Black Light

Rating:
Summary: Great finale!
Review: Stephen Hunter's final novel in his "Bob Swagger" series is a riveting and satisfying finale that gives the avid fan a sense of closure. It is action-packed with the added gem of a last-minute surprise. Hunter alters his writing style subtly with each series installment: "Point of Impact" is a real page-turner that hooked me on the Bob Lee Swagger character; "Black Light" was told with a few flashbacks to the past; and "Time to Hunt" has MAJOR flashbacks to the Vietnam Era that occupy hundreds of pages! At first, I thought the lengthy flashbacks disrupted the pace of "Time to Hunt", but I soon found that they provided necessary information in order to appreciate Swagger's present-day predicament, and gave this reader a hearty dose of suspenseful sniper warfare. All the flashback information doesn't take away from the action, and it helps tie everything together and doesn't leave the reader wanting more answers. A VERY satisfying ending to a great series!!

Rating:
Summary: Redneck James Bond
Review: I'm a redneck, so that's not a put down.

Some critics complain because, according to them, this is not Hunter's best. One complains because the title refers to untraviolet light, while in this story they use infrared (I'd bet the author knew that, and that the handle 'black light' is interchangeable). Then there is the guy from Pennsylvania who asserts that this is a true reflection of how horribly the white race treated the blacks in the South. I lived in Florida as a youth, and in my opinion, "black hell" is the urban North, not in the rural South.

None of this is what the book is about. This is an exciting adventure thriller about the son of an Oklahoma highway patrolman, retired, who apprehended, shot and killed a "bad guy" who had terrorized Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, after breaking out of the prison in McAlester with his cousin and another man. That story was told in Dirty White Boys, another of Hunter's atories. This book is a follow-up, although it stands alone and needn't be read in series.

Bob Lee Swagger is the son of Earl Swagger, an Arkansas highway patrolman who was killed by two cousins on a crime rampage, and was himself killed in the ensuing gun battle. But, there is a mystery as to who actually killed Earl Swagger, a congreesional medal of honor recipient. Bob Lee Swagger, Earl's son, and Russ Pewtie, son of Oklahoma highway patrolman Bud Pewtie, set out to solve the mystery.

If you like fast-moving action thrillers, with lots of suspense, good characterization, and excellent plotting and research, you will appreciate Stephen Hunter's books, and this is no exception. He writes masterfully, which is why he is a top-selling author in his genre. He knows firearms, and has an encylopedic knowledge of makes, models, ballistics, and accessories. To boot, he telegraphs a conservative's viewpoint, which is an added attraction for me (liberals tend to be gun-haters, and seem to know very little about them--and it shows.)

As to the critics who complain that this is not Hunter's best, I am left begging the questions: Why? What is missing? The plotting is still excellent. His vocabulary is not diminished. The suspense is maintained throughout. The story still holds you, as do his others. What is it that makes it any less than his other stories, if that is so? I found it just as good. I find him at the top of storytellers in his genre. I'm always amazed at the fault-finders who pit a great novelist against himself, like a golfer who is in a slump. There is no slump here. I'll read as many of Stephen Hunter's books as I can get hold of, and enjopy them all equally. The carping critics who attempt to show their great erudition by faulting genius should, perhaps, show us how it should be done with their own book, for comparison.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Rating:
Summary: One Glaring Error
Review: Not as enjoyable as Point of Impact, although it does provide insight into the "who and why" of Bob Lee Swagger. Another Bob Lee as-mentor to young, ignorant kid tale- gets a little formulaic. The glaring error I cannot get past is the title. Warning: possible plot giveaway here. Black Light is ultraviolet; a sniperscope uses infrared. They are not the same-never have been.

Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced
Review: Stephan Hunter is at the top of his form with this book and series. The book starts off fast and just keeps going. Lots of interesting details and a good story drive the book. There is always the interesting character of the story lead for you to fall back on and become comfortable with. This is a very smart book, the pieces fit together and you never think the author is forcing the items - they work like you are being told a true story. I have always been surprised that this author has not become a bigger name. This is a quality book that you will be glad you invested the time to explore.

Rating:
Summary: Great finale!
Review: This is the only book I have read (or rather listened to) by this author, and I loved it. It changed my opinion of murder mysteries entirely. I have read a few, from such authors as Michael Connelly, Johnathon Kellerman and Patricia Cornwell, and this was easily the best, especially in terms of believable plot twists and fast-paced action. The story takes place in a small town in Arkansas, jumping seamlessly between the 50's and the 90's, focusing on the plights of a state trooper and his son, a highly-decorated marine sniper. The characters are realistic and engrossing. The best thing Steven Hunter brings to this book are the seemingly effortless twists throughout. He frequently adds a twist to the plot not by introducing new evidence, but through a subtle change to the view on existing elements. Beau Bridges read this story, and did an excellent job supplying the wide range of voices.

Rating:
Summary: Hunter is Awesome
Review: This book is very good but I recomend you read Point of Impact first, It will make more sense to you then. Also if you want the ending to be as much of a shock as he meant it to be then read Dirty White Boys before Black Light too. However if you are only going to read one of these first then stick to Point of Impact.