The Third Bullet (Bob Lee Swagger, #8) (2024)

The tale sets creaky ex-military sniper and former Arkansas sheriff Bob Lee Swagger on a path to solve the Kennedy assassination. This thriller was a lot of fun coming on the heels of reading Stephen King’s 11/22/63, both seemingly timed for the expected revival of public interest as the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death.

A businessman has been killed in a suspicious hit and run accident and his wife suspects it might have something to do with his conspiracy theory hobby, which was stimulated by learning about a coat with gun oil on it found in the elevator room of the building adjacent to the Texas Book Depository Building. She asks Swagger to investigate, and one small clue leads him to take the case despite his happy retirement with his family to a horse ranch in Idaho. He enlists the help of an old FBI friend in Dallas who owes him a big favor. His poking around for information soon brings out evidence of a dangerous and powerful opponent to his efforts.

Several conspiracy theories bring in a second backup gunman to try to address the mystery of how Oswald, who missed twice with his poor bolt-action weapon, could pull off a successful head shot on his third. And whereas the bullet that stayed intact after passing though JFK’s neck and Governor Connolly’s body and wrist, the third killshot bullet exploded into tiny fragments. Hunter’s tale accounts for this issue. It also accounts for unusual aspects of Oswald’s behaviors and choices after the shooting. The intense focus on these details might be tedious to some readers, but they were fascinating to me. Still, the breakneck pace of action and extreme dangers typically overcome by Swagger do not reach the levels that Hunter readers like me are addicted to. Relevant to this, there is a segment where Swagger enlists a literature expert to get at some clues based on Nabokov and they end up discussing clichés in thriller plots, which appears to be Hunter’s way of getting cute about his money maker.

Interestingly, it turns out that it is not surprising for Hunter to write a Kennedy assassination conspiracy book. His first Swagger book, Point of Impact, as he points out in the Acknowlegments, was actually inspired by an early second-gunman theory for JFK’s death. He had covered the theorist’s ideas as a newspaper journalist, and he turned down an offer to bring it to life in a fictional account at that time. Point of Impact has some parallels in that Swagger is used as a patsy by a second gunman in a frameup for a political murder.

While I still think Hunter's first book, "Point of Impact," is one of the best "action-thriller" books and a must read for anyone interested in the genre, I was a bit disappointed in "The Third Bullet." I found the pacing, especially in the middle when Hunter changes point-of-view between characters, a bit tedious. One of the things I loved about "Point of Impact," was what disappointed me most about "Third Bullet;" the pacing. Hunter really bogs down on the details of the JFK assassination. While I still found the book interesting, I do have to admit that halfway through, I found I had to go read something else, before I could come back and finish this book.

I have never read an in-depth account of the JFK assassination or watched any shows/documentaries/wacko Oliver Stone movies/etc. Generally, I agree with our protagonist, former Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger on the topic Swagger laughed. “Frankly,” he said, “I don’t give a shit about JFK.” But I have to give Mr. Hunter 4 Stars for providing a highly readable account of the event in The Third Bullet and a plausible alternative to the one-man/one gun accepted theory. Anyone unfamiliar with the events in Dallas or perhaps even those conspiracy aficionados could read this enjoyably. This plot echoes the story that unfolded in the first Swagger novel, Point of Impact

Bob Lee is 66 years old now and not much interested in the outside world. But he takes on an investigation of the murder of an author who has some unusual evidence related to that day in 1963. There are gunfights and no one tells a better gunfight story than Mr. Hunter. Bob Lee is still dangerous and will demonstrate that several times in various locations. As usual, Hunter brings an extensive knowledge of guns, ammo, technology and how they are used. I was particularly intrigued by the description of Oswald and his movements before and after. Book gets a little long-winded in the middle but I didn't mind. Recommended!

The 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination has brought out a number of fiction and nonfiction books about his murder. I’ve reviewed two: Steven King’s 11/22/63 and Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Lincoln (the latter being nonfiction). I rated both of them very highly. But Stephen Hunter’s The Third Bullet may just take the cake. His novel presents an extremely well researched and plausible theory that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone and, in fact, did not fire the fatal bullet. Hunter uses his iconic hero, Bob Lee Swagger, a former Marine sniper (Dead Zero, I Sniper, Time to Hunt, and others), as the protagonist, who uses his knowledge of rifles and shooting to determine who actually killed Kennedy and then administers his own brand of justice. I may not be big into firearms, but I enjoyed learning about them. Also, his theory is very consistent with the known facts about the assassination, so the novel was a good history lesson, as well. But most of all, it was highly entertaining. An easy five stars.

“The Third Bullet” by Stephen Hunter, published by Simon and Schuster.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

This is another Bob Lee Swagger novel written by Stephen Hunter. If you familiar with this series you will probably go and pick up the book without reading any reviews. If you are not familiar with Bob Lee this would be a good time to get acquainted.

Over the last fifty years there have been many conspiracy theories concerning the assassination of JFK. Stephen Hunter comes up with yet another one but writes it as fiction but holds to the actual events that took place on that day and the days preceding the assassination.

