Night Of Thunder

Bob Lee Swagger #5

by Stephen Hunter

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR STEPHEN HUNTER RETURNS WITH HIS MOST RIVETING BOB LEE SWAGGER VOLUME TO DATE.

Talk about a ride!

Woe unto he who crosses Bob Lee Swagger, especially when his daughter's life is at stake. Forced off the road and into a crash that leaves her in a coma, clinging to life, reporter Nikki Swagger had begun to peel back the onion of a Southernfried conspiracy bubbling with all the angst, resentment, and dysfunction that Dixie gangsters can muster. An ancient, violent crime clan, a possibly corrupt law enforcement structure, gunmen of all stripes and shapes, and deranged evangelicals rear their ugly heads and will live to rue the day they targeted the wrong man's daughter. It's what you call your big-time bad career move. All of it is set against the backdrop of excitement and insanity that only a weeklong NASCAR event can bring to the backwoods of a town as seemingly sleepy as Bristol, Tennessee.

A master at the top of his game, Hunter provides a host of thrilling new reasons to read as fast as we can. When Swagger picks up peeling where his daughter left off, and his swift sword of justice is let loose, we find a true American hero in his most stunning action to date. And -- in the form of Brother Richard, a self-decreed "Sinnerman" out of the old fire-and-brimstone tradition -- Hunter offers up his most diabolical, engaging villain yet. A triumph of story, character, and style, Night of Thunder is Stephen Hunter at his very best.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Adventure

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 23, 2008

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

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Stephen Hunter. I have an earlier book in the series on my To-Be-Read Bookshelf, and I will have to find it so I can read it soon. This novel referred back to instances in previous novels and I feel it would have been better if I had read them first so I had a better understanding of the main character. According to several reviewers, this one had less action than other novels in the series and had several things about NASCAR inaccurate. Even if that is true, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Hunter gets a lot of items accurate; especially about traffic near Bristol, TN/VA during race week. However, I am not sure how Swagger was able to get a hotel room during race week. They are generally booked up for miles around Bristol. For me, there was still plenty of action and a lot of suspense. This showed more than just how good a shot Swagger is. It showed deductive and investigative skills. I am looking forward to reading more of Hunter's novels.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't say that Stephen Hunter has lost his edge, only that he's indulging himself. His new Bob Lee Swagger book isn't a patch on the old ones – Dirty White Boys; Point of Impact; Black Light; Hot Springs; etc. The previous one – The 47th Samurai – was evidently inspired by his interest in Samurais, and in the acknowledgements to Night of Thunder he confesses that this one was engendered by NASCAR. Hunter's got a Pulitzer prize, he can write whatever he wants but this book is a dud.

Even worse is that Old Sniper Swagger is now a limping mass of clichés. In a sigh-inducing passage, one of his admirers remarks "You have what they have for sure, and it isn't luck... Arkansas boy like you ought to know the term for it. 'True Grit' ring a bell? If not, try Japanese: 'Samurai.' Sound familiar? You were there. Marine Corps. 'The Old Breed.' Bet you heard that one. Or go back to the ancient Greeks: 'Spartan.' Any of them mean a thing?"

This isn't writing, it's a comic with captions.

Hunter's written a small shelf of white hot thrillers, and if you're in the mood for vicarious righteous kick-ass, grab one of the early ones. Night of Thunder will keep you warm too, even if you have to toss it on the fire when you're finished.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, if I went 4 stars on 47th Samurai I have to go at least that here. I (like others here) often bemoan the limited range of our 5 start system. I like these books, like all of them that I've read (it seems I missed one and will have to go back and pick up Time To Hunt, oops.) I don't however think that so far one is a 5 star read. The first was close (based on enjoyment and interest factors) but not quite. The The 47th Samurai I found...not quite as good. I suppose it would be on the lower edge of the 4 star range while Point Of Impact would be at the top.

Here we have an enjoyable book. It hits the notes of the action adventure squarely and also give a pretty accurate view of one of America's signature activities, NASCAR...the Bristol 500. Stephen Hunter usually does a pretty good job of showing the reality of the poor working southerner vs. the popular view of said poor working southerner. While they get called things like "trailer trash" they also end up making the best soldiers, cops and hardest workers. Interesting.

