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Sharpshooter: A Novel
Lucas Cole, a Confederate assassin with deadly aim, is on the loose, gunning for General Ulysses S. Grant, and one Union cavalry officer is determined to stop him. Original.
321 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
159 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
David Healey
61 books90 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 12, 2024
rifles
Interesting rifles. Odd Cole used a Sharps with a side mount scope and Bayliss used a Whitworth with a full length scope. Most Whitworths had the side mount scope.
A few years ago I was shooting 2 Whitworth replicas One with a short side mounted scope and the other, same scope but mounted on top of the barrel. After one round I hit the 600 yard silhouette target every time with both rifles. I wanted to shoot further, but that was the furthest target at that range.
I fired about 50 rounds with 49 hits. Damn fun. I could not raise my arm the next day as I was deeply bruised from shoulder, down my arm to the elbow and my whole right side pectoral muscle.
The shooting depicted in this book is more than possible.
Interesting rifles. Odd Cole used a Sharps with a side mount scope and Bayliss used a Whitworth with a full length scope. Most Whitworths had the side mount scope.
A few years ago I was shooting 2 Whitworth replicas One with a short side mounted scope and the other, same scope but mounted on top of the barrel. After one round I hit the 600 yard silhouette target every time with both rifles. I wanted to shoot further, but that was the furthest target at that range.
I fired about 50 rounds with 49 hits. Damn fun. I could not raise my arm the next day as I was deeply bruised from shoulder, down my arm to the elbow and my whole right side pectoral muscle.
The shooting depicted in this book is more than possible.
October 17, 2021
Good story but a tad confusing
Caje Cole’s grandfather was a Rebel sniper in the Civil War???
Good stand alone story with p, more or less, accuracy about the waning days of a terrible war. A war that had equal fault on both sides. Slavery was becoming too expensive. More expensive than hired help. Most southerners didn’t own slaves. The war was more about states rights than slavery. Greedy businesses in the North didn’t want Southern States trading directly with England. All wars have money or power at the root.
Caje Cole’s grandfather was a Rebel sniper in the Civil War???
Good stand alone story with p, more or less, accuracy about the waning days of a terrible war. A war that had equal fault on both sides. Slavery was becoming too expensive. More expensive than hired help. Most southerners didn’t own slaves. The war was more about states rights than slavery. Greedy businesses in the North didn’t want Southern States trading directly with England. All wars have money or power at the root.
March 5, 2021
Civil War mystery
This is a book about "what could have happened ". I enjoyed the history lesson, but was more interested in his "what if". The book seemed to be well researched and the story was well paced. At times, I felt there were too many storylines going on. However, they all came together and I enjoyed the ending. A 3.9 out of 5 rating,
This is a book about "what could have happened ". I enjoyed the history lesson, but was more interested in his "what if". The book seemed to be well researched and the story was well paced. At times, I felt there were too many storylines going on. However, they all came together and I enjoyed the ending. A 3.9 out of 5 rating,
March 26, 2021
Excellent adventure
Interesting characters, both real and invented. A sexy spy using her wiles to gather information for a beaten south, a hard eyed killer on a mission, a general attempting to bring the war to a successful close. The writing is tight and the descriptions authentic. I plan to read more of the authors work.
Interesting characters, both real and invented. A sexy spy using her wiles to gather information for a beaten south, a hard eyed killer on a mission, a general attempting to bring the war to a successful close. The writing is tight and the descriptions authentic. I plan to read more of the authors work.
February 28, 2024
A great start to a intriguing series
A civil war tale tightly written about a sniper tasked to kill General Grant . A peak into the motivation of poor landless men to fight a hopeless war for slavery and a lifestyle they never had. Jump forward to Ww2 and you have a whole new story of the same duty and commitment in his great grandson
A civil war tale tightly written about a sniper tasked to kill General Grant . A peak into the motivation of poor landless men to fight a hopeless war for slavery and a lifestyle they never had. Jump forward to Ww2 and you have a whole new story of the same duty and commitment in his great grandson
October 13, 2020
Great bit of Sharpshooter "History"
Always enjoy the Cole stories...in every war...but this one does a great job of taking us back to the America's War: the North vs the South. A good mix of secondary characters and historical narrative adds depth to the Sharpshooter tale!
Always enjoy the Cole stories...in every war...but this one does a great job of taking us back to the America's War: the North vs the South. A good mix of secondary characters and historical narrative adds depth to the Sharpshooter tale!
December 16, 2020
Suspenseful
Captivating story with constantly changing situations and with the thoughts of different characters brought to light. Enjoyable reading with insight on problems in both sides of the Civil War.
Captivating story with constantly changing situations and with the thoughts of different characters brought to light. Enjoyable reading with insight on problems in both sides of the Civil War.
January 23, 2021
Good read
A good fast paced read. Heatley has a good grip on how to weave dialog and action into a believable fiction. Would like to see him take on more historical fiction. Looking forward to future work.
