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Bob Lee Swagger #2
Black Light
If you have a supernatural problem that won't go away, you need Buck private eye, exorcist, and last resort.
Buck's got a way with spirits that no one else can match. He was normal, once. Until Something Horrible killed his parents and left him for dead.
Buck has spent years using his gift to trace his family. It's his only hope of finding out what happened to them-and what made him the way he is.
Now the voices say that something big is coming. Buck already knows what it is-a super high-tech bullet train running express across a stretch of unforgiving desert known for the most deadly paranormal events in history. A place where Buck almost died a few years ago, and where he swore he would never return.
But as the train prepares to rumble down the tracks, Buck knows it can only be the inevitable hand of fate pulling him back to the most harrowing unfinished case of his career at four hundred miles per hour.
Buck's got a way with spirits that no one else can match. He was normal, once. Until Something Horrible killed his parents and left him for dead.
Buck has spent years using his gift to trace his family. It's his only hope of finding out what happened to them-and what made him the way he is.
Now the voices say that something big is coming. Buck already knows what it is-a super high-tech bullet train running express across a stretch of unforgiving desert known for the most deadly paranormal events in history. A place where Buck almost died a few years ago, and where he swore he would never return.
But as the train prepares to rumble down the tracks, Buck knows it can only be the inevitable hand of fate pulling him back to the most harrowing unfinished case of his career at four hundred miles per hour.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 398 reviews
June 26, 2020
Stephen Hunter lässt erneut seinen großen Helden
Bob Lee Swagger zu gewohnter Hochform auflaufen.
Spannung pur von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite!
Bob Lee Swagger zu gewohnter Hochform auflaufen.
Spannung pur von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite!
October 31, 2011
One of the better read managers at work once said that there weren't any good books written by two authors, this might not be a hundred percent true, but generally a book with two or more authors is going to be some hobbled together fiasco. But what about three authors? And what if two of those authors are the writers of the Saw movie sequels? It's got to be good, right? Right? Three authors? Torture horror screen-writers? A recipe for awesomeness right?
Eh.......
Most of the other reviewers here seem to like this book, so I might just be a dick or maybe I'm not exactly the target audience for this book. But, but but I'm one of the people who has seen every Saw movie in the theaters! Even when they weren't so good, I still had fun watching them, so I thought hey, I bet I would like this, and besides it was a free advanced readers copy, what did I have to lose?
Eh.........
On the plus side? The middle third of the book was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. The first and last third of the book though were pretty awful. When I started to enjoy the book I thought that I could overlook the weak beginning of the book, but then when it all started to fall apart towards the end I thought maybe the good parts were just a fluke.
This book is about an exorcist / ghost-buster. He can see ghosts and rids the world of ghosts who are causing trouble by, um, eating them. Well it's called 'pulling' them, but pulling them is inhaling the ghosts so that they get in his stomach until he vomits up the ghosts into a silver urn and buries them. There is some tortured past backstory that isn't worth going into here. Oh, and when he eats a ghost, and sometimes when he does some other stuff he can see the 'black light' which is some kind of mystical light in the realm of the dead that allows him to do things like, see everything in the ghosts past, see things in his own past, see things that aren't really there in the real world, and sometimes find physical things and bring them back. This 'black light' at times would sear his eyeballs if he looked at it directly, so he has to wear steam-punk like goggles, but other times it doesn't seem to matter.
Why am I bothering with this 'plot' stuff, I rarely get book reportey, why now? Because it's part of why I disliked this book. Did you catch the last line of the last paragraph? That's the problem with the book, not the goggles, but the sometimes he needs them and sometimes he doesn't, most of the book is like this, there is no consistency. This lack of consistency I like to call Dungeon Master Bullshit, it's where a fictional world is manipulated in any way to make the story more appealing to a hormonally challenged thirteen year old boy who has been punched in the head a few too many times.
There is no consistency in this book. and I'm not talking about little details, this is total failure of world building. Instead of having consistent rules about what can and can't be done in this world the rules are always changing, and they are more akin to an old style video game. The bad guys get inexplicably stronger and more difficult to beat as the book goes on but not for any reason given, actually they usually get more difficult despite the 'rules' of the world from earlier parts of the book.
So the book goes on and gets sillier and sillier with what can and can't happen. Along the way there are also a lot of fighting scenes that go on for pages and pages and they describe things that might be cool to see in a movie but which make my eyes glaze over when I'm reading about it. Then as the book nears the end it's like the writers open up the book of every cheesy Hollywood cliche and 'twist' and decide that it would be good to throw in as many as they can. At this point the book gets even sillier than it was already becoming. And then.....
the cherry on the top......
the fat lady singing?
the moment in a cheesy movie before the credits role?
Eh.......
Most of the other reviewers here seem to like this book, so I might just be a dick or maybe I'm not exactly the target audience for this book. But, but but I'm one of the people who has seen every Saw movie in the theaters! Even when they weren't so good, I still had fun watching them, so I thought hey, I bet I would like this, and besides it was a free advanced readers copy, what did I have to lose?
