Dead Zero

Bob Lee Swagger, Book 7

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Buck Schirner

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Who killed Whiskey 2-2? And why won’t it stay dead?

A marine sniper team on a mission in tribal territories on the Afghan-Pakistan border, Whiskey 2-2 is ambushed by professionals using the latest high-tech shooting gear. Badly wounded, the team’s sole survivor, Gunnery Sergeant Ray Cruz, aka “the Cruise Missile”, is determined to finish his job. He almost succeeds when a mystery blast terminates his enterprise, leaving a 30-foot crater where a building used to be — and where Sergeant Cruz was meant to be hiding.

Months pass. Ray’s target, an Afghan warlord named Ibrahim Zarzi, sometimes called “The Beheader”, becomes an American asset in the region and beyond, beloved by State, the Administration, and the Agency. He arrives in Washington for consecration as Our Man in Kabul. But so does a mysterious radio transmission, in last year’s code. It’s from Whiskey 2-2: MISSION WILL BE COMPLETED. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH.

Is Ray Cruz back? Has he gone rogue, is he insane, or just insanely angry? Will he succeed, though his antagonists now include the CIA, the FBI, and the same crew of bad boys that nearly killed him in Zabol province? Not to mention Bob Lee Swagger and a beautiful CIA agent named Susan Okada who gives Swagger more than just a patriotic reason to take the case.

Swagger, the legendary hero of seven of Hunter’s novels, is recruited by the FBI to stop the Cruise Missile from reaching his target. The problem is that the more Swagger learns about what happened in Zabol, the more he questions the U.S. government’s support of Zarzi and the more he identifies with Cruz as hunter instead of prey.

With its hallmark accuracy on modern killing technologies, Dead Zero features an older, more contemplative Swagger, but never lets up on the razor-sharp dialogue, vivid characterizations, extraordinary action scenes, and dazzling prose that define Hunter’s landmark series.

Take another thrill ride with Bob Lee Swagger.

©2010 Stephen Hunter (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Some issues with places and people

Much of the action that takes place near Camp Lejeune is described as taking place in SOUTH CAROLINA!??? What's up with that Mr. Hunter? ---

As Marine centric as all your stories are I would have thought you'd get that right. Glaring error. Camp Lejune and Jacksonville not "Jackson" is in North Carolina on the coast. Just north of Wilmington. Some other place names are referred to as in SC also although they are only a few miles off base. ---

You also refer to former Marines as "ex-Marines", a big no no as you should know. ---

The antagonists in this story are cartoon clowns and not the professional hitman one would expect Bob Lee to have to overcome and defeat. Seems like you're just pumping out BLS stories for the heck of it without any real attempt at a good story. ---

Also tell Buck Schirner to cut back to a pack a day. He often runs out of breath trying to finish sentences or say certain words and sounds like a smoker who doesn't have full lung capacity. ---

Hate to do this because I'm a fan of all your previous stories, but only 3 stars for this one. ---

- Jesse in Virginia.

Errors, detail, narration obscure the story

This is a typical Stephen Hunter/Bob Lee Swagger story with plenty of twists and turns. And like the other stories of the series it is peppered liberally with unnecessary detail about the firearms and ammunition while getting some basic facts wrong. Others have noted the South Carolina/North Carolina problem; let me remind Mr. Hunter that a brick wall does not provide cover from a .50 cal round. The bigger problem, though, is Buck Schirner's narration. Schirner has the perfect gravel voice for Bob Lee Swagger. But that's the extent of his value. He can't do accents or dialects well or consistently but he constantly tries to do them, and he has problems pronouncing some less common words in the English language. He also has a problem with phrases that break across lines, leading to odd inflections in many cases. He needs an editor or producer to smooth over these issues with his delivery, and Mr. Hunter needs to focus on telling the story and not on educating his readers - many of whom are probably more familiar with firearms than he is -- about guns and ammo.

Disappointing effort.

While no marine, I agree with the other reviewers; this novel just isn't up to par. Lots of attempts at humor were lame and the story line just doesn't work. I didn't even finish this one. If someone were to suggest that Mr Hunter didn't write this I wouldn't necessarily disagree (and would actually be pleased to know it wasn't Mr Hunter's work). Kind of seems as though the point was to churn out another novel regardless of quality. I'll be back for the next novel, hoping that it mirrors earlier efforts.

Great Story

If you could sum up Dead Zero in three words, what would they be?

The reader, along with Stephen Hunter's great writing ability provide for a great listening experience. Bob Lee is presented with another what appears to be a locked door mystery. But his persistence, intuition, common sense, and moral compass provide the reader with a fantastic story of true hero's.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dead Zero?

Definitely! I found this book by accident, and had not realized that there had been more Bob Lee Swagger books written since I Sniper.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Bob reveals what I had expected he did when he handed the National Intelligence Chief his brief case. Another example of Bob Lee's ability to turn the hunters into the hunted.

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

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

YES!
Please, Please make the original books in the Bob Lee Swagger series available in Unabridged versions with Buck Shcimer as the reader.

While Beau Bridges narrating the abridged versions is fine for what I assume will be more movie adaptations, it is crying shame that the orginial books, Point of Impact, Dirty White Boys, Time to Hunt, etc.... are not in unabridged audible format.

My favorite of the series so far

Contrary to other reviews I really enjoyed the story... The twists and turns and introduction of me plot elements. I especially appreciate that it is not formulaic. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

Son Of Sniper? Do we have a second gen sequiI?

excellent as always. updated view of world events? is th÷re ! "Son of sniper?" lt looks like we have a Son the Nailer.

Hunter hits another home run

The narrator does a superb job . he brings to life the storyline grabs your attention

This 7th book has shades of "The Shooter" movie

Another action-packed entry in the excellent Bob Lee Swagger series, this book had some shades of the movie "The Shooter" which was based on "Point of Impact". Sniper and his spotter in the Middle East who get attacked by mysterious mercenaries, leading to a cat and mouse game over in the USA. In this book, as Bob Lee ages, we were introduced to a new young sniper hero, Ray Cruz. Bob Lee is brought in by the FBI to help locate Cruz and he then is drawn into the cat and mouse game that Cruz is immersed in. In this book, we see Bob Lee apparently losing a step as he blows something that the classic Bob Lee would never have. This does set up an important plot development later, but I was disappointed that Bob seemed to be losing some of his skill. Overall, this is right in line with the Swagger series - lots of action, guns and fun, and, as always, one of the best in this genre. Buck Schirner continues as an excellent narrator for this series.

Disappointing an shallow listen

There are a doen authors who can catpure your attention far more effective than Hunter.
The storyline has potential, but seems very contrived and unnatrual. Character development lacks setup and its like watching a quicky TV show than a real novel.
The story is superficial at best, I'm afraid.
The reader just doesn't have that interesting voice to capture my attention.

This was a recommended read, but I say stick with the real writers.

awesome

Another awesome story by Mr. Hunter. loves every second of it. A for sure recommendation.