I even liked the acknowledgements page but one question comes to mind and that is are you personally a shooter, a marksman, not that being one is a prerequisite to writing about the subject. Carl hitchcock, whose 93 kills were considered the leading body count tally among american marksman in vietnam, was the shooter. The mafiarun casinos are rolling, and its just a 30minute flight from miami to a world of vice, gambling, sex, and drugs. Stephen hunter born march 25, 1946 is an american novelist, essayist, and film critic. He graduated from the medill school of journalism at northwestern university in 1968 and then spent two years in the united states army as a ceremonial soldier in the 3rd infantry in washington, d. Stephen hunter graduated from northwestern university in 1968. In 1993, stephen hunter published point of impact, the first novel in what would become a series of novels about bob lee swagger and his family. They are chasing the mystery of a remarkable world war ii russian sniper a woman who. Point of impact is the best book that ive read in quite a while. Sign me up for news about stephen hunter and more from penguin random house. Point of impact by stephen hunter is the first novel in the bob lee swagger series that has produced both the movie and series named shooter. Hunter, just finished game of snipers and enjoyed it at. Bestselling author stephen hunter takes on one of the most shocking crimes in american history when his celebrated hero exmarine sniper bob lee swagger follows the smallest hint of a lead to its staggering conclusionabout the fateful third bullet that ended the life of president john f. For those, who like me, came to this book because they liked or loved the movie shooter, the book is.
Creator stephen hunter has stated that swagger is loosely based on usmc scout sniper carlos hathcock. Tell us a little about the relationship between the two books. The third bullet has some roots in the very first bob lee swagger novel you wrote twenty years ago called point of impact. In celebration of the upcoming premiere of shooter, usa chatted with mr.
Also referred to as bob the nailer, bob lee swagger is a character that has been fictionalized andwhose creation was done by stephen hunter. The retired chief film critic for the washington post, where he won the 2003 pulitzer prize for distinguished criticism, he has also published two collections of film criticism and a nonfiction work, american gunfight. A bob lee swagger novel, which has the popular character pitted against an equally skilled and practiced. The book was also made into a movie years prior starring mark wahlberg. Three of the most highly acclaimed novels by stephen hunter include. Pulitzer prize winner stephen hunter is famous for his novels featuring both bob lee swagger and earl swagger, and the apparent new hero ray cruz. Fascinating the way the author went back to 1934 and told the story of charles swaggerchasing down the great bank robbers. We first are introduced to bob lee swagger in point of impact, the first novel in the series. He was a journalist for the baltimore sun from 1971 to 1996, then he moved to the washington post, where he stayed until his retirement in 2008. Bestselling author stephen hunter is a staff writer and film critic for the washington post and winner of the american society of newspaper editors award for distinguished writing in criticism 1998, as well as the 2003 pulitzer prize for film criticism that is intellectually rewarding and a pleasure to read. But as the bureau, led by special agent nick memphis, bears down, hitchcock commits suicide. Below is the order of all of stephen hunters novels. Swagger is also the protagonist of both the 2007 film and the 2016 tv series shooter, each based on point of impact.
Stephen hunter is an author that grabs your imagination in such a way that he takes you into the complex minds of his characters. Bob lee the nailer swagger is a fictional character created by stephen hunter. Knowing about bob lee swaggers love for firearms, it is not surprising to learn that stephen hunter loves firearms as well. That somehow purified and sanctified bob lee as a very powerful dramatic. This was the first stephen hunter book that i have read. Hunter began working as a copy editor at the baltimore sun in 1971 and became its film critic in 1982. Stephen hunter is the author of 20 novels and the retired chief film critic for the. Shooter is a 2007 film directed by antoine fuqua featuring mark wahlberg as bob lee swagger, an exmarine sniper who was disillusioned with the government after he was left behind enemy lines during a mission, only escaping on his own terms. Bob the nailer swagger is back in stephen hunters new novel, i, sniper. Stephen hunter takes beloved hero, earl swagger, into the lush world of 1950s cuba to fight the american mobsters who control the havana casinos. Stephen hunter has published his 12th bob lee swagger novel, game of snipers.
He has written 11 novels, including havana, pale horse coming, hot springs, time. Stephen hunter is the author of more than twenty novels. Bob is the main character of a set of books that are in relation to his life during and after the vietnam war. His novel, point of impact, was adapted for film as shooter, starring mark wahlberg, and aired as a tv series. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Shooters bob lee swagger explained by the author who. Bob lee swagger the nailer, a master sniper in the usa. It is based on the 1993 novel point of impact by stephen hunter, although it does deviate from the source material in several parts. Stephen hunter is the popular thriller author of the bestselling bob lee swagger series with this first book point of impact, which sparked the creation of the 2007 shooter movie with mark wahlberg, and the following tv series featuring ryan phillippe in the main. In i, sniper, four vietnamera peaceniks are shot dead and retired military sniper carl hitchcock is framed for their murders. One of hunters books, point of impact, was made into the movie shooter. Released at the end of 2009, hunters new bob lee swagger story has earned praise as the best stephen hunter book in years.
This story is a testament to true american heroes who step up when called upon even against their better judgment. I kind of want swagger to meet up with lee childs jack reacher one day, in a contest to see who could say the least while doing the most damage. I was drawn to the character of a sniper, but not just a sniper, a sniper with grief. Ryan philippe currently stars as bob lee swagger on the hit usa network series shooter. Stephen hunter was born in kansas city, missouri, in 1946, and grew up in the chicago area. Hunters point of impact is a flawlessly constructed thriller, filled with tension, cast with variety, and packed with a convincing amount of esoteric detail on rifle shooting. Buy a cheap copy of the master sniper book by stephen hunter.
In the book, point of impact, hunters trilogy about the vietnam veteran begins. In fact, the author stephen hunter managed to write approximately one book per year ever since. Forced off the road and into a crash that leaves her clinging to life in a coma, nikki swagger had begun to peel back the onion of a southern fried scandal. Written by stephen hunter, audiobook narrated by buck schirner.
Bob lee swagger is the chief protagonist in the bob lee swagger series of novels by american author of thriller novels, stephen hunter. Hunter fans love the excitement they get from his action thrillers. Nelson demille, author of mayday he is the most dangerous man alive. In 2007 his book point of impact made it to the big screen as shooter, starring mark wahlberg. Hunter about his inspiration for creating bob lee, working with ryan phillippe, and the experience of seeing his book turned into tv. He received the pulitzer prize for criticism in 2003 and took a buyout from the. He is the protagonist of a series of 10 novels that relate his life during and after the vietnam warstarting with point of impact up to the most recent gman. Point of impact book by stephen hunter thriftbooks. Point of impact was a very tough book to writeone problem was that it was inspired by and set to be about the jfk assassination. Stephen hunters 18th novel teams his favorite character, bob lee swagger, with a newspaper reporter. Master sniper by hunter, stephen book the fast free shipping. For the new zealand actor, see stephen hunter actor. The novel centers on bob lee swagger, the best marine sniper in the vietnam war.
Hunter was born in kansas city, missouri, and grew up in evanston, illinois. I purchased stephen hunters book on a whim, and hope that it would be entertaining. Hard not to see the romance in a tweedcoated scribe, working back when the newspaper was the news, eagerly handing down 800word critiques of box office smashes and duds only to receive the top prize anybody in. New york times bestselling author stephen hunter returns with his most riveting bob lee swagger volume to date. The character is based lightly on carlos hathcock, a legend of the us marines. Americas 1st freedom shooting straight with stephen hunter. In 1998, hunter won the asne distinguished writing award in the criticism category. Media critic david zurawik talks to novelist stephen hunter about the tv adaptation of his book, point of impact. Although hunter himself is a very wellrespected movie critic, only one of stephen hunters books managed to be transformed to film. In march of 2007, the movie shooter hit the market, with paramount pictures as the distributor. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. Point of impact shows how the book has been updated for 2016. Stephen hunter found his own way to becoming a gun owner as he worked in mainstream newsrooms.
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