I, Sniper (Bob Lee Swagger Novels)
I, Sniper (Bob Lee Swagger Novels) book cover

I, Sniper (Bob Lee Swagger Novels)

Mass Market Paperback – September 21, 2010

Price
$9.99
Publisher
Pocket Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1416565178
Dimensions
4.13 x 1.2 x 7.5 inches
Weight
11.4 ounces

Description

."..Hunter is back at the top of his game."--"Publishers Weekly", starred review"Hunter's thrillers are always taut, exciting, and well written, and his latest is no exception. There's also a lot of gun and tech talk as Swagger uses decades' worth of skills to stay a step or three ahead of the baddies. Swagger fans will not be disappointed."--Robert Conroy, "Library Journal""In his guns-a-poppin' latest, Hunter pits his series hero against a nest of sharp-shooting vipers. [D]ust off the OK Corral. Even the somewhat squeamish, and even certifiable gun-dummies, may once again find chivalric, heroic Bob Lee just about irresistible."--"Kirkus Reviews""It's a troubling moral position, of course, the idea of the sniper as a man of courage, and Hunter makes the most of it, demanding that the reader rethink common cultural assumptions about good and evil. Those philosophical underpinnings give the narrative depth, but finally, as all Bob Lee fans know, it comes down to 'straight killing time.' And so it does, in a ramped-up, high-tech High Noon finale that will leave even unsympathetic readers gasping. As always, Hunter makes it work with precise, detail-rich prose that strips the faux glamour from gun fighting and leaves only the skills of the combatants set against the horrors they wreak."--Bill Ott, "Booklist", starred review"Stephen Hunter's "I, Sniper "brings back one of the great characters in modern thrillerdom, Bob Lee Swagger, everyone's favorite lethal, dour Southerner. I kind of want Swagger to meet up with Lee Child's Jack Reacher one day, in a contest to see who could say the least while doing the most damage."--Malcolm Gladwell Stephen Hunter has written over twenty novels. The retired chief film critic for The Washington Post , where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, he has also published two collections of film criticism and a nonfiction work, American Gunfight . He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Features & Highlights

  • The explosive
  • New York Times
  • bestseller by Stephen Hunter that sends ex-Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger into the thick of an FBI investigation and features some of the greatest gunfights ever to grace the page.
  • It takes a seasoned killer…
  • Four famed ‘60s radicals are gunned down at long range by a sniper. All the evidence—timeline, ballistics, forensics, motive, means, and opportunity—points to Marine war hero Carl Hitchcock. Even his suicide. The case is almost too perfect.
  • …to hunt one.
  • Recruited by the FBI to examine the data, retired Marine sharpshooter Bob Lee Swagger penetrates the new technology of the secretive sniper world to unravel a sophisticated conspiracy run by his most ruthless adversary yet—a marksman whose keen intellect and pinpoint accuracy rival his own. But when the enemy and his deadly henchmen mistake Bob for the hunted, it’s clear that some situations call for a good man with a gun…and the guts to use it.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(1.6K)
★★★★
25%
(672)
★★★
15%
(403)
★★
7%
(188)
-7%
(-188)

Most Helpful Reviews

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I gave up!

This is the first novel I have read in the Bob Lee Swagger series. Perhaps others are better. Surely they are not worse. I finally gave up on this one at page 150 in the hard-cover edition.

The Swagger character seemed like someone I would not want to know. He had a "country" way of talking that surely was a way of throwing people off-guard. For me, it simply seemed stupid (NOTE: I am from the South and have an accent myself).

Also, the characters created in the novel were obvious take-offs of real people such as Hanoi Jane and others of her ilk. I thought these creations were done in a heavy-handed manner that was similar to sitting next to someone in a movie theater and having them elbow me in the side and saying "Watch this."

The plot that was supposed to be difficult to solve was obvious in the first one hundred pages. Finally, by page 150, I realized that I was forgetting who characters were and, even worse, I didn't care who they were.

When I pay for a book I try to make it all the way through no matter how badly it is written. I couldn't do it with this one. I'll just chalk it up to a bad investment.
9 people found this helpful
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gun porn but bad gun porn

I have been a Steven Hunter fan since he started publishing and enjoyed the mixture of gun techiness and plot but his last three books have just slid down the poop chute. The book is a mixture of excess technical stuff, right wing blather and totally over the top plot twists. Some of the dialogue is just laughable; the lead bad guy is Irish and continually spouts this kind of comic-book, 30' movie Irishisms sort of like a big, tough Barry Fitzgerald. The only thing that was missing was a reference to a twinkle in his eye. And then, of course, the Deus ex Machina of the photo that exonerates (sic) the one good FBI guy and gives the opportunity for the a little more right wing, gun nut philosophy.

