I, Sniper: Bob Lee Swagger, Book 6

Another great read; I’ve never gone thru a series of books like I’m doing with Hunter’s works. What a pleasure to enjoy his descriptive writing. Good story, too. I especially like how he ends many of his chapters. Very entertaining and, of course, I recommend this book, as well as its predecessors.

Book Review - Author Stephen Hunter’s “I, Sniper" takes place 10 years after the hit movie, “Shooter,” starring actor Mark Walhberg as a younger Bob Lee Swagger. In I, Sniper, Book 6 in the Bob Lee Swagger series, Swagger's expertise (nicely detailed in this story) is called upon by the FBI in their attempt to bring to justice what seems to be a serial ‘sniper’ killer. This was my first Stephen Hunter sniper read, other than watching the Shooter movie - based on the book “Point of Impact” - and I enjoyed the I, Sniper book just as much as the Bob Lee Swagger “Shooter” movie. Sniper novels are a special sub-category in the thriller genre and Hunter is a master of it. The storyline is ‘good vs evil’, with a traditional hero who is an expert with firearms. The technical details are accurate in this story as well as very informative. Also, the dialogue with a large number of characters in the story was understandable and it kept the plot moving at a nice and steady pace. This was a very good read. I especially liked how Hunter explained a lot of what it takes to be a sniper. And the fact that snipers save more lives than what they take. To the average reader, this book may seem to be more detailed than necessary. However to someone with a background of some kind in firearms or the military, be they a novice or expert operator, this detail is imperative. I, Sniper takes place in the world of snipers and spec ops operators. The high end equipment and the specifics of make, model, and spec, are of paramount importance and in many ways tell a story of their own. I love a good weaponry novel and this is definitely one of them. Hunter's telling of this story, and of the characters, couldn't be more adequately told without these specifics. It’s right there next to the importance of character development in a story. This military action thriller is another wonderful adventure in the varied life of sniper Bob Lee Swagger, USMC (Ret). Stephen Hunter has created a top-notch character as richly detailed and memorable as ‘Jack Reacher’ 'Jason Bourne' or 'James Bond'. I cannot recommend this book enough! Very entertaining!

Few things in life are more enjoyable as you get older than reading an author that truly knows his subject mater and area. This is epically true of subjects and people that are so poorly understood by many today. Being of Swagger's age and with a very slight overlap with his experiences, a past competitive shooter, veteran and American I personally am most appreciative. Thank you Mr. Hunter!

This book was an incredibly slow read. Not because it wasn't interesting, but because of so much technical jargon it was rather easy to get lost. Also I discovered as reading this is Bob Lee Swagger book six in a series of books where Swagger is the hero of the day. Each book is stand alone as to story, but I got the picture that there was a lot of history missing that would have made the Swagger character easier to understand as well as giving feet to the technical jargon. Perhaps some day when I've time and patience ill give some of the other Swagger books a go.This book starts with the sniper killing of four people. It is quickly almost out to bed in report that gives credit for the murders to Carl Hitchcock known as most proficient sniper from the Vietnam era and having rode the wave of fame and profited for years from that status. As it turns out Carl is blamed in the initial FBI report for the killings. But before the report is released Swagger is contacted by Special Agent Nick Memphis of D.C. FBI office, who provides information that technically Carl couldn't be responsible for the killings. Carl by this time is dead via suicide. Nick begins investigation,using Swagger to obtain credible evidence as to who the killer is. A wealthy business man Tom Constable wants the original report entered and case closed. This is of course due to his ulterior motives aka hand in the pie. Swagger goes rouge investigating for Nick. Nick is trying to survive the onslaught of Constable who is providing the D.C.newspaper with reports of theft and gratuity by a federal officer all part of Constable's efforts to force the closing of the case.To make a very long story short, there is a substantial amount of espionage on Swaggers part as well as sniperdom where the bad guys and a couple of the good ones are killed.Swagger comes through with a film of Constable in his youth in those amazing 60's, taking part of a bank robbery where he shoots and kills two bank guards. Constable is arrested, Nick's career is safe and Swagger returns to his family in Idaho or Arkansas, wherever they lived.It's a decent read, would suggest reading some of the prior Swagger books for a better understanding of the charactersI will say this book was well written and very well edited. A breath of fresh air, no typos or misspellings noted. Well done!

