Soft Target

Ray Cruz, Book 1

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Stephen Hunter is back with another breakneck thriller, in which ex-Marine sniper, Ray Kruz, must outwit a group of murderous Somali terrorists who’ve laid siege to the Mall of America.

Recently retired marine sergeant Ray Kruz has been talked into a mall trip by his fiancé, the beautiful Molly Chan. For Ray, Molly represents a way to reconnect with normal life, something his 20 years in the service and five tours in two combat zones have prevented. But now he finds himself in the middle of the softest target of all, a huge consumer mall where a self-styled “Mumbai Brigade” has come to bring massive death to the heartland. They just didn’t know Ray Cruz was in the building….

©2011 Stephen Hunter (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Filler in between books.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Good story love the Cruz character but feel this was a little simple and compact and was meant as filler in between two books.

Good Job!!!

Great job by Phil G narrating this book!! Stephen Hunter has become one of my favourite authors. I found myself sitting in the parking lot at work waiting for a good stopping point.

Great story well told!

Very well done! It kept me on the buds well into the night. I'll catch another one.

Hunter gets back to his great form!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - Hunter provides excitement with his detail.

What other book might you compare Soft Target to and why?

Thankfully Soft Target returns to the believability of Point of Impact

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

His reading brings out the personalities of the characters.

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

Hunter takes you on an exciting trip to the center of the action.

good listen

it was a good book picking up on our new hero rather than old man swagger.

Just Ok, Was hopeing for better.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would but only because its the first in a series.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Predictable.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Phil Gigante?

yes

Was Soft Target worth the listening time?

Yes, but its not Hunter and companys best.

good listen

pretty good listen kept me entertained while driving I love Stephen hunters writing style hopefully more movies will come that are more to the book accurate

The Son of Swagger

Ray Cruz is following in the steps of his father, Bob Lee Swagger, the famous marine sniper. The story is fast paced, and shows several points of view of the events. While the story is decent, I found it to be basically an enjoyable, updated version of the traditional hero/villain storyline. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you are looking for a truly unique story, a little more searching will be required.

Phil Gigante did a good job with the narration, and I would not hesitate at all to listen to him narrate any other books that pique my curiosity.

The one thing about this book that I did not care for, was how some people that think that words mean more than action, and that by spewing all this political correct gibberish, everything will be all better. They continue to get promoted well beyond any measure of their competence. It illustrates all too clearly, an epidemic that we are seeing all to frequently now a days.

It's Stephen Hunter So It's Got To Be Good!

Would you consider the audio edition of Soft Target to be better than the print version?

Yes, because of the enhanced entertainment value and ease of assimilation.

What other book might you compare Soft Target to and why?

The rest of the Stephen Hunter library and Tom Clancy's work because of the intensity of action.

What about Phil Gigante’s performance did you like?

Gigante has a marvelous range of voice and emotion at his disposal; on several occasions I had to refresh my memory to ensure that he was the only performer on this recording.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. When the mother struck back at the gunman with her weighted purse. The build up and placement of that "moment" gave it the full force which Gigante exploited to its fullest advantage.

Any additional comments?

Unlike many of Hunter's stories, this one lacks the level of complexity, the twists and turns I've come to expect since reading "Point of Impact". This was almost entirely "shoot 'em up" against a very simple plot. However, I got the distinct impression that friend Hunter is setting us up for another, much more complex story due to the open issues remaining at the end of the book. All I can say is, "Keep 'em comin'!!!"

Hunter's best work in years

Hunter is at his best writing fast-paced, action thrillers. Regrettably, in the past few years he has gotten off-target (pun intended) with densely-plotted procedurals involving the venerable Bob Lee Swagger. Bob Lee played out years ago and should have been retired following "Time to Hunt." Keeping the character going has induced a form of writer's block displayed in "The 47th Samurai" and "The Third Bullet" among others. With this book, Hunter is back doing what he does best. This action-packed ripper ranks up there with "Point of Impact" for sheer excitement. Perhaps Hunter should drop the entire Swagger family (particularly Nikki, who is simply annoying), forget continuity with past novels, and invent new characters. This one is a definite winner.