Eh.........
On the plus side? The middle third of the book was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. The first and last third of the book though were pretty awful. When I started to enjoy the book I thought that I could overlook the weak beginning of the book, but then when it all started to fall apart towards the end I thought maybe the good parts were just a fluke.
This book is about an exorcist / ghost-buster. He can see ghosts and rids the world of ghosts who are causing trouble by, um, eating them. Well it's called 'pulling' them, but pulling them is inhaling the ghosts so that they get in his stomach until he vomits up the ghosts into a silver urn and buries them. There is some tortured past backstory that isn't worth going into here. Oh, and when he eats a ghost, and sometimes when he does some other stuff he can see the 'black light' which is some kind of mystical light in the realm of the dead that allows him to do things like, see everything in the ghosts past, see things in his own past, see things that aren't really there in the real world, and sometimes find physical things and bring them back. This 'black light' at times would sear his eyeballs if he looked at it directly, so he has to wear steam-punk like goggles, but other times it doesn't seem to matter.
Why am I bothering with this 'plot' stuff, I rarely get book reportey, why now? Because it's part of why I disliked this book. Did you catch the last line of the last paragraph? That's the problem with the book, not the goggles, but the sometimes he needs them and sometimes he doesn't, most of the book is like this, there is no consistency. This lack of consistency I like to call Dungeon Master Bullshit, it's where a fictional world is manipulated in any way to make the story more appealing to a hormonally challenged thirteen year old boy who has been punched in the head a few too many times.
There is no consistency in this book. and I'm not talking about little details, this is total failure of world building. Instead of having consistent rules about what can and can't be done in this world the rules are always changing, and they are more akin to an old style video game. The bad guys get inexplicably stronger and more difficult to beat as the book goes on but not for any reason given, actually they usually get more difficult despite the 'rules' of the world from earlier parts of the book.
So the book goes on and gets sillier and sillier with what can and can't happen. Along the way there are also a lot of fighting scenes that go on for pages and pages and they describe things that might be cool to see in a movie but which make my eyes glaze over when I'm reading about it. Then as the book nears the end it's like the writers open up the book of every cheesy Hollywood cliche and 'twist' and decide that it would be good to throw in as many as they can. At this point the book gets even sillier than it was already becoming. And then.....
the cherry on the top......
the fat lady singing?
the moment in a cheesy movie before the credits role?
June 9, 2015
Another 5 star book in the Bob Lee Swagger series! This book features Bob Lee looking into the death of his father, Earl ,an Arkansas State Trooper shot in an attempted arrest of 2 killers. Kept me riveted from beginning to end WARNING: This book is far from being PC!
March 14, 2023
A classic 90’s action thriller. A genre in which Stephen Hunter excels and of which Black Light is a fine example . Fine writing , dynamic action, the book also lays bare the institutional racism of the 50’s Southern States of America. Well worth checking out.
June 16, 2012
Some negative reviews have called 'Black Light' predictable, racist and violent. Yeah, what's your point? Look, this is a book in Stephen Hunter's 'Bob Lee Swagger' series. Swagger is an ex-Marine sniper in the south. He hunts bad guys. Violent? I should HOPE so!
In Black Light, Hunter's hero--Bob Lee Swagger-- is helping the search for clues regarding his father's death. (His father is ANOTHER S. Hunter major character, Earl Swagger). This journey bounces the reader from 1955 to the 1990s effortlessly, telling two stories at once and builds an excellent little mystery while keeping action junkies on the edge of their kindle.
As he so often does, and does so well, Hunter reprises characters from past novels. It's like running into old friends (or enemies, as the case may be), but knowing these recurring characters is NOT a prerequisite for enjoying any of the Hunter novels.
The plot? It's the 1990s, and a young reporter sets out to find who, back in 1955, murdered Arkansas State Trooper (and national celebrity) Earl Swagger. And WHY? The would-be author enlists the help of Earl's son Bob Lee, and from there... the action doesn't stop until the last page.
At the risk of sounding sexist, this IS a "guys book." It has guns (lots of them), violence and much bloodshed. And, yes, it IS as predictable as any action novel or film. But is that always bad? The PLOT isn't predictable, there were plenty of twists and turns. But the genre itself is surely lends itself to predictability.
One negative review called Black Light "racist." It isn't. It might upset our sensibilities to hear even the good guys use racist language from the 1950s, but that's just the REALITY of the times, location and the folks with whom we are dealing.
Can't deny it...I thoroughly enjoyed this Bob Lee Swagger outing. But then, I've enjoyed all the adventures Hunter has taken me on. If you're a first time Stephen Hunter reader, many will recommend "Point of Impact", but I started with Hunter's 'stand alone' novel "Dirty White Boys"...which, as it turns out, is more tied into Bob and Earl Swagger than meets the eye.
Predictable, violent, down and dirty. Stephen Hunter may not be great literature, but he can write some damned entertaining books that men will love.