A good fast paced read. Heatley has a good grip on how to weave dialog and action into a believable fiction. Would like to see him take on more historical fiction. Looking forward to future work.
January 16, 2022
of the civil war set the most believable.
Following the story line is fascinating. Grant as the target of a confederate sniper.
Healey casts the spell of Southern Spies in Washington being well invested in the wars final winter.
Hard to put this book down for any reason.
Following the story line is fascinating. Grant as the target of a confederate sniper.
Healey casts the spell of Southern Spies in Washington being well invested in the wars final winter.
Hard to put this book down for any reason.
March 2, 2023
Very well written
Very interesting read, lots of surprises, high energy, and deceit. War is bad and the war between the states was very bad. Lots of young boys lost their lives. War is evil!
Rock on!
Very interesting read, lots of surprises, high energy, and deceit. War is bad and the war between the states was very bad. Lots of young boys lost their lives. War is evil!
Rock on!
January 29, 2024
Didn’t care for this one at all. Cole is the bad guy and the story is frustrating. Not of the quality of the sniper series in Europe, Pacific and Korea. Won’t be reading any of the other Civil War series. Sorry. Was looking forward to them after the aforementioned series.
February 1, 2026
Maybe I set my expectations too high. As a fan of historical fiction I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately it didn’t deliver for me. Maybe there wasn’t enough character development, maybe it needed a better ending. Sadly, for me this book wasn’t what hoped it would be.
October 7, 2020
Great
This was a good read and for historical fiction it was totally believable. Character development was great and interesting. Definitely worth reading
This was a good read and for historical fiction it was totally believable. Character development was great and interesting. Definitely worth reading
October 3, 2021
Another sharpshooter
I guess I did not expect the sharp shooter to get killed.I thought he would carry in to
Another book.
I guess I did not expect the sharp shooter to get killed.I thought he would carry in to
Another book.
April 27, 2022
Live by the sword...
A good story setting in the Civil War. An engaging read. Not outstanding but filled a long evening. Nicely done.
A good story setting in the Civil War. An engaging read. Not outstanding but filled a long evening. Nicely done.
January 9, 2023
A great read.
A great read about the attempts on Grant's life. Fact or fantasy it doesn't matter because it seems real. Worth your time and I hope it is a series.
A great read about the attempts on Grant's life. Fact or fantasy it doesn't matter because it seems real. Worth your time and I hope it is a series.
August 20, 2012
This is a great book. I enjoyed it very much. There are an incredible amount of twists and turns in the plot for less than 300 pages, but it is still easy enough to follow and hold your attention, and I didn’t have to keep flipping back through the pages to figure out what was going on. There is enough action to satisfy any avid thriller reader.
It was well researched. The author did an excellent job of spinning his story into the historically accurate setting, while using the correct terminology and idioms of the time period. He also used timeless human nature and angst to keep drawing you in.
Every time that I thought I knew where the book was going, it veered onto a different track, which was refreshing after reading many historical fictions, because they are always bound to stay within known historical events and places. He used actual historical figures in respectable and accurate ways; I always get frustrated when authors try to spin historical people into characters that they never were, or portray them in ways to try to change history.
I will definitely read other books by this author and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good historically accurate, period thriller.
It was well researched. The author did an excellent job of spinning his story into the historically accurate setting, while using the correct terminology and idioms of the time period. He also used timeless human nature and angst to keep drawing you in.
Every time that I thought I knew where the book was going, it veered onto a different track, which was refreshing after reading many historical fictions, because they are always bound to stay within known historical events and places. He used actual historical figures in respectable and accurate ways; I always get frustrated when authors try to spin historical people into characters that they never were, or portray them in ways to try to change history.
I will definitely read other books by this author and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good historically accurate, period thriller.
April 1, 2012
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and have in no way been compensated for this review.
Great page turner. I never wanted to put it down. Even if you aren't a history buff, there is plenty of action to keep you involved. For a short book, there is a lot of character development and background.
It appears this book may have been out of print for a while. The only reason this book would fall out of print is if the printing company quit promoting this book and getting it in front of the right people.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Great page turner. I never wanted to put it down. Even if you aren't a history buff, there is plenty of action to keep you involved. For a short book, there is a lot of character development and background.
It appears this book may have been out of print for a while. The only reason this book would fall out of print is if the printing company quit promoting this book and getting it in front of the right people.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
February 10, 2012
I thought it was a great story. The details and facts were interesting. While also the plot gets better as it goes. Yet with how the story split into three character view got annoying. This book was overall great but some times confusing for those who like action spy stories.
February 2, 2008
The work of a former editor that gave me a whole new perspective on his personality.
November 8, 2009
If you like civil war books and you're interested in a mindless read... check this out.
September 16, 2020
I received this book through the First Reads giveaway program on Goodreads. Review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews