Ghost Sniper

By: David Healey

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

June 6, 1944. On the dawn of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, two snipers find themselves fighting a battle all their own. One is a backwoods hunter from the Appalachian Mountains in the American South, while the other is the dreaded German "Ghost Sniper" who earned his nickname on the Eastern Front. Locked in a deadly duel across the hedgerow country of France, the hunter matches wits and tactics against the marksman, both of them one bullet away from victory or defeat as Allied forces struggle to gain a foothold in Europe.

©2014 David Healey (P)2017 David Healey

Thrilling WWII sniper story

Ghost Sniper is a fascinating tale of the liberation of Normandy in 1944. Told from alternating POV's, both allied and German, the horror of war and the nature of the sniper comes through clear in both the narrator's voice and the author's writing. This is not a dry retelling of history or a gung-ho unrealistic war story, it is an exciting cat and mouse tale of predator vs predator. Need, and skills gained hunting in his mountainous home, placed Micajah Cole as the best sniper in an eclectic team of American soldiers. When they cross paths with an infamous German sniper, who is reeking havoc on the allied soldiers, it becomes a fight as to who will kill who first. The narrator brings out the suspense and individuality of the characters well and nails the different accents excellently. This is a thrilling story with suspense, humour, and some great characters. I liked that the author gave the book a somewhat open end, in war and real life things are not always wrapped up nice and neat and it left an opening for more sniper face offs in the next book.

A for effort, C for execution, F for awkward romance.

This story was okay. First off, I hate how male writers always try and work a romance into a war story. It’s almost always awkward and bumbling. Second, another reviewer knocked the story because the author lost track of weapons, I thought maybe he was being to critical and bought the book. No... he’s spot on. There were several times where I was confused because he just told little rear echelon German to stand guard “but I don’t have a rifle” but then he hears a shot from him to alert him the enemy is flanking him. Just lazy writing. Could have been good, the sniping scenes were good, but he needs an editor and to leave the love stories out. Will pass of this series.

Fairly accurate WWII historical fiction . . .

So much so that if it had been presented as a true story, it would be easily believable as to the accurate accounts of many of the scenarios described in detail. The book was obviously well researched (details regarding weapons and tanks were spot on) and, given the story-line of sniper versus sniper in a prolonged duel of sorts, made for an interesting tale. The characters were well developed and the plot moved along at a decent pace. If one had little to no understanding of the history behind the accounts of June 1944, they would come out of this book with a pretty good grasp of what took place.

I found J. Scott Bennett's narration to add an extra plus to the overall work as he did a great job with the German voices and the overall cadence of his voice fit well with the warring atmosphere.

I enjoy historical fiction as long as it doesn't stray too far off of historical facts, this book fits the bill and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this genre. In fact, I am certain that I will be listening to the sequel as soon as it becomes available in audio format.

A review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. My hope is that this review helps in your decision to obtain this book.

Sniper vs Sniper

I am no history buff, but this book really made me interested in learning more. From landing on Omaha Beach to battles in small French villages, I was constantly on the edge of my seat.

I liked the writing, although I am not real fond of having so many "disposable" characters. Yes, this is war, and many of the soldiers were basically disposable, but sometimes it is nice to feel like the author builds up the relationship between reader (or listener in this case) and at least some of these characters before they are suddenly removed from the story.

I will definitely be listening to the sequel.

I was given a free copy of this story with no requirement to leave a review, but have left this anyway because I find it a good story

This is war, boy, of course they'll shoot back!

or "A game of chess, with rifles."

Growing up in the post war Britain of the 1940s and '50s, there was a plethora of fictional war story books available and, being an avid reader, I devoured as many as I could.. Perhaps understandably, they all tended to glorify the allies and denigrate the Germans and I had to wait until I found The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw before I read one in which the Huns were treated as ordinary humans, too. So this story of a German sniper, one of the Germans putting up a losing defensive battle against the incoming American and British troops of the Normandy landing, and the mutual duel into which he and a U.S. farm boy hunter on the allied side engage, is refreshingly balanced. Both have flaws and weaknesses, both have qualities to endear them to the listener - and both are determined to kill the other.

Starting off with the horrific landing on Omaha Beach, the story follows both a hastily put together tiny sniper unit of Americans, formed to try to protect the vulnerable troops surviving the landing from being picked off by the Germans encamped in and around the open field areas as the allies slowly advance into France; and, simultaneously, that of a German officer sniper, itself an unusual combination, wounded and decorated on the Russian front and recuperating in France.in sight of the allied landings. As time passes, the battle between the German and one of the Americans becomes personal, each trying to outwit the other as the rest of the war continues around them.