In Black Light, Hunter's hero--Bob Lee Swagger-- is helping the search for clues regarding his father's death. (His father is ANOTHER S. Hunter major character, Earl Swagger). This journey bounces the reader from 1955 to the 1990s effortlessly, telling two stories at once and builds an excellent little mystery while keeping action junkies on the edge of their kindle.
As he so often does, and does so well, Hunter reprises characters from past novels. It's like running into old friends (or enemies, as the case may be), but knowing these recurring characters is NOT a prerequisite for enjoying any of the Hunter novels.
The plot? It's the 1990s, and a young reporter sets out to find who, back in 1955, murdered Arkansas State Trooper (and national celebrity) Earl Swagger. And WHY? The would-be author enlists the help of Earl's son Bob Lee, and from there... the action doesn't stop until the last page.
At the risk of sounding sexist, this IS a "guys book." It has guns (lots of them), violence and much bloodshed. And, yes, it IS as predictable as any action novel or film. But is that always bad? The PLOT isn't predictable, there were plenty of twists and turns. But the genre itself is surely lends itself to predictability.
One negative review called Black Light "racist." It isn't. It might upset our sensibilities to hear even the good guys use racist language from the 1950s, but that's just the REALITY of the times, location and the folks with whom we are dealing.
Can't deny it...I thoroughly enjoyed this Bob Lee Swagger outing. But then, I've enjoyed all the adventures Hunter has taken me on. If you're a first time Stephen Hunter reader, many will recommend "Point of Impact", but I started with Hunter's 'stand alone' novel "Dirty White Boys"...which, as it turns out, is more tied into Bob and Earl Swagger than meets the eye.
Predictable, violent, down and dirty. Stephen Hunter may not be great literature, but he can write some damned entertaining books that men will love.
July 17, 2016
I became a fan of author Stephen Hunter upon reading The 47th Samurai. Since then, I’ve yet to come across an author who can describe a violent scene the way he does, or dispel so much knowledge when it comes to guns and ammo.
According to the acknowledgments page, the book Black Light is the third novel of a Bob Lee Swagger trilogy which include the books; Point Of Impact (Which I’ve yet to read, because I saw the movie ‘Shooter’ which is based on the book, hey don’t judge—I got to get my money’s worth when it comes to Netflix you know) the other book is Dirty White Boys.
First a word of Warning: If you are offended by the N word stay away. That word is very popular in this novel…. you good to go? Let’s move on then.
The story takes place roughly five years after the events in Point Of Impact; Bob Lee is now the father of a four year old name Nikki product of his marriage to Julie Fenn (widow of the now dead sniper spotter Donnie Fenn) Two interconnected plots weave along this novel. One takes place in the present and the other in the 1950’s and it involves the investigation of a gruesome crime which saw the death of a young black girl and Bob Lee’s own father; State Trooper Earl Swagger, in the fictitious town of Blue Eye Arkansas. There is a good surprise for Bob Lee I did not see coming, involving a new family member, to say more will ruin things for those among you who’ve yet to read Black Light (which I believe refers to a type of sniper rifle scope technology?) I wasn’t too crazy about how the case gets resolved involving the rich dude at the shooting range near the end, that plot device came across as a bit of a cop-out, I was like wtf? Despite of this I still give it a five star rating, because at the heart of this tale, and amid the flying bullets, viscera, explosions and gunpowder lays a story about fathers and sons. About family, and the ties that bind us through time. Also, the book has one of the best satisfying endings (I mean the very end) I’ve come across in a Stephen Hunter novel.
January 13, 2013
First of all I will admit I knew nothing of this book - this is one of those random out of the blue gambles I took and it paid off.
As usually I do not want to give away spoilers but lets say that when I first started I didn't hold any great expectations - its on a subject that seems quite popular at the moment and with an unrecognised author I didn't think it would be the next award winning hidden gem. I was wrong - the style is quick and easy to read - the storyline though familiar quickly diverges away from my preconceptions and the whole general premise though predictable still manages to throw a few surprise but does not disappoint. In general I really enjoyed reading this for a cold Sunday afternoon and I hope there are others who get to enjoy it to.
As usually I do not want to give away spoilers but lets say that when I first started I didn't hold any great expectations - its on a subject that seems quite popular at the moment and with an unrecognised author I didn't think it would be the next award winning hidden gem. I was wrong - the style is quick and easy to read - the storyline though familiar quickly diverges away from my preconceptions and the whole general premise though predictable still manages to throw a few surprise but does not disappoint. In general I really enjoyed reading this for a cold Sunday afternoon and I hope there are others who get to enjoy it to.
December 23, 2020
SUPERB ! Why don't the bad guys realize if you mess with Bob Lee Swagger he will prevail at all costs ! A sizzling read to say the least. Wish I could rate it SIX stars. I read this one in just over 24 hours. At over 490 pages Kindle, this one flew by chapter after chapter. A must read in a must read series. Do not miss out ! check it out.
