Point of Impact

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Beau Bridges

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

He was one the best Marine snipers in Vietnam. Today, 20 years later, disgruntled hero of an unheroic war, all Bob Lee Swagger wants is to be left alone and to leave the killing behind.

But with consummate psychological skill, a shadowy military organization seduces Bob into leaving his beloved Arkansas hills for one last mission for his country, unaware until too late that the game is rigged.

The assassination plot is executed to perfection until Bob Lee Swagger, alleged lone gunman, comes out of the operation alive, the target of a nationwide manhunt, with his only allies a woman he just met and a discredited FBI agent.

Now Bob is on the run, using his lethal skills once more - but this time, to track down the men who set him up and to stop a dark conspiracy aimed at the very heart of America.

©1993 Stephen Hunter (P)1993 Random House Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hunter passes almost everybody else in the thriller-writing trade as if they were standing still." (New York Daily News)
"Tautly written...the plot makes a number of turns before swooping to a conclusion where patriotism and personal integrity triumph." (Library Journal)

Story was good, production outstanding

The story was good. The narrator was good. What I found outstanding was the production. That deserve's its own rating. Like when the chapter break happens, and when the voice change, and the music. I guess that all goes in "performance". But it's more than the narrator. It's the director or producer, director or someone who splices together the tape, with music pauses etc. I was captured mostly because the production was so well done.

In this case the movie is better

Meet Bob Lee Swagger in this 1st book of the series. Not knowing this was a series I started with Game of Snipers so I will tell you the writing gets better. Soon into the story, you realize that this is at least in part the basis for the movie The Shooter. The movie is better. The storyline makes more sense and the scenes that play out are better scripted. Just overlook the weak interpersonal scenes and the times where the story doesn't develop well. The latter comes from the tendency to many writers have of creating too many conflicts and too much drama.

Fortunately, the books improve. Think I'll give book 2 a shot.

first time that the movie was better

I don't know if I've ever listened to a book where the movie was better.

Abridged…Dang…Read the book

I didn’t pay attention and got this on sale…it’s okay but missing so much from book. Wish they had an unabridged version.

not bad

wish this was the full story not the abridged version still good the narrator was ok for me kind of took away the flair of the story not sure it was intentional but was not a fit for me but I did enjoy the story liked the movie way better need to listen to more of the series

Good detail but it was cut short.

In the book there is sooo much detail that the audible version left out. Read the book its so much better.

Unfortunate

Well this is a really really good reading Jeff Bridges voice is amazing for this I am deeply disappointed that it’s not the unabridged version of the book but don’t let that discourage you and getting this book and listening to it because it is an amazing story just know there’s so much more to it than this.

Goes With the Movie "Shooter"

Would you consider the audio edition of Point of Impact to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version but since this is abridged, I expect that the book would be much better.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

This book wasn't as riveting for me because I've seen the movie "Shooter" many times (love that movie) and it follows the movie pretty well, which was a surprise.

What does Beau Bridges bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought Beau did an excellent job as narrator. I had no problems with his Southern accent. I'm from the south and know there are many, many different accents in the south, from Dolly Partin hick of TN and AR to the southern belles of South Carolina, to the Cajun accents of Louisiana.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This audio book was short enough that it was easy to listen to in one sitting, and that's what I did.

Any additional comments?

I would love to hear the unabridged version, but I don't think that it is available, so I will probably read to book now to get the back story that the abridged version seems to miss.

Read this book at least 4 times

Read this book at least 4 times audible was good I think they left out parts

great read

Beau did a Beautiful job of reading the book and he should do more readings.