Targeted
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- Create Date：2022-01-21 21:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Stephen Hunter
- ISBN：B09842S6JN
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Summary
From bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter comes a taut， action-packed thriller featuring master sniper Bob Lee Swagger as he protects political hostages in a once-in-a-lifetime standoff。
After his takedown of a dangerous terrorist， Bob Lee Swagger learns that no good deed goes unpunished。 Despite the fact that his actions nearly killed him--and did kill the would-be assassin--the U。S。 Congress has summoned him to court。 A hardheaded anti-gun senator has accused Swagger of reckless endangerment， determined to make an example of him。 He must go before the House Judiciary Committee in Boise， Idaho。 But what begins as political posturing soon turns deadly when the auditorium where the committee is being held is attacked。
Swagger， the senator， and numerous bystanders and reporters are taken hostage by a group of violent operatives。 Soon， the very people who had accused him are depending on him to save their lives。 Trapped in the auditorium and still struggling with his injuries， Swagger must rely on his instincts， his shooting skills， and the help of a mysterious rogue sniper on the outside in order to ensure that everyone makes it out alive。
After his takedown of a dangerous terrorist， Bob Lee Swagger learns that no good deed goes unpunished。 Despite the fact that his actions nearly killed him--and did kill the would-be assassin--the U。S。 Congress has summoned him to court。 A hardheaded anti-gun senator has accused Swagger of reckless endangerment， determined to make an example of him。 He must go before the House Judiciary Committee in Boise， Idaho。 But what begins as political posturing soon turns deadly when the auditorium where the committee is being held is attacked。
Swagger， the senator， and numerous bystanders and reporters are taken hostage by a group of violent operatives。 Soon， the very people who had accused him are depending on him to save their lives。 Trapped in the auditorium and still struggling with his injuries， Swagger must rely on his instincts， his shooting skills， and the help of a mysterious rogue sniper on the outside in order to ensure that everyone makes it out alive。
Reviews
Robert Crawford
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Disappointing ReadI can't believe I am giving a Bob Swagger book a 3 star rating - and that mainly because of my love of the prior Bob Swagger books。 I am very disappointed to find so little of Bob Swagger in this book。 If I had to guess I would say that Bob Swagger is the focus of only about 10-15% of this book。 I hope for 2 things。 First， Mr。 Hunter writes more Bob Swagger books。 Second， future Bob Swagger books actually focus on Bob Swagger。 Disappointing ReadI can't believe I am giving a Bob Swagger book a 3 star rating - and that mainly because of my love of the prior Bob Swagger books。 I am very disappointed to find so little of Bob Swagger in this book。 If I had to guess I would say that Bob Swagger is the focus of only about 10-15% of this book。 I hope for 2 things。 First， Mr。 Hunter writes more Bob Swagger books。 Second， future Bob Swagger books actually focus on Bob Swagger。 。。。more
Bob Cantrell
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There are series of book that become more than books on a shelf。 They become a friend。 Sometimes you read the latest one and thing that your journey with them has come to an end。 Then suddenly one day you are looking at an article about new books coming out and lo and behold you see a book about an old friend is or has came out。 So you quickly start to search for the new book and find it and it is reunion time。 This is what happened to me two days ago。 Bob Lee Swagger came a knocking。Only this t There are series of book that become more than books on a shelf。 They become a friend。 Sometimes you read the latest one and thing that your journey with them has come to an end。 Then suddenly one day you are looking at an article about new books coming out and lo and behold you see a book about an old friend is or has came out。 So you quickly start to search for the new book and find it and it is reunion time。 This is what happened to me two days ago。 Bob Lee Swagger came a knocking。Only this time Bob Lee is the bad guy。 Seems that members of Congress want to make some headlines and plan on using Bob Lee as the means to their ends。 They plan to make a case of Bob Lee taking out of Juba the sniper in the last book to stop all use of snipers in the military and police，， because they are the bad guys。 Now I don't know how most people feel about guns and the people that use them。 In this story guns are bad and the people， who use them are bad also。 However by the end of the story they have changed their minds some。 That happens when the really bad guys show and take the hearings hostage。 Now there is a wild card in the story and he is one of those guy， who is a bad guy but he is there to put down the really bad guys with Swagger。 This is just a good story about a good man， who we want around when stuff goes to crap。 One thing else about this story is we find out about Swagger's ancestors。 That is also worth the read。 。。。more