The inherent tensions and excitement of this story are further enhanced by the excellent narration. J. Scott Bennett's deliciously expressive southern accent perfectly complimenting the text and giving extra life to the protagonists, especially that of the American, Cole. His voicings of all the protagonists is good, although the single Tommy does have a slightly odd accent, but it is consistent and still recognisable as a Brit. But it is the steady pacing in which he excels, calmly, calmly just as a sniper must watch, wait, unhurried, Mr.Bennett increases the breath holding scenes to near bursting capacity. Two rivals, each well matched and both with their life to lose in a fraction of an ill considered moment. Fantastic.

This is a war story, yes, but so much more. it is a battle of wills, moments of near stillness when the chaos of life swirling about. And it is a fight to the death.
Simple but brilliant story, filled with real people in an unforgiving situation, tension filled but with flashes of humour, wonderfully read - what more could a listener require?

Intriguing story!

This wartime tale will captivate you from the first chapter. Excellent writing and a very talented narrator combine to make any fan of war stories add this one to their must have list.

Excellent story with suspense

This was a terrific story and the narrator did a fantastic job with at least 4 different nationalities. Loosely based on The D-Day invasion and the war in France. An unlikely group of characters are thrown together to form a sniper group and the chapters bounce between German and U.S. snipers.
This story had everything I want in an audible book, a little romance, lots of suspense and characters you love to hate and those that you cheer on.
Looking forward to Book 2!

Suspenseful, kept me engaged during the listen

Sniper battles are more strategic than tactical and have been compared many times to chess matches. You have to think several steps ahead in the battle of wits against another sniper. And that is what this book is really about: getting into the heads of two snipers as they hunt each other.

This book reminds me a lot of the movie Enemy At the Gates, featuring a similar sniper showdown between Ed Harris and Jude Law. I see a lot of similarities between Ed Harris' character Major König, and the Von Stainger character in this this book, and I'm wondering if the author used him as inspiration. Which isn't a bad thing. German WWII snipers seemed to have an aristocratic air about them - they knew they were the cream of the crop, and acted accordingly.

This is my first book from David Healey, and other than the nitpick I list in the spoiler paragraph, I found the writing smooth and pleasant to listen to. The book was suspenseful, and kept me engaged during the entire listen. There was however, one inconsistency in the book that's hardly worth mentioning, but I thought I would include it in the review for completeness sake and because it took me out of the story in a "Wait a second" moment. Perhaps the author could edit it for the next version of the book?

[SPOILER]
A Mauser rifle fell from Wolff's hands after being shot. Von Stainger used that rifle to attach to Fritz' hands. Then later, Cole climbed the tree and retrieved the same rifle from Wolff to train Joline how to shoot. Hence, a re-spawning rifle!
[/SPOILER]

J. Scott Bennett did an amazing job with the narration. His voice is perfect for a storyteller. It's smooth and gentle and doesn't get in the way of the story. His enunciation is precise, and his pacing is spot-on. He is one of my favorite narrators and I don't see that changing. Ever.

This audio book was gifted to me by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

Ultimate Chess Match

This audiobook was so good. I really enjoy a fictional story with some truth sprinkled in there, for me it just adds something great to the story. The author does a really great job at painting a realistic and vivid landscape. Each scene is described so well that it was as if it took me back in time. I could hear the gun shots and tank's rrolling into the towns in my head. I know this type of writing is not for everyone but in this case it really worked for the story. You can't help but like our main character and his unorthodox methods, just know there is always a method to his madness. I was rooting for him during the entire story. It was refreshing to be taken back into a time without the tech we have today. I felt like the tactics that were used were so time appropriate, not that I would know but the author also definitely did his research. The performance was so well done, this was my second book done by this narrator and I enjoyed both. His British, German, French and best of all Southern American accents were done so well. He gave each character a unique personality and each scene some flavour. I cannot speak better of the performance. As if this book does not need something else... well the ending left me a little frustrated but in a good way. It is a cliffhanger but is so fitting to both our cat and mouse. Please, please please make book 2 into an audiobook. This one was so good I cannot miss the finale. **I received a free copy of this audio production in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom, this in no way affected my opinion of this book.**

A good war-history-based book

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I'm a fan of history, but would not call myself a historian by any stretch of the imagination. I say that because I have no clue how accurate this story is to actual history. I can say it "felt" realistic, but I haven't done any fact checking because this is a work of fiction and my time is better spent doing other things, like listening to more good books. I thought the pacing of the book is great, there was plenty of action and suspense, and the narrator was really good. If you like war-history-based fiction, then you should definitely pick this one up.

Crosshairs.

A cross between Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates, this tense cat and mouse game between two deadly snipers is very enjoyable. The deadly war action takes place in Normandy following the D-Day landings. An eccentric array of characters including a daring French woman allied to the resistance, fellow snipers, inexperienced commanders and soldiers add to the tension instilled by this war story.
I received a free code for this Audio title with no obligation to review but I'm happy to do so. Highly recommended.

"This is war boy! Of course they'll shoot back."

Any additional comments?

Or: "A game of chess, with rifles."

Growing up in the post war Britain of the 1940s and '50s, there was a plethora of fictional war story books available and, being an avid reader, I devoured as many as I could.. Perhaps understandably, they all tended to glorify the allies and denigrate the Germans and I had to wait until I found The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw before I read one in which the Huns were treated as ordinary humans, too. So this story of a German sniper, one of the Germans putting up a losing defensive battle against the incoming American and British troops of the Normandy landing, and the mutual duel into which he and a U.S. farm boy hunter on the allied side engage, is refreshingly balanced. Both have flaws and weaknesses, both have qualities to endear them to the listener - and both are determined to kill the other.

Starting off with the horrific landing on Omaha Beach, the story follows both a hastily put together tiny sniper unit of Americans, formed to try to protect the vulnerable troops surviving the landing from being picked off by the Germans encamped in and around the open field areas as the allies slowly advance into France; and, simultaneously, that of a German officer sniper, itself an unusual combination, wounded and decorated on the Russian front and recuperating in France.in sight of the allied landings. As time passes, the battle between the German and one of the Americans becomes personal, each trying to outwit the other as the rest of the war continues around them.

The inherent tensions and excitement of this story are further enhanced by the excellent narration. J. Scott Bennett's deliciously expressive southern accent perfectly complimenting the text and giving extra life to the protagonists, especially that of the American, Cole. His voicings of all the protagonists is good, although the single Tommy does have a slightly odd accent, but it is consistent and still recognisable as a Brit. But it is the steady pacing in which he excels, calmly, calmly just as a sniper must watch, wait, unhurried, Mr.Bennett increases the breath holding scenes to near bursting capacity. Two rivals, each well matched and both with their life to lose in a fraction of an ill considered moment. Fantastic.

This is a war story, yes, but so much more. it is a battle of wills, moments of near stillness when the chaos of life swirling about. And it is a fight to the death.
Simple but brilliant story, filled with real people in an unforgiving situation, tension filled but with flashes of humour, wonderfully read - what more could a listener require?

Reasonably gripping

Good story line, however there’s a few errors where the author contradicts himself from 2 sides of the story. And the narrators accents are abysmal, to the point of being funny which takes away from the narrative. He would of been better off not trying. Otherwise easy listening.

Quite Good

Quite good, although there a a few continuity errors in the story, which were somewhat perplexing & annoying

Good page turner

Story moves at pace and sufficient builds atmosphere to make it appealing listen. Bit light on historical detail and a fair degree of artistic license, but the book isn’t pretending to be anything it isn’t.

Well read in the main, although some of the accents - especially the British voice - is a bit all over the place. You’ll be able to live with that though, as I’ve heard worse.

A scooby doo war story

The book based on its free sample started extremely well, the opening scenes of the story of the landings reminding me of saving private Ryan.
Unfortunately this is where the good stuff ends and the book hits the buffers.
A few chapters in the narrative between the characters starts to become irritating and unnecessary. The plot stops building and instead becomes a childish yarn with extremely convenient happenings which make things all fall into place.
The end kicker is when the book has no conclusion at all and instead your invited to listen to the next in the series. No thank you. I’ll pass and return for a credit.
One to avoid!.

Enemy at the Gates in France

I got the book because I was a fan of the film enemy at the gates and I was not disappointed I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm looking forward to the second book.
I would say this is across between saving private Ryan and enemy at the gates if you like war story's you will like this.

☺

This is my first book by David Harley it's very good 5 out of 5 I have lots of narrater j .Scott Bennett work 5 out of 5

great book

June 6, 1944. On the dawn of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, two snipers find themselves fighting a battle all their own.
enjoyed this book so did my husband

A fantastic Normandy WW2 sniper story

Really thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! The story is fast paced with loads of great tense situations to keep you listening! I’ve listened to a fair few of Scott’s books and while he always does a great job, this is my favourite of his so far! Great atmosphere, great storytelling and great characters!
Can’t wait to listen to the rest of this series!!
This is my honest opinion of a free review copy.