Targeted (Bob Lee Swagger Novel Book 12)

Excellent book in the Bob Lee Swagger series, historically and technologically correct, like all of his books once you pick it up it is very hard to put it down.

I found this book to be entertaining, complete with action, mystery and humor. Full of characters you grow to love, hate and think about even when you have finished reading it.

Not your usual Bob Lee Swagger book. But well worth the time to enjoy. I highly recommend this Bob Lee offering.

I loved this book, Swagger is Swagger as always, and the plot is good with a few nice twists, overall, if you are a fan of Swagger you will enjoy this one.

I enjoy the Swagger novels even more that the movie.

Stephen Hunter can still write, but it is time to retire this series. And the dual time line back to the Revolutionary War was of no interest to me at all. Lots of politics bled into this story , which was not a welcome addition for me

I had pre-ordered the book and was looking forward to seeing Bob in action for what is likely the last time, and I wasn't disappointed. Before cracking it open (virtually), I read some of the reviews. Apparently there are some readers who were disappointed at the slant taken by Hunter in describing the actions and dialogue of the politicians, including the Pelosi-esque congresswoman who is out to get Bob just to score political points with her base. I can understand these readers' disappointment; after all, in the real world, politicians would never treat someone this way, would they? And journalists would never, pardon the pun, jump the gun on putting loosely-sourced information out there, and usually with a political slant. But of course, all of these would happen to someone like Bob whose actions would inevitably bring him into the cross-hairs (another sniper pun, sorry) of the popular, that is to say left-leaning, culture. One thing Hunter's critics seem to forget is that he portrays all politicians, not just Democrats, in unflattering colors. And, even though the events of the novel are clearly set in 2021-22, he does not include any characterization of the president, one way or the other, when he surely would have done so had he been truly interested in grinding a political axe. It must have been tempting, though, because the current chief executive certainly writes his part himself, so to speak. So, what are we to take from Bob's adventure? Would it have been realistic to have Bob, at 74 and still nursing serious wounds from earlier battles, engaging in more of the action than he did? I don't think so. Instead, Hunter introduces us to Delta, and while his moral compass is at least questionable to the reader--Delta is, after all, in the employ of a criminal gang--we see the possibilities for the character as a future Nailer-in-training with Bob, or at least the star of his own series. His very moral ambiguity would be, perhaps, more interesting to explore than the relative righteousness of Ray Cruz. At the very least, the novel gives Bob a chance to express his own personal philosophy in a way the reader hasn't heard from him in the past. When finally called to account for his actions--and, by extension, the actions of all his fellow snipers--before the committee, Bob gives a rather eloquent (for Bob) defense of himself and his comrades. The committee responds with its own time-to-beat-swords-into-plowshares soliloquy, which the reader knows is going to come back and bite them in their collective posteriors very quickly. Christian readers, of which I am one, know that the committee's desire is, really, the direction in which we should all be working, but along the way we will still need the Bob Lee Swaggers of the shadow world.

Well first off, the following language certainly strikes home and is current with national politics: “show me the man & I’ll find you the crime. Meaning somewhere, somehow, some way, they can find a crime...some ludicrous reading of the law, some transparent sophistry, something taken out of context, an irony read literally, a joke interpreted as a confession, a coincidence seen as a conspiracy. They’ll sift & sift & sift until they find it. A witness you never heard of who remembers something you never did. Then if that’s what they want, that’s what they’ll get.” So, so true and prescient. Anyway, the magnificent writing skills continue in this book. I didn’t quite understand the need for the chapters on the duel, but it was interesting nevertheless. Also, the character Delta was sort of left up in the air, which gave me hope maybe a book 13 was contemplated.

Read for relaxation enjoy historical references in books

Habe bis jetzt viele seiner Bücher gelesen, aber dieses Buch war wohl nicht sein bestes.Voraussehbare Handlung, einige historische Intermezzos die nicht unbedingt zur Spannung beitragen (und meist schnell durchgeblättert hab).

The Bob Lee Swagger books by Stephen Hunter are, in the opinion of someone who has read thousands of books in his life, simply the best of all. The character is so well drawn as to be real, and the plots that Mr. Hunter weaves are sensational, and wholly believable. Brilliant.

Love series

Swagger returns, a little older, a little slower, but just as sharp. The author melds in modern events and a strained political climate as good ol' Bob Lee fades evermore to the anachronism that he is.