William Teschler
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Mystery operatorHunter leaves us up in the air about the mystery operator and a possible connection to Mother Death。 Do I smell a sequel？
Tod Burhans
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Barn BurnerAs always， Bob Lee Swagger never fails to suffer as he walks away with the prize！ A book that’s hard to put down once started！
Todd Wilkins
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READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksThere are few writers more respected for their attention to detail and powerful writing style than Stephen Hunter。 There are even fewer characters more iconic in the military thriller genre than Bob Lee Swagger。 In Targeted， both author and character are at their best。Fans of the series will welcome this latest addition。 To those readers who are just now familiarizing themselves with the Swagger series… Targeted is going to make you go back and start fro READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksThere are few writers more respected for their attention to detail and powerful writing style than Stephen Hunter。 There are even fewer characters more iconic in the military thriller genre than Bob Lee Swagger。 In Targeted， both author and character are at their best。Fans of the series will welcome this latest addition。 To those readers who are just now familiarizing themselves with the Swagger series… Targeted is going to make you go back and start from the beginning。Make sure to check out the full review 。。。more
Michael Rocharde
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Unputdownable！The Bob Lee Swagger books are my absolute favourite of all the thousands of series I have read。 Jack Reacher comes next but it isn’t even that close。 Stephen Hunter delivers the stories with the strength and power of his character’s force of will。 ‘Targeted’ is no exception。 Like a previous novel， ‘G-man’， Hunter weaves current and historical， but closely related， events into a brilliantly compelling narrative。 This is a fabulous book。 Read it！
Liz Martinez
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This was my first Stephen Hunter book and I really enjoyed it！ If you’re looking for an easy to read fast paced book， then this if for you。I like how we get multiple points of view about the plot from the different characters involved。 This book had me hooked from the beginning and kept me on my toes。 I really felt like I was there alongside the characters and living what they were living。 There were some characters who I just wanted to punch at times， which I’m sure some of y’all would agree 😏A This was my first Stephen Hunter book and I really enjoyed it！ If you’re looking for an easy to read fast paced book， then this if for you。I like how we get multiple points of view about the plot from the different characters involved。 This book had me hooked from the beginning and kept me on my toes。 I really felt like I was there alongside the characters and living what they were living。 There were some characters who I just wanted to punch at times， which I’m sure some of y’all would agree 😏Anyways。 If you’re looking for a book that’s easy to read and enjoyable then I recommend you pick this up。And Happy Pub Day to Stephen Hunter #TeamSwagger 。。。more
Marsha Valance
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When jail-breakingg members of a Chechen gang invade a Congrressional hearing， taking 10 representatives & their staff hostage， only a disabled Bob Lee Swagger stands between the hostages and certain death。 A sub-plot focuses on the first Swaggers to come west from the Carolinas after the Battle of King's Mountain。 The scene of Bob Lee taking out a murderous Chechen with his wheelchair is priceless。 When jail-breakingg members of a Chechen gang invade a Congrressional hearing， taking 10 representatives & their staff hostage， only a disabled Bob Lee Swagger stands between the hostages and certain death。 A sub-plot focuses on the first Swaggers to come west from the Carolinas after the Battle of King's Mountain。 The scene of Bob Lee taking out a murderous Chechen with his wheelchair is priceless。 。。。more
Zachary
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I’ve never laughed so hard during a Bob Lee Swagger book。 Ending moment will have fans grinning from ear to ear。
Diane Saul
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This book was good in parts but there were other parts that I skimmed over。 I understand why they had chapters going back to Swaggerts ancestors but I found it distracting。 It was part of the story line， but seemed to take away from the action。 Just when things would get interesting they would flash back to the past and the story lost momentum。 I do like how the author has allowed the character to age。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。
