Front Sight: Three Swagger Novellas (Center Point Platinum Mystery

by Stephen Hunter

This collection of three interconnected novellas follows each generation of the iconic Swagger family— grandfather Charles, father Earl, and fan favorite hero Bob Lee—from New York Times bestselling author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and “true master at the pinnacle of his craft” (Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Stephen Hunter.

In The Night Train , Charles Swagger is on the hunt for notorious bank robber Baby Face Nelson when he traces a tip to the Chicago stock yards. While there, he’s brutally assaulted and discovers that the madman who attacked him is involved in a nearby narcotics ring with plans to spread its new drug to the residents of the disenfranchised 7th District of Chicago. Worse, this is no ordinary drug—it makes some users happy, drives others insane, and kills many of the rest. Will Charles be able to stop the ring before it’s too late? Or is he in over his head among the dark streets of Chicago?

Earl Swagger investigates a violent bank robbery in Johnny Tuesday that left two dead and a fortune missing in small-town Maryland. At every turn, however, he’s met with silence and hostility from the townsfolk, which makes sense when he uncovers municipal corruption, working-class exploitation, gang politics, jaded aristocrats, scheming gamblers, a hitman, a femme fatale. And a whole bunch of men with guns. Luckily, Earl has brought his own guns in this unputdownable noir mystery.

Finally, in Five Dolls for the Gut Hook , a thirty-two-year-old Bob Lee Swagger is back from Vietnam nearly broken over good men lost for nothing. He’s turned hard down that whiskey road to hell. But one afternoon he’s wakened from his nightmares by two men with a problem. As nearby Hot Springs tries to retool its image from gambling paradise to family resort, a butcher has begun to prey on the city’s young women, a figure straight out of a horror movie. Hot Springs Homicide is baffled. “I’m a sniper,” says Bob, “not a detective.”

“But,” comes the reply, “you are the son and grandson of two of the greatest detectives this state has ever produced.” On that premise alone, Bob takes up the hunt for a killer who not only kills but desecrates. Using his sniper’s mind, Swagger is able to see things others have missed, drawing ever closer to a showdown. But equally, we understand, Bob Lee Swagger is hunting his own redemption.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Short Stories, Novella, Historical Fiction

500 pages, Library Binding

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephen Hunter is the author of fourteen novels, and a chief film critic at The Washington Post, where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocked at how good these stories are because his writings had fallen far off prior. Welcome back, Mr. Hunter.

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Swagger Trilogy
A review of the Atria/Emily Bestler hardcover (January 23, 2024) released simultaneously with the eBook/audiobook.

[3.66 average, rounded up to 4]
Stephen Hunter (1948-), a former film critic for the Washington Post, has also made quite a career with his 4 generation Swagger family saga, starting with the first book Point of Impact (1993) which introduced ex-Marine sniper Bob Lee ("the Nailer") Swagger as a fall-guy scapegoat who battles his way out of an assassination conspiracy. That book was adapted as the film Shooter (2007) and then later extended into the same-titled TV-series (2016-2018).

Further books expanded the saga with tales of Bob Lee's grandfather Charles, his father Earl and his son Ray Cruz. With Front Sight, Hunter revisits three of these characters as they are faced with dramatic showdowns in their younger careers.

I found the earlier stories with Charles and Earl to be more compelling with their gunfights and showdowns. The Bob Lee story was more of a police procedural which barely utilized the protagonist's firearms skills. Still, this was a overall a strong entry for the Swagger series. While reading, I posted mini-reviews of the novellas as status updates, these are copied below.

1. City of Meat **** No one does men and guns better than Stephen Hunter, even if the weapons obsession is very fetishist. This novella trilogy contained in a single volume gets off to a blazing start with a Chicago stockyards showdown featuring grandfather Charles Swagger taking on a dope-gang back in 1934. There is a MacGuffin about the hunt for Baby Face Nelson, but that is soon ignored for the main plot.

2. Johnny Tuesday **** Ex-Marine Earl Swagger goes undercover as the title character in 1947 in order to solve a heist that went bad two years earlier. His reason isn't explained until the end. In the meantime several mob guys find that they have underestimated the unkillability of a Swagger. I think this had even more gunplay than the first novella.

3. Five Dolls for the Gut Hook *** Unfortunately, the reveal here takes it into absurd territory. The upside is that it gives a backstory for ex-Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger coming out of his post-Vietnam alcoholism in 1978 when he is brought in to help hunt down a serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Grumley crime family put in an appearance. This is a Point of Impact (1993) prequel for the long-term fans.

Trivia and Links
Stephen Hunter is also the author of one of the greatest one-line summaries of a war movie that I've ever read, a line that I've even stolen & adapted for book reviews in the past. This was: "You don't really watch the film; you survive it." written in his review of We Were Soldiers (2002) based on General Harold G. Moore's memoir We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam (1992).

[Abibliofob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Swagger, Earl Swagger and Bob Lee Swagger all get one part of this book by my favorite author Stephen Hunter. Front Sight takes us to three different eras in time, one for each Swagger. But why is there no story with Ray Cruz? He is also a Swagger. I have loved this writer since I stumbled upon a used copy of Time to Hunt many years ago and I can't get enough of his work. I especially like the stories with Charles and Earl, but I have never been disappointed by anything from this storyteller. Boy can he tell stories. These three set in the 1930s, 1940s and 1970s are a real treat to read especially the first two. The stories is all about solving some sort of crime and the three Swaggers do so in their own way as they do everything. I love the noir feeling in the different stories and as always it is a pleasure reading Hunters work. I do recommend his books.

[Craig Carignan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Earl Swagger series of stories.

[J Kromrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A wonderful collection that fills in the history of Bob Lee Swagger, a 5-star home run for Stephen Hunter fans!

[Carole Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three generations of detectives must each solve a crime that others can not.

Many readers are familiar with Stephen Hunter’s books featuring sniper Bob Lee Swagger, who comes from a line of men known both for their skill with guns and their ability to find solutions to crimes that leave others baffled. In Front Sight, the reader gets to see several different Swaggers doing what they do best in three novellas. The first is “The Night Train”, featuring Bob Lee’s grandfather Charles Swagger. Charles is in Chicago, fresh off the successful capture of John Dillinger and tasked with hunting down Baby Faced Nelson. Following a tip that Nelson was seen in one of the local stockyards, Charles heads down to investigate. The tip proves to be worthless, but while there Charles is attacked by a man who is out of his mind. Charles survives due to his speed with a gun, while his attacker, a man of color, lies dead. Quick on the scene are two railroad “bulls”, who are less interested in a dead black man and more interested in getting money from Swagger in order to look the other way. A Chicago PD officer joins them, “Two Gun” Washington, and suggests that the two would=be extortionists hit the road. He reads the scene, agrees that Swagger was acting in self-defense, and suggests that it may be best to leave the crime unreported. The police aren’t going to care about another dead black man, but would love to complicate the job of a federal officer like Swagger. A little digging around leads Swagger and Washington to suspect that someone is distributing a new narcotic in the colored part of town, a drug that is driving some of its users insane to the point of murder, and they set about finding out who is behind it. What does the recent fire that destroyed six square blocks of the stockyards have to do with the case, if anything? And can these two oddly matched officers of the law cut through corruption, incompetence and politics to stop the spread of this poison?
In “Johnny Tuesday”, we get to see Earl Swagger (Bob Lee’s father, seen most recently in “The Bullet Garden”) as he rolls into Chesterfield City, Maryland, a small city that runs on money from the local tobacco growing industry. Years earlier a bank in Chesterfield City had been robbed in broad daylight, the thieves getting away with a bag of money and an expensive necklace belonging to the Tapscott family, the local tobacco barons, and leaving behind two dead bodies. The crime was never solved, and Swagger (for reasons unknown to the reader) is looking to bring the robbers to justice. He heads to the part of town knows as Libertyville where the people of color live, in search of a former soldier named Nick Jackson. Swagger is going to need the type of information that the colored citizens, who work for the wealthy families and can see and hear what goes on in those houses while remaining invisible to the inhabitants, can gather. Nick’s reputation for bravery in the war has led Swagger to seek him out as his conduit to the Libertyville community. There is plenty of corruption in this small Maryland city, as it turns out, with competing gangs and even the requisite femme fatale in the person of Mrs. Tapscott. There are also people who don’t want anyone poking into the city’s affairs in general or the bank robbery in particular, and Swagger will find his shooting skills essential to staying alive long enough to find out what happened in Chesterfield CIty.
In the third novella, “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook”, it is time for Bob Lee himself to look into a troubling situation. Bob Lee is not in a good place in his life; he like so many returned from serving his country in Vietnam having seen and done things he would like to forget but can’t. A steady stream of whiskey being ingested is the only thing he has found that can numb the pain, and he has been ingesting plenty. Then one day Bob Lee is visited by family friend and former county prosecutor Sam Vincent and the chief of police from nearby Hot Springs. Someone is killing young women in Hot Springs, butchering them really, and the locals are stumped. Since the powers=that-be in Hot Springs are trying to revamp the area’s image from a gangster town to a family-friendly resort, it is not in the town’s interest to have it be known that a killer is on the loose. They want Swagger to dry himself out a bit and prove that, like his father and grandfather before him, he is more than just a man talented with the gun….he can see patterns and arrive at solutions that most can not. Taking things one day at a time, Swagger arrives in Hot Springs and starts asking questions in all of the right, and some of the wrong, places. With the help of two detectives, veteran Bill Canton and young black Eddie Rollins, Swagger starts looking into the happenings at a local strip club known as the Mardi Gras where at least one of the victims had worked. He makes a quick enemy in Badger Grumley, the not-very-bright but well-connected bartender at the club, when he roughs him up in order to get some answers. He also finds an ally in Franny Wincombe, a cute young woman who works at the Mardi Gras even though she isn’t the type of girl who generally ends up there. Swagger uses the observational skills he honed as an Army sniper and the depths of his knowledge of life in Arkansas to start developing a picture of how the killer is ripping up his victims. The reason why the killer is doing it is not as apparent, nor is the site of the killing, but Swagger and his team will do their best to catch the killer before another victim is chosen.
Three great stories are loosely tied together by the familial relation of the three detectives and a weapon that is passed down from father to son, Each man is a product of his time….one working for the FBI chasing down gangsters, another working on his own in the style of a film noir PI, and the third in a 70’s horror film filled with strung out hippies and city fathers determined to paint over the unseemly parts of their community. They believe in right and wrong, don’t always follow the rules as strictly as their bosses might like, and are both the man you want on your side in a gunfight and the person who can sort the wheat from the chaff in a puzzling situation. In each of these stories, the Swagger men are fine working with people of color at their side, in times when that was not the case for many a white person; they care only about the quality of the person’s work and their character. If you have read earlier Swagger books, you will certainly enjoy this one; and if you haven’t, but enjoy a well=written detective story (James Lee Burke, C. J. Box and Lee Child are authors who spring to mind), then I recommend that you give this one a try. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of Front SIght in return for my honest review.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Hunter's Front Sight includes three Swagger novellas covering three generations of Swagger men. They all have military and law enforcement backgrounds. The Swaggers believe in truth, justice, and the American way. They insist they are not racist and make a point of saying they are not. Swagger men love their guns and describe them with almost sensual details. Hunter's descriptions of the smells of the stockyards and tobacco country in the first two novellas are so pervasive that, if the novellas were made into movies, they would be candidates for the next generation of smellovision. His experience as a film critic shows. All three novellas offer violence, blood and guts, and death. However, the third one has more psychopathic content than the others. Ethnic minorities provide mob representation in the novellas, including the well-known Irish and Italian mobs, but also the less well-known Greek mob. Law enforcement also has its turn as villains. If you like 1930s-style crime that has never gone away, you will like the novellas in Front Sight.

[Jeremy Hornik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequate thriller, a fast read. Characters, not human beings. More or less straight mysteries that end in gunfights. Somehow it seems important to Hunter that his violent men aren’t racists. Okay, Jan.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s nice to revisit each of these characters and learn more about them. But the author in me loves the exploration of three alternate writing styles that normally wouldn’t work for longer novels with each generation of the swaggers. Not your typical Hunter novel but sometimes writes need to explore and expand their writing style. I enjoyed them.

[Mrshawn10100 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Each of the three short stories in the style of a particular film style is an interesting proposition and exercise. First two kept my interest and were consistent with the film style. I had no interest in the horror / gore style of the third, so skipped it.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It takes equipment.” – Raymond Chandler

When I see a quote from a giant of the crime noir genre like Raymond Chandler, I sit up and take notice. If this quote is used by an author the caliber of Stephen Hunter, well, I am eager to dive right in!

FRONT SIGHT is an ingenious creation from the legendary film reviewer and author featuring three novellas in one collection. The brilliant thing about it is that each story features a different generation of the Swagger family. Readers of Hunter will of course be familiar with Viet Nam Vet and expert sniper, Bob Lee Swagger. We then were introduced to his father, Earl Swagger, who has his own recurring series. The extra special treat is the story featuring Charles Swagger, Bob Lee’s grandpa. I will outline highlights of each here:

“City Of Meat” --- set in 1934 Chicago, we have the opportunity to spend time with expert federal officer, Charles Swagger. This was not only the story that most resembled the work of Raymond Chandler but was also my favorite novella in the collection. Charles’ claim to fame is not only being on the team that took down the infamous Johnny Dillinger. Contrary to popular belief, Dillinger was NOT shot in the back. Also, the wrong Fed got the credit for the takedown, which belonged to Charles Swagger who simply was faster on the draw than the gangster and bank robber.

The Chicago field office of the Justice Department calls on Swagger to go after their next Public Enemy #1 --- Baby Face Nelson. No one has been able to catch or take down the slick gangster who was most recently seen in the Chicago area. Swagger searched amongst the dreary stockyards area but, despite coming upon a look-alike, did not have success finding Nelson. While in Chicago, Swagger becomes aware of another situation. When he has to kill a strung out black man who tries to take him with a knife, Swagger finds out afterwards that there is an epidemic of a new drug with a street name of Night Train.

Teaming with a black Police Officer, who uses two pistols at a time, named Washington gets Swagger extremely interested in this situation. He convinces his boss to leave him in Chicago a bit longer, even with no movement on the Baby Face Nelson front, and he ends up at the heart of big city and big corporate corruption of the highest order. A gritty, incredibly readable tale.

“Johnny Tuesday” --- Earl Swagger is the star of this tale, which Stephen Hunter claims would have been filmed in black-and-white were it a movie. Set in the year 1945, “Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest of the three novellas but still packed with action and full of the expected grit.

The setting is Chesterfield City, Maryland. If the name sounds familiar, think cigarettes and tobacco and the famous smokes of the era and the brand Chesterfield is synonymous with it. While there, Earl Swagger gets inexplicably mixed up in a case very personal to the area. Some years earlier, a brutal bank robbery rocked the residents of Chesterfield City. The primary reason for this was that two bodies were left in the killers wake and along with a lot of money the also escaped with a very valuable necklace belonging to the Tapscott family. The Tapscott’s were the local tobacco barons of the region and the perpetrators of this crime were never caught. Earl is now on the case, and they don’t come much tougher.

“Five Dolls For the Gut Hook” – this tale is set in 1978 and Hunter compares it to a Giallo --- a particularly bloody type of Italian Horror film that was especially popular in the 1970’s. The star of this final novella is also arguably the most popular character Hunter has ever written, Bob Lee Swagger.

He has always had big shoes to fill, constantly being told that his father and grand-father were two of the toughest detectives that ever lived. Bob made his mark during the Viet Nam War with sniper skills that are nearly unmatched. This has provided him with a skillset and huge chip on his shoulder that has gotten him through many tough spots. At this point in his life, he is drinking hard and suffering from serious guilt and PTSD from the war. The setting is Hot Springs, Arkansas and there are two madman butchers with a particular penchant for horror films, terrorizing everyone.

Bob Lee Swagger makes it his personal mission to bring these villains to task and it will happen with much violence. He knows the area, has amazing instincts, and surrounds himself with a trusted team of cronies that will have to dig deep to figure out who and why these killers are doing what they do.

FRONT SIGHT is nearly everything a Stephen Hunter could ask for and the opportunity to get three Swaggers under one book cover is amazing!

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Elizabeth O'Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, all different generations of the Swagger family, and the crime of course.

I really enjoyed that there was a fitting crime for each generation in each of their stories. Great read for all thriller/crime/fiction readers.

Thank you to the publishers for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Front sight" is a Stephen Hunter collection of three novellas featuring the war hero characters, Charles Swagger, Earl Swagger and Bob Lee Swagger, the three generations of Swaggers portrayed in the Hunter novels...I've completely enjoyed all three post-war eras of stories, so it was enjoyable to have all three present this once...“City of Meat” is set post-WWI/Depression Era Chicago, where Charles Swagger confronts an organized drug cartel run out of the Stackyards..."City of Meat" is an excellent piece of historical fiction, working in real elements of this Chicago era of crime...“Johnny Tuesday” is set in post-WWII on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with Earl Swagger confronting Baltimore's criminal elements seeking to make the Eastern Shore their own...“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is set in Hot Springs post-Vietnam...Long a den of vice, its changing its image to a more family friendly resort area, but a serial killer is afoot...Though not a detective, Bob Lee Swagger is brought in to use his natural "sniper" instincts to end the terror with as little fuss as possible...Just great fun, like the other Hunter works!

[markpills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three short novellas, w/ the classic formula of a tough U. S. Marine like Swagger, and all the ballistics a man could want; however, these stories have a unique feminine perspective that I found appealing, interesting, and beautiful. If you want to be a writer, you have to read this kind of material and say, "I can do this too." It may be way off of your journey, and it may be such a male-Boomer POV, that you don’t know what to do. Nevertheless, when an author can guide you over so much territory; w/ severe twists & turns in the narrative, incl. plot twists that might be outrageous, (but bring you back to the central theme in a short story), then you have a cosmic writing mentor. Try it, see if you don’t get lost, and you are the author?! I liked the third story the best, but it was a worthwhile read, from one of my favorite authors. (2024)

[Andy Herzfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter satisfies. this is about the three Swagger's all hero's in their own right dealing with trouble nobody else can. The Delta force of detectives/snipers. I liked reading a little more about Charles because he is a little of an anomaly compared to Earl and Bob with his demon inside him. Earl is just straightforward Alpha male with scary sharp deductive reasoning skills. Bob is my favorite the anti hero who readily admits his faults and struggle with bourbon. Inheriting the keen observation skills from his father and grandfather, he operates with one objective to stop the killer and dismantle the network that surrounds them. Well worth the read.

[Michael Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three excellent novellas by one of my many favorite authors.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Front Sight is actually 3 novellas featuring the “stars” of the many Stephen Hunter books featuring three generations of the Swagger family. My 3 star rating is an average - City of Meat (Charles Swagger) gets 2 stars, Johnny Tuesday (Earl Swagger) gets 3 stars, and Five Dolls for the Gut Hook (Bob Lee) gets 4 stars.

The Night Train is set in the early 1930,a and features Bob Lee’s grandfather Charles Swagger, who recently helped capture John Dillinger and is now chasing Baby Face Nelson. He follows a tip to the Chicago stock yards where he discovers that a new narcotic is resulting in several deaths. In typical Hunter style, Charles uses both his intuitive nature as well as strong arm tactics to “solve” the case. This novella was the longest of the three and just seemed to drag on and on. And the fact that I am from Chicago and a lot of the geography seemed off didn’t help.

Johnny Tuesday features Bob Lee’s father, Earl Swagger. In 1945 in the small town of Chesterfield, Maryland in the heart of tobacco country, a bank robbery results in the death of two people and has yet to be solved. Earl comes to town (although I don’t think the reader is ever given a reason) and begins to investigate the unsolved crime. He is led on a meandering path through the town, its residents (corrupt politicians, gamblers, exploited working people, gangs, a hitman, and so on) bent on keeping him in the dark. He needs all his physical skills to bring those responsible for the crime to justice. The shortest of the three, this one moved along a good pace and kept me guessing as to what Earl would finally uncover.

The character I am most familiar with in the Hunter books, Bob Lee, is a thirty-two year old Vietnam veteran who is suffering from what we would now call PTSD. He has returned to Arkansa is drinking his way through life after his three tours when he is call to nearby Hot Springs to help solve the murder of a young girl. The town is trying to remake itself into a tourist destination and thus asking a sniper instead of a detective to investigate is an attempt to maintain the city’s new reputation. Using his sniper’s mind to think outside the normal police procedure as well as connecting to a couple of the detectives who have run into a brick wall on the case leads to an entertaining, fast-moving story with perhaps some clues to Bob Lee’s future.

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Silver Screen Videos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advertisers love to promote bargains, especially when they can tell customers they’re getting two things for the price of one. Author Stephen Hunter goes them one better. In his latest book, “Front Sight,” readers get three novellas featuring three of Hunter’s best-known protagonists in one fast-paced work. Any one of the novellas could have been expanded into a first-rate thriller. Together, they make one excellent read for Hunter and crime fiction fans.

Hunter’s most famous character is Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Vietnam master sniper whose exploits back in civilian life have spawned a dozen novels. As that series progressed, the author expanded it to include works featuring Swagger’s father, Earl, and his grandfather, Charles. All three are stars in their own novella in “Front Sight.” And all three stories are a brilliant mix of historical fiction, old-fashioned mystery, and shoot-’em-up action.

“City of Meat” is set in 1934 Chicago, where Charles Swagger is on an assignment with the agency that will become better known as the FBI. Charles took down John Dillinger a couple of months earlier, and the agency wants him available if they locate their next top target, Baby Face Nelson. As the novella begins, Charles chases down a false lead to Nelson in the Chicago Stockyards. Although he doesn’t find the infamous gangster, Charles stumbles across a new drug ring operating in Chicago’s black neighborhoods. Pushers with no known gang affiliation are selling what they call “night train,” a form of the deadly narcotic that will later become known as “yellow jackets.” Charles teams up with one of Chicago’s few black police officers to find the source of the drug and the people behind the drug ring.

As historical fiction, “City of Meat” is first rate. Readers learn about life and crime in Chicago of that era beyond the Al Capones and Elliot Nesses. And they learn about the assembly-line business of turning cattle into meat. That’s not pleasant reading, but the way Hunter describes it, the process, and the stockyard atmosphere become fascinating. Race relations are a significant factor in all three novellas in “Front Sight.” The overriding theme over 40 years is that as long as crime stays in black neighborhoods, white cops and politicians waste little time worrying over what goes on there. That’s true in “City of Meat,” where Charles surprises his black “partner,” Sylvester Washington, by being honest and genuinely interested in stopping the drug ring. There’s a major shootout near the end of the novella, and Charles becomes a Sherlock Holmes of sorts by deducing who the mastermind behind the drug ring is.

“Johnny Tuesday” is set in 1947 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The title character is actually Earl Swagger, who is operating unofficially. (A local woman gave him the Johnny Tuesday name as a joke.) Earl wants to solve a two-year-old bank robbery in which a professional crew killed two people while stealing a prominent resident’s wife’s jewelry. Earl knows he won’t get cooperation from local law enforcement, so he befriends a black World War II veteran. That veteran has connections with the servants of the well-to-do and provides Earl with valuable intelligence. As Earl investigates, he earns the wrath of various underworld factions, as well as the thieves. The book has several exciting set pieces, including one in which Earl and a hired killer are in the same house on different floors, shooting at each other through the ceiling and floor.

“Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest and most straightforward of the novellas in “Front Sight.” It’s also the weakest, although I use the term “weakest” advisedly here. On its own, “Johnny Tuesday” is a fast-paced action thriller. But the explanation of what’s behind the robbery is a bit of a disappointment, perhaps because this story lacks the historical context the others have.

The last novella in “Front Sight” finally brings in Bob Lee Swagger. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is set in Hot Springs, AR, in 1978. The town, long a den for all sorts of vice, wants to change its image to a family resort. That effort is threatened by a serial killer who likes to slice up young women and bury them. The local police are over-matched, but they don’t want to bring in state police or the FBI for fear of turning the killings into a media circus. So, they ask Bob, who lives nearby, to lead the investigation. Bob has no police training, but he has good investigative instincts. He also has a knack for making enemies, including the local mob, who want him out of the way once he finds the killer.

“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” takes place at the dawn of the era of forensic profiling. Bob gets some advice from a Texas psychology professor and eventually puts together a profile of the killer. The eventual solution proves to be the most complex of the three novellas, but one that seems plausible under the circumstances. Those circumstances include another shootout between Bob and some of the local police and a well-armed set of bad guys who want to ambush them. There’s even a final drawdown between Bob and one particularly loathsome sleazeball. Further, unlike the two earlier stories in “Front Sight,” readers learn more about Bob and his psychological problems. He has PTSD and is in a constant battle with his cravings for alcohol. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is the best story in the book.

Stephen Hunter is a former film critic; all three stories have a cinematic touch. Any of them could make a good movie. The author claims that “Johnny Tuesday” was designed as a tribute to film noir and “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” as a Giallo, but the resemblance is a bit strained in both cases. What’s not strained is the degree of detail the author works into all three stories while still keeping the action moving. (A young Bill Clinton is a minor character in “Five Dolls.”) Since all three Swaggers are highly proficient with firearms, the author describes in great detail the weapons they and their criminal adversaries use in the various shootouts. I’m no gun buff, but I found the descriptions and anecdotes interesting. The theme of race relations is present in all three stories as well. The Swaggers aren’t liberal crusaders, but they are among the few white characters who tre
at blacks as hand-shaking equals. And that friendship proves helpful to the Swaggers over and over.

If I were rating the stories in “Front Sight” individually, I would give “Johnny Tuesday” four stars and the other two novellas five stars. That gives the book a solid five-star rating, and I highly recommend it. As I read the book, I was grateful the author divided it into three standalone stories. That allowed me to finish each one and get some sleep at night before starting on the next. “Front Sight” will appeal to mystery lovers, action fans, and historical fiction buffs. Readers should definitely set their sights on this one.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “IF YOUR ONLY TOOL IS A HAMMER, ALL PROBLEMS ARE NAILS. WOULD THAT NOT BE SO IF YOUR ONLY TOOL WAS A PISTOL”
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The author… Stephen Hunter has written over twenty novels… included among them are the Swagger (Bob Lee and Earl) series. A number of years ago… I had enjoyably read a couple of them. Now… present day I have just finished reading this book… “FRONT SIGHT”…

It took a little longer to read than my usual book choices… because the writing… was so far… above and beyond the ordinary… literally… afar… from the good. As I not only love to read… I am on an endless search for discovery of words… that are not just slap dashed together… but purposefully… arranged and manipulated… to the end result of… literary art! And that’s exactly what Hunter has done… from start to finish… in this literary gem!

So why did this take me longer to read… than normal books of good quality? Because I literally would stop… with jaw slightly ajar… and my pulse stimulated… and then underline the passage… and immediately go back and read it to myself slowly. Then a put a sticker on the page… so I can easily find it… to share with friends… and possibly include in this review at the end to hopefully stimulate potential readers who have literary desires for quality like I do.

An important question that potential first time readers of this author would naturally have is… do I need to read his prior books first… to be able to get the full impact of this book? The answer is a resounding no! The author not only came up with a genius idea… note: coming up with the idea was the easy part… following through and succeeding on the idea is the difficult part. As a saying I came across over forty-years ago… and have been truthful to… in my successful business career is… “IDEAS ARE A DIME A DOZEN… BUT MEN WHO PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE… ARE PRICELESS!”

Stephen decided to contain in one book… three separate novellas… One on Grandfather Charles Swagger… a heroic survivor of “THE BIG WAR” (World War I) and postwar Federal Sheriff… set in the 1930’s… this Swagger was also the guy to kill John Dillinger… and he was the main hope of law enforcement to find and eradicate Baby Face Nelson. This story takes place in Chicago… as death and unknown drugs… and a Nelson sighting… lead to the infamous Chicago Stockyards. And there along with an awful stench… and hate spreading between blacks and whites… and good and bad within law enforcement itself… Charles Swagger works with a black cop… who is simply amazed… won over… and feels in debt to Swagger for being treated like a human being should be treated. Along the way… dialogue and even the education of how steers… cows… pigs… etc. go to slaughter (I will provide a non-spoiler example later on.)… is where the author’s near poetic assembling of words and feelings… start to hypnotize… a reader who loves polished manipulation of words themselves.

The second story stars the Father… Earl Swagger… a World War II… Medal of Honor Recipient… who in the mid to late 1940’s comes to the Baltimore, Maryland area… to mysteriously follow up on an unsolved murder and robbery from years before. This Swagger also forms a bond and partnership in a racially divided town with a black… former World War II stretcher bearer. The straightforward dialogue between races… is not only well done… it is absolutely touching… and gives hope to the whole human race. The physical action… with fists… and every type of Tommy Gun of the time… is non-stop…explosive… and so well written it literally jumps off the page.

The third novella highlights Bob Lee Swagger a Viet Nam brethren of mine… that takes place in Arkansas in the late 1970’s/ Bob Lee has been killing himself with alcohol and trying to get clean… when because of his families reputation in law enforcement… and combat… gets a chance to earn redemption… and straighten out… when the cops turn to him… about a clandestine string of brutal murders and disembowelment's. Using his sniper skills… which includes mental acuity… as well as physical shooting skills… he joins forces with existing cops who couldn’t solve the case. Bob Lee’s ability to openly admit what he doesn’t know as a detective… is as important as his phenomenal skills in shooting and beating the crap out of bad guys… in winning over the cops. The non-stop action… continues unabated from the first two stories… right through the end of this classic book.

As a straight from the heart truth telling reviewer… I must say that in the final story… (non-spoiler to follow) there are two late implemented small characters who know too much too soon…

But… my last comment is probably like… someone making the statement that… MICHELANGELO LEFT A TINY SMUDGE ON THE SISTINE CHAPEL!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s a couple of non-spoiler examples of word deployment that I loved:

“ON THE KILLING RAMP, THE STEERS AND THE HEIFERS ARE ALL BETWEEN TWENTY- FOUR AND THIRTY-SIX MONTHS OLD AND THEY MINGLE INDIFFERENTLY. THERE IS NO GENDER OR AGE SEPARATION HERE. TO THE DEGREE THAT EACH HAS A CONSCIOUSNESS, ANOTHER ANIMAL IS SIMPLY A “MEMBER”. IT HAS NO MEANING. IT IS NOT A FRIEND OR AN ENEMY. IT IS PART OF THE HERD, THAT IS ALL. NO CUDDLING, NO FOREPLAY, NO SEX. THERE WAS NEVER ANY CHANCE OF SEX BECAUSE OF COURSE THE STEERS HAVE BEEN CASTRATED SINCE BIRTH AND THE HEIFERS HAVE NOT BEEN BRED, SO BOTH SEXES DIE AS VIRGINS, WHICH TO A CERTAIN KIND OF IMAGINATION MIGHT SEEM TRAGIC. BUT TO THE CATTLE'S POINT OF VIEW, THERE IS ENOUGH TRAGEDY WITHOUT THE LOSS OF A FROLIC IN THE MEADOW.”
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“HE BROUGHT (THE FLUID) IT TO HIS NOSE, BREATHED DEEPLY, FEELING ITS POWERS RUSH THROUGH HIS NOSTRILS TO HIS LUNGS AND FINALLY SOUL.

YES SIR!

GLORY BE TO THE NEGRO MAN!

HEAVENLY FATHER, THERE YOU BE!

YOUR SERVANT BILLY IS ON HIS WAY. HE DIDN’T MEAN NO HARM, BUT ON THESE STREETS A MAN’S GOT TO DO WHAT’S THERE FOR HIM TO DO.
SNIFFED, THE FLUID VAPORS BURST ACROSS HIS BRAIN IN A SURGE OF SWEET. EVERYTHING TURNED TO GOLD AND CANDY AND HIS MOTHER’S SCRAPPLE AND CORN BREAD ON A COLD SUNDAY MORNING WHEN THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO GO TO THE FIELDS. THE MUSIC BEGAN TO RISE, ALL GOSPEL,ALL FLOURISH AND THE SPIRIT PULSED THROUGH HIM. HE SAW HIS HEAVENLY FATHER AND JESUS THE SON, AND OF COURSE AS HE HAD KNOWN ALL ALONG THEY WERE NEGRO MEN. THEY GESTURE WELCOME TO HIM HIS MOTHER STOOD OFF TO ONE SIDE.

HI, MOMS! DAMN, YOU LOOKING GOOD

SHE SMILED.

HE’D NEVER SEEN HER SMILE BEFORE.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“LOOK, I DON’T WANT ANY TROUBLE.”
“SON, TOO BAD FOR YOU. I AM TROUBLE”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I couldn’t recommend this book any higher!
**A-PROUD**
***HONORABLY-DISCHARGED***
***UNITED-STATES-VETERAN***

[Silver Screen Videos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advertisers love to promote bargains, especially when they can tell customers they’re getting two things for the price of one. Author Stephen Hunter goes them one better. In his latest book, “Front Sight,” readers get three novellas featuring three of Hunter’s best-known protagonists in one fast-paced work. Any one of the novellas could have been expanded into a first-rate thriller. Together, they make one excellent read for Hunter and crime fiction fans.

Hunter’s most famous character is Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Vietnam master sniper whose exploits back in civilian life have spawned a dozen novels. As that series progressed, the author expanded it to include works featuring Swagger’s father, Earl, and his grandfather, Charles. All three are stars in their own novella in “Front Sight.” And all three stories are a brilliant mix of historical fiction, old-fashioned mystery, and shoot-’em-up action.

“City of Meat” is set in 1934 Chicago, where Charles Swagger is on an assignment with the agency that will become better known as the FBI. Charles took down John Dillinger a couple of months earlier, and the agency wants him available if they locate their next top target, Baby Face Nelson. As the novella begins, Charles chases down a false lead to Nelson in the Chicago Stockyards. Although he doesn’t find the infamous gangster, Charles stumbles across a new drug ring operating in Chicago’s black neighborhoods. Pushers with no known gang affiliation are selling what they call “night train,” a form of the deadly narcotic that will later become known as “yellow jackets.” Charles teams up with one of Chicago’s few black police officers to find the source of the drug and the people behind the drug ring.

As historical fiction, “City of Meat” is first rate. Readers learn about life and crime in Chicago of that era beyond the Al Capones and Elliot Nesses. And they learn about the assembly-line business of turning cattle into meat. That’s not pleasant reading, but the way Hunter describes it, the process, and the stockyard atmosphere become fascinating. Race relations are a significant factor in all three novellas in “Front Sight.” The overriding theme over 40 years is that as long as crime stays in black neighborhoods, white cops and politicians waste little time worrying over what goes on there. That’s true in “City of Meat,” where Charles surprises his black “partner,” Sylvester Washington, by being honest and genuinely interested in stopping the drug ring. There’s a major shootout near the end of the novella, and Charles becomes a Sherlock Holmes of sorts by deducing who the mastermind behind the drug ring is.

“Johnny Tuesday” is set in 1947 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The title character is actually Earl Swagger, who is operating unofficially. (A local woman gave him the Johnny Tuesday name as a joke.) Earl wants to solve a two-year-old bank robbery in which a professional crew killed two people while stealing a prominent resident’s wife’s jewelry. Earl knows he won’t get cooperation from local law enforcement, so he befriends a black World War II veteran. That veteran has connections with the servants of the well-to-do and provides Earl with valuable intelligence. As Earl investigates, he earns the wrath of various underworld factions, as well as the thieves. The book has several exciting set pieces, including one in which Earl and a hired killer are in the same house on different floors, shooting at each other through the ceiling and floor.

“Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest and most straightforward of the novellas in “Front Sight.” It’s also the weakest, although I use the term “weakest” advisedly here. On its own, “Johnny Tuesday” is a fast-paced action thriller. But the explanation of what’s behind the robbery is a bit of a disappointment, perhaps because this story lacks the historical context the others have.

The last novella in “Front Sight” finally brings in Bob Lee Swagger. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is set in Hot Springs, AR, in 1978. The town, long a den for all sorts of vice, wants to change its image to a family resort. That effort is threatened by a serial killer who likes to slice up young women and bury them. The local police are over-matched, but they don’t want to bring in state police or the FBI for fear of turning the killings into a media circus. So, they ask Bob, who lives nearby, to lead the investigation. Bob has no police training, but he has good investigative instincts. He also has a knack for making enemies, including the local mob, who want him out of the way once he finds the killer.

“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” takes place at the dawn of the era of forensic profiling. Bob gets some advice from a Texas psychology professor and eventually puts together a profile of the killer. The eventual solution proves to be the most complex of the three novellas, but one that seems plausible under the circumstances. Those circumstances include another shootout between Bob and some of the local police and a well-armed set of bad guys who want to ambush them. There’s even a final drawdown between Bob and one particularly loathsome sleazeball. Further, unlike the two earlier stories in “Front Sight,” readers learn more about Bob and his psychological problems. He has PTSD and is in a constant battle with his cravings for alcohol. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is the best story in the book.

Stephen Hunter is a former film critic; all three stories have a cinematic touch. Any of them could make a good movie. The author claims that “Johnny Tuesday” was designed as a tribute to film noir and “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” as a Giallo, but the resemblance is a bit strained in both cases. What’s not strained is the degree of detail the author works into all three stories while still keeping the action moving. (A young Bill Clinton is a minor character in “Five Dolls.”) Since all three Swaggers are highly proficient with firearms, the author describes in great detail the weapons they and their criminal adversaries use in the various shootouts. I’m no gun buff, but I found the descriptions and anecdotes interesting. The theme of race relations is present in all three stories as well. The Swaggers aren’t liberal crusaders, but they are among the few white characters who tre
at blacks as hand-shaking equals. And that friendship proves helpful to the Swaggers over and over.

If I were rating the stories in “Front Sight” individually, I would give “Johnny Tuesday” four stars and the other two novellas five stars. That gives the book a solid five-star rating, and I highly recommend it. As I read the book, I was grateful the author divided it into three standalone stories. That allowed me to finish each one and get some sleep at night before starting on the next. “Front Sight” will appeal to mystery lovers, action fans, and historical fiction buffs. Readers should definitely set their sights on this one.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

[Silver Screen Videos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advertisers love to promote bargains, especially when they can tell customers they’re getting two things for the price of one. Author Stephen Hunter goes them one better. In his latest book, “Front Sight,” readers get three novellas featuring three of Hunter’s best-known protagonists in one fast-paced work. Any one of the novellas could have been expanded into a first-rate thriller. Together, they make one excellent read for Hunter and crime fiction fans.

Hunter’s most famous character is Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Vietnam master sniper whose exploits back in civilian life have spawned a dozen novels. As that series progressed, the author expanded it to include works featuring Swagger’s father, Earl, and his grandfather, Charles. All three are stars in their own novella in “Front Sight.” And all three stories are a brilliant mix of historical fiction, old-fashioned mystery, and shoot-’em-up action.

“City of Meat” is set in 1934 Chicago, where Charles Swagger is on an assignment with the agency that will become better known as the FBI. Charles took down John Dillinger a couple of months earlier, and the agency wants him available if they locate their next top target, Baby Face Nelson. As the novella begins, Charles chases down a false lead to Nelson in the Chicago Stockyards. Although he doesn’t find the infamous gangster, Charles stumbles across a new drug ring operating in Chicago’s black neighborhoods. Pushers with no known gang affiliation are selling what they call “night train,” a form of the deadly narcotic that will later become known as “yellow jackets.” Charles teams up with one of Chicago’s few black police officers to find the source of the drug and the people behind the drug ring.

