Long Shot: A Sniper Novel

Kyle Swanson Sniper #9

by Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis

A top Russian intelligence agent has defected to the West and the only man with whom he will speak is Kyle Swanson, who busted him out of the U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper School years ago. The defector proves to be an Edward Snowden-type gold mine of amazing secrets about the When, Where and How of President Vladimir Pushkin's next grab for lost Soviet territory.But Swanson, now a special contractor with the CIA, soon begins to believe that it is all fool's gold being sprinkled by Moscow to ignite an open military fight with NATO and the United States. Using his own deadly methods, the sniper sets out to find the truth, but to slow him down, the Russians kidnap Swanson's beautiful friend Calico, the CIA station chief in Estonia.From Italy to the Arctic Circle, Kyle Swanson is on the hunt, convinced that the defector actually is running a complex plot to hand Russia a kingdom in the north. But Swanson seems always to be a step behind because there is a traitor within his own chain of command. To stop the madness, Swanson must deliver a kill shot a hundred miles away from a border bridge in Estonia, where a Russian Army waits on the far shore as a government official crosses over with an invitation to invade.

Genres: Thriller, Military Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Action, Audiobook

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin’s autobiography, Shooter, describes his experiences as the top-ranked marine sniper in the Iraq War.

Coughlin is also the author, with Donald A. Davis, of the Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels: Kill Zone, Dead Shot, Clean Kill, and An Act of Treason.

Coughlin grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts, and joined the Marines when he was 19. He served with the Marines during the drive to Baghdad and has operated on a wide range of assignments in hot spots around the world.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jackco...

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Swanson is on a hit job in Rome when he is diverted to Brussels for some high level geo-political intrigue. It seems a high level Russian intelligence operative has defected and he will only talk to Kyle. Kyle hardly knows the guy. They had a fleeting relationship decades ago when Kyle disqualified the defector as a sniper. This book, the ninth in the series, is fast paced and could be taken from today's headlines with an aggressive Russian state trying to reclaim lost glory. We have the Russian president, name- Pushkin, pushing buttons with a carefully scripted plan with feints, diversions, and moles. It's not clear whether the Russian objective is the Arctic or the Baltics or both. This series continues to entertain with its fast and furious action and it expertly walks the line between realism and good storytelling. Spies, special ops, kidnapping, assassinations all in 294 pages nicely wrapped up in style. And as for the title it's not so much the art of sniper craft but perhaps the chances of each side succeeding.

[Nick Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series I have pretty much enjoyed all the way through. A couple of jarring moments, but otherwise pretty effective.
A Russian defector offers high grade secrets but will only meet with ex-marine sniper now businessman/CIA asset, Kyle Swanson. To Swanson it doesn’t feel right, but ends up being pulled all over Europe trying to unpick what the Russians are up to.
Swanson has turned into a Mitch Rapp type character, but I can live, and enjoy that. I suspect Jack Coughlin offers a lot of sniper advice, but the rest of this is firmly down to “co-Author” Donald Davis and he does a pretty good job of it all and understands the needs of an action thriller.
The jarring bits? As before I can’t stand the occasional sequences where Swanson dreams of “The Boatman” and we have two British SAS guys introduced, called Grayson Perry (also a famous cross-dressing British artist) and Stanley Baldwin (ex British Prime Minister). Utterly out of place, maybe a private joke but completely distracts from the story. Very strange.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's of this exceptionally good series take it to another level of military/spy fiction.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Coughlin is a retired Marine and has a gift to weave an entertaining story involving Kyle Swanson a crack sniper who was retired from the Marines and picked up immediately by the CIA. Swanson had several clandestine assignments in this story all of which were achieved with professional skill. During the end of the story the author told a tale of 3d virtual reality targeting and remote B2 bombing with laser guided precision bombs that astounded me. The more I reflected on this the more I concluded this capability may well be more than fiction. This book like all of Jack Couglin's books was very entertaining. If you like this type of story this book is for you.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the better books in the Kyle Swanson series, and that says a lot since they're all good

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ninth thrilling episode in Kyle Swanson series “Long Shot” opens with the defection of a top Russian intelligence agent who Kyle Swanson washed out of the U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper School years before and who won’t divulge any top- secret information except to him. Urged by Ivan Strakov to visit a castle in Narva, Estonia, Kyle a special contractor now for the CIA not only observes a buildup of Russian forces on the far shore, but learns of a vital election that could spell a major political shift in Narva's governing body.

As the story heats up Kyle’s thrown out of Finland, is convinced of an inside leak, and takes a team to Lithuania in retaliation for a Russian attack on a country allied with NATO as tensions with Russia mount and a spy works to misdirect the world from the Russian President’s true goal. Only with the kidnapping of CIA station chief Jan Hollings (aka Calico) in Estonia is Kyle able to uncover Russian President Pushkin’s true objective as the Russian’s Operation Hermitage draws to an explosive conclusion.

Fast-paced and action-packed, the intensity and suspense build after Kyle takes out a jihadi terrorist in Rome only to be swept up in a spy’s scheme that could start WWIII if it’s not stopped. Twisting and turning as the story takes the CIA operative/sniper from Italy to Belgium and to the Baltic States, Kyle hunts for the truth only to end up firing a shot, a hundred miles from the border bridge in Estonia where the new mayor of Narva is about to welcome a Russian invasion. Thrilling, with a well-developed story that’s razor sharp and intriguing, like all novels in the Kyle Swanson series the tension keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end.

