• Pale Horse Coming

  • Earl Swagger, Book 2
  • By: Stephen Hunter
  • Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
  • Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (692 ratings)

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Pale Horse Coming  By  cover art

Pale Horse Coming

By: Stephen Hunter
Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
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Publisher's summary

It’s 1951. The Thebes State Penal Farm in Mississippi is up a dark river, surrounded by swamps and impenetrable piney woods. It’s the Old South at its most brutal - a place of violence, racial terror, and even more horrific rumors. Of the few who make the journey, black or white, even fewer return.

But in that year, two men will come to Thebes. The first is Sam Vincent, the former prosecuting attorney of Polk County, Arkansas who, with great misgivings, accepts a job to investigate a disappearance. Before he leaves on this dangerous trip, he confesses his fears to his former investigator Earl Swagger, now a sergeant of the Arkansas State Police. Earl pledges that if Sam is not back by a certain time, he will come looking for him.

What they encounter there is something beyond their wildest imagining of evil. The dying black town is ruled by white deputies on horseback who are more like an occupying army and the only escape is over the wild currents of the dark river that drowns as many people as it liberates. But nothing in town compares to the prison. Run by an aging madman with insane theories of racial purity, it is administered by a brutal sergeant known as Bigboy. The convicts call him The Whip Man - he can take a man’s soul with his nine feet of braided catgut.

Both Sam and Earl will be challenged to the limits of their strength by this place and will struggle not only for their own survival, but with the question: What does a man do when confronted with evil?

©2008 Stephen Hunter (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Pale Horse Coming

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Historical detective novel (1950ish)

Set in Mississippi around 1950 the racist aspects of PALE HORSE COMING may be realistic but the use of the N-word is excessive, offensive, and tiring to the point of angering me. The story is okay, but nothing special. I usually like this author's works. Eric G. Dove's narration is excellent.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story with Strong Characters

The story will keep you interested. It is a little slow in the middle of the book, but it picks up well and finishes strong. Characters are very well-developed. The narrator is fantastic!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent read

excellent book love all the swagger books Stephen hunter knows how to tell a great story and keep you enterained

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Just wow!

I have listened to and loved the Bob Lee series, but was skeptical about these, and put them off for quite some time. Then, with nothing else in the 4 pages of wish list, decided to ignore the reviews. I should have from the start!
This is not a book for light entertainment, not even a little. It’s captivating in its brutal reality, in the incredible portrayal of the heart of man, it’s good, evil, and indifference. It’s even disturbing, but in a way that makes you appreciate the simple pleasures of life, including liberty and freedom, and at what cost there is to maintain it.
Mr. Dove is amazing, he delivered a Phenomenal performance!
Bravo!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

spell binding and captivating!

I loved it. great story line and awesome narrator. Stephen Hunter's books are ingenious. Thanks

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story! Great narration!

Great story! This book held my attention from beginning to end. The book was made even better by the outstanding narration!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

More Earl Swagger, love him or hate him

What did you love best about Pale Horse Coming?

Was a great fix of more cowboy lawman. Wish Hunter would have continued in this vain rather that the sniper series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pale Horse Coming?

Still looking for another "cowboy lawman" to follow.

Have you listened to any of Eric G. Dove’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Goes on in some detail about the science of ballistics, take it or leave it?

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Nothing

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

These are fantastic books!

Loved every second! E.G. Dove performance is second to none!
You can't put them down! Start with Hot Springs and listen or read them all!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not Hunters best work but worth the read

Where does Pale Horse Coming rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Average

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fish. Because he got over on the man

Any additional comments?

Good read if you are a Stephen Hunter fan and not offended by his comments about black people which was the way it was at that time in the deep South.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Easily one of the top three Stephen Hunter novels!

The depth of the characters and storyline and wonderful closure of each line is spectacular.

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