Kathleen Gray
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I struggled a bit with this， which surprised me because I've been a fan of Stephen Hunter for years。 Targeted， however， begins rather implausibly with a Congressional hearing held in Idaho for the convenience of Bob Lee Swagger （really？） and then there's an attack by bad guys which Swagger and the mysterious "Delta" manage to repel。 There are flashback of a sort that take the reader through Swagger's family history which， while interesting， didn't add to the otherwise action packed thriller。 The I struggled a bit with this， which surprised me because I've been a fan of Stephen Hunter for years。 Targeted， however， begins rather implausibly with a Congressional hearing held in Idaho for the convenience of Bob Lee Swagger （really？） and then there's an attack by bad guys which Swagger and the mysterious "Delta" manage to repel。 There are flashback of a sort that take the reader through Swagger's family history which， while interesting， didn't add to the otherwise action packed thriller。 Then there's the characters who were caricatures。 There are lots of bad guys and then there's Congresswoman Venable。 Hunter started off， I think， to write about an ethical issue but somehow got sideways。 All of that said， it is Swagger is larger than life and you gotta like a 74 year old who manages to do what he does。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 It is a page turner and I'd recommend to fans of the series。 。。。more
Adam Quinn
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This is the best Bob Lee Swagger book that I’ve read in awhile。 In short， it’s a great fast paced novel featuring the aging Bob Lee Swagger， Nick Memphis and a mystery Delta operator。 I do recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fast thriller with lots of action and one liners。Now for the detail 。 Bob Lee finds himself under the scrutiny of a congressional use of force hearing due to his previous adventures。 In such， the novel is relevant to current social trends which despise toxic masculinity and This is the best Bob Lee Swagger book that I’ve read in awhile。 In short， it’s a great fast paced novel featuring the aging Bob Lee Swagger， Nick Memphis and a mystery Delta operator。 I do recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fast thriller with lots of action and one liners。Now for the detail 。 Bob Lee finds himself under the scrutiny of a congressional use of force hearing due to his previous adventures。 In such， the novel is relevant to current social trends which despise toxic masculinity and the gun toting freedom fighter concept。This hearing questions if the hero is needed in todays age or if we just need a bunch of social workers and more social justice ect ect。 Well in the midst of all this enter a bus load of Chechen criminals and we enter into a hostage crisis。 The book then explores if heroes like Bob Lee are needed ， or an out of date danger to modern society 。 I’ll stop the spoilers there。 It’s a great read， I enjoyed it and recommend to anyone interested in the thriller genre。 。。。more
LYDIA
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This is the first Bob Swagger book I have read。 I enjoyed the writing style of Stephen Hunter and found parts of this book exciting。 But overall I think this missed the mark。 After reading other reviews I am going to read the earlier Bob Swagger novels。I received an advanced copy of this book through Goodreads。 This is my true review。
Julie Pint
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In Hunters new book， Bob Lee Swagger is hauled in front of Congress to explain how his life of “violence” was unjust。 Most people just called him Heroic。 In many ways， this is a reflection of modern day life。 There are some challenges that are thrown into the mix that cause even the biggest critic to rethink their position。 It was a mostly entertaining read but there are some aspects of the writing that I found more cumbersome…。 The time jumps had that affect for me。 Thanks to Atria books for th In Hunters new book， Bob Lee Swagger is hauled in front of Congress to explain how his life of “violence” was unjust。 Most people just called him Heroic。 In many ways， this is a reflection of modern day life。 There are some challenges that are thrown into the mix that cause even the biggest critic to rethink their position。 It was a mostly entertaining read but there are some aspects of the writing that I found more cumbersome…。 The time jumps had that affect for me。 Thanks to Atria books for the early read。 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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Another thrilling ride in the Swagger series！ This book is full of action and will keep you riveted。 I could not put this one down， I had to finish it in one read。 If you are a fan of Hunter and Swagger books， this one will not disappoint！Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。
