves the idea of a character like Micajah Cole, a self-reliant backwoods hunter who turns out to be unrelenting and ruthless as a sniper, especially against a skilled adversary, in the pages of these books.
In addition to fiction, he has written books on regional history, including 1812: REDISCOVERING CHESAPEAKE BAY'S FORGOTTEN WAR and GREAT STORMS OF THE CHESAPEAKE.
A graduate of Washington College and the Stonecoast MFA program, he was recognized in 2011 as a Chaney Scholar in history by St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Visit him online at www.davidhealeyauthor.com or follow him at Facebook at facebook.com/david.healey.books
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2023
Too many factual errors to be good historical fiction or any other kind of fiction for that matter.
I first read TIME REICH by this same author. It was so bad that I felt compelled to try another in order to see if he is really that bad a writer. In the two books which I read he is.
WINTER SNIPER is full of factual errors and poor writing.. Some examples follow:
Location 84 - the German sniper, Bruno Hess, has a Leopold scope mounted on his captured Russian Mosin Nagant sniper rifle. Leupold is an American company which did not supply sights to the Germans or Russians. I can find no reference to Leopold Optics as it is styled in the novel. Later in the book the scope is referred to as a Russian PU which was a common Russian scope.
Location 161 - (the) "Wehrmacht shivered as the snow began to fall. Forced to retreat, the Germans made a last stand at Stalingrad. The fighting was now in its second winter. For the 200,000 German troops in Russia, Himmler knew there would be no spring." The Germans did not retreat to Stalingrad, they advanced, advanced too far in fact. There were a lot more than 200,000 German troops in Russia. They lost approximately 400,000 men in the Stalingrad battle alone.
Location 171 - "Himmler believed that the end was approaching faster than anyone in the Reichstag imagined." During the Third Reich, the Reichstag met infrequently and approved all of Hitler's decisions unanimously. It had nothing to do with making policy, particularly war policy. What they did or didn't imagine didn't much matter.
Location 204 - "and he (Eisenhower) expected the same dedication from his staff. His rural Texas upbringing had instilled in him a belief that the greatest sinner was a lazy man. He preferred eating a hot dog at his desk to dinner at one of London’s remaining restaurants." Eisenhower's family were from Kansas but they lived in Texas for a short time. Eisenhower was born there but the family moved back to Kansas when he was about two. He had no rural Texas upbringing.
I highlighted many more examples of factual errors, but these examples should be sufficient. There are also errors of logic and continuity. Hess trained at SS sniper school and is sent on a mission by Himmler, chief of the SS. There are other references to Hess and the SS, yet when he arrives on the submarine, he is wearing an army uniform. He is delivered to the submarine by a German destroyer which turns into a battleship.
In the room from which he plans to shoot Eisenhower, he loops his rope around a roof vent then ties a slip knot and pulls it tight. He places the loose portion of the rope on the roof above the gutter where he can reach it when needed. However when he needs the rope to escape, it is mysteriously under the bed. I also highlighted more errors of this kind but this review is long enough.
I first read TIME REICH by this same author. It was so bad that I felt compelled to try another in order to see if he is really that bad a writer. In the two books which I read he is.
WINTER SNIPER is full of factual errors and poor writing.. Some examples follow:
Location 84 - the German sniper, Bruno Hess, has a Leopold scope mounted on his captured Russian Mosin Nagant sniper rifle. Leupold is an American company which did not supply sights to the Germans or Russians. I can find no reference to Leopold Optics as it is styled in the novel. Later in the book the scope is referred to as a Russian PU which was a common Russian scope.
Location 161 - (the) "Wehrmacht shivered as the snow began to fall. Forced to retreat, the Germans made a last stand at Stalingrad. The fighting was now in its second winter. For the 200,000 German troops in Russia, Himmler knew there would be no spring." The Germans did not retreat to Stalingrad, they advanced, advanced too far in fact. There were a lot more than 200,000 German troops in Russia. They lost approximately 400,000 men in the Stalingrad battle alone.
Location 171 - "Himmler believed that the end was approaching faster than anyone in the Reichstag imagined." During the Third Reich, the Reichstag met infrequently and approved all of Hitler's decisions unanimously. It had nothing to do with making policy, particularly war policy. What they did or didn't imagine didn't much matter.
Location 204 - "and he (Eisenhower) expected the same dedication from his staff. His rural Texas upbringing had instilled in him a belief that the greatest sinner was a lazy man. He preferred eating a hot dog at his desk to dinner at one of London’s remaining restaurants." Eisenhower's family were from Kansas but they lived in Texas for a short time. Eisenhower was born there but the family moved back to Kansas when he was about two. He had no rural Texas upbringing.
I highlighted many more examples of factual errors, but these examples should be sufficient. There are also errors of logic and continuity. Hess trained at SS sniper school and is sent on a mission by Himmler, chief of the SS. There are other references to Hess and the SS, yet when he arrives on the submarine, he is wearing an army uniform. He is delivered to the submarine by a German destroyer which turns into a battleship.
In the room from which he plans to shoot Eisenhower, he loops his rope around a roof vent then ties a slip knot and pulls it tight. He places the loose portion of the rope on the roof above the gutter where he can reach it when needed. However when he needs the rope to escape, it is mysteriously under the bed. I also highlighted more errors of this kind but this review is long enough.
January 20, 2014
It wasn't too bad. I have read better but this being a short book I wasn't expecting a twisting plot with a few subplots and I wasn't disappointed there. Not too bad though and didn't feel like I had wasted my money.
March 19, 2015
Interesting
The book presents a interesting thought on the possibility of what could have happened or been attempted during WWII. Overall decent sniper book. Well worth it if you have prime or unlimited.
The book presents a interesting thought on the possibility of what could have happened or been attempted during WWII. Overall decent sniper book. Well worth it if you have prime or unlimited.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews