Clean Kill

Kyle Swanson Sniper #3

by Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis

On the heels of the New York Times bestselling Dead Shot comes the most thrilling installment of the Kyle Swanson series yet, in which an attempt at a new peace in the Middle East is shattered by an unknown attacker, and only Swanson can find out who’s responsible At a 15th Century castle outside Edinburgh, Scotland, Sir Geoffrey Cornwell is brokering an unprecedented agreement. Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the Israeli Foreign Minister are scheduled to sign an historic peace treaty—that is, until their meeting is violently interrupted by a missile strike that leaves the Foreign Minister of Israel dead and Cornwell and the Prince injured. Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson is running covert missions in the mountains of Pakistan when he’s called away from duty. He leaves for the U.K., where he thwarts another attempt on the prince of Saudi Arabia’s life. The attackers are Middle Eastern, but they aren’t working for Al Qaeda—they’re employed by foreign operatives opposed to the peace agreement and determined to claim Saudi oil reserves for themselves by whatever means necessary. Meanwhile, out of hiding and back from the dead comes Juba, one of the deadliest terrorists in the world and Kyle Swanson’s nemesis, who is determined to exact revenge on the man who nearly took his life. With scenes of tremendous suspense that span the globe, Clean Kill puts Swanson in the sights of a group whose greed and vengeance know no limits. But their deadly ambitions also bring them into his sights, which is the wrong place to be.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Thriller, War, Suspense, Action, Military Thriller

315 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2010

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

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Sniper series, featuring Kyle Swanson.

After destroying a training camp for terrorists in Pakistan, Swanson is back on task. A terrorist mastermind has blown up his friend's castle as part of a scheme to take over Saudi Arabia. Russia, and then China, get involved.

After some twists and turns, Swanson gets to the bottom of things.

Pretty exciting. Really reminded me of a mid 1980's Mack Bolan novel.

[Garrett Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I thought this book was really good because it was full of action and suspense. This book would probably be in my top ten list of books. I will definitely read the first two book now. I wish I would have known this was the third book before I was halfway done with it. I did not know because there was no indication on the book when I looked. Maybe I did not look hard enough.

Plot: Clean Kill by Jack Coughlin is the third and final book in the Sniper series. Kyle Swanson, the main character, is asked to join Trident, a branch in the CIA that stops terrorist acts. He stops extremists during a treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdullah, the US ambassador and prince of Saudi Arabia, is injured from the extremists´ bombings. The hospital Prince Abdullah is sent to gets attacked, but the attacks get stop by Kyle again. Kyle goes to Saudi Arabia to try to stop Juba, the British soldier who turned into a terrorist. The king of Saudi Arabia gets killed, so Prince Abdullah becomes king. Kyle is told not to do anything in Saudi Arabia, but he attempts to remove five nuclear bombs from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, China is getting ready to attack the Saudi Arabia oil fields, but are really getting ready to invade Taiwan. Juba teamed up with a well known terrorists. In Russia, Vladimir Putin was made into the Russian ambassador and there is a new president of Russia. Vladimir Putin gets the new president killed. Back in Saudi Arabia, Kyle got four of the five bombs and also killed one of the top terrorists. Juba designs a plan to get Kyle come to a city, in which he will then blow up the last bombs. The plan does not work and Kyle recovers the last bomb. He beats up Juba and throws him into the back of an old car. He orders a tank to blow up the car, so Juba dies. Kyle goes back to the US to get some rest and the book ends

Characteristic: Juba, the main antagonist in the book, went from a British soldier to a terrorist. Prince Abdullah, the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, went from Prince of Saudi Arabia to King.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone who is in for a good action book. The person should read this after they read the first two books. I also recommend this book to people who want to learn some information about war because this book was written by a former soldier.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response
I really enjoyed reading the book Clean Kill by Jack Coughlin. The plot of the book was very interesting, and well thought out. The book gives the reader an idea of what it is like being in the military. I also liked how the diplomatic relationships were portrayed in the book, because I feel like that is how it is in real life. The only complaint I have about the book, is the military terms they use can get confusing if you don't know a lot about the military.

Plot Summary
The book starts with Sir Jeff and his wife holding a party at their castle, to have a peace treaty signed by Saudi Arabia and Israel. After the party starts, terrorists blow up the castle with missiles and this triggers a bunch of terror attacks in Saudi Arabia. Once the king is killed, a rebellion in Saudi Arabia starts, led by Ebara. Kyle and his team of Navy Seals are sent in to help the Saudi government, and secure five nuclear missiles they have in their country. Kyle secures the first four, but then a terrorist, Juba, steals the fifth one. He brings it to a random place in Saudi Arabia. There is a battle between the Saudi's and Juba's team, which ends in the Americans getting the missle back and Juba getting killed.

Characterization
Prince Abdullah changed a lot throughout the book. He started off as a ambassador to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. However, when the terrorist attacks happened and the king was killed he was nominated as king. He changed a lot when this happened because all of a sudden he had a lot of things to deal with. He seemed to mature very quickly and handle all of the countries crisis' very easily.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to a lot of people. I think it would be good for anyone who wants to join the military, because all though this isn't a true story, it still shows somewhat what being in the military is like. I also think it would be good for people who have never been in the military because it shows them some of what veterans and military members go through when they are deployed.

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean Kill is the 3rd installment in the Kyle Swanson series, Kill Zone & Dead Shot being the first two. In the novel Swanson is a Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corp. The author, Jack Coughlin is a retired Marine of the same rank having held the same job of sniper. The brand they are building is “A Sniper Novel”. I love it.

Swanson is an incredible patriot and loves the Marines. I love one of his favorite sayings “Slow is fast, fast is smooth”. There is nothing about this book that is slow. The action from the onset is quick paced and amps up from there. The scenario presented is as we know fiction, but one can see how most of it stems from or could be current news almost anywhere in the Middle East.

Swanson and his group of Black Bag Trident Marines are results oriented characters and they deliver time and time again. Coughlin creates all things that are Marine Corp Hoorah in this series. He conveys the passion he has for the profession he had a as sniper and takes us inside the head of the best in the world. The commentary he creates through Kyle Swanson is amazing and engaging. We care about his work, his unit, and his loved ones. Clean Kill is a great novel for this week. Pick it up if you can or at the very least try one in the series.

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[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying Sniper #3. Or should I say "enjoyed"....I keep remembering the good parts and it was a fun read. As with #2, you should try and start the series with the first one to get the flavor of what is going on and the interaction with key players.
I was surprised by the writing and fluidity of the story. Knowing a bit about the military and the processes, yes, there were a few breakdowns in what and how it happens, but then again, there is enough realism in our world that let the author take little liberties to allow the book(s) to flow and the readers to enjoy.

[Greg D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost interest. Started to read like a Tom Clancy novel with too much detail that began to bore me. There was a lot of action, but sporadic at best. I give it a 3-star because the writing and character development was good, and I'm sure the story would have turned out good. But, it was just too detailed for me.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve come to believe that this series is just the author blowing his own whistle at “being the best soldier ever”

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Clean Kill” the high-impact and intense third novel in the “Kyle Swanson Sniper” series heats up with the escalation of an uprising in Saudi Arabia, the assassination of the Saudi king and an assault on a Scottish castle where Prince Abdullah the country’s ambassador is about to sign a peace agreement with the Israeli foreign minister. Returning from a covert mission in Pakistan Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson not only discovers Sir Geoffrey Cornwall injured and about to go into surgery but is told by him that the Saudis have nuclear weapons.

With the oil fields in Saudi Arabia jeopardized by the mounting rebellion Task Force Trident is given a green light to send Kyle on a reconnaissance mission to the country only to have him swept up in a plan to defuse global fear of the Saudis nuclear weapons falling into rebel hands by having them transported out of the country as well as finding himself the target of Juba the world’s most dangerous terrorist who is orchestrating the revolt.

Fast-paced and action-packed, intensity and suspense continually build with political intrigue as the Russian and Chinese get involved and with Kyle’s missions which have him stealing a nuclear weapon and confronting a deadly terrorist. Well-written and exciting as the bloodshed and insanity of the Religious Police and the fanatical priest Mohammed Abu Ebara increases, there are surprising twists that keep you glued to every page.

Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson is iron-willed, effective and reliable but unemotional when faced with killing the enemy. Only in his dream visitations with Death does he recognize that with every kill he loses a little more of his humanity. Yet it’s the heartless cruelty and violence of Juba, as well as the cold, arrogance and extremism of Mohammed Abu Ebara that lends a terrifying chill to the story. It is these characters and a host of others that breathe life into a complex situation that gets worse until a fiery confrontation near the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Clean Kill” and look forward to reading the rest of this captivating sniper series.

[Justin Wachs]

Personal Response
I liked this book. I enjoy the Middle East setting. I found it interesting what they are working for and against.

Summary
Two TOW missiles hit a castle where Israeli’s and the Saudi´s are having a meeting on a peace treaty. The US steps in to help deal with the terrorist problem in Saudi Arabia. The terrorists manage to steal 5 nukes from the Saudi´s. The US sends in Kyle Swanson to fix the problem. As the mission moves on, Juba (Kyle´s nemesis basically) gets involved because he knows Kyle is involved. Kyle steals back 4 of the 5 nukes and is looking for the last one. Juba manages to steal the nuke, but not to launch it, but to draw Kyle closer. Kyle and Juba both meet in the desert after Kyle has been chasing Juba. Kyle manages to kill Juba and steal back the nuke.

Recommendation
I recommend this book to people who find interest in war type books. I feel high school students would enjoy this book. I think either gender could read this book.

Characterization
Kyle starts out as a guy who thinks he can handle any battle against him. He then starts to think he is not all that. By the end of the book, he is back up to thinking he can handle anything.

[Weerdski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk boek. Hangt voor mij ergens tussen 3 en 4 sterren in. De situatie waarin Kyle terecht komt is m.i. nog aardig reëel.

[Kyle Pennekamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3rd book in the series, the second I've read. Great stuff. The problem with so many of the paperback thrillers I've been reading lately is the 2nd Act. Most of them have a great opening, then one good idea that they save for the end. The middle is a vast wasteland. In books like Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series, it's kind of the point: after doing something awesome to glean a clue that something bad is going to go down, Mitch Rapp is prevented by bureaucratic red tape from being awesome again until the end. But it still makes for a slow middle.

That is not a problem in the Kyle Swanson Sniper series. Swanson goes from action scene to action scene, using his skills to "rain down pain and terror on the enemies of the United States" (as he puts it.) It's fast, it's violent, it's bloody, and it's a lot of fun. What the authors sacrifice is character (usually Kyle's personal relationships appear only in the first 50 and last 50 pages of the book), but really, if you're picking up an action thriller written by a former sniper, how much love and vulnerability are you expecting?

One major flaw is the way Coughlin sets up the Arabs (in the two I've read): they're all either noble men who appreciate military efficiency, or noble women caught up in the evil actions of their rogue nation, or they're just straw men that he sets up so that Swanson can knock them down.

Even Juba, the rival sniper that's been the villain in both books I've read, started out in DEAD SHOT as an interesting character, but here in CLEAN KILL he's been reduced to a cold, revenge-is-the-only-thing-on-my-mind assassin.

But, what the hell: the action is superb, and like all dudes, I love me some snipers. I'm gonna go back and read the first in the series: KILL ZONE.

[Bryce Zimmermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im reading Clean kill I'm on page 16 and it is good so far it about a secrete mission and there going for some in alkada group. I think about the guy that was in special forces. I think there arguing to be death in bot al-kada group and special forces. This book reminds me of the time special forces killed Osama bin laden. I thought I was serious but latter in the book it's just going to get scary. I think the author wrote this book to describe what happened when they killed Osama bin laden. I feel anxious I really want to know what happens at the end. But I have to read the whole book to get the whole picture. I'm not finished with the book but I think there are going to be some sad parts. The book is not going to be funny at all so if you read this be prepared. This a good book I plan to finish it by the end of this year 2012. I chose this book because it seems that it would be a good book. Overall I think this is going to be a good book.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gunny Sergeant Swanson, one of the best snipers in the world, and the members of Trident command are dispatched to Saudi Arabia to stop an violent uprising and recover 5 nuclear bombs in that country before a Russian backed and Chinese threatened attack can topple the government. Juba, Swanson old enemy is also on hand to try to kill Swanson. The action is fast and furious, and the sniper shows that his wits and military prowess count for as much as his long gun.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “WITH THE FATE OF THE WORLD ON THE LINE… SNIPER ACTION FROM CONTINENT TO CONTINENT.”
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This is the third installment in the Kyle Swanson “A SNIPER NOVEL” series. And of course co-author Jack Coughlin’s (USMC retired) autobiography “SHOOTER” defined the authenticity of a sniper “think-tank” that provides the authentic nucleus for this fictionalized series. There’s a reason the jargon and action rings truer than most other novels. I am an Honorably Discharged Viet Nam era veteran and can confirm that Coughlin’s Swanson… talks the authentic talk… and walks the walk. As the story unfolds Swanson is with his super classified Task-Force-Trident in the “ragged” mountains of Western Pakistan. Trident is involved in “THEIR FOURTH BLACK RAID ON HIDDEN TRAINING CAMPS ACROSS THE BORDER IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS.” As per normal operating procedures there is usually only one or two people in the entire United States Government that knows what Trident is up to. Kyle has a direct reporting line to General Bradley Middleton (who Swanson had rescued after the General had been kidnapped and held in Syria in an earlier “SNIPER NOVEL”.) and the President of the United States. Both the General and the President can disavow any knowledge of Swanson at any time based on which way the world’s political winds happen to be blowing at the moment.