Rebecca O’Dell
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One of those books that you know is fiction but has the feel of reality。 A great action book， the first Bob Lee Swagger novel I’ve read and I’m hooked， just don’t know whether to start from the beginning or go back one novel at a time。
mike watson
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Thanks for the copy of Targeted from Goodreads giveaway！My first Stephen Hunter novel。 The writing style took some getting used to。 I enjoyed the step back into time to bring Patrick Ferguson's story into focus。 The Congressional hearing was comically hideous with the bullying and language used amongst Veneble's minions。 The Chechens were lightly chalked out in the novel。 I would have liked a little more development prior to the hijack of the truck。 Some of it was spelled out later。I rated it a Thanks for the copy of Targeted from Goodreads giveaway！My first Stephen Hunter novel。 The writing style took some getting used to。 I enjoyed the step back into time to bring Patrick Ferguson's story into focus。 The Congressional hearing was comically hideous with the bullying and language used amongst Veneble's minions。 The Chechens were lightly chalked out in the novel。 I would have liked a little more development prior to the hijack of the truck。 Some of it was spelled out later。I rated it a 4 Star only because of the action and wrap up。 I would recommend this to any fan of military/FBI novels。 。。。more
PottWab Regional Library
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SM
Fred Wilson
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Always pleased with Stephen Hunters work especially if it involves Bob Lee！
Cheryl
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Might be time for Bob Lee to stay in his rocking chairWhen I first read POINT OF IMPACT， the first book in this series， years ago I was blown away。 I would have never thought I could have been as entranced or as consumed by a story about a master sniper and his family as I have been over the years but the momentum has definitely let off。Bob Lee is now 74 years old and has been brought before a Congressional hearing in Idaho。 The people that want to chastise him， though， soon enough are looking f Might be time for Bob Lee to stay in his rocking chairWhen I first read POINT OF IMPACT， the first book in this series， years ago I was blown away。 I would have never thought I could have been as entranced or as consumed by a story about a master sniper and his family as I have been over the years but the momentum has definitely let off。Bob Lee is now 74 years old and has been brought before a Congressional hearing in Idaho。 The people that want to chastise him， though， soon enough are looking for someone to rescue them from a gang of escaped prisoners that take over the hearing with little regard for anyone's life。This story was kind of a hodgepodge of gangsters， Feds， snipers， government talking heads， the media and not enough Bob Lee， as has been the case in the last few books in the series。 Time for Bob Lee to retire in my opinion。This was an okay read but it was nowhere a stellar read like the first books in the series。I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review。 。。。more
Mel
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I was really excited to win this book。 I have read other books from this author and enjoyed them。 This one is ok， very slow read。 Takes awhile to build up plot and several characters are clearly written to engage the reader。 The main female is just straight up boring and snooty to me。 Reminds me of a certain person in office that many people despise。 I thought it was cool it's written where I live。 It did however take away from the story for me personally though because the high school written a I was really excited to win this book。 I have read other books from this author and enjoyed them。 This one is ok， very slow read。 Takes awhile to build up plot and several characters are clearly written to engage the reader。 The main female is just straight up boring and snooty to me。 Reminds me of a certain person in office that many people despise。 I thought it was cool it's written where I live。 It did however take away from the story for me personally though because the high school written about it an alternative high school directly next to a middle school。 Some of the references that are written as part of the book are wrong。 You wouldn't know this if not from area however。 The main prison IDOC is well known here but so hard to picture some of the scenes。 I have actually worked and been in almost 2 dozen of the jails in state and struggled with descriptions。 I don't know this one was really hard for me because it took so long to get to important points and was long for what the plot turned out to be。 Good for a weekend read。 I won this book in a goodreads giveaway thank you！ 。。。more