November 2, 2011
"Mommy I see dead people!" that's the line from the distressed young boy in Sixth sense the movie.
And definitely the main protagonist would quote the same.
There a lot of talk of dead people in this novel
This novel comes from the writers of SAW. The protagonist has been surrounded by the dead most of his life and his gifted talent is of the exorcism strain. He eats dead souls up then expels them from his own body again.
The story had the makings of a real page-turner but I expected much more fright, considering the writers of SAW were the authors. There was something missing for me, the elements where there for a good story but the delivery was not engaging enough, it's the way it was written it lacked a certain character and edge for me, it lost my interest a few times and I found it a struggle to enjoy, I really wanted the story to work. This kind of story has been written successfully before and suggest titles like book Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke. This was presented free for review but I cant let that give me a biased approach i must give a genuine experience of the story and not big up something I did not find that great.
And definitely the main protagonist would quote the same.
There a lot of talk of dead people in this novel
This novel comes from the writers of SAW. The protagonist has been surrounded by the dead most of his life and his gifted talent is of the exorcism strain. He eats dead souls up then expels them from his own body again.
The story had the makings of a real page-turner but I expected much more fright, considering the writers of SAW were the authors. There was something missing for me, the elements where there for a good story but the delivery was not engaging enough, it's the way it was written it lacked a certain character and edge for me, it lost my interest a few times and I found it a struggle to enjoy, I really wanted the story to work. This kind of story has been written successfully before and suggest titles like book Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke. This was presented free for review but I cant let that give me a biased approach i must give a genuine experience of the story and not big up something I did not find that great.
September 23, 2012
Black Light is a book written by idiots, written for idiots. And I'm an idiot for reading it.
The warning sign should have been the three authors who somehow managed to screw up an already ridiculously cliched and idiotic story. Black Light reads like the fiction vomited out by freewriting fourteen yearolds in a remedial English class.
It feels as though this story was a failed screenplay that these three idiots decided to showcase as a fleshed out novel. The problem is that there's nothing about this "book" that makes it a fleshed out anything.
I feel dumberer for reading this.
The warning sign should have been the three authors who somehow managed to screw up an already ridiculously cliched and idiotic story. Black Light reads like the fiction vomited out by freewriting fourteen yearolds in a remedial English class.
It feels as though this story was a failed screenplay that these three idiots decided to showcase as a fleshed out novel. The problem is that there's nothing about this "book" that makes it a fleshed out anything.
I feel dumberer for reading this.
December 25, 2018
I'm not sure how I stumbled across this series, but what a fun read. Bob Lee Swagger is a former sniper for the military and gets pulled back into action to avenge the death of his father.
September 10, 2020
This is my first Bob Lee Swagger. I have seen the movie and series Shooter based on the first book in the series, Point of Impact, so I thought I would move on to number two. This is an excellent almost epic tale that spans two generations. And while it is a mystery at heart, it is also a tale of race relations that could have come from a Grisham novel along with some fantastic action not unlike Jack Reacher or the Gray Man. The basic plot involves Bob Lee looking in to his father's death. It is longer than what I prefer in a book, but I was always engaged. That and the ending kept me from going with a 5, but it is a solid 4.5 and I can't wait to read #3. Plus the narration was first rate.
July 23, 2018
I finished this yesterday but I had a hard time figuring out how I wanted to rate it..In the end I'm giving it a 3 and I will explain my reasons in just a sec.
1. The amount of "GD" said (taking the lords name in vain) Look a few times fine I know not everyone is religious but every other word in a sentence is a bit much..I myself cuss but the amount of cussing was too much even for me..
2. The amount of the "N" word in this book. I get it people in the south say it but the amount was uncalled for and certainly didn't add anything to the story..A few times was way enough.
3.Gross (character saying they would do something with a dead girl)..really? It's because of something like this I stopped reading Stephen King.I know dark stuff /weirdos in the world I seriously dont want to read about it.
U might think through all of this I hated it..If U could get through the above mentioned reasons it is a good book..It was quite frankly hard to read sometimes not because of it was boring(that it wasn't) The racist overtones could b a bit much..and I'm from the true South baby..So I understand some of it and have heard some of it..but still some went over and beyond anything I have ever heard ever..
Now what did I like:finding out what happened to Earl..This is the reason why I wanted to read it and why I stuck with it even when it was hard.
Unfortunately I will no longer b reading anymore Bob Swagger books..which I really wanted to get into because of the show.This book was the last from this author I will read..Too bad!
1. The amount of "GD" said (taking the lords name in vain) Look a few times fine I know not everyone is religious but every other word in a sentence is a bit much..I myself cuss but the amount of cussing was too much even for me..
2. The amount of the "N" word in this book. I get it people in the south say it but the amount was uncalled for and certainly didn't add anything to the story..A few times was way enough.
3.Gross (character saying they would do something with a dead girl)..really? It's because of something like this I stopped reading Stephen King.I know dark stuff /weirdos in the world I seriously dont want to read about it.
