Soft Target

Ray Cruz, Book 1

De: Stephen Hunter

Narrado por: Phil Gigante

New York Times best-selling author Stephen Hunter is back with another breakneck thriller, in which ex-Marine sniper, Ray Kruz, must outwit a group of murderous Somali terrorists who’ve laid siege to the Mall of America.

Recently retired marine sergeant Ray Kruz has been talked into a mall trip by his fiancé, the beautiful Molly Chan. For Ray, Molly represents a way to reconnect with normal life, something his 20 years in the service and five tours in two combat zones have prevented. But now he finds himself in the middle of the softest target of all, a huge consumer mall where a self-styled “Mumbai Brigade” has come to bring massive death to the heartland. They just didn’t know Ray Cruz was in the building….

©2011 Stephen Hunter (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good. But....

If you could sum up Soft Target in three words, what would they be?

Not typical Hunter.

Would you be willing to try another book from Stephen Hunter? Why or why not?

I will continue to read Hunter. He is usually very dependably entertaing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't expect vintage Hunter.

Any additional comments?

I liked the plot. I wish the ending had been a little more satisfying. I grew to dislike the police commander and his bootlicker worse than the terrorists. I finished the book frustrated.

A different take

A different take on the thriller genre. I enjoyed the book very much and the various characters in it. Most of the characters played smaller parts in the story. They became very real personalities for me. The main characters are developed well.

Bad Gun Science

Any additional comments?

I have to say this so that somebody says this. Stephen Hunter in several of his past books has established himself as an actual gun aficionado. (We don't like the term "gun nut") In this book though, there are just too many errors to count. The worst is when our hero uses a potato to craft a 100% effective "silencer" on an AK 74. Seriously?

1. A potato is not an effective silencer.
2. A commercial suppressor is not a "silencer". There is no such thing.
3. A perfectly effective silencer, if such a thing existed, would not remove the crack of the ammunition traveling faster than the speed of sound, and there is no reason to believe that sub-sonic ammo for the AK in the caliber mentioned has ever been made.
4. I can't imagine that the AK carried by the Somalis described in the novel were scoped. Why would they be? No mention of it (so far) but our hero makes accurate shot after accurate shot with a potato stuffed over the barrel and iron sights.

In short, bad gun juju.

Made for TV movie bullshit. But, if you can willingly suspend disbelief, it's a fun made for TV movie kind of story.

The next generation has begun

What did you love best about Soft Target?

Breakneck speed and it captures what is on everyone's mind today; terrorism in our own neighborhoods.

What did you like best about this story?

Ray Cruz is a real guy and not a super hero and that made us all identify with him.

Which scene was your favorite?

As the plan falls apart for the terrorists their incompetence takes over. Nice to think that we have better people walking the Malls than most of these groups send to do their dirty work.

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

I couldn't get out of the car. Kept reminding myself that it would be here when I got back in.

Any additional comments?

Stephen Hunter cranks them out and the readable style makes each of his books a lot like dessert after a good meal. For all of us former military guys it is a chance to remember that there are still good people out there to watch over our country.

Overall - Good

Good book but not great. Story is predictable as it progresses. Excitement but little suspense.