This book weaves the real top snipes of Vietnam with the fictional Bob Lee Swagger. Anyone who lived through the political turmoil of the Vietnam period will able to figure out the the real people upon which many of the novel's other characters are based. Stephen Hunter pokes fun at historical institutions and characters, including the New York Times. This one is more about Bob Lee Swaggers context than Bob Lee himself. It's an especially good read for insiders.

This book and the whole series is a good read for action adventure fans.

The ONLY thing that made me laugh was the escape scene. But hey, it’s fiction, right.I have to say how fantastic it is to read a story about a guy who loves truth, justice and the American way.

Didn't expect to be so bored after reading the original Swagger novel, but this was so plodding and slow. Worse still, it reads more like a technical manual at times with interruptions describing in forensic detail about the effects of being hit by a bullet in different parts of the body. There is page after page after soporific page of information about barrels, setup, scopes, bullets etc. In the end I just skipped through it and then gave it away. No more Swaggers for me - and there do seem to be far too many of them, almost as if Hunter is doing a Lee Child or Cussler and latching onto one character and then churning out novels like a factory line.

Another instalment from Stephen Hunter centred on the former Marine Corps sniper Bob Lee Swagger. I first read Point of Impact many years ago in paperback, so this was a lucky find.When a sniper kills four well know anti-Vietnam radicals from the 1960s, the FBI are called in, and now assistance director Nick Memphis is leading the investigation. The evidence points to another retired marine sniper, and when he is found having killed himself, the report is all set. However, Memphis has a nagging doubt – it’s too perfect, so he calls in Swagger, someone he trusts implicitly, and, of course, a true expert in sniping.It would not be much of a story if Swagger found nothing, so I do not think it is a spoiler to say the situation changes based on Swagger’s report. The key problem is that the shots are too accurate, and Swagger identifies the likely weapon of choice, and Memphis and the team buy-in to the theory. Swagger is soon dragged into the investigation and starts to piece together the story, pointing to the real motive and culprit. But those ultimately responsibly have no interest in throwing their hands in the air, and a violent confrontation results.Overall, I enjoyed the book. The only quibble I have is just how much detail Hunter goes into in terms of the guns and bullets. I would not mind if it were once or twice, but it starts to feel a bit repetitive, as does the many descriptions of the lone life of a sniper. Arguably, it is not the detail, it is the repetition that I found a bit too much – perhaps a bit of editing, and you end up with just as good a story in 350 pages instead of just over 400 where I haven’t read about the 168-grain blah blah blah bullet five or six times. I have another Swagger book on my Kindle and would like to re-read Point of Impact if it is ever on Kindle as well, so I would say it is worth a read.

Excellent writing style. Good that it isn’t primarily one of the Swagger series, although he plays a part in it, but a solid coherent story about the practice and cult (and dramatic consequences) of long range rifle dueling between good folks and villains. Fine suspense, interesting setting, nice twists of the plot. Precise technical detail adds to verisimilitude. My only qualm was in the opening passages (excessively bloodthirsty I thought) and a little too much defense of sniping as a life saving rather than a death dealing practice ( a little bit of NRA anti-propaganda showing? ) But a good novel not just a thriller, and I recommend it.

So between them Stephen Hunter and Lee Child are ruining my sleep pattern. Invariably when I start a read I will be sensible, go to bed at usual time etc!. With this book started with this in mind, then all of a sudden it's three in the morning can't keep my eyes open but yes finished and another great book bites the dust, oh hum never mind still got a few books to go even if it's the second time I've read the series and yes Mr Hunter is that good.!

If you don't mind reading a guns'r'us technical specs manual then this is for you. However, if you want a reasonable story then be prepared to skip read a lot of pages to cut out the technical dross. Not a patch on the first Swagger novel and nowhere near as well written