Steve B. (fog) - reviewed on 1/28/2019 + 139 more book reviews

Guess I will start off by being the stickler for detail critic that I am. Early in the book Bob Swagger meets an armorer at at gun range. After talking, the retiree tells Bob Swagger that he spent time in Vietnam, did twenty years in the Army and got out with eight stripes. I'm sure what the author was trying to convey was that the retiree retire as an E-8 as Bob calls him "Top" the Army shorthand for Top Sergeant or First Sergeant, But the rank is NOT depicted with eight stripes, the First Sergeant rank is three chevrons on top and three chevrons on the bottom with a diamond in the middle.

In the same conversation Bob Swagger says he only managed six before they kicked him out. This statement follows immediately after the Army 1SG says he had eight stripes which leads one to think that Bob S is saying he had six stripes. Bob Swagger is a former Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant which is E-7 rank and is depicted with three chevons on top and two on the bottom, total of five stripes.The author could avoid the mistake by omitting the word stripe from the conversation, i.e. the 1SG could say he got out after getting his eight. The eight then would refer to hi rank and not stripes. Same for the Gunny, he should say he got out out after getting seven.

Ok, enough of that. The story jumps between the present and 1934 as Bob Swagger tries to put together his grandfather's past and involvement with the FBIs attempts to take down Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger and company. I found the present day narrative to be sluggish and not well developed but on the other hand the 1934's angle was very interesting and in my opinion should have been a stand alone book. All in all another good read from Stephen Hunter.

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