As historical fiction, “City of Meat” is first rate. Readers learn about life and crime in Chicago of that era beyond the Al Capones and Elliot Nesses. And they learn about the assembly-line business of turning cattle into meat. That’s not pleasant reading, but the way Hunter describes it, the process, and the stockyard atmosphere become fascinating. Race relations are a significant factor in all three novellas in “Front Sight.” The overriding theme over 40 years is that as long as crime stays in black neighborhoods, white cops and politicians waste little time worrying over what goes on there. That’s true in “City of Meat,” where Charles surprises his black “partner,” Sylvester Washington, by being honest and genuinely interested in stopping the drug ring. There’s a major shootout near the end of the novella, and Charles becomes a Sherlock Holmes of sorts by deducing who the mastermind behind the drug ring is.

“Johnny Tuesday” is set in 1947 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The title character is actually Earl Swagger, who is operating unofficially. (A local woman gave him the Johnny Tuesday name as a joke.) Earl wants to solve a two-year-old bank robbery in which a professional crew killed two people while stealing a prominent resident’s wife’s jewelry. Earl knows he won’t get cooperation from local law enforcement, so he befriends a black World War II veteran. That veteran has connections with the servants of the well-to-do and provides Earl with valuable intelligence. As Earl investigates, he earns the wrath of various underworld factions, as well as the thieves. The book has several exciting set pieces, including one in which Earl and a hired killer are in the same house on different floors, shooting at each other through the ceiling and floor.

“Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest and most straightforward of the novellas in “Front Sight.” It’s also the weakest, although I use the term “weakest” advisedly here. On its own, “Johnny Tuesday” is a fast-paced action thriller. But the explanation of what’s behind the robbery is a bit of a disappointment, perhaps because this story lacks the historical context the others have.

The last novella in “Front Sight” finally brings in Bob Lee Swagger. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is set in Hot Springs, AR, in 1978. The town, long a den for all sorts of vice, wants to change its image to a family resort. That effort is threatened by a serial killer who likes to slice up young women and bury them. The local police are over-matched, but they don’t want to bring in state police or the FBI for fear of turning the killings into a media circus. So, they ask Bob, who lives nearby, to lead the investigation. Bob has no police training, but he has good investigative instincts. He also has a knack for making enemies, including the local mob, who want him out of the way once he finds the killer.

“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” takes place at the dawn of the era of forensic profiling. Bob gets some advice from a Texas psychology professor and eventually puts together a profile of the killer. The eventual solution proves to be the most complex of the three novellas, but one that seems plausible under the circumstances. Those circumstances include another shootout between Bob and some of the local police and a well-armed set of bad guys who want to ambush them. There’s even a final drawdown between Bob and one particularly loathsome sleazeball. Further, unlike the two earlier stories in “Front Sight,” readers learn more about Bob and his psychological problems. He has PTSD and is in a constant battle with his cravings for alcohol. “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is the best story in the book.

Stephen Hunter is a former film critic; all three stories have a cinematic touch. Any of them could make a good movie. The author claims that “Johnny Tuesday” was designed as a tribute to film noir and “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” as a Giallo, but the resemblance is a bit strained in both cases. What’s not strained is the degree of detail the author works into all three stories while still keeping the action moving. (A young Bill Clinton is a minor character in “Five Dolls.”) Since all three Swaggers are highly proficient with firearms, the author describes in great detail the weapons they and their criminal adversaries use in the various shootouts. I’m no gun buff, but I found the descriptions and anecdotes interesting. The theme of race relations is present in all three stories as well. The Swaggers aren’t liberal crusaders, but they are among the few white characters who tre
at blacks as hand-shaking equals. And that friendship proves helpful to the Swaggers over and over.

If I were rating the stories in “Front Sight” individually, I would give “Johnny Tuesday” four stars and the other two novellas five stars. That gives the book a solid five-star rating, and I highly recommend it. As I read the book, I was grateful the author divided it into three standalone stories. That allowed me to finish each one and get some sleep at night before starting on the next. “Front Sight” will appeal to mystery lovers, action fans, and historical fiction buffs. Readers should definitely set their sights on this one.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

[Ashleigh Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first of the three novellas in this book and it went pretty quickly. There was a fair amount of detail in the book, but not enough to be bogged down by. Charles Swagger was a good character with a good soul. The novellas take place in the 1930s and the details therein appear accurate for the time, including the racism of the time. I enjoyed this book. Releases January 23, 2024.

[Bookreporter.com Historical Fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

FRONT SIGHT is an ingenious collection of three novellas from bestselling author and legendary film critic Stephen Hunter. Each story features a different generation of the Swagger family: Vietnam vet and expert sniper Bob Lee Swagger; his father, Earl; and his grandfather, Charles, which is an extra special treat.

“City of Meat”
Set in Chicago in 1934, “City of Meat” most resembles the work of Raymond Chandler and is my favorite story in the collection. Federal agent Charles Swagger’s claim to fame is not only being on the team that took down John Dillinger. It turns out the wrong fed got credit for the takedown, which belonged to Charles, who simply was faster on the draw than the infamous gangster and bank robber.

The Chicago field office of the Justice Department calls on Charles to go after their next Public Enemy No. 1: Baby Face Nelson. No one has been able to catch or take down the slick gangster who most recently was seen in the Chicago area. Charles searches the dreary stock yards, but despite coming across a look-alike, he does not have any success finding Nelson.

While there, Charles becomes aware of another situation. When he has to kill a strung-out Black man who tries to take him out with a knife, Charles finds out afterwards that there is an epidemic of a new drug with the street name Night Train. Teaming up with a Black police officer, he convinces his boss to let him stay in Chicago a bit longer. He ends up at the heart of big city and big corporate corruption of the highest order. This is a gritty, incredibly readable tale.

“Johnny Tuesday”
Earl Swagger is the star of this story, which Hunter says would have been filmed in black and white if it was a movie. Set in 1945, “Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest of the three novellas but is still packed with action and full of grit.

The setting is Chesterfield City, Maryland. If the name sounds familiar, think cigarettes and tobacco. The brand Chesterfield is synonymous with the famous smokes of the era. While there, Earl inexplicably gets mixed up in a case that’s very personal to the area. Some years earlier, a brutal bank robbery rocked its residents. Two bodies were left in the killers’ wake; along with a lot of money, they escaped with a very valuable necklace belonging to the Tapscott family. The Tapscotts were the local tobacco barons of the region, and the perpetrators were never caught. Earl is now on the case, and they don’t come much tougher than him.

“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook”
This final novella is set in 1978, and Hunter compares it to a giallo, a particularly bloody type of Italian horror film that was especially popular in the 1970s. The star of “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is Bob Lee Swagger, arguably the most popular character Hunter has ever created.

Bob Lee has big shoes to fill. He is always being told that his father and grandfather were two of the toughest detectives who ever lived. Bob Lee made his mark during the Vietnam War with sniper skills that are nearly unmatched. This has provided him with a skill set and a huge chip on his shoulder that has gotten him through many tough spots. At this point in his life, he is drinking hard and suffering from serious guilt and PTSD from the war.

The setting is Hot Springs, Arkansas, and two madman butchers with a particular penchant for horror films are terrorizing everyone. Bob Lee makes it his personal mission to bring these villains to task, and it will happen with much violence. He knows the area, has remarkable instincts, and surrounds himself with a trusted team of cronies who will have to dig deep to figure out what is going on.

FRONT SIGHT is nearly everything a Stephen Hunter fan could ask for. The opportunity to get three Swaggers under one book cover is amazing!

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

FRONT SIGHT is an ingenious collection of three novellas from bestselling author and legendary film critic Stephen Hunter. Each story features a different generation of the Swagger family: Vietnam vet and expert sniper Bob Lee Swagger; his father, Earl; and his grandfather, Charles, which is an extra special treat.

