Don L. (ProfDon) reviewed on 6/23/2007 + 38 more book reviews

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.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details