Earl Swagger is tough as hell. But even tough guys have their secrets. Plagued by the memory of his abusive father, apprehensive about his own impending parenthood, Earl is a decorated ex-Marine of absolute integrity — and overwhelming melancholy. Now he’s about to face his biggest, bloodiest challenge yet. It is the summer of 1946, organized crime’s garish golden age, when American justice seems to have gone to seed for good.
I'm a sucker..
Reviewed on Dec 30 2011
by Charles(El Dorado Hills, CA, United States)
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.
In Cuba, Earl Swagger finds himself up to his neck in treacherous ambiguity where the old rules about honor and duty don't apply, and where Earl's target seems to have more guts and good luck than anyone else in Cuba.
OK Story; Weak Narration
This is my third Stephen Hunter novel. Although it is the weakest of the three, it is till a good story and kept my attention.
However, the ..Show More »narration detracted substantially form the enjoyment of this book. The narrator frequently "over acts" in a way that is inconsistent with the characters. He also badly mispronounced at least 5 or 6 words. Isn't there an editor who listens to the narration so such mistakes can be avoided? Pay a little more and get someone with talent like Scott B. or George G.