Rating: 
Summary: Bullseye
Review: Another page-turning chapter in the Swagger family saga is sure fire summer fun. Earl Swagger returns from heroic WWII duty to confront the demons in his past and the uncertain post war future. Hunter knows how to tell a story and keeps getting leaner and meaner.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable page turner.
Review: Once agains Hunter turns out a strong, just minded, flawed hero. A perfect beach read in its own right made more enjoyable for Hunter fans in its continuation of the Swaggart family history and a blend of real historic figures and events.
Rating: 
Summary: pretty good
Review: Stephen Hunter's books hit a chord with a lot of people because: a) they are good mysteries; b) they are great action/adventure books, with lots of suspenseful shootouts and loving descriptions of really cool guns; and c) Hunter likes to write about the concept of HONOR, which is in short supply in Clinton-era USA. This story, about a marine hero cleaning up a gambling town, is high on the themes of honor and sacrifice, but it falls a little short as a suspense/mystery novel, compared to other stuff Hunter has written. The plot is quite straightforward, and there is little suspense in the book. But the setting is an interesting one - that of the collective relief/ grief/ hangover/ high expectations of the immediate post-WWII America, and Hunter seems to do a good job evoking that era. Also the subplot about the hero's tyrannical child-abusing father adds a lot. The subplot about the marine's wife and her problematic pregnancy is a little cliched, and as usual Hunter's female characters are a little one-dimensional. The whole thing does not tie together that neatly. It's worth reading, but only after "Point of Impact," "Black Light," and "Time to Hunt," all of which are impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome prequel
Review: Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the three "Bob the Nailer" offerings from Hunter, I looked forward to this novel whose central character is Earl Swagger -- WWII veteran, medal of honor winner, tortured soul, and father to Bob the Nailer. Although not as good as Point of Impact (which was an impressive page turner), Hot Springs did not disappoint. Early morning workouts on the stepper or exercise bike were not seen as drudgery but rather as an opportunity to pound out more pages of Hot Springs. Throughout the book, one comes to know and further appreciate the intricacies, both positive and negative, of being a Swagger. Action sequences and character development are interwoven and provide a complementary blend throughout the book. This novel is able to stand on its own as an action/thriller, but for those who have already completed the "Bob the Nailer" books, it also offers a good early glimpse at characters from previous novels and ties together events that are littered throughout those efforts. Certainly, this will not be the last novel from Hunter based on the Swagger clan.
Rating: 
Summary: An American Saga
Review: This is the latest in what we might call Hunter's "Swagger Saga," one of several of his works that features members of the Swagger of Arkansas family. Here, Earl returns home at the end of WWII to get his Medal of Honor, and is drawn into a plan to "clean up" the crime-ridden town of Hot Springs. Earl and a select group of young recruits enter into a violent, bloody battle with organized crime, while Earl's wife is slowly coming to term(s)with her new baby and with Earl. Hunter incorporates "real" history into the novel: there was corruption in post-war Hot Springs, and an attempt to clean it up; characters like Bugsy Siegel (a main player) and Mickey Rooney appear, and the arcania (Hunter especially likes firearms) sounds authentic. So far so good. A lively thriller. But it's far better than that. Hunter writes superbly; one of his paragraphs is so much better than anything, say Parker or Cornwell, can write it's a joke that these two are more popular. Hunter's minor characters are wonderfully sketched; the period comes to life. My comparison to Galsworthy is intentional. Here is the new American South after WWII, the race problem, the concepts of culture, language distinctions, the idea of class, are all rendered. There are only an handful of writers of "mysteries" who are working at this level. James Lee Burke is one; James Crumley was another when he was writing; Michael Connelly until his last 2 books. Hunter is another, among the best. And this book is also among the best--around lately.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 star winner
Review: This prequel to the Swagger saga hits a home run.Earl Swagger is a decorated veteran returning home from Iwo Jima, where he received the medal of honor. Owney Maddox is the gangster that runs the books, brothels, and casinos at Hot Springs, which in 1946, is a city of wide corruption and notoriety, attracting the rich and famous. A Mr. Becker, who is the new prosecuting attorney, hires Swagger to train a group of men to clean up the town. Earl Swagger does not let his impending fatherhood get in the way as he deals with evils and betrayals and a rising body count. I enjoyed this book as much as his previous books. The writing jumps out at you like your at a movie watching it all unfold. The history of Hot Springs (though here made more violent, because afterall, its a Swagger novel) was quite interesting. This is a highly action packed novel. Good vs evil, cops vs gangsters. Of course 'Bugsy' makes his appearances also. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Hunter Goes Backward
Review: While it is true that this book does not have the impact of DIRTY WHITE BOYS (which I would classify as having one of the BEST endings I have ever read), it shows Hunter's versatlity as a writer. It's always tough to choose between character and plot and this is definitely a character book. Not only does it reveal a lot about the characters in this book, it fills in lots of gaps in the later Swagger series. There is still a lot of violence- too much, I think, as in most of his books- to appeal to those who are into that but try to look beyond the guns and gunfights to see what makes the Swaggers such strong characters. I agree with the review that says this is do much better than A TIME TO HUNT which I found quite disappointing but I feel it is a nice complement to the earlier books. It reveals things that you didn't even know you were wondering about and then you find yourself thinking, "Now I understand!" Read it to learn about the family.
Rating:
Summary: Bullseye
Review: Stephen Hunter is a master of summer read. If you liked his other books you will not be disappointed in his work here. The Swagger family saga gets another chapter in this tale of a WWII hero who returns home to address the demons that made him fearless in the Pacific.
Rating: 
Summary: not much plot or characters
Review: Although I enjoyed the "Bob the Nailers" books, this story of Bob's dad Earl was fairly flat and did not develope other characters well. I was disappointed and hope he does not plan to go back even farther and do Bob's grandpa -- it is getting to be a soap opera. Instead he should start a new character or maybe have Bob's daughter go to Dessert Storm if he has to keep it in the family.
Rating:
Summary: Truth in Fiction
Review: "Hot Springs" is loosely based on a real series of events and the novel is populated with a mix of real, real-but-disguised, and fictional people. The crackdown on gambling and other crimes in Hot Springs the late 40's really did happen and has left echoes that resonate to this day. While the violence in the book goes beyond what really happened the "sense of place" and point-in-time is well executed. For a person born in Hot Springs like myself it all felt eerily real. But I also would give it a broad recommendation to all readers attracted to the "semi-true crime" genre.
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