The 47th Samurai - Bob Lee Swagger, Bk 4 Author:Stephen Hunter TO SURVIVE SAMURAI — More than 60 years after Earl Swagger spilled the blood of Captain Hideki Yano in the chaotic battle for Iwo Jima, Bob Lee Swagger has pledged to find Yano's sword so that his son Philip may honor his father's heroic legacy. But this blade is no ordinary military instrument. It's an ancient samurai sword -- a nati... more »onal treasure whose worth can only be measured in human lives.
YOU MUST BECOME SAMURAI
After the Yano family is murdered and the recovered sword stolen from their home, Swagger unearths a ruthless conspiracy reaching from Tokyo's dark, criminal yakuza underworld to the highest echelons of the Japanese government. The only certainty is that money, power, and sex can drive men of all nationalities to gruesome extremes. To win this game, Swagger must be willing not only to die ... but also to kill.« less
Even though the main character is getting older he continues to solve problems as only a marine can solve them; with force. Bob Lee Swagger calls in favors from his past contacts in the intelligence community to seek justice for a new found friend and his family that were murdered. To seek the revenge he deems appropriate for the Japanese business man responsible for the murders Bob Lee gets training in the art of the Samurai and their sword fighting techniques and skills. Here is where the book relies on the reader's gullibility as Swagger, in only two weeks training, is able to face SIX Samurai and kill all of them except one, with a sword. The author tries to justify the slaughter by weaving the tale that Swagger was able to "trick" the Samurai with a drunken act. I did not buy it but the fight of six to one was necessary for future endeavors by Swagger. Still an overall good book and the Bob Lee character is one of my favorites at this time.