U might think through all of this I hated it..If U could get through the above mentioned reasons it is a good book..It was quite frankly hard to read sometimes not because of it was boring(that it wasn't) The racist overtones could b a bit much..and I'm from the true South baby..So I understand some of it and have heard some of it..but still some went over and beyond anything I have ever heard ever..
Now what did I like:finding out what happened to Earl..This is the reason why I wanted to read it and why I stuck with it even when it was hard.
Unfortunately I will no longer b reading anymore Bob Swagger books..which I really wanted to get into because of the show.This book was the last from this author I will read..Too bad!
June 10, 2016
A good author. Tough hero. He wouldn't let a little back ache keep him down.
April 2, 2021
For awhile after starting this book I wasn't sure if it was gonna be half as good as Stephen Hunter's predecessor
, but since I stuck with it, I turned out to be dead wrong! The main reason is because I was for the longest time very skeptical, because for about the first 150 pages it keeps going back and fourth from the past back to the present, but like I said, I'm glad that I stuck with it because the ending made reading all the flashbacks worth it.
Former Marine Bob Lee Swagger, one of the world's deadliest snipers believes he has finally put his dark past behind him, taking place 5 years after the events of
, now married to the widow of his Vietnam friend, with a daughter, living happily on a ranch in Arizona. But one day a young reporter shows up at Swagger's doorstep, and Swagger who wants to be left along refuses to talk to him or do any interviews, but when the reporter says he's not there to talk about him but about Swagger's long deceased father, who was also a Marine during WWII and a State Policeman of Swagger's hometown of Arkansas, and who was supposedly gunned down in the mid 50's when chasing down 2 local boys for armed robbery, while also at the same time was investigating the rape and murder of a young woman the very same day.
But Swagger soon realizes that other parties were involved, and teams up with the reporter who's name is Russ Pewtie, and the two of them search for the truth buried in forty years of lies, and the outcome will change both men's lives forever.
What I also discovered after finishing Black Light is reading in acknowledgments that Stephen Hunter intended for this book to be part 3 of a trilogy, with Point of Impact being Book #1,
(which I have yet to read), and Black Light.
Unlike Point of Impact, which is considered to be a Political Thriller, I found Black Light to be more in the realm of Mystery/Detective, still a very good read though!!
, but since I stuck with it, I turned out to be dead wrong! The main reason is because I was for the longest time very skeptical, because for about the first 150 pages it keeps going back and fourth from the past back to the present, but like I said, I'm glad that I stuck with it because the ending made reading all the flashbacks worth it.Former Marine Bob Lee Swagger, one of the world's deadliest snipers believes he has finally put his dark past behind him, taking place 5 years after the events of
, now married to the widow of his Vietnam friend, with a daughter, living happily on a ranch in Arizona. But one day a young reporter shows up at Swagger's doorstep, and Swagger who wants to be left along refuses to talk to him or do any interviews, but when the reporter says he's not there to talk about him but about Swagger's long deceased father, who was also a Marine during WWII and a State Policeman of Swagger's hometown of Arkansas, and who was supposedly gunned down in the mid 50's when chasing down 2 local boys for armed robbery, while also at the same time was investigating the rape and murder of a young woman the very same day.But Swagger soon realizes that other parties were involved, and teams up with the reporter who's name is Russ Pewtie, and the two of them search for the truth buried in forty years of lies, and the outcome will change both men's lives forever.
What I also discovered after finishing Black Light is reading in acknowledgments that Stephen Hunter intended for this book to be part 3 of a trilogy, with Point of Impact being Book #1,
(which I have yet to read), and Black Light. Unlike Point of Impact, which is considered to be a Political Thriller, I found Black Light to be more in the realm of Mystery/Detective, still a very good read though!!
July 15, 2024
Great premise; supernatural sleuth with Ghostbuster themes just darker. A damaged protagonist and an interesting concept for solving cases. The opening stanza had me excited...and then the action kicked in and didn't stop until curtain call; what should've been great became a long action orientated sequence with repetitive tag lines over the course of hundreds of pages. Oh what could've been...
January 23, 2012
It took me a while to get through this one, I had to keep bumping it to read library books so I could get them back on time. I still have 12 library books here but I just wanted to read this one. You can only hold off so long.
This is as the title above says the second of the Bob Lee Swagger novels. We pick up here years after the events of the first novel when a young man shows up wanting to write a book about the events that surround the death of Bob's father.
This book grows into a somewhat more intricate novel "mystery wise" than the first. It also has it's share of action. While I like the first book a bit better this one is a very good read.
Traveling from Bob's home out west where he's been happily living with his wife and child the action moves back to Arkansas. From there the investigation swings from east back to the west and finally ends having tentacles that stretch as far as Washington DC and beyond. While there's a bit of a sneaky trick to the mystery if you're trying to figure it out it's not bad. To be fair the book does mention the key piece of evidence but you need to be really astute to spot it. It was there buried in the story, but buried very deeply.
So, a good book, a little wordy in places but not often and if you're looking for action (as I do at least in part) this one has it. From a mechanized ambush to a stalk in the woods there's plenty of adventure. Well done, well laid out with a mystery that holds together and plenty of action.
4 stars.
This is as the title above says the second of the Bob Lee Swagger novels. We pick up here years after the events of the first novel when a young man shows up wanting to write a book about the events that surround the death of Bob's father.
This book grows into a somewhat more intricate novel "mystery wise" than the first. It also has it's share of action. While I like the first book a bit better this one is a very good read.
Traveling from Bob's home out west where he's been happily living with his wife and child the action moves back to Arkansas. From there the investigation swings from east back to the west and finally ends having tentacles that stretch as far as Washington DC and beyond. While there's a bit of a sneaky trick to the mystery if you're trying to figure it out it's not bad. To be fair the book does mention the key piece of evidence but you need to be really astute to spot it. It was there buried in the story, but buried very deeply.
So, a good book, a little wordy in places but not often and if you're looking for action (as I do at least in part) this one has it. From a mechanized ambush to a stalk in the woods there's plenty of adventure. Well done, well laid out with a mystery that holds together and plenty of action.
4 stars.
November 4, 2014
Another very good action thriller novel from Stephen Hunter. I had picked this one up thinking it was the second in the Bob Lee Swagger series and while it is the direct sequel to Point Of Impact, it is best to read the "non-Swagger book" Dirty White Boys first as the events of that book are referenced and have an impact here. This novel definitely ties together the two Swagger series, that of Earl Swagger and that of his son, Bob Lee Swagger.
Good action scenes, more character definition, and of course, the gun-oriented action that you would expect from a main character who was a Vietnam Sniper and has earned the nickname, "Bob the Nailer". Pretty good mystery as well, complex and well plotted. I definitely need to go back and read Dirty White Boys though before I continue with either series.
Good action scenes, more character definition, and of course, the gun-oriented action that you would expect from a main character who was a Vietnam Sniper and has earned the nickname, "Bob the Nailer". Pretty good mystery as well, complex and well plotted. I definitely need to go back and read Dirty White Boys though before I continue with either series.
March 24, 2013
An excellent thriller that pulls together the plots and characters of the author's previous books Point Of Impact and Dirty White Boys. Had my favorite type of plot, great characters, and realistic action.
April 29, 2017
Swagger's been plagued his whole adult life with a horrible event of the past. His father's unsolved murder. Four decades have crept by since his death. Long overdue, the time had come to find some answers and gain some closure. Hopefully. Nothing is going to get in his way.
March 16, 2008
This was a re-read. Hunter is a reliable read, part of a well-done series. It's a two generational series and,as in this book, the stories sometimes weave between the two generations.
July 23, 2009
Second Bob Lee novel. Ties the first and Dirty White Boys together.
March 6, 2010
This was a great book, my first by Hunter. If you saw Sniper-that was one of his books, so you have an idea what this is like.
August 31, 2012
First rate. I will read all of the Bob Lee Swagger books Hunter ever writes.
June 17, 2024
I have not read the Bob Lee novels in order, and I went back and caught up with this one. I enjoy this character. I also like how Stephen Hunter has interwoven several characters across the decades and in different novels together. I might go back one day and reread them all in order to get the full effect, but Bob Lee’s story is not his alone and lots of other people have shaped it and in turn he has shaped many other people’s lives.
February 19, 2020
Most everyone is familiar with the first book of this series because it was made into a movie. This book continues the story of the Bob Lee Swagger and incorporates family history into the story. I was really into this book for about the first two thirds of it and lost a little interest over the last third but overall it is a very entertaining read. I like the main character but found his secondary character, a reporter named Russ, to be flat and not very believable. I will continue to read these books as I feel they are well written and interesting. There is a great deal of information about guns and other items which reminds me somewhat of Tom Clancy and does give these stories a more "real" feel. Very good sophomore effort!
August 30, 2022
I think I like this series - although a lot of technical information that loses my interest.
December 28, 2018
SUBJECTIVE READER REVIEW WITH PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOWS:
It never ceases to amaze me how Stephen Hunter writes in the vernacular of a story's timeframe, to hell with modern social mores or political correctness. Sorta gives the damn thing a stamp of highly credible authenticity. Having dispatched my personal nuances, 'Black Light' is about the development and use of night vision technology and its transformation of 'the sniper.' Infrared scopes, along with muzzle suppressors, made snipers all but invisible at night and incredibly efficient. See, I didn't know about this part of it, as I remember the sniper movies and the guy's hiding in the jungle with his spotter making a daylight hit on some cartel type--and the shot was not suppressed, that's for damn sure, as both shooter & spotter high tail it hoping to escape the cartel's army that reacts like a disturbed nest of hornets. And Bradley Cooper wasn't making night hits in 'American Sniper,' so 'Black Light' sorta caught me off guard, but it makes perfect sense!
