Point of Impact

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Beau Bridges

“A harsh, visceral, novel of conspiracy and betrayal . . . a distrubing mix that plays on our sense of history while at the same time it appeals to our darkest fantasies of rough justice.”—Chicago Tribune

The inspiration for the USA Network series Shooter

He was one the best Marine snipers in Vietnam. Today, twenty years later, disgruntled hero of an unheroic war, all Bob Lee Swagger wants to be left alone and to leave the killing behind.

But with consummate psychological skill, a shadowy military organization seduces Bob into leaving his beloved Arkansas hills for one last mission for his country, unaware until too late that the game is rigged.

The assassination plot is executed to perfection—until Bob Lee Swagger, alleged lone gunman, comes out of the operation alive, the target of a nationwide manhunt, his only allies a woman he just met and a discredited FBI agent.

Now Bob Lee Swagger is on the run, using his lethal skills once more—but this time to track down the men who set him up and to break a dark conspiracy aimed at the very heart of America.©1993 Stephen Hunter; (P)1993 Random House Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hunter passes almost everybody else in the thriller-writing trade as if they were standing still . . . worth every extravagant rave."—New York Daily News

first time that the movie was better

I don't know if I've ever listened to a book where the movie was better.

Story was good, production outstanding

The story was good. The narrator was good. What I found outstanding was the production. That deserve's its own rating. Like when the chapter break happens, and when the voice change, and the music. I guess that all goes in "performance". But it's more than the narrator. It's the director or producer, director or someone who splices together the tape, with music pauses etc. I was captured mostly because the production was so well done.

not bad

wish this was the full story not the abridged version still good the narrator was ok for me kind of took away the flair of the story not sure it was intentional but was not a fit for me but I did enjoy the story liked the movie way better need to listen to more of the series

Abridged…Dang…Read the book

I didn’t pay attention and got this on sale…it’s okay but missing so much from book. Wish they had an unabridged version.

In this case the movie is better

Meet Bob Lee Swagger in this 1st book of the series. Not knowing this was a series I started with Game of Snipers so I will tell you the writing gets better. Soon into the story, you realize that this is at least in part the basis for the movie The Shooter. The movie is better. The storyline makes more sense and the scenes that play out are better scripted. Just overlook the weak interpersonal scenes and the times where the story doesn't develop well. The latter comes from the tendency to many writers have of creating too many conflicts and too much drama.

Fortunately, the books improve. Think I'll give book 2 a shot.