The Bullet Garden
An Earl Swagger Novel
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4.4 • 311 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The long-anticipated origin story of legendary Marine, fan favorite, and father of literary icon Bob Lee takes us to the battlefields of World War II as Earl Swagger embarks on a top secret and deadly mission—from Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling Stephen Hunter, “one of the best thriller novelists around” (The Washington Post).
July, 1944: The lush, rolling hills of Normandy are dotted with a new feature—German snipers. From their vantage points, they pick off hundreds of Allied soldiers every day, bringing the D-Day invasion to its knees. It’s clear that someone is tipping off these snipers with the locations of American GIs, but who? And how?
General Eisenhower demands his intelligence service to find the best shot in the Allied military to counter this deadly SS operation. Enter Pacific hero Earl Swagger, assigned this crucial and bloody mission. With crosshairs on his back, Swagger can’t trust anyone as he infiltrates the shadowy corners of London and France for answers.
From “a true master at the pinnacle of his craft” (Jack Carr, author of the Terminal List series), The Bullet Garden is an electrifying historical thriller that is sure to become a classic.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Hunter's superb fourth Earl Swagger novel (after 2003's Havana) details the sniper's origin story. It's 1944, and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Earl Swagger, a veteran of three Pacific island campaigns—Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Tarawa—is at Parris Island training recruits how to shoot their new M1 Garand rifles. In Europe, Gen. Omar Bradley's First Army is bogged down just days after D-Day in what are called the "bullet gardens" of France—lush green meadows laced throughout with almost impenetrable hedgerows. Because German snipers are taking a heavy toll on Allied troops, especially at night, Swagger is called to London to join the OSS under Col. David K.E. Bruce to develop an anti-sniper campaign. Several side plots add intriguing complications, including a romance with Bruce's beautiful assistant, WAC Lt. Millie Fenwick, and the unearthing of a surprising traitor. All the elements slot neatly into place in the end, particularly Swagger's ingenious solution to the problem of the German snipers. Terrific writing, amusing literary references, fascinating gun lore, and intense action scenes help make this one of Hunter's best. Established fans and newcomers alike will be enthralled.
Customer Reviews
Very interesting from the start! Of course, I’ve been a fan of Earl Lee Swagger for many years!!
OkieFortyniner
Earl at his best …
This was another good one by Hunter. As much as I like Bob Lee, his daddy Earl is my favorite. Of all the novels till now where Earl is the hero, Pale Horse Coming was my favorite. Sorry still is. But this one’s a good one and I’d personally like to see more of Earl Swagger who is the baddest Johnson ever and, being from Arkansas myself, I’ve known some bad Johnson’s.
Hunter’s best book since Point of Impact
Hunter’s best book since Point of Impact