Bob Lee Swagger's coaxed into partnering with a journalist on investigating a Cold Case murder that was not only solved, but the convicted murderer was executed in Arkansas' electric chair. Swagger agrees to pursue the investigation because it just doesn't make sense, and in the process of peeling the onion he and Russ Pewtie begin to make important guilt-splattered participants nervous. Interestingly, the murder of Shirelle Parker was the last case Bob Lee's father Earl investigated, as he was killed during an encounter with the fleeing assailants in a wild rejection of civilized order. So of course the two cases are destined to intersect; Shirelle Parker's innocent and convicted assailant was set up by the same mastermind that orchestrated the night sniper murder of Earl Swagger.
Shirelle Parker's murder, by a male in a car offering a ride, took place in 1955, as did Earl Swagger's. Interestingly there is a major cross-generational continuation of the blights and biases, except that Bob Lee's just a bit more paranoid than his father, and figures out when somebody's about to kill him! Once Bob Lee Swagger survives a hit, in his parlance, 'it's time to hunt.' So then Bob Lee's got an investigative journalist mind to assist him around the edges of modern technology ignorance, and he peels the onion until the object of his concern is revealed. Then he finally makes it back home to Julie and his daughter Nikki.
Stephen Hunter is a hard writer not to admire when you're reading. I'm an author, and I feel mostly like a rookie compared to the paranoia that Hunter manufactures. It's a gift, and he manifests it perfectly via the Swagger men. Find this book--published in 1996--read it and see if you don't agree. Hunter's one helluva writer!!!
It never ceases to amaze me how Stephen Hunter writes in the vernacular of a story's timeframe, to hell with modern social mores or political correctness. Sorta gives the damn thing a stamp of highly credible authenticity. Having dispatched my personal nuances, 'Black Light' is about the development and use of night vision technology and its transformation of 'the sniper.' Infrared scopes, along with muzzle suppressors, made snipers all but invisible at night and incredibly efficient. See, I didn't know about this part of it, as I remember the sniper movies and the guy's hiding in the jungle with his spotter making a daylight hit on some cartel type--and the shot was not suppressed, that's for damn sure, as both shooter & spotter high tail it hoping to escape the cartel's army that reacts like a disturbed nest of hornets. And Bradley Cooper wasn't making night hits in 'American Sniper,' so 'Black Light' sorta caught me off guard, but it makes perfect sense!
Bob Lee Swagger's coaxed into partnering with a journalist on investigating a Cold Case murder that was not only solved, but the convicted murderer was executed in Arkansas' electric chair. Swagger agrees to pursue the investigation because it just doesn't make sense, and in the process of peeling the onion he and Russ Pewtie begin to make important guilt-splattered participants nervous. Interestingly, the murder of Shirelle Parker was the last case Bob Lee's father Earl investigated, as he was killed during an encounter with the fleeing assailants in a wild rejection of civilized order. So of course the two cases are destined to intersect; Shirelle Parker's innocent and convicted assailant was set up by the same mastermind that orchestrated the night sniper murder of Earl Swagger.
Shirelle Parker's murder, by a male in a car offering a ride, took place in 1955, as did Earl Swagger's. Interestingly there is a major cross-generational continuation of the blights and biases, except that Bob Lee's just a bit more paranoid than his father, and figures out when somebody's about to kill him! Once Bob Lee Swagger survives a hit, in his parlance, 'it's time to hunt.' So then Bob Lee's got an investigative journalist mind to assist him around the edges of modern technology ignorance, and he peels the onion until the object of his concern is revealed. Then he finally makes it back home to Julie and his daughter Nikki.
Stephen Hunter is a hard writer not to admire when you're reading. I'm an author, and I feel mostly like a rookie compared to the paranoia that Hunter manufactures. It's a gift, and he manifests it perfectly via the Swagger men. Find this book--published in 1996--read it and see if you don't agree. Hunter's one helluva writer!!!
October 11, 2011
BLACK LIGHT by Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan, and Stephen Romano
10/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Hardcover, 336 pages
If you are the person who protects us from the ghosts, who is taking care of you?
Buck Carlsbad has been chasing everything that goes bump in the night for more years than he can count. He has a “gift” which captures the dark forces that cause mayhem and disaster with the power to regurgitate them into safekeeping. He lost his family to the Blacklight that holds secrets and keeps the things that scare you very close and under control.
When Buck is asked to take his particular talent and participate on a trip through the desert on a new high-speed train his first thought was “why me”? But after talking to the creator, it becomes too clear that this train will cross the Blacklight Triangle, which is the area where his parents were killed and where the darkest danger on earth still lurks. This area housed the worst that human kind had created in prison facilities designed to contain their evil, but does that ever work? The body may be gone but Buck knows from firsthand experience that their souls can still roam about causing havoc by utilizing another vessel.
