Point of Impact
by Stephen Hunter
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Book Reviews of Point of Impact
Book Review: The Best In a While
Summary: 5 Stars
"Point of Impact" is the best book that I've read in quite a while. I purchased Stephen Hunter's book on a whim, and hope that it would be entertaining. It was more than just entertaining, it was good. The book is about an ex-Marine sniper, named Bob Lee Swagger, who spent three tours in Viet Nam. For the last twenty years, he's been holed up in the Ouachitians mountains living with his dog Mike and his rifles. The soft-spoken marksman is approached to help out a government branch in tracking down an assassin. Nick Memphis, a down on his luck FBI agent, is investigating a gruesome murder of an informant that was trying to reach him. As the informant dies, he writes the words, ROM DO on the floor with his own blood. The two stories quickly become entwined in a turbulent plot full of double cross, ballistic charts, and 1,400 yard shots. Hunter does a great job of telling just enough of the story to let you think you know where he is going. Then he turns the story on you leaving you surprised. He does this throughout the book. Only once was I able to guess where he was going. All the times that I thought I had him, Hunter was laughing at me from in front of his typewriter. He does it from the very beginning as we open up on Swagger in a deer blind waiting for Ole Tim, the largest buck in the forest. Swagger's character grows on you, even though he appears tough and rough around the edges.
Hunter is a master of the false-direction. He sets everything up so perfectly that once he changes the tables on you, you can see how he set you up. It all makes sense. It's the literary version of magic. Some authors are good at it, for others you can see the wires. Hunter is very good at it. If you like action/adventure, good writing, and an author that's good a deception, check this one out. I'll definitely read more of Hunter.
Book Review: Sniper
Summary: 5 Stars
The book begins with Bob Lee Swagger, a retired USMC sniper, hunting deer in the woods near his house. After, he returns to his secluded trailer in the mountains near Blue Eye, Arkansas, to find business salesmen waiting for him. They claim to be from an ammunition company called Accutech. They took him to their company's shooting range, and preformed tests using the company's new bullet. One exorcise has Swagger shooting from over 1400 yards, fourteen football fields, at a moving target. Soon after, he realizes that they set up the same scenario in which he was shot in Vietnam. The salesmen soon claim that they are not from Accutech, but are CIA. They tell Swagger that they need him to predict where a sniper from the Soviet Union will shoot at the President. He runs figures for weeks, then he predicts where the sniper will set up in New Orleans. He remains there as part of a SWAT Team, as a lookout, to capture the sniper. Just as the sniper takes a shot at the president, he is shot through the chest by the CIA Agents. He manages to limp out of the room, being lucky that the bullet did not hit any organs. Just outside the house, an FBI Agent, Nick Memphis, knocked him down. Swagger managed to grab Memphis's gun and took his car. He drove straight a river, and drove the car right into it. As he was lying on a log, in the middle of the river, he realized what had happened. He has been set up by CIA Agents, yet he now believes they are not CIA. He now realizes the only way to clear himself of killing the President is to find the men who set him up. The rest of the book is very exciting and very fun to read. Once you read this, you will agree that this is one of the best books ever written.Book Review: Sniper
Summary: 5 Stars
The book begins with Bob Lee Swagger, a retired USMC sniper, hunting deer in the woods near his house. After, he returns to his secluded trailer in the mountains near Blue Eye, Arkansas, to find business salesmen waiting for him. They claim to be from an ammunition company called Accutech. They took him to their company's shooting range, and preformed tests using the company's new bullet. One exorcise has Swagger shooting from over 1400 yards, fourteen football fields, at a moving target. Soon after, he realizes that they set up the same scenario in which he was shot in Vietnam. The salesmen soon claim that they are not from Accutech, but are CIA. They tell Swagger that they need him to predict where a sniper from the Soviet Union will shoot at the President. He runs figures for weeks, then he predicts where the sniper will set up in New Orleans. He remains there as part of a SWAT Team, as a lookout, to capture the sniper. Just as the sniper takes a shot at the president, he is shot through the chest by the CIA Agents. He manages to limp out of the room, being lucky that the bullet did not hit any organs. Just outside the house, an FBI Agent, Nick Memphis, knocked him down. Swagger managed to grab Memphis's gun and took his car. He drove straight a river, and drove the car right into it. As he was lying on a log, in the middle of the river, he realized what had happened. He has been set up by CIA Agents, yet he now believes they are not CIA. He now realizes the only way to clear himself of killing the President is to find the men who set him up. The rest of the book is very exciting and very fun to read. Once you read this, you will agree that this is one of the best books ever written.Book Review: Gun Enthusiasts Will Love This One
Summary: 4 Stars
Bob Lee Swagger a.k.a. Bob the Nailer was the second most successful sharpshooter of the Vietnam War. However, twenty years later with the glory behind him, Bob leads a secluded life in the woods of Arkansas. He lives in his trailer with only the company of his beloved dog. Despite the pain of an old war wound, Bob does not give up his love of guns and hunting. Countless hours he spends painstakingly making his way through rough terrain to kill big game.But the quiet life that Bob Lee Swagger savors takes a dramatic turn after some so-called intelligence agents approach him claiming they desire his expertise in ammunition. They make a job offer he can't refuse. Bob bites the bait.....the trap is set.....hell is sprung.
The action shifts into full gear, as Bob's seemingly innocent "job" becomes the framework for setting him up as an assassin. After the killing of a prominent political figure takes place, Bob the Nailer carries a price on his head and becomes the target of the greatest manhunt in U.S. history. Amazingly Bob stays one step ahead of law enforcement as he dodges capture whilst collecting evidence to clear his name. Meanwhile, his only allies are Nick Memphis, a disgraced FBI agent, and Julie Fenn, a woman he barely knows.
Stephen Hunter gives precise details on firearms, ammunition, and sniper procedures in this book. Not having much knowledge in this area myself, I can't verify if his facts are accurate. However, my hunch is they are, which should please the most zealous gun owners. Anyone interested in suspense, military conspiracies, and large-scale shootouts will no doubt be nailed to their chair while reading the power-packed Point of Impact.
Book Review: the Godiva chocolate of junk-food books
Summary: 5 Stars
Once in a while I need to read some junk food, just to get my mind off stuff, and I came across this little package of unlabeled chocolate (found it in the lobby of my building)...and ate it. I was expecting Hershey's, but no! It was Godiva. Good points: An excellent and clever plot with lots of fast little unexpected twists and turns, characters that were surprisingly more dimensional than one would expect, many sharp little psychological insights, lots and lots and lots of good strong detail about the FBI, the CIA, and most of all, about big-league shooting. (I used to be a shooter way back when, and I had no idea there was so much intricacy to it. I just bought the gun, loaded it, aimed it as best I could, and shot it...and didn't think too much.) Also, the "good guy" characters are extremely sympathetic, and you can't wait for the "bad guys" to get what's coming to them. Lastly, the book is LONG, so it doesn't just start and stop and leave you wanting more.
Weaknesses: at times a little predictable, and at times certain characters somewhat overdone (like Dr. Dobbler - he was just a one-trick pony, which is unrealistic for a "brilliant" psychiatrist, and he could have had more character growth). And lastly, though perhaps this isn't fair, I find myself wondering what motivates someone like Stephen Hunter to write a book like this...a book which, despite its interesting and quick points and rich detail, has very little philosophically or emotionally growth-oriented about it. I guess it's the same thing that motivates someone out there to spend their life developing the ultimate formula for Godiva chocolate. But then again, thank god for Godiva!