Helpful Score: 4
The best book written by Stephen Hunter.He pulls no punches and the whole book is something that could have really happened in the deep deep south. Kept me awake all night.
Helpful Score: 3
Caution: Not for the faint of heart. Stephen Hunter's Pale Horse Coming is a dark tale of murder, cruelty, and raw ambition largely designed to conceal a secret project being undertaken in the swamps of darkest Mississippi. Until now I'd pretty much given top honors on my 'gruesome scale' to Thomas Harris' scene in which Hannibal Lecter and Clarise Starling dine on Paul Krendler's brain; but as unpalatable (sorry) as that scene was the psychopathic brutality displayed by the officials of the Thebes Penal Farm (Colored) comes very close to topping it. When attorney Sam Vincent fails to return from a mission to the penal farm in search of documentation his friend, former Marine and Arkansas State Police Sergeant Earl Swagger, sets out to investigate. What follows is a gripping tale of incarceration, escape, revenge, and retribution that will set the hairs on your neck to tingling. Hunter nicely pairs off his characters to provide lots of both internal and external tension, and cleverly doles out revelations about the true nature of things all the way to the end of the tale to keep those pages turning.
Helpful Score: 2
I would describe this book as the movies Missing in Action, The Pelican Brief and the Magnificent Seven all rolled into one fantastic story. I picked this book up at a thrift store because it looked interesting. I was greatly surprised. This is a terrific book, with well developed characters. I really liked the fact that Hunter used biographies of real life, well-known gunmen of the 20th century. He changed the last names Elmer Kieth aka: Elmer McKay, Jack O'Conner aka: Jack O'Brien and Audie Murphy aka: Audie Ryan. What a great twist. I actually knew Elmer Keith when I was a young lad. He is from my home town of Salmon, Idaho. Jack OConner also lived in Northern Idaho.
Helpful Score: 2
This was a great book. I couldnt put it down, and was never board with it. Stephen Hunter writes in a way that puts you inside the story and paints vivid scenes in your minds eye. I would recomend this book to anyone who loves action, and suspence.