“City of Meat”
Set in Chicago in 1934, “City of Meat” most resembles the work of Raymond Chandler and is my favorite story in the collection. Federal agent Charles Swagger’s claim to fame is not only being on the team that took down John Dillinger. It turns out the wrong fed got credit for the takedown, which belonged to Charles, who simply was faster on the draw than the infamous gangster and bank robber.

The Chicago field office of the Justice Department calls on Charles to go after their next Public Enemy No. 1: Baby Face Nelson. No one has been able to catch or take down the slick gangster who most recently was seen in the Chicago area. Charles searches the dreary stock yards, but despite coming across a look-alike, he does not have any success finding Nelson.

While there, Charles becomes aware of another situation. When he has to kill a strung-out Black man who tries to take him out with a knife, Charles finds out afterwards that there is an epidemic of a new drug with the street name Night Train. Teaming up with a Black police officer, he convinces his boss to let him stay in Chicago a bit longer. He ends up at the heart of big city and big corporate corruption of the highest order. This is a gritty, incredibly readable tale.

“Johnny Tuesday”
Earl Swagger is the star of this story, which Hunter says would have been filmed in black and white if it was a movie. Set in 1945, “Johnny Tuesday” is the shortest of the three novellas but is still packed with action and full of grit.

The setting is Chesterfield City, Maryland. If the name sounds familiar, think cigarettes and tobacco. The brand Chesterfield is synonymous with the famous smokes of the era. While there, Earl inexplicably gets mixed up in a case that’s very personal to the area. Some years earlier, a brutal bank robbery rocked its residents. Two bodies were left in the killers’ wake; along with a lot of money, they escaped with a very valuable necklace belonging to the Tapscott family. The Tapscotts were the local tobacco barons of the region, and the perpetrators were never caught. Earl is now on the case, and they don’t come much tougher than him.

“Five Dolls for the Gut Hook”
This final novella is set in 1978, and Hunter compares it to a giallo, a particularly bloody type of Italian horror film that was especially popular in the 1970s. The star of “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook” is Bob Lee Swagger, arguably the most popular character Hunter has ever created.

Bob Lee has big shoes to fill. He is always being told that his father and grandfather were two of the toughest detectives who ever lived. Bob Lee made his mark during the Vietnam War with sniper skills that are nearly unmatched. This has provided him with a skill set and a huge chip on his shoulder that has gotten him through many tough spots. At this point in his life, he is drinking hard and suffering from serious guilt and PTSD from the war.

The setting is Hot Springs, Arkansas, and two madman butchers with a particular penchant for horror films are terrorizing everyone. Bob Lee makes it his personal mission to bring these villains to task, and it will happen with much violence. He knows the area, has remarkable instincts, and surrounds himself with a trusted team of cronies who will have to dig deep to figure out what is going on.

FRONT SIGHT is nearly everything a Stephen Hunter fan could ask for. The opportunity to get three Swaggers under one book cover is amazing!

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tři novely spojené třemi generacemi rodu Swaggerů! Máme tady Charlese Swaggera, který v třicátých letech sundal Dillingera a další gangstery. Máte tu Earla Swaggera, který řádil v poválečném období a zapojil se třeba do zmatků kolem Kuby. A do třetice samozřejmě Boba Lee Swaggera, který snajproval ve Vietnamu a po návratu se přimotal do atentátu na prezidenta a pak do mnoha dalších piškuntálií. Dědeček, otec i syn mají společnost posedlost zbraněmi a kovbojskou mentalitu, čili „buď vždy zdvořilý a střílej rychleji, než ty ostatní“. A teď jsou konečně všichni tři v jedné knize.

A jelikož Stephen Hunter začínal jako filmový recenzent, tak tady se u každé z novel inspiroval nějakým filmovým žánrem.

„Nebál se temných zákoutí, uliček, ani kanceláří plných irčanů“.

CITY OF MEAT vychází ze sociálních dramat čtyřicátých let. Charles Swagger dostane echo, že se Baby Face Nelson schovává na chicagských jatkách. Jenže místo něj tu narazí na šíleného muže černé pleti, který ho hodlá prošpikovat. A Charles začne spolu s černým policistou Sylvesterem Washingtonem pátrat, co se zatím skrývá.

Je to, stejně jako další příběhy, psáno úderně, poeticky a lakonicky. Úvod s popisem práce na jatkách je super, stejně jako linie s dopováním krav, aby kráčely na porážku s úsměvem pod rypákem… protože strach kazí chuť masa.

„Takhle by vypadala automatická puška, kdyby vystudovala vysokou školu.“

JOHNNY THUESDAY – klasická noirová gangsterka se vším všudy. Do městečka prolezlého zločinem přijíždí muž z neznáma, aby naplnil svůj tajemný plán. A dostává se do křížku s mafiány všeho druhu. Je to zábavné a stylové a ve finále je asi nejzajímavější akce z celé knihy, přestřelka skrz podlahu mezi dvěma profíky.

„Dostanu ho.“
„O tom pochybuju. Je lepší než ty, Badgere. Rychlejší, chytřejší, statečnější, čistší, hubenější a líp se oblíká.“

FIVE DOLLS FOR GUT HOOK – tady se Hunter vyznává ke své další filmové vášni, italskému giallu. Čili tady máme sériového vraha, mrtvé nahé holky a pátrání. Tady to funguje asi nejhůř, je tu asi největší kontrast mezi použitým tématem a přístupem Stephena Huntera a jeho hrdinů, které víc zajímají zbraně než erotika. Celé to pátrání je spíš víc postavené na zbožném přání, než na logice, plus na giallo je to příliš cudné a civilizované.

„...svalil na židli s uspokojením důstojníka NKVD po pěkném masakru kulaků.“

Číst Stephena Hunter je pořád dost uspokojující. Psát umí, stále miluje zbraně a věci co se s nimi dají dělat, a stejně tak má rád zajímavé historické detaily a brakové filmové styly. Ale celkově by se z námětů a prostředí jatek či cigaretových továren dalo vymáčknout víc. Vůbec by větší promakanost neškodila, třeba právě v té finální povídce. A pravdou je, že jediný rozdíl mezi Swaggery je v době, ve které žijí. Jsou nerozeznatelní - prostě si autor chtěl napsat román z doby prohibice, a jelikož jeho hrdina nemohl cestovat časem, nezbylo mu, než vytáhnout z urny nějakého staršího Swaggera, aby to měl nějak provázané a přitáhl čtenáře hlavní série.

Ale funguje mu to, tak co se v tom hrabat.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is an old saying, “A man’s best friend is his dog.” In the case of the Swaggers: Charles, Earl, and Bobby Lee it is their weapon that is their "best friend". All three throughout their upbringing and careers have relied on their guns to keep them alive as they deal with villains of all sort. Front Sight is a continuation of a man and his gun.

Stephen Hunter has brought together three novellas (note the cover calls them novels while the title page calls them novellas) that has (Novella #1) grandfather Charles, a federal agent in the pre-FBI era, tracking down Baby Face Nelson, in 1930s Chicago. New drugs aimed at the poor become the center of Charles’ investigation. (Novella #2) Father Earl finds himself in small town Maryland looking for two bank robbers who killed two while taking off with money and jewels owned by the town’s wealthiest woman. Earl is turned back at every corner as his investigation goes nowhere. Corrupt politicians, bad cops, and criminals alike seem anxious to put Earl and his partner into the ground. Staying alive becomes Earl's top priority as he doggedly searches for the robbers. (Novella #3) I don’t know if the author intended for the third novella to introduce us to a post-Vietnam PTSD version of Bobby Lee Swagger but that is how he comes across. Vets in the 1960s were not thanked for their service, welcomed into new jobs, or helped when family homecomings were strained—husband and wife seeing each other as strangers. Bobby Lee is found drinking his life away, recalling the senseless deaths of comrades, and seeing no hope for his future, until two men show up asking for Bobby Lee’s help in solving a crime in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A serial killer has been disemboweling young women and the police don’t seem up to the task of capturing him. Bobby Lee sobers up, takes up the legacy of Charles and Earl who are two law enforcement legends in Arkansas and scours the underbelly of Hot Springs looking for the killer. Courage and perseverance are Bobby Lee's strength that carry him through the case to a successful conclusion.

