Night of Thunder

Bob Lee Swagger, Book 5

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Buck Schirner

New York Times best-selling author Stephen Hunter returns with his most riveting Bob Lee Swagger volume to date. The stakes are high - and personal - because this time, Swagger's daughter's life is at stake. Forced off the road and into a crash that leaves her clinging to life in a coma, Nikki Swagger had begun to peel back the onion of a Southern Fried scandal.

Corrupt constabulary, meth lab crackers, and deranged evangelicals rear their ugly heads and when Swagger picks up where Nikki left off, his swift sword of justice is let loose. All of it is set against the backdrop of the excitement and insanity that only a weeklong NASCAR event can bring to the backwoods of a town as seemingly sleepy as Bristol, VA. A master at the top of his game, Hunter provides a host of riveting new reasons to read as fast as we can. Stephen Hunter is the best-selling author of The 47th Samurai, Havana, and Pale Horse Coming, among other titles.

©2008 Stephen Hunter (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

You go, Bob Lee!!!

We love Bob Lee Swagger. Despite his age, he still gets his man or should we say men. Devoted to his family - and tough as nails on top of it.

Good book with a great villain!

Bad guy or not… brother Richard’s one liners and digs at the boys made this a funny and action packed book.

Not the best Hunter novel.

Would you try another book from Stephen Hunter and/or Buck Schirner?

Yes, I had and I will again. I love the Lee Swagger character and the almost-Eastwood nature of Schirner's rendition, which is perfect for the role. However, I couldn't keep my attention on the story line and I was disappointed by the Hollywood style ending.

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

Yes, but I will select with caution.

Have you listened to any of Buck Schirner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good as always.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not at all.

Any additional comments?

This seems like a script for a cheesy blow-em-up movie, Hunter can do better.

This was an awesome book

this was a fantastic book that kept you as a listener extremely intrigued I would recommend this book to anybody who follows the series.

Melodramatic Fun

The first thing to understand about this series is that it's a comic book without pictures. It has serious threats, but the characters are all much larger than life, and their actions don't much reflect reality.

Specific examples in this book include that even when it was written, a rollover accident was not a guaranteed death sentence, with perhaps 60% of people surviving, and of those who died, most being unsecured. (Almost all the early[ search results suggesting survival rates, which vary pretty wildly, are from ambulance chasers, for whatever that's worth.) And [redacted as a spoiler]. But, hey, comic book.

So, all that said, this was very entertaining to read. Bob was his usual laconic killer self, his supporters were varied and fun, and the antagonists were big, stupid fun.

If you're looking for the usual sort of serious thriller, this isn't it. But if you're willing to take the book on its own terms, it's very enjoyable.