Overshadowing Trident’s non-existent classified mission is a high level meeting of worldwide leaders at Sir Geoffrey Cornwell’s Scottish castle. There are security personnel from five different nations that have been assigned the task of protecting the guests. The goal of this international rendezvous is the signing of an historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia that would signal the possibility of the long sought establishment of peace in the Mid-East. Among the luminaries attending this world-changing event are the United States Secretary of State… the foreign ministers of Israel and Great Britain… Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia… among others. The host Sir Geoffrey also happens to be the closest thing to a Father figure that Kyle Swanson has ever had. Sir Geoffrey’s wife Lady Patricia also has a special place in Kyle’s heart. For a hardened career sniper that by circumstance and by trade has no place for… nor any need for… warm and snugly feelings… Kyle’s personal love interest… also happens to be Sir Geoffrey’s personal assistant… the lovely Delara… who is in charge of all the intricate details of this extravaganza. Before Kyle left on his current mission *WHICH-DIDN’T-EXIST* he had warned Sir Geoffrey that his security precautions weren’t good enough. Sir Geoffrey thought it was pure hubris on Kyle’s part. On the night of the opening dinner two powerful TOW missiles “with 12.4 kilogram warhead’s that were capable of blowing through the armor of a tank” hit the Scotland castle the night of the dinner party. Seventeen people were killed, including the United States Secretary of State and his wife, and the foreign ministers of Israel and Great Britain. Wounded were Prince Abdullah… Sir Geoffrey and Lady Patricia.

This is followed by upheaval in Saudi Arabia where lifelong trusted aides kill their leaders and there is even an air attack on the King. At this point all hell breaks loose with the possible ramifications. It is discovered that Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons. After a veiled threat… will the United States go to war with Saudi Arabia? “China was now the second largest oil importing country in the world and in a few years it probably would surpass the gluttonous United States.” Half of their imported oil comes from the Middle-East. If Saudi Arabia fell it will upset “the delicate balance” of oil to China. Chinese leaders discuss their military options… and somehow… deviously… Russia is involved.

What should America do? Kyle returns from his “non-existent” mission only to find out about the missile attack and the condition of the few loved ones in his life.

The President of the United States signs a secret order to authorize Trident “A GREEN LIGHT PACKAGE, PRE-AUTHORIZED PERMISSION TO DO WHATEVER WAS NECESSARY.” And (Note: small spoiler only for people who haven’t read the prior *SNIPER NOVELS*) on one of Indonesia’s more than 13,000 islands existed a man with one eye… a downturned mouth… a left ear that was a shriveled piece of skin… and white scars throughout… this was a man who had been known as Juba.

[Kenneth Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining and not entirely implausible yarn set in the Middle East--specifically, in Saudi Arabia. What I like about this book is that Coughlin--with another writer sitting alongside him smoothing out the narrative and I suppose, making the story more coherent--has walked the walk; he was the Marines' top sniper during the Iraq conflict. He knows about setting up his "hide," stalking targets, and so on. Unlike some of us, who merely read up on these topics, and then set some details into a piece of fiction, he has been there.
The fact that Coughlin has served in the Arab world is evident in this story in several moments in the narration, and the story is better for it.
This is an action/adventure tale, and in those respects, it does not disappoint. I could also see this in some kind of film treatment. Aside from the main character, "Swanson" has several sidekicks and helpers who seem like real people (or they could be) in real situations. If the occasional line of dialogue is silly or stilted, that does not detract from the realistic atmosphere in most of this work.
Well done. I may have to read a few of the other items in this series.
Enjoy.