Stephen Hunter does an outstanding job of bringing alive the three decades the stories take place in. From grandfather to grandson it becomes quite apparent that street smarts, bravery, keen observation, and how to handle a gun can be handed down from generation to generation.

Thanks to Atria Books for an ARC. Stephen Hunter fans, longtime and new alike, will enjoy the forthcoming Swagger saga and the three novellas.

[Lindsay Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of 3 novellas, each featuring a different generation of Swagger detectives. The 1st story takes place in the 1930s in Chicago. Charles Swagger is working for the Bureau of Investigation looking for Baby Face Nelson. He doesn't find him but stumbles upon some crazed behavior and deaths that seem to be caused by some kind of bad drug known as "the night train". The victims are mainly black, so no one is concerned about them. After being attacked by a drug crazed man and killing him, Charles teams up with a local black cop to investigate.
Meanwhile, we learn that a local third-rate meat packer has decided to try using this drug on cattle about to be slaughtered. Apparently if the steers are stressed, the meat tastes bad and they think that using the drug on the cattle will allow them to produce better tasting meat for a cheaper price. The meat is sold to a prison where some inmates die of food poisoning. Is it from the tainted meat? Or something else? Fearing it is the meat, the slaughterhouse owner seeks to keep knowledge about the drug under wraps. Charles and Det Washington sort out the narcotics ring and the tainted meat and, in the best noire style, nothing is as it seems.
The 2nd story takes place in the 1950s in Chesterfield, MD (possibly standing in for Cambridge?). Earl Swagger comes to town looking find out about a bank robbery that occurred a few years earlier. We don't learn his identity or why he's investigating this until the end. Realizing that locals in the black community probably have knowledge of the situation, he seeks out a local black veteran to help. As they investigate, we discover all manner of plots at play, from spurned lovers to corrupt politicians seeking to turn Ocean City into the next Las Vegas when the new Bay Bridge opens.
The last story takes place in Arkansas in the late 1970s and reads like a Charles Bronson movie. Bob Lee, struggling after his experience in Vietnam, is asked to investigate a series of killings in Hot Springs. He has no detective experience, but contacts in the Arkansas state police believe the attention to detail he displayed as a sniper will serve him well and it does.
The 3 stories share the familial relationship of the Swaggers, the mental health issues they share and pass on, their notable lack of racial animosity towards blacks, and a gun that's been passed down through the generations. Being from the DC area, I especially liked the second story that was set in Maryland, but all 3 were really good.

[MisterLiberry Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Hunter employs his cinema knowledge as a Pulitzer-winning film critic to present three connected novellas in FRONT SIGHT, each featuring a different generation of Swagger shootist and each styled after a specific film genre. The “Message” movie has Charles Swagger roaming the Chicago stockyards in 1934 looking for gangster/mankiller Baby Face Nelson, who is said to be hiding among the cow wranglers. Along the way Charles uncovers a criminal conspiracy and the crime-solving talents of a black Chicago PD officer named Washington, who is “Smart, thorough, dutiful, and earnest. The best.” (p171). Shooting ensues. (In the spirit of Stephen Hunter’s movie-genre conceit, Mister Liberryhead cast Robert Mitchum as Charles Swagger.) In the middle novella, a ”noir” mystery featuring Earl Swagger, father of future sniper non-pareil Bob Lee Swagger, Earl is after a “white-trash southern fried hick town racket guy called Johnny Tuesday” (p236) who has staged a bloody bank robbery in small-town Maryland. When a thug pugnaciously asks Earl how many men he’s shot, he gets the Medal of Honor recipient’s flatly factual reply: “Somewhere between one and one-fifty, sport. Not counting the ones I got with a bayonet or grenade” (p248). More shooting ensues. (Mister Liberryhead can imagine square-jawed, broad-shouldered types like Randolph Scott, Brian Keith or even Rod Taylor playing Earl.) In “Five Dolls for the Gut Hook,” Hunter experiments with “giallo,” a macabre mystery/horror genre of the Italian cinema. A thirty-two-year-old Bob the Nailer is rooted out of the mountains by businessmen who know him as the “son and grandson of Polk County lawmen known not merely for their skills with a pistol but as well their acuity. That is, their brains” (p363). Persuaded to leave his whiskey bottle, set aside “the beast called The Thirst” (p315), and go to Hot Springs, he sets about stalking a serial killer who is mutilating young women. Hunter writes: “Same as it always was, a Swagger led men with guns across a dark landscape for an appointment with a gunfight” (p 426). More shooting ensues. (And, despite the chronological push-forward in wars for the 2007 movie, ‘Shooter,’ Mark Wahlberg remains the perfect Bob Lee.)

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three for the price of one

This going to be a three for one review. The reason is there are three stories to review. The first is Meat City set in Chicago of the 1930's. Charles Swagger the grandfather is still with the FBI and has stumbled on to a case involving drugs that are killing people in the Black section of Chicago and nobody seems to care, but for two people, Charles Swagger and Two-gun Washington. As they work this case that nobody else wants they become if not friends at the very least two men with respect for each other. How it ends comes as a surprise, because you don't see it coming. The story makes you feel like you are seeing the 1930's as they were.

Johnny Tuesday is set in the late 1940's. This time it is Earl Swagger, who is in the spotlight. Earl is looking into a robbery that happened in 1945. If you like noir detective stories then this is one you are going to enjoy a lot. If the three stories this one was my favorite. It was like read a movie that had come to life on the printed page instead of on film. Johnny Tuesday is a man, you don't want to mess with. He is out for justice and he is going to get it. So sit back and enjoy a story of smoke filled rooms, tough guys, beautiful dames, and not lead.

The last story 5 Dolls on a Gut-Hook features Bob Lee Swagger, son of Earl and grandson of Charles both lawman extraordinaire. Bob has been trying to fix the world of bourbon since coming back from three tours of duty in Vietnam. However the police in Hot Springs, Arkansas have a killer on their hands that they can't catch. So the ask the one person they hope can help Bob Lee Swagger. This one is a troubling job for Bob Lee, because he isn't a detective, but a sniper. He just comes from a line of lawmen. There are wrong turns and blind alleys in this story that races to an ending you won't believe.

These three stories make a great read for fan of the Swaggers and for readers new to the family. Each one has a style of its own that will leave wanting to read more about these guys.

[Matt Portnoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a handful of authors whose work is head and shoulders above many of their contemporaries and when a new book appears it is always an opportunity for celebration. For me, Stephen Hunter is one such author. Front Sight is his latest work, but unlike the others, is comprised of three novellas rather than a single novel. For some, this might be a disappointment but, in this case, I felt triply blessed to have spent time with each Swagger generation instead of only one.
In the first, City of Meat, Charles Swagger finds himself in Chicago. Fresh off his success in tracking down John Dillinger, he’s been assigned to hunt for another bank robber, Baby Face Nelson. During this investigation he uncovers another problem that he decides to turn his considerable skills toward resolving. The title is apt as much of the action takes place in the stockyards, and though Hunter offers this as a noir tale, it is closer to the straight up thriller or detective story.
The second story finds Earl Swagger, with the nom de plume of Johnny Tuesday, is much closer to the role of hard-boiled detective as he navigates small town politics, out of town gangsters, and a cast of not quite standard characters, while he solves a mystery and delivers an unexpected denouement.
Finally, Bob Lee Swagger, back from Viet Nam and drowning himself in alcohol to blur those memories, is sent to Hot Springs to fill the shoes of his father and his grandfather as a detective. Five Dolls for the Gut Hook, is an ode to the seventies slasher film, mashed with the detective noir and the sniper work we’ve seen before.
Each story is a complete gem, self-contained episodes from each of these characters, but they also resonate between each other, seeing the sins of the fathers, as well as their blessings handed down through the years, both figuratively and literally. If you haven’t read Stephen Hunter before now, what are you waiting for?