In this book Stephen Hunter moves Boob Lee Swagger into my neck of the woods. The action is placed in Bristol TN/VA (the city rests on the state line. There was (and may still be) a place where the "dry" (you can't buy alcoholic beverages) Virginia was on one side of the street and "wet" (you can buy alcoholic beverages) Tennessee was on the other. You could cross the street and buy a drink. Bristol is on of three cities in Tennessee that are called "the Tri-Cities". These are Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport. I grew up on a small farm about halfway between Johnson City and Kingsport. Our farm faced a dirt road. We went into Kingsport every few weeks and north across the state line into Virginia fairly often to visit both sets of grandparents. My family calls that part of the country (where TN, VA and KY meet) home.

So the picture SH paints of the flow of fans coming to the race is real. A few years ago my father passed away. I now live in Nashville and drove to Morristown where my dad and his wife lived. Morristown is around 41 miles from Knoxville. Knoxville is over a hundred miles from Bristol (my dad's grave plot was between Kingsport and Bristol and we "processioned" there after the funeral in Morristown). There was not a motel room available anywhere with that hundred mile circle around Bristol. It was race weekend.

The picture Mr. Hunter paints of the thrill and excitement around the Bristol 500 is a very accurate picture.

The excitement of the race weekend and all that surrounds it adds to what Boob ends up facing here, a 60+ year old man who everyone sees and fails to realize that he's also the consummate soldier,sniper, warrior.

This book opens with someone making an attempt on the life of Bob Lee's daughter...bad move. The "bad people" who might have made it, they might have prospered...but the tried to kill Bob Lee swagger's oldest daughter. Ouch.

We're back on more home ground for Bob Lee here (no more samurai swords) and while a couple of Mr. Hunter's failings still show up a bit the book is well worth a read. If you're an action adventure reader, if you like to open a book and have the smell of burning cordite waft up from the pages this is one I think you'll like.

So...what failings I can hear you asking. Nothing big, sometimes he has a tendency to lead us up to an action sequence and then just as he triggers the action, something like, "and the gun fired", he'll drop back a few hours and tell us how the other party got to that spot. Thus we get another long lead up to the same action scene.

Also now and again he'll break up an action scene with a long almost flowery description. As action is taking place we get told how whatever it is moves and how the perspective changes or seems to go into slow motion. It sometimes gets a bit long and slows the scene a bit.

Still neither of these is a horrible flaw and they don't take away from the book, only frustrate a little when you're caught up in the action. LOL

Good book, recommended...enjoy.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the problems that I have with thrillers of a certain vintage of long term authors is that we know that the main character is not going to die. SO you need to suspend your basic disbelief. This is not to say that authors do not kill off major characters -- wives being the most useful apparently.

In this latest thriller from Stephen Hunter, Bob Lee Swagger's daughter is injured in traffic hit and run while investigating the meth trade. Swagger, a sniper and ex Marine, and a fighter without compare, investigates his daughter's accident and discovers that it was no accident. He then sets out to figure out why his daughter was targeted. In this tight thriller, Swagger uses a local computer geek to find out information from his daughter's computer and while dodging members of the criminal family of an oversexed preacher named Grumley strives to solve the mystery and bring those responsible to justice. A one man hit squad, even in his 60's, Bob Lee Swagger is more than up for the task.

Hunter does not let us know forget Swagger's age, but if 60 is the new 40, then Swagger is still the same old killer and since we know it cannot be his time, some of the tension in the story is lessened, but despite this inherent issue in these type of thrillers, this taut book still moves along swiftly.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Stephen Hunter,

I understand that it probably gets boring writing the same kind of story over and over again, but sometimes it ain’t broke and you don’t need to fix it.

This is how you really Shake It Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAEVg...

[DJMikeG · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. A fun read, but definitely a serious step down in quality from Hunter's other Swagger novels. I hate NASCAR, so I'm a little biased against this book from the get-go. In his afterword, Hunter marvels at the Bristol Speedway because it shows "man's limitless imagination", really, Hunter? So a bunch of fucking cars drive around in a circle, that's really the enormity of our imagination? Beg to differ, man. Regardless, once the story kicks into high gear, its pretty fun. I thought the whole Grumley clan thing was a tad overwrought. It felt like Hunter was going for camp or something which didn't work and made for some bad dialog. Also, the ending sucks on a few different levels. Swagger shoots down the bad guy's chopper and somehow they all live? After its been described that MK 211 round would destroy everyone inside the chopper, and the chopper plummets in a ball of flame and yet, the main bad guys live? Bullshit. And how does Sinnerman not see the Dodge Charger in front of Swagger's mini van as he tails him through windy mountain roads? Hunter is a great author, and the Swagger books kick serious ass, except for this one. Seems like Hunter got back on track with "I, Sniper", so I'm looking forward to reading that one.

