Pale Horse Coming

Earl Swagger, Book 2

By: Stephen Hunter

Narrated by: Eric G. Dove

It’s 1951. The Thebes State Penal Farm in Mississippi is up a dark river, surrounded by swamps and impenetrable piney woods. It’s the Old South at its most brutal - a place of violence, racial terror, and even more horrific rumors. Of the few who make the journey, black or white, even fewer return.

But in that year, two men will come to Thebes. The first is Sam Vincent, the former prosecuting attorney of Polk County, Arkansas who, with great misgivings, accepts a job to investigate a disappearance. Before he leaves on this dangerous trip, he confesses his fears to his former investigator Earl Swagger, now a sergeant of the Arkansas State Police. Earl pledges that if Sam is not back by a certain time, he will come looking for him.

What they encounter there is something beyond their wildest imagining of evil. The dying black town is ruled by white deputies on horseback who are more like an occupying army and the only escape is over the wild currents of the dark river that drowns as many people as it liberates. But nothing in town compares to the prison. Run by an aging madman with insane theories of racial purity, it is administered by a brutal sergeant known as Bigboy. The convicts call him The Whip Man - he can take a man’s soul with his nine feet of braided catgut.

Both Sam and Earl will be challenged to the limits of their strength by this place and will struggle not only for their own survival, but with the question: What does a man do when confronted with evil?

©2008 Stephen Hunter (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

An exciting suspenseful book

Not what I expected - much more suspenseful than I anticipated. One of those books that starts off slow that your'e not sure that you want to read the next chapter, but a story that builds and has an exciting ending with a "feel good" last chapter.

Hunter never fails

No detail is left out it allows the reader to see the story as it develops. Earls stories are great but don’t miss out on the Bob Lee stories.

Interesting Book

Having lived in the South all of my life I have met persons that could have walked off the pages of this book. Thankfully, the majority of the people do not suffer this blind, stupid hatred. Anyway, the book does have some rough language as well as rough depictions but given the setting of the story seems accurate to me.

Phenomenal

Excellent story telling and excellent narration. I’m looking forward to more by this pair of professionals.

Rooting for more

Captivating story that sticks with you long after you've read the last word. Definitely a book you'll recommend to others!