Ghost Sniper

By: David Healey

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

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

David Healey knows how to bring you into a story!

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

War and historical fiction books are not in my typical genres for books, but the plot of this one sounded interesting so I decided to give it a shot. Building up characters and making them come alive in the audio is my favorite thing about books and David Healey talent at doing that really comes through in this story. So I would recommend it.

Any additional comments?

The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 on the story is that the ending felt forced and in need of something more (though there is another book with this storyline so that is perhaps why). I did receive this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great book

After interviews with my great uncle who landed at Omaha beach and fought through the Battle of the Bulge to Berlin with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th armies, this book allows me to follow his adventures and battles through some of the towns. Even though some fictional geography exist, the detail of the territory compares to my great uncle’s story. I recommend every on of these books.

Cat and Mouse, Deadly WW2 Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Ghost Sniper to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print or e print edition. I enjoy listening to Audible books when I just don't have time to read. Driving, multitasking, ...

Would you recommend Ghost Sniper to your friends? Why or why not?

I believe this is first in a series featuring Caje Cole a Southern backwoods American during WW2 as his journey as an elite marksman / sniper propels him through different Theaters of Operation. I thought the writing was simplistic, there are several mistakes regards weapons, but I was interested in the subject and characters enough that I would like to read, listen to further works.

What does J. Scott Bennett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott is one of my favorite voice actors for Audible books. I enjoy his voices, his pace. His contribution here elevated the writing from so-so to a four star listen.

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

The landing on D Day,. I can imagine the fear and chaos of the men landing on that day.

Any additional comments?

Thanks for the opportunity to listen and offer my opinions on this work!A review copy was gifted to me at no charge. In return, I am happy to provide an honest review. Also at no charge.

Love me some WWII

I was hooked from beginning to end. I love just about anything set in the WWII Era and this one didn't disappoint. Great pace and story. Loved the characters. It did seem like a few of the accents got a little muddied but still an awesome listen


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

Good storyline and narration of a WWII book

The narration was excellent, and the author did his homework in respect to the weapons and timelines for the era.
You start at Normandy as all great WWII stories do. Overall a great book and you will not be disappointed there is plenty of detail to get you into the story. I was provided a copy of this audiobook in return for a honest review

A little too Cliche.

I normally enjoy WWII historical fiction. This one tends to lean more on the fictional side. Some of the action in this story is directly taken from movies or other books I've read. It's ok for a time killer but I will not buy the rest of the series.

great

enjoyed the storyline, can’t wait to listen to all of books, author makes you feel like you dare there

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.**

OK, but could be better

A German sniper in France using a Mosin Nagant??! Where is he getting all of the ammunition he needs for 7.62 x 54R? Not very believable. On the Eastern Front, yeah sure. In France, not very likely.

Also, the author apparently doesn’t realize that an ‘03 Springfield is essentially a copy of a Mauser ‘98. He has the lead character cleaning the ‘03 Springfield followed by cleaning a Mauser 98 and makes it sound like the Mauser is completely different.