[Pat Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I found in a thrift store and picked up because I enjoyed some of the other books I read by Stephen Hunter. This one was pretty good too. The first part of the book was a little slower but it was interesting. As it moved forward the pace picked up. The plot is the protagonist's daughter is nearly killed in a car wreck which evidence showed was purposely caused by some nefarious person. The protagonist (Bob Swagger) of course investigates and looks for the criminal. A whole world of criminals scatter as the rock they were under is lifted and the climax is in none other than a Nascar race. It gets a little fantastic here but if you are a Nascar fan, and a vengeance for the good guys story fan, and if you like the Swagger novels by Hunter, I think this will work well for you.

[SpiceRunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the fifth story in the series, and I have to say as an automotive mechanic myself, I appreciated the following passage where one of the 'bad guys' is installing, very quickly, a performance tune to the engine's computer before their 'big gettaway'

"He Grounded the assembly, this time taking the time to wrap the grounding wire against the plug, then rescrew the cable terminal, making sure everything was nice, tidy, and tight."

I liked this because the previous time in the book when he was doing the same thing as a timed- practice on a vehicle with the same drive-train package, he merely wrapped the ground wire around the ground terminal, meanwhile i'm panicked as I understand how inconvenient it would be to have the engine stall or loose the 'power boost' while on the run from the authorities.

Thanks for that one Mr. Hunter

[Siddharth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Swagger outing but not as good as the previous books.
There were parts which felt overwritten, and the whole Grumley is inspired by Genghis Khan theme got repetitive.
The best parts were the gun fights as usual. Bob is definitely Clint Eastwood-esque. It's always a lot of fun to see him with a gun in his hand.
I did not like the POV of Brother Richard, one of the antagonist, but I enjoyed how his history and motives are similar to Racer X from Speed Racer (of course Racer X was a hero but otherwise they're basically the same).
Absolutely recommended for Swagger fans.

[Douglas Misquita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prose is poetry. The gunfights are a surreal ballet played out in sonic speed, slowed down for reading. Bob Lee is 64, but who cares, he's still the best shooter out there... And he might be Clint (Eastwood) to the lad in the grocery store!

[Chris Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter at his best! Loved this book.

[Ctgt · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Lynda C Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I loved it.

I love the hero of this book being so different from other heroes. He’s a lot older, almost disabled but bad as they come when someone tries to hurt his family or friends. The bad guys always think he’s a pushover and he’s so NOT! This is more of a “man” book but I love the constant excitement. I love the Earl Swagger books, too. My only regret is that he died so young while Bob was a kid. So many twists and turns and wondering how he will get out of this situation. I will always read Stephen Hunter.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.25

Bob Lee Swagger, former Marine sniper in Vietnam, is now in his mid 60s. You could almost believe that he is becoming domesticated, in that he has a happy home life with his wife Julie, their young daughter, Miko, and a successful adult daughter, Nikki. Nikki Swagger is a beginning journalist; currently, she is working on a series of articles about methamphetamine trade in the Virginia/Tennessee area. She's just completed an interview when she is pursued on a treacherous mountain road by some kind of lunatic. It's only thanks to her skillful driving that she is able to avoid being catapulted off the road; there's also a bit of luck involved when the driver finally does hit her and her vehicle doesn't roll over. A situation that should have resulted in instant death leaves Nikki in a coma instead. The investigators believe that she was the victim of a joyriding teenager; however, Bob wonders if someone with a grudge against him has targeted his daughter.

Bob immediately leaves his ranch in Idaho to see what happened. He finds himself in the middle of an area preparing for a major NASCAR event. As he follows the wispy path behind Nikki's accident, he begins to believe that Nikki's investigative reporting may have unsettled some folks who wanted to shut her down permanently. It isn't long before the investigation leads him to the Grumley family, whose patriarch, Reverend Alton Grumley, has spread his seed throughout the land, having seven wives and various other liaisons that have produced a plethora of Grumleys. The various members of the family operate almost like a mob family; they are known for doing whatever needs to be done, without remorse or question. The more intelligent members of the clan are shunted off outside the community; the ones that remain are vicious, stupid and inordinately loyal to their leader. What Bob doesn't immediately know is that they are involved in a very nefarious plot to rob the NASCAR event of its proceeds.