The train is full of the rich, famous, and future presidents soaking up the publicity and preparing for the ride of their life. The group is clueless as to the imminent danger right underneath them because they are as equally possessed by their own demons and distractions. This trip is a puzzle to Buck who is trying to put pieces together so they can finally make sense to him and maybe fill in the holes of why his parents were killed. Distraction is not a possibility for Buck as just the mere second he closes his concentration disaster can occur and he truly has no idea who to trust. Everyone that Buck thought was on his side may not be or maybe they really are he just does not know.
The last stop for this train may be the beginning of a nightmare that cannot be controlled by even someone with Buck’s gift.
My reaction upon finishing this book was wow. Not a small, uncomplicated wow but a huge that was awesome WOW. A book that is as fascinating as it is scary is an interesting combination that came across as well as it did due to flawless writing. The chapters flow one into another and every word is critical to the storyline. This book is best read with the lights turned up as high as they can go. Did I say wow?
10/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Hardcover, 336 pages
If you are the person who protects us from the ghosts, who is taking care of you?
Buck Carlsbad has been chasing everything that goes bump in the night for more years than he can count. He has a “gift” which captures the dark forces that cause mayhem and disaster with the power to regurgitate them into safekeeping. He lost his family to the Blacklight that holds secrets and keeps the things that scare you very close and under control.
When Buck is asked to take his particular talent and participate on a trip through the desert on a new high-speed train his first thought was “why me”? But after talking to the creator, it becomes too clear that this train will cross the Blacklight Triangle, which is the area where his parents were killed and where the darkest danger on earth still lurks. This area housed the worst that human kind had created in prison facilities designed to contain their evil, but does that ever work? The body may be gone but Buck knows from firsthand experience that their souls can still roam about causing havoc by utilizing another vessel.
The train is full of the rich, famous, and future presidents soaking up the publicity and preparing for the ride of their life. The group is clueless as to the imminent danger right underneath them because they are as equally possessed by their own demons and distractions. This trip is a puzzle to Buck who is trying to put pieces together so they can finally make sense to him and maybe fill in the holes of why his parents were killed. Distraction is not a possibility for Buck as just the mere second he closes his concentration disaster can occur and he truly has no idea who to trust. Everyone that Buck thought was on his side may not be or maybe they really are he just does not know.
The last stop for this train may be the beginning of a nightmare that cannot be controlled by even someone with Buck’s gift.
My reaction upon finishing this book was wow. Not a small, uncomplicated wow but a huge that was awesome WOW. A book that is as fascinating as it is scary is an interesting combination that came across as well as it did due to flawless writing. The chapters flow one into another and every word is critical to the storyline. This book is best read with the lights turned up as high as they can go. Did I say wow?
February 12, 2015
Black Light, by Stephen Hunter, is the back story of Bob Lee Swagger. Bob Lee, who has always refused to do interviews aimed at doing a book about his exploits, agrees to help a budding writer do a book on his father, Earl Swagger, a WW II Medal of Honor awardee and a decorated Arkansas State Trooper. As they conduct research for this book, which focuses on the day that Earl Swagger was killed, they uncover more than they bargained for (not exactly a stunning surprise).
For the first half of the book, the pace is much like that of the Arkansas and Oklahoma born main characters, slow and easy going but appropriately slow as that reflects the pace at which they are moving and the difficulty that they have as they try to learn what happened on that fatal (literally) day. The four main characters are very well developed and each has his own style and personality. The plot has a few twists but is primarily linear until the end where a couple of major twists occur.
Black Light will appeal to those who enjoy reading about a master tracker, Bob Lee, as he unravels (okay, okay, I'm know I'm mixing metaphors but who is really going to make an issue out of it?) the threads of events that led to his father's death. Bob Lee is a person of amazing abilities and, in fact, it would not have been surprising to see a big red "S" on his chest - although, given the location, S would have been pronounced with two syllables. There seem to be quite a few books about people with Superman's qualities and if you find that to be an annoyance, this book is not for you.
On my 1 to 10 enjoyment scale (1 = didn't enjoy it; 10 = couldn't wait to get back to it each evening), I would give Black Light a seven or a thin eight.
For the first half of the book, the pace is much like that of the Arkansas and Oklahoma born main characters, slow and easy going but appropriately slow as that reflects the pace at which they are moving and the difficulty that they have as they try to learn what happened on that fatal (literally) day. The four main characters are very well developed and each has his own style and personality. The plot has a few twists but is primarily linear until the end where a couple of major twists occur.
Black Light will appeal to those who enjoy reading about a master tracker, Bob Lee, as he unravels (okay, okay, I'm know I'm mixing metaphors but who is really going to make an issue out of it?) the threads of events that led to his father's death. Bob Lee is a person of amazing abilities and, in fact, it would not have been surprising to see a big red "S" on his chest - although, given the location, S would have been pronounced with two syllables. There seem to be quite a few books about people with Superman's qualities and if you find that to be an annoyance, this book is not for you.
On my 1 to 10 enjoyment scale (1 = didn't enjoy it; 10 = couldn't wait to get back to it each evening), I would give Black Light a seven or a thin eight.
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