[andrew looker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response

I liked this book because it had a lot of action and moments where you were unsure of where the book was going. Also it had a lot of tense moments and a good amount of suspenseful moments. Another thing was that the author was able to surprise the reader in all of those tense and suspenseful moments.

Plot

First, Kyle and his team, which are called Team Trident, are tracking down a group of terrorists up in the mountains of Pakistan. Then finally, after hours of searching they find the base camp of the terrorists, and blow up most of the buildings ,which kills all the terrorists. After that Saudi Arabia falls into a civil war between the Muttaween, which is the Religious Police, and the monarchy. Then the Muttaween manage to kill the king, and the princes decide on the ambassador to the US as the new king. Then the Americans find out that the Saudi's have nukes that could be captured by the Muttaween, so the Saudi's try to get the Americans to take the nukes away from them, so they don't fall to the Muttaween. The Americans get 4 out of the 5 nukes out of the country but a terrorist named Juba gets one. He tries to lure Kyle to come get it which succeeds, but Juba is killed by Kyle. They recover the nuke that Juba stole from them in a valley a mile away.
Characterization

Kyle starts off as a marine sniper ,and then he is called to take out some of the Muttaween. He becomes the worst nightmare of the Muttaween. Finally he takes out his biggest rival Juba with his customised Excalibur 50. Caliber sniper rifle.

Recommendation

I would recommend this to middle and high school boys because they usually like a lot of action and tense moments. I would not recommend this to girls because they usually do not like action and hearing about death. Also I would not recommend this to elementary school kids because they don't usually like death and action.

[Christopher Dodds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good but I found the lack the conflict between the Kyle and Juba kinda stalled the flow of action and of the story but I really enjoyed the rest of the story and some of the gun fights were well done and detailed, I also liked the Russian angle in it and found they were more of an antagonist than Juba who seemed just to be on a revenge arc which I felt could have gone on slightly longer and maybe his story should have ended in maybe the fourth book and have more of a build up to it.
But overall I enjoy all the characters and will be continuing to read the rest of the books in the series.

[Albert Pickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read. A lot more is on the line, missing nukes need to be found, a power struggle, potential 3rd world war depending how everything goes. Juba returns as the antagonist once again. No cliff-hangers this time, this story does actually come to a conclusion. I recommend reading this and the 2nd book back to back.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Kyle Swanson thriller, as upheaval in Saudi Arabia threatens the world's oil supply and convinces some interesting players on the world stage to make some audacious moves. A nice mix of boots-on-the-ground action with some geopolitical entanglement.

[Greg Oaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as exciting as previous books, not as much sniping more special ops.the infighting in Saudi Arabia results in a coup attempt and the discovery of nuclear weapons. Kyle is tasked with finding them all the while being hunted by an old nemesis

[MARY · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. I also cried. Because this was sad because of what happen to Sir Geoffrey and Lady Pat, plus later in the book Kyle will I won't spoil it for others. But I will say that the ending is a good one.

[Colbert L. Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

The storyline was convincing and plausible. The intensity was captivating and continuous. All of of the characters were memorable and realistic. One of the most exciting action adventure novel I’ve read this year. I’m staying with this series to begin 2020.

[Liam Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Kyle Swanson gets the job done and I like the way he makes sure Juba got killed for good. He put him in a trunk of a car and set an airstrike on the car with Juba inside to make sure he gets killed for good

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standard easy read gung Ho gunny sniper Swanson does it again saving the day and world peace, go with the flow. If your looking for distraction and an uncomplicated plot then this book is for you. As always focuses on the Middle East, and sniper trade craft and well defined baddie’s.

[Diane Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

These authors need to read Stephen Hunter, Mark Greaney, Ward Larsen and Michael Connelly to see how you develop a character and set the scene. This book had a decent storyline but was just so See Spot Run.

[John A Cunliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Jack Coughlin does it again.Tom Clancy would have enjoyed reading these books.Can't wait for the next one to be downloaded.

[Vic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good action story.

[Sean Goh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military sniper thriller with geopolitical elements thrown in for flavour. Sadly Juba has been reduced to a revenge seeking caricature with an underwhelming finale.

[Mr.Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series, will have to read more of them.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story moves along at a fast pace.