The conclusion of the book is an action-packed view of how the Grumleys and the driver that targeted Nikki, "Sinnerman", hijack the event proceeds and prepare a bold getaway. Of course, Bob is able to thwart them. There are a couple of well-done twists that reveal the surprising head of the operation. As is often the case in the Bob Lee Swagger books, Bob appears to be the hunted but in reality is the hunter.

A few things don't quite work, beginning with Nikki's accident as the book opens. She is driving against a man who is a true expert driver and almost outsmarts him. I wondered where she had gotten these skills, why she didn't react in the normal ways that most people would when facing such a threat. Secondly, the dialogue in the book is quite formal and Swagger is almost courtly. It was an odd contrast to the testosterone fueled story. There were a few other male characters who talked in almost the same fashion as he did, which made it difficult to distinguish one from another. The plot is a bit farfetched and the characters not very developed and even over the top.

NIGHT OF THUNDER has lots of action for the thriller junkie, and the depiction of the NASCAR experience is very well done. If you mostly want excitement from your reading, then you'll enjoy this book.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Lee Swagger is one tough fellow. If you saw the film "Shooter" then you know that he is an expert sharpshooter from a long line of action heroes.

Bob's daughter, Nikki, is an investigative reporter. She winds up in an auto accident that is suspicious in nature.. and from there, Bob Lee comes in and starts his own investigation.. slowly uncovering... ????

Okay.. I'll stop there, excpet to remind you that the cover of the book shows a Nascar racing car and that becomes the setting for the book.

This is not one of Hunter's best. Personally, I liked the books that featured Bob Lee's father, Earl Swagger. An interesting enigma surrounds a group meeting at a Baptist camp and Mark 2:11.

As a Baptist minister, I thought that the author was going out of his way to paint preachers in general in a negative light. I am not one of those folks who see every use of a devout Christian or minister as a bad guy as some sort of attack on Christianity in general. However, for awhile, it seemed that Hunter was going overboard with the religious hypocrisy of one of the villains. At one point the author refers to the crazed minister as an "omnisexual" meaning he'll have relations, however perverted, with just about anything regardless of sex, age, or species. Also, Hunter mentioned another minister who had previously run the camp who had been a child molestor. On this side of the seesaw, the author seems to have an axe to grind against men of the cloth. Then, he abruptly switches gears by having Bob Lee seek out a Baptist minister to get help with solving the Mark 2:11 puzzle. This minister is portrayed as a calm and righteous man. However, it doesn't bring about a good balance. Okay, having the minister villain alternating between curses, blasphemy, and quoting Scriptures gives us a more fully developed character and is done to show the warped mindset of the preacher bad guy-- but the author seems to indicate by his usage that the majority of preachers are hypocrites and perverts, especially those who work with young folks. I have to admit-- this may be a hypersensitivity to my own calling and ministry --- I just felt that by metioning other hypocrites/fallen ministers he wasn't just trying to create especially wicked characters.

Okay, fallen ministers ARE realistic! I know of a number of ministers who have made wrong choices and clearly stepped from God's will. Jimmy Swaggart and Hal Lindsey, are two famous examples of men who had affairs or became involved in sexual sin.

Anyway-- It is almost accidental that Bob Lee is able to do anyting to stop the big crime...

In regards to the "big boss"-- The author drops some misleading signals, but he plays fair, he drops some real clues, too. It isn't a big shock when we find out who it is. If you read this and are shocked, let me say that you are no Sherlock Holmes because it became obvious to me early on and there was no real shock there.

So what do we have in the final analysis? An action packed book that has some mysterious moments and a reasonable conclusion. A great book? Far from it!

UPDATE: I'm getting old-- re-read this one and it was not familiar at all.. However, the above review is still my opinion regarding this one.. There's some good action and the plot is interesting enough-- but the story falls far short of previous efforts in this series

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

What goes well with a NASCAR 500 mile race, you ask? Why, Stephen Hunter figured it out jest fine. You need a big ole gun fight with a brigade of real nasty bad guys and just one good guy, if that good guy is Bob Lee Swagger. You see, these big old bad guys think they are Big Jim “Walker” Grumleys. But they musta not listened to the whole song on the radio when Jim Croce came on, cause they missed the unplugged version’s last chorus:

“You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Slim”

Seldom heard last chorus:

“You don’t fuck with Bob Lee Swagger
You don’t even look at him
You especially don’t threaten his daughter
‘Cause the result will be right grim”

Bob Lee is getting on in age, he is a shot-up, beat-up, cut-up and bruised 63 hard years but he still has a trick or two. Or in his words: “I am Bob Lee Swagger, Gunnery Sergeant, USMC, eighty-seven kills, third-ranking marine sniper in Vietnam. I have shot it out with Salvadorian hunter-killer units and Marisol Cubano hit men and a Russian sniper sent halfway around the world. I even won a sword fight or two in my time. They all had one thing in common. They thought they were hunting me, and I was hunting them. Faced many, all are sucking grass from the bitter, root end. Here’re your choices: You can come easy or you can come dead.”

I think the NRA should give Stephen Hunter some special recognition award because every time I read one of his books, I want to cash in some savings and go buy me a bunch of guns and ammo. Hunter has a way with describing guns and associated equipment that is just so cool: “The handgun was a .38 Super, his own 1911 model Kimber, a very nice gun that as he got older he appreciated more for its lack of recoil and muzzle flip in fast strings, while completely identical to the .45 in handling and operating procedures. The extra boxes indicated the load Meachum had chosen was the CorBon 130-grain jacketed hollow point +P+ ammo. His Kydex holster lay beside the case, amid the ammo boxes.”

Read this book and enjoy, it is another fantastic “Bob the Nailer” tale written in blood, sweat, tears and a fair amount of lead.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bob Lee Swagger novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter is always a good time and this fifth book in the series is no exception. Former USMC sniper, Bob Lee Swagger just wants to be left in peace to live the good life with his family but when his eldest daughter (now a budding journalist) is run off the road and is put into a coma, Bob is worried there might be somebody from his past wanting to do him or his family harm.

His adventure takes him to the world of NASCAR at Bristol Speedway in Tennessee and the surrounding areas. A truly remarkable family is introduced, a family that breeds criminals, thugs really, designed to be their own mafia and commit various major crimes throughout the area. Of course, when Bob Lee Swagger’s daughter is threatened, you can be sure there will be plenty of gunplay to come.

This novel is not of the same high quality as the earlier novels like Point of Impact or Dirty White Boys or Hot Springs but the author seems to enjoy writing them and that makes them fun for the reader as well.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our main character, Bob Lee Swagger, has done it all: fought samurai, other master snipers, and a variety of hitmen. So what is left? "Night of Thunder" offers up a group of backwoods hillbilly's, a corrupt deputy, and a hitman that kills people by running them off the road with the stolen car of his choice. Shouldn't be a problem for Bob the Nailer, and it isn't. It is too damn easy, and that is why the action seems boring and irrelevant. There are couple of quick shoot outs (because Bob is so good), and a final, but brief quick draw with the main baddie. Night of Thunder lacks any thunder whatsoever, and I, for one, am truly disappointed. I hope Hunter's next endeavor reads more like Point of Origin (his first book starring Bob Lee Swagger) than this poor attempt at riveting action.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book had some slightly surprising twists in the end and the action sequences were terrific they were far and in between. The first three quarters of the book dragged a lot and I had a hard time reading them. The book does get better towards the last quarter of the book so I would still recommend reading it. After reading several of Stephen Hunters novels I like the ones with Earl Swagger far better. I have a hard time buying into the Bob Lee Swagger character and to me he seems phony. Maybe it’s because I have seen the movie “Shooter” and all I can see is Marky Mark Wahlberg.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Bob Lee book, but an enjoyable read.

If you are new to Stephen Hunter, do yourself a favor and read some of his other books (Point of Impact, Hot Springs, etc) first.

If you love all things Swagger, you will enjoy this book.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Lee Swagger comes to the NASCAR race in Bristol, TN after his daughter nearly dies from her car shoved off the road. Meth superlab, souped up cars, guns galore, and detective sleuthing are rolled up into one gritty story.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Hunter has written great novels like Point of Impact (movie the Shooter), 47th Samurai and Pale Horse Coming... Night of Thunder is not in that class, but is better than Havana. 5 of 10 stars at best.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six-word Review: Never mess with Bobby Lee's daughter!

More impossible situations that Swagger survives. Nevertheless, it's a hell-for leather read.

Longer review later.

[Dipanjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Night Of Thunder” is the 5th book that features Bob Lee Swagger, a jungle-smart hillbilly and premier sniper who had exploded into the scene in the 1st novel “Point of Impact”. Bob had served in the Vietnam War and is considered as the crème-de-la-crème of his area of expertise.

In the last three books we have all known about Bob’s partner in Vietnam Donny Fenn who had lost his life in combat – the victim of a sniper shot. In the last book "Time To Hunt", Bob takes on the Sniper from the other side, Solotov, who was designated to track down Swagger and eliminate him in Vietnam. As a collateral damage of this cat-and-mouse game between Swagger and Solotov, Donny Fenn had lost his life and Swagger carried the guilt of Fenn’s death on his shoulder ever since.

The Night of Thunder plunges into a high-stakes investigation sparked by an attack on Swagger's daughter, Nikki, a journalist who finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy while researching a crystal meth operation in rural Tennessee. Swagger, renowned for his marksmanship and tenacity, is driven by personal concern to uncover the truth behind his daughter's accident and navigate the tangled web of a Southern-fried criminal enterprise. The central narrative revolves around Swagger's investigation into the attack on his daughter and the uncovering of a vast criminal conspiracy involving a violent crime clan, potentially corrupt law enforcement, and fanatical evangelicals. The story unfolds against the chaotic backdrop of a week-long NASCAR event in Bristol, Tennessee. Bob Lee Swagger remains a compelling protagonist, exhibiting his usual determination and keen sense of justice as he delves into the criminal underworld. Hunter introduces a new, memorable antagonist in "Brother Richard," a self-proclaimed "Sinnerman," who stands out as a "diabolical, engaging villain". The novel also features the notorious Grumley family, a criminal clan.

The Night Of Thunder is a study on vengeance, justice, family loyalty, and the collision between the protagonist's sense of duty and the shadowy forces at play. Mr. Hunter’s signature style shines through with his expert knowledge of firearms and tactical scenarios, adding depth and realism to the action scenes. The author's depiction of the Ozark dialect and rural settings also contributes to the authenticity of the novel

Through this action-packed tale of high intelligence and psychological manoeuvres, Mr. Hunter confirms his status as one of the most skilled hands in the thriller business. The plot is fast-paced, well-constructed and builds to a pulse-pounding finish that echoes the finales of Point of Impact, Time To Hunt. Other echoes of the earlier novels sound as well, giving this one the feel of a recapitulation, or a farewell. But then Mr. Hunter has set a high standard for himself. This book will solidify his reputation as an author who not only can write bestselling thrillers, but write them exceedingly well.

It’s a taut thriller and a fantastic continuation to a long running series featuring Bob Lee Swagger. This series should definitely be included in your reading list. You simply cannot NOT be a part of the Swagger World.

[Lindsay Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Free Library find. I enjoy Stephen Hunter's books and pick them up when I come across them, so I've read a few but not in any particular order. This is #5, from 2008. It helps to know who the characters are and their history, but Hunter gives some backstory for those who are new or don't remember previous books.
Bob Lee Swagger's daughter Nikki is working for a newspaper in Bristol, TN/VA, home of the famous NASCAR race. While investigating a story, she's run off the road and nearly killed. Bob Lee is concerned that whoever attacked her might have been after him and goes to Bristol to investigate as a concerned father, not revealing his background as a retired marine sniper. The story is told from Bob's point of view and from the driver's.
Nikki survives but is comatose for much of the book, so Bob has to figure out what she was up to.
The local detective, Thelma Fielding, is convinced it was an accident caused by some young local showing off his driving skills during race week. Bob is not convinced. Thelma mentions that she has closed down many meth labs and busted many dealers, but there is still plenty of meth.
As we follow Bob's investigation, we also follow the driver and his involvement in some kind of conspiracy with the Grumley family from an earlier book set in Arkansas. Bob goes through all the ideas he can think of. Is it someone from his past? Something to do with the meth industry? Something to do with the race? The conspirators eventually realize they need to eliminate Bob before he figures out and ruins their plans, but they see him as some old guy with a limp and underestimate his abilities.
There is a heist, corrupt cops, lots of cars and guns, and of course terrific deduction and shooting by Bob. I thought it was all explained pretty well. I have only a passing knowledge of cars, guns, and NASCAR, but I was able to follow along with no problem. If you aren't into cars and guns, this probably isn't the book for you. I really liked it.

[Manolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've liked this book more than the previous one (The 47th Samurai). However sometimes the reading becomes boring and complicated to follow (I'm no native, guess that counts too).
Particularly I've noticed over the last books that the story is more fluid and interesting when we're raging what happens with Bob Lee. But turns slow and sloppy when we read what happens worth the bad guys. Maybe he jumps into the dialogues too fast, without a bit of introduction of the scene.

Again, I appreciate that Stephen Hunter takes so much enthusiasm and preparation for his novels, but often that makes him use an extremely specific and complex vocabulary.

For me the 1st book (Point of Impact) was by far the best one, with a good level of action, going enough (but not too much) into the detail. Introducing the character and the environment, good situation, etc
In this book, I see quite too many cliches around Bob Lee. He's the hero we all know and like from previous adventures. But some passages use in excess the "one man army" concept.
It really makes sense in other adventures where he can leverage his sniper skills out on the field (mountains, cities, using the sniper rifle, recognition of the surrounding area, different weapons...) but , in other moments when he's totally in a new environment you cannot resolve things simply because "he did something in a speed never seen" or "he's old but his muscles reacted at light speed".
In any case, I can say that I enjoyed the adventure, it's worth reading! :-)

[John A. Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another outing for Bob Lee Swagger, the ex-Marine sniper. When his daughter Nikki Swagger a journalist, who has been investigating the drug trade in Tennessee, is involved in a car crash, Swagger worries that it might be an old enemy seeking revenge by proxy. Little does he know that she has stumbled into a bigger conspiracy.

Swagger is worried and he heads to Tennessee himself. Unconvinced that the sheriff has the right focus after dismissing the accident as a drug fuelled local having fun, he begins to dig himself. He soon encounters a strange preacher, a violent crime syndicate and starts to uncover some of the same things that lead to the attack on his daughter.

I have read a few of the Swagger series, although I had not realised there were as many as their air. I read I, Sniper before this, but I enjoyed this book much more. As my review of I, Sniper states, I felt it went too technical, whereas this treads the line much better. What I have now come to expect of Hunter's rich descriptive prose is in full flow, the story is interesting and the references to NASCAR well researched. Overall an excellent outing, and I'll be looking for some of the other Swagger books on Kindle.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Bob Lee starts off a little slow for me, but that changes real quickly. The bad guys decide that Bob's daughter, Nikki, has to be killed because she has found out some damaging evidence to their plans. That is a big mistake. If you have read Bob Lee before you know how he feels about his family and anybody that tries to do harm to them. These guys don't know that they have opened a can of worms that they will have to eat. Now Bob Lee doesn't take these people on all by himself he does have some help. Now I liked this story, because I had an idea of who was behind the robbery that takes place and I was wrong. There is a lot of trying to figure out what was going to happen and if the bad guys were going to get their just rewards. Now i will say that there is some payback in this story that is just right. Also if you think maybe that Bob Lee is losing a step just read this one and know that Bob the Nailer is still going strong.

[James Wirrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite several worthy criticisms, I must say that I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there were a lot of unbelievable sequences in the book, yes, the villains were campy and silly, and, yes, some of Hunter’s scene build up was a bit long. But nothing beats Bob Lee Swagger going into action. And I really enjoyed how an aging Bob Lee was able to stay whip smart, alert and vigilant while being constantly underestimated as just an old guy. This book, like the previous one in the series (and I assume the later ones also) are now stand alone novels and not part of the earlier inter-connected series of Earl and Bob Lee Swagger. Overall though, I heartily recommend this book for a very fun thriller.

[SM Leong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is better than the previous one [the Samurai one] & being back in the States. The plot is fairly simple: someone messed with Bob... that someone will get messed up by Bob! This time bad guys & gal in TN tried to kill Bob's daughter Nikki & brought the wrath of Bob the Nailer on them. The backdrop is NASCAR weekend heist, meth crime, Southern/Arkansan criminal clan, crazy genius driver & corrupt cop. Super marine Swagger git 'em all.
This book is fast-paced, loaded with enough informative details on guns & NASCAR, laced with some humor, never "heavy-duty" & quite enjoyable reading.