Breathing life into the plot are realistic, complex and unforgettable characters like tough, blunt and magnetic Kyle Swanson the Vice President of Excalibur Enterprises and a CIA operative. Jan Hollings (Calico) is the beautiful CIA station chief married to a U.S. army Colonel. Clever, strong and resourceful she maintains her cover of running a clothing company in Tallinn even after being kidnapped and threatened. Yet it’s the conniving deceit of cocky and arrogant Ivan Strakov, the treachery of a British traitor and the ambitions of the flamboyant the Russian Commander Levchenko that add a deadly chill to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Long Shot” a thriller that I couldn’t put down until finished.

[Alfie Purvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this in a charity shop for 50 pence as I needed something to read on the train, and overall I feel like Oxfam got the better deal.

It was the literary equivalent of one of those really bad Amazon Prime war films about US soldiers in [insert war torn country] starring a washed up A-lister, e.g. Gerard Butler, trying to revive their career.

It lacked the storyline of a Tom Clancy novel, the intelligence and intrigue of a Le Carre, and the glamour and adventure of Ian Fleming. I would even say it made Jack Reacher seem sophisticated. I will definitely be re-donating it and I will feel guilty about doing so. However, it did give me something to do on a train journey other than doom scrolling so 2/5 from me!

[Joe Martino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this entire series. This is the first one that Luke Daniels did not narrate so I bought the e-book.
The usual shenanigans ensue. The “team” has been set off to the outer corners of the universe and are missing in the book.
The authors also ask you to suspend believe in reality, as they doing most of the books, but I feel this book takes it to a new level in one aspect. Swanson takes an untested, untrained civilian into the battle. Not surprisingly,she dies.
I feel like this brought us dangerously close to a shark, if you know what I mean.
Otherwise, I’ll find fictional read.

[MARY · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book it had a great deal happening in it. Kyle is now working for Excalibur as the Vice President of the company and sometime CIA operative and former Marine, was on a mission. Then was asked for to go and talk to a someone he knew long ago but...... Well I won't spoil it. I found it to be a very good book.

[David B. Ells · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good fast-paced read. I think I was expecting more ‘long shots’ and less intrigue. To me, some character development could have been deeper, especially Annelis and Calico. Their relationships with the main protagonist were too shallow for my tastes. But it was the kind of read with the kind of twists and turns that definitely kept you reading.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book.

[Blake Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very exciting novel by an author I had not heard of. The story kept me interested and made me want to keep reading. I will definitely be looking into the other Kyle Swanson books.

[Warren Thoms · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A huge Russian defection makes Kyle think that there is something a little fishy. He gets tasked to look into things. Another good book in the series.

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read about the possibility of war between Russia and the West and provides an intriguing plot from beginning to end.

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very bland effort here that suggests the author just threw it together to meet some contractual deadline with the publisher. It doesn't add anything of significance to the series as a whole.

[TJ Creamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quintessential Kyle Swanson!

[Donald Peschken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coughlin is a superb writer who has a series about a sniper Kyle Swanson. One of the best characters out there. Great action from beginning to end!Move over Scot Harvath. There's a new hero in town.

[Billy Forbes]

great read this is the first book I've of this author but it won't be the last

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

8

[Kendal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was odd to be reading this during the 2022 Soviet invasion of Ukraine.

[Gmassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political warfare with only minimal shooting

I was was expecting much more time spent on long range snipers . Mostly this was psychological war with some Baltic history thrown in.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable action and a pretty inventive plot. But, to be honest, I preferred the earlier Kyle Swanson novels. This one wasn't quite up to the high standard set by previous instalments.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Coughlin doesn't dissappoint.

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately this was the least enjoyable Kyle Swanson story in the Sniper series. The plot was thin at best and it seems to have been strung together like a paint by number picture. I love previous Jack Coughlin/Donald A. Davis novels but this one was not even in the top few Swanson books. I kept waiting for the climax to start, but then it ended - suddenly! Again, I really enjoyed the other books in the series, but this one, Book 9, is a bust. This novel didn’t feel like Kyle Swanson to me. He didn’t seem to behave like Kyle Swanson would have and the few characters from previous novels in the series seemed to have been crammed in just to keep the series going. I think the authors would have been better served by creating a new series with a new character for this particular book. It felt rushed and read that way too...‘rushed’.

[Brad Davide · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big enough fan of Kyle Swanson that I would enjoy any story with him in lead. However, while this was a great plot and well written, for me there wasn't quite enough combat for Kyle. (Pseudo spoiler alert) I don't think he fired the Excalibur throughout the whole book, nor did he take any classic Gunny Swanson long range shots. Still a good book, my 3 star is only due to wanting him kicking more A$$.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last 100 pages were the best; the build-up was just "fair."

[David McCurdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best one by far!

I have read all of Kyle Swanson novel's and this is the best by far. The novel was written very much in line with Tom Clancy. Job well done!

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series I have read. It is a very good action adventure. An intimate story weaving together col war politics, spy, and military storylines. A definite good read