The summer of 1946. Haunted by memories of his experiences in the blood-soaked Pacific War and of his abusive father, ex-marine Earl Swagger believes himself almost beyond redemption: an angry man with nowhere to go in the post-war peace. But there is a new war, within America's heartland: the war against organised crime. Recruited by the District Attorney in Hot Springs, Arkansas to take on the Mob head to head, Earl and his team of rookie cops find they have to do battle not only with heavily armed mobsters but also with politicians. No one anywhere is to be trusted.
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‘...a powerful, sweeping story. His prose has that rare visual quality that takes the action off the page and into the mind.’ -- Publishers Weekly
‘Stories of passion, guilt and redemption that jump right off the page and smack the reader clean between the eyes.’ -- Independent on Sunday
‘Stories of passion, guilt and redemption that jump right off the page and smack the reader clean between the eyes.’ -- Independent on Sunday
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'Hunter is in the front rank of thriller novelists'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Earl's daddy was a sharp-dressed man. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Earl's daddy was a sharp-dressed man. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. Warren M. Fisher
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Hunter storms back to form with this stark, bleak thriller. Continuing to explore his themes of guilt and redemption, loyalty and betrayal, violence and death, Hunter lays out his epic prose against a backdrop of explosive action and twisting drama.
The Swagger series moves on to Earl Swagger, WW2 vet and Medal of Honor winner. Mentally and physically scarred by war, and haunted by guilt at his own survival, and teetering on the brink of self-destruction, Earl seeks redemption or annihilation in a bloody war with ruthless gangsters. Brutal and moving, the explosive action is laden with an air of tragic torment, as this wounded man seeks meaning and purpose in violence and death.
Classic Hunter, and as ever dwarfing all his supposed rivals in the thriller genre.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By DAVID BENSON
Format:Hardcover
It seems that the mighty pen of Stephen Hunter has triumphed again. His attention to the reader i believe is his greatest asset, like the other novels that i have read by him it keeps you engrossed until the end. The novel starts well and just keeps shifting up gears all the way to the end. His portrail of Earl and his life is amazing, and i can only hope that the Swagger family keep on appearing throughout his next novel. If you have read other Hunter novels then his latest edition is certainly a must. He is one of those truely great authors whose work you really do not want to end but also not put down.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the first novel focussed on Earl Swagger. It is a great story and equals the preceding Bob Lee Swagger books.
Hunter has a way of intertwining and converging multi threaded storylines. He writes strong characters and Earl Swagger is a man who is feared and respected by friend and foe alike. He is a veteran NCO who fought his way across the Pacific in WWII and statistically should be dead. Instead he survives and trains a team of young G-Men to tame a wild gangster controlled town.
Many of the supporting characters are real or based on real people and the story is based around actual events. It was an excellant read and I've already got the sequel 'Pale Horse Coming' and look forward to reading it very soon.
Hunter has a way of intertwining and converging multi threaded storylines. He writes strong characters and Earl Swagger is a man who is feared and respected by friend and foe alike. He is a veteran NCO who fought his way across the Pacific in WWII and statistically should be dead. Instead he survives and trains a team of young G-Men to tame a wild gangster controlled town.
Many of the supporting characters are real or based on real people and the story is based around actual events. It was an excellant read and I've already got the sequel 'Pale Horse Coming' and look forward to reading it very soon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blast from the Past
The Swagger series moves on to Bob's father, Earl. Haunted and damaged by war, teetering on the brink of self-destruction, Earl seeks redemption or annihilation in a bloody war... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2003 by Mr. Warren M. Fisher
2.0 out of 5 stars
Awful
I'm coming to this novel, perhaps, with a very different perspective. I have never read Hunter's work and I am not familiar with Earl Swagger. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2003 by Patrick Burnett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Service as usual from Hunter
Going back in time to the post-WWII story of Earl Swagger, Bob Lee's father, Hunter fills out more of the history of the Swagger clan in typical hard-nosed style. Read more
Published on 23 July 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
AN EXCELLENT READ
If you have read any of the bob lee series you'll definatly enjoy this.very cleverly written the way the fiction blends with real life charactersof that era,and the use of... Read more
Published on 19 May 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
Greal pace, real feeling of post ww2 period, a thriller
Stephen Hunter shows us once again that his novels have both pace and excitement right to the last page. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars
I so much wanted to love this book
Anyone unfamiliar with Hunter and in need of a gutsy neo/retro thriller(New category anyone?) should buy this and be ready to sit back for a blast. Afficionados? Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2000 by G. Miller
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