Debbie Davis
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I have found a new author in Stephen Hunter！ I will add to my list reading list the previous eleven Bob Lee Swagger books。 I even encouraged my husband who does not enjoy reading like I do to read this book。 Thanks Goodreads and Atria for my advance copy of this book。
Jennifer Wall
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This was a new author to me， I love political thrillers， and was excited to read this book。 But was very disappointed in this ARC。 It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be。 The story was slow to build up， and the plot to way to long to come to life。 I would not recommend this book。 That is my honest opinion。 This was a new author to me， I love political thrillers， and was excited to read this book。 But was very disappointed in this ARC。 It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be。 The story was slow to build up， and the plot to way to long to come to life。 I would not recommend this book。 That is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Stanley McShane
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Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing。Bob Lee Swagger was on the mend and trying to stay out of the public eye。 However， Congresswoman Venable sees him as the perfect example to make the public aware of potential loose cannons in society。 Congresswoman Venable utilizes a high school auditorium in Boise， Idaho as her venue for the assail on firearms。 A number of congressional cronies are enlisted to help in the crusade。 Uncle Vakha’s nephews were not the brightest but what they lacked in Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing。Bob Lee Swagger was on the mend and trying to stay out of the public eye。 However， Congresswoman Venable sees him as the perfect example to make the public aware of potential loose cannons in society。 Congresswoman Venable utilizes a high school auditorium in Boise， Idaho as her venue for the assail on firearms。 A number of congressional cronies are enlisted to help in the crusade。 Uncle Vakha’s nephews were not the brightest but what they lacked in brainpower they made up for in loyalty and tenacity。 Uncle Vakha and his nephews escaped from a maximum-security prison。 They want to get back to their homeland and feel that taking hostages will accomplish that goal。 The team brought into the meeting to be chastised by the Congresswoman and her cohorts suddenly find themselves in the position of saving the situation。The author looks for a way to equate Swagger to a genetic predisposition for heroics。 Can the ability to work under great emotional stress be genetically traced？ The idea is laudable and fun to contemplate。 I suggest anyone who is familiar with Seals， Delta Force， and black ops will enjoy this book。 4。5 stars - C。E。 WilliamsWe received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review。 These are his honest opinions。 。。。more
Randal White
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Bob Lee Swagger has returned！ I can't help but love this series。 And I am dreading the end of it， as Bob Lee is now an old man。 I don't think he has much left in the tank。 In this round， Swagger finds himself brought before a dog-and-pony political grandstand show。 With all the usual caricatures of the liberal side of the political aisle。 I found that to be tiring and worn out。 It's just too easy and convenient， and the author has shown that he can do so much better。 The story itself is just oka Bob Lee Swagger has returned！ I can't help but love this series。 And I am dreading the end of it， as Bob Lee is now an old man。 I don't think he has much left in the tank。 In this round， Swagger finds himself brought before a dog-and-pony political grandstand show。 With all the usual caricatures of the liberal side of the political aisle。 I found that to be tiring and worn out。 It's just too easy and convenient， and the author has shown that he can do so much better。 The story itself is just okay。 Notice I said okay。 Not great， like the normal Swagger book。 I found the "bad guys" terrorists back story to be confusing。 The prison scenes were completely unrealistic。 The "lone gunman" operator totally lost me。 Who was he working for， what was he doing， and why did he end up where he did？ And who， ultimately， were the people behind the scenes that used the truck in the first place？ Too many holes， it feels like Hunter rushed this book to publication before it was finished。 If it is the last Bob Lee book， it's a total disservice to the character。 。。。more
Jeremy