This is the the third strike for Steven Hunter as far as I'm concerned.
9 people found this helpful
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Very disappointing

This will be the last Stephen Hunter book that I will ever buy.
I had really enjoyed the earlier Swagger books but this was just
a really poor attempt to ride the success of the earlier versions.
Maybe time to put him to rest?
Work on a new character and better storyline.
6 people found this helpful
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Disappointed

I loved Point of Impact so much and all the earlier books by Stephen Hunter starring Bob Lee Swagger and Earl Lee. But I must say that these later renditions of Bob Lee are just not that interesting to me. I think that Mr. Hunter has seen the success of other writers of the same genre, churning out a multitude of books starring their hero in order to please their readers and making scads of money. So, by resurrecting an updated Bob Lee Swagger in a rapid succession of books is a business decision that Mr. Hunter has made at the expense of a good story. I'm disappointed that Mr. Hunter is a sellout. I still love Bob Lee and I hope that Mr. Hunter being the terrific writer that he is will just slow down and take Bob Lee into another well thought out story that I would be happy to read. I'll be waiting for that.
4 people found this helpful
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I was disappointed

I've shot a few guns and appreciate the military and all, but the transparent bashing of Ted Turner and Jane Fonda is just silly. Hanoi Jane isn't one of my favorites and colorizing old movies just because you own them is a sell out, but making him a hidden murderer?
Anyway, it's about gun worship and must be bolstered by obscure facts and jargon, which is boring to the non afficianado. Put this book in your hunting cabin and when you sneak away for a few days you will have something to occupy your mind. Just don't think too hard about it... it is as full of holes as one of Bob Lee Swaggers targets.
4 people found this helpful
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Ok, But...

This was my first Stephen Hunter book and I have to say the story was OK, but two things about his writing are very distracting and prevented me from losing myself in the book.

First of all, the Fox-styled politics expressed in the book are simplistic and naive.

In addition, the obvious Jane Fonda/Ted Turner connection to critical characters is too obvious and lazy. For me it's fine when fiction uses a familiar character - and sometimes it can be fun to spot them when its subtle. In this story Hunter hits you over the head with it. All in all, it just plays out as mean and lazy.

I, Sniper is an immature work. Hunter needs to dig a little deeper.

I, won't be back as a reader.
3 people found this helpful
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WORST NOVEL EVER?

NOT EVEN ONE STAR DESERVED! But it's Sunday, raining, I'm feeling generous so I'll give one star to this piece of merde. This is the WORST novel I've ever TRIED to read... but now on page 65, with no plot, no characters to root for or to hate, nothing of substance and really crappy writing, I just tossed the damned thing into the trash and decided to write a review to save others from paying for this piece of junk. It's the first book by Stephen Hunter I've read, and for sure I will never ever purchase another. This man was a literary critic? How could a person with absolutely no inkling of what makes a novel good to read, be a critic? My advice: do yourself, your pocketbook and your mood a favor -- when you see this novel on any bookstore shelf, run do not walk to another author.
3 people found this helpful
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Use a sniper to catch a sniper

This is the 6th book in the Swagger series, and involves the shooting of 4 60's radicals by an experienced sniper. When a former Marine sniper (Hitchcock) is found in a motel, dead of an apparent suicide, the FBI thinks they have the case wrapped up. As one of the dead is the former wife (Jane Fonda facsimile) of a TV mogul, T.T. Constable, (a Ted Turner facsimile), Swagger is brought in as a consultant. He concludes the case is too perfect and finds a staggering flaw indicating that Hitchcock is innocent and another victim in the crime. Bob goes in to investigate and tracks down the missing link for the case with help from the FBI and local police. In the meantime, T.T. Constable is putting pressure on the agent in charge in both public and private ways to get him to quickly close the case. Bob must use all of his skills to solve the case and bring the guilty to justice. this was a clever, well written, thriller, far superior to some of the series currently out there that seem to do the wash and repeat novel.
2 people found this helpful
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WHo is who?

This would have been my first Hunter. I stopped on disk 5 of the narrated version. I no longer knew who was whom and or what was what... I wasn't sure what Swagger's role was anymore... I didn't know who was speaking or why... Scenes would roll in front of me almost by surprise. What are we doing now? Where are we? Nor did I care much... When this happens, I know it is time to look for greener pastures.

Should I try other Hunter books? Any recommendations for redemption?
2 people found this helpful
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Too much politics - not enough story

I like the Bob Lee Swagger stories but this one was weaker than earlier ones. Too much right-wing, gun-toting politicizing and Ted Turner bashing and not as much story as in the past. The parts about computer-assisted optics were fascinating. I read up on the BORS (actually exists) and it's a very impressive piece of hardware.

Other problems - pretty unlikely guessing by Bob Lee on how his foes would react in several places. An many, many errors. Talks about the PRS at one point then the SPR a page or two later. It distracts me and detracts from the flow.
2 people found this helpful