[.ca] Point of Impact (ISBN 0739344242)

Unparallelled Writing Skill:
Anyone who has read Stephen Hunter's novels know they are in for a good read, and this book is no exception. Having barely escaped an Assassination plot supposedly aimed at the President of the United States, Bob Lee Swagger (the hero of the story), is now the target of a Nation Wide manhunt. His only allies is are lady he just met and a frowned upon FBI agent. This book was a phenomenal read. The gun facts are very accurate and detailed. Many books I have read make the Hero out to be an invincible person with no flaws, which is not the case with this book. "Bob the Nailer" has his own flaws to deal with, which makes the book an even better read.

The real thing:
Stephen Hunter's "Point of impact" is the first in the Bob Lee Swagger series. Bob Lee is, no doubt, an excellent character. Hunter made him completely believable, and that's the most important thing about a good character. A Vietnam veteran, Swagger now lives in peace at his reclused home in rural Arkansas. Bob Lee is an experting in snipe shooting, general weapons and living in isolation. Suddenly, a shadowy military organization lures him into advising them how to catch another sniper, who may try to kill the president at a speech. Bob Lee is framed, and, wounded, has to run to save his life; only one man can help him: an FBI agent, on leave, himself an ex-sniper, living with the ghosts of his past mistakes. The story is not new, it has been used for a long time. However, Hunter's easy writing, believable characters, fast-paced pursuits, and, most of all, the tense moments of sniper action make this a great book. What's best, Stephen Hunter has (so far) written six books featuring the Swagger family. From what I've read on other reviews, each one of them is great. Hunter has accomplished what all thriller authors want, but few are able to do: an action thriller filled with enjoyable characters, with a touch of psycholgical warfare thrown in the middle. I'll surely read other books by Stephen Hunter. Grade 9.0/10

The lone gunman--except now, you're rooting for him!:
Bob Lee Swagger is not a man to mess around with. He was a military sniper, with the second highest number of kills in Vietnam. Then he came home to a country that shunned sniping, and he went into seclusion in the Arkansas mountains. Now he's been called out. A shady government conspiracy wants to use him in an assassination--as the fallguy. And when Swagger does indeed fall for it, lured into a trap, he promises his tormentors will pay...with their blood... Helping him is FBI agent Nick Memphis, who's just recieved his third strike. An odd pair, but together, they must unravel a far-reaching conspiracy...and bring vengence upon those who deserve it. "Point of Impact" was the first Stephen Hunter novel I read. It got me hooked on his writing, though few other novels lived up to it ("Dirty White Boys" was pretty good, if I recall correctly). This novel is a thriller of the highest caliber (no pun intended). It's about a proud Southern gunman pushed to the limits...the one spot where you DON'T want him to be! This is a terrific, suspenseful book, and if you are a fan of thrillers and haven't read it yet, then you absolutely must.

Phenomenal:
There simply are not enough superlatives to describe Point of Impact. This was a phenomenal book, clearly among my personal top-five list. In Point of Impact, Hunter presents Bob Lee Swagger (AKA "Bob the Nailer" due to his reputation as a Marine sniper during the Vietnam War) in a fast-paced conspiracy thriller. Hunter hooks you in the first few pages of the book as Swagger is hunting on his property in Arkansas. As the story unfolds, Swagger demonstrates the physical and mental toughness, decisiveness, patience, perseverance, and survival instincts that made him the best at what he does. Throughout the book, one comes to know and further appreciate the intricacies, both positive and negative, of being "Bob the Nailer." Action sequences and character development are interwoven and provide a complementary blend throughout the book. From start to finish, this book is impossible to put down.

Amazon recommendation was right on the money:
I had never heard of this book, let alone its author Stephen Hunter. I happened to be looking through my recommendations on Amazon and found this book. I was kind of surprised, because it sounded a bit different than most of my other recommendations. Seeing that it had 5 stars with 140 reviews, I thought I'd give it a try. Wow. This book is awesome. Bob Lee Swagger is a man nobody should mess with. He's a smart, Southern boy who knows his guns and just wants to be left alone with his dog. Nick Memphis is a hard-working, well-liked FBI agent in New Orleans. The author really develops these characters (especially Swagger) to the point that I felt like I knew them and was there with them. There are so many twists & turns to this book - it's a constant game of cat & mouse and many times you're not sure who's the cat and who's the mouse. When I finished this book I was so upset that it was over. I really, really, really enjoyed this book and I especially loved Bob Lee Swagger. Semper Fi.