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In Stephen Hunter's new Bob Lee Swagger book， we find the sniper in a Congressional hearing after his actions stopped a terrorist。 It's a dog and pony show designed to discredit the hero and force change to use-of-force guidelines through policy and public opinion。 When terrorists hold the congregational delegation hostage， their best hope of staying alive is the 74-year old Swagger they've been besmirching。I've read almost everything Hunter has written-and enjoyed them- but Targeted missed the In Stephen Hunter's new Bob Lee Swagger book， we find the sniper in a Congressional hearing after his actions stopped a terrorist。 It's a dog and pony show designed to discredit the hero and force change to use-of-force guidelines through policy and public opinion。 When terrorists hold the congregational delegation hostage， their best hope of staying alive is the 74-year old Swagger they've been besmirching。I've read almost everything Hunter has written-and enjoyed them- but Targeted missed the mark for me。 I just couldn't get into it。 His writing style seemed off compared to his other works。 He added interludes to 1780 to tell of Swagger's ancestry to give guidance to why Swagger was so remarkable。 His ancestry was then used against him in the congregational hearing。 I understand why he added the interludes but they could have been placed better。 They seemed to be added in places where the story was picking up steam which killed the momentum of the story。 As usual， Hunter created characters which were interesting and complex。 The members of Congress were awful people who didn't care about anything but their own ambitions and personal gain。 The terrorists are a little harder to pigeon hole。 They spoke horrible English and their leader was uncharacteristically hilarious。 In fact， I liked the leader more than any of the members of Congress。 One bad guy seemed to be Ivan Drago from Rocky or The Hulk: just killing people with one punch。 By far the best character was the mysterious Delta， a "security specialist" for the Russian mob。 I wanted to know more about him and what happened to him but was disappointed when it didn't occur。 My hope is we find out more about Delta in future books。 It is easy to invision Delta becoming a recurring character。 Although I didn't love it， I did enjoy it and would recommend it。 It was fun reading a 74-year old man with a bad hip could still be an ass-kicker。Many thanks to Stephen Hunter， Atria Books， and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Targeted。 。。。more
Brad
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Targeted is the 12th Bob Lee Swagger book from Stephen Hunter。"Swagger is recovering at his Idaho ranch from his latest good deed - saving a former president from a sniper's bullet。 Some in Congress want to make an example of the violence of his heroism and demand that he appear before a Congressional committee in Boise。 Nearby events send criminals to the hearing where the hold the senators and Swagger hostage。 Now Swagger must use the very skills he's being questioned about to save the lives o Targeted is the 12th Bob Lee Swagger book from Stephen Hunter。"Swagger is recovering at his Idaho ranch from his latest good deed - saving a former president from a sniper's bullet。 Some in Congress want to make an example of the violence of his heroism and demand that he appear before a Congressional committee in Boise。 Nearby events send criminals to the hearing where the hold the senators and Swagger hostage。 Now Swagger must use the very skills he's being questioned about to save the lives of everyone。"I like that Hunter has allowed Swagger to age。 He is now 74 and living his best life on his ranch - but still with the skills learned years ago growing up in rural Arkansas。 There are three stories here that all meet at the end。 The hearing is a way to debate the use of force。 The British records give some interesting detail to Swagger's backstory。 And the hostage takers are scary - willing to die to make a point。Swagger is Swagger and the last act is explosive and wild。 Another great Swagger story from Hunter。 。。。more
Lynn
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This novel is disappointing。 I didn't enjoy the mean caricature of Madam Chairwoman Venable。 It's too much and not funny。 The author's contempt for the person it's based on oozes off the page。 Same with Congressman Baker。 The interlude chapters， while interesting， belong in a different novel。 Received book from Goodreads。 This novel is disappointing。 I didn't enjoy the mean caricature of Madam Chairwoman Venable。 It's too much and not funny。 The author's contempt for the person it's based on oozes off the page。 Same with Congressman Baker。 The interlude chapters， while interesting， belong in a different novel。 Received book from Goodreads。 。。。more
Martha Jackson
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I finished this book on Veterans Day。 The veteran in this story risked his life to protect people in his community。 He is an awesome veteran like so many others in our country。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Targeted
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Targeted&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Targeted&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0