Hunter gives yet another insight as to just who Lee Harvey Oswald was and the motivation behind his actions. He agrees with the Warren Commission and many other books that Oswald was just a patsy, however Hunter takes it a step further and speculates who was running Oswald and the difficulties they had because Oswald was not mentally capable of the assassination. Therefore, Hunter provides a scenario that insures that JFK will be murdered regardless of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Swagger finds himself trying to untangle the who and why of the assassination, and in typical Swagger fashion gets into a major firefight that might prove to be the end for Bob Lee.

A great read especially for those who are still looking into the JFK assassination. Hunter uses Swagger’s expertise in the area of guns and bullets to cement his fictional (one must remember that this is fiction) theory.

I have been a big fan of Hunter's for years and have enjoyed the Swagger books, (both father and son) but I have to say I was very disappointed by this book. Long, drawn out, and way too enamored with the details of ballistics, The Third Bullet was a slog. I kept going, waiting for something more unique and interesting (other than Hunter's JKF theory, which is revealed early on in the book and is basically the same plot he used in the first Swagger book - a fact acknowledged both in the novel and in the afterword) but it never really does. And by making Swagger this genius savant, all suspense is dissipated because we know Swagger is always one step ahead and never in any real danger. I was very disappointed by this book. The best JFK conspiracy novel remains McCarry's Tears of Autumn.

I generally enjoy Stephen Hunter's writing, and I think Bob Lee Swagger is one of the most entertaining, richest characters in current thriller fiction. The problem: there's too much Hunter and not enough Swagger in this book. Long stretches are dedicated to exposition by characters who are, essentially, elderly blowhards. Several of the major characters' diction and dialog are indistinguishable: Nick Memphis talks just like Swagger; three other characters, whom I can't name because SPOILERS, have the same problem. With more Swagger and less baggage, this would have been a better book.

Also, continuity error: Swagger's wife is Julie, not Jen.

Absolutely my least favorite Hunter novel to date. Probably because the story is full of redundancy and much too long. The author writes of his characters being bored and I assure you the same is true of his readers. Only the end is worthwhile and all else is overfill. 2 of 10 stars

i've read all the BLS books, and enjoyed the ride. This book was awful, i barely got through a few chapters and quit. Unreadable.

In 2013, on the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, Bob Lee Swagger solves the mystery! Or, at least it was a good story with guns, gun fights, ballistics and secrets to be covered up.

Execrable trash written by an author who stopped trying years ago. Paper thin plot, narrative style full of cheap put downs and silly affectations, and even Bob Swagger seems to be embarrassed that he's still at it after all these years.

So Hunter almost always starts his novels with a witty, interesting and often blackly funny sequence. Here he literally kills himself (even a casual fan of Hunter’s would recognize the portly author that gets run the fuck over by some mysterious hitman in the first pages.) The late author’s grieving wife seeks out grand-master-of-all-things-gun Bob Lee and asks him to check out the circumstances in which he died. Turns out Aptapton/Hunter was researching the JFK assassination and had stumbled across a very interesting discovery. I won’t ruin it but it leads Swagger into the weird, wild world of the JFK conspiracy theory community and things only heat up from there.

Lee Child has a blurb on the back of this one saying that this is the thriller Hunter was born to write and I can hardly disagree with that, hyperbolic as it might sound. The JFK assassination is not only one of the biggest (possible?) mysteries of all time, it’s one that has a shitload to do with guns and how they work. Hunter always knows his guns but this one was really impressive in its attention to detail on everything related to the case. For example, the gun allegedly used by Oswald in the assassination is almost a character in itself--such is the amount of time spent examining its intricacies (according to Hunter, it was pretty much a piece of shit rifle with a piece of shit scope that was basically made solely for use in the Italian alps.)

The many required twists and turns of the thriller novel are all here and some of the most gritted-teeth-inducing action sequences of the entire series are also present. I still think that of the few I’ve read Ellroy’s American Tabloid is the king of the JFK-hit novel but this one was remarkably plausible, and even more interestingly, has already been tied into the Swaggerverse by some stuff that was in the first one in the series, Point of Impact. Those who have read the book and know what I’m talking about will thusly already know whodunit, but why and how are unavoidably huge questions and they’re answered very satisfactorily. Another great Hunter novel for the shelf.

These thrillers by the now-retired Washington Post film critic are definitely a guilty pleasure. Bob Lee and his late daddy, Gunnery Sergeant Earl Swagger, are two of my favorite novelistic “action” heroes—right up there with Travis McGee and Spenser and Richard Sharpe.

Just in time for the 50th Anniversary, this one grazes rather than fatally wounds the convoluted, paranoid world of JFK Assassination conspiracy theory. As you would expect from a “gun guy” like Hunter, he tries out some new approaches based purely on ballistics and weaponry. (Be sure to read the Note on Method and the Acknowledgements at the end.)

Bob Lee Swagger now is 66 hard years old but still possessing “a genius gene for the firearm,” which makes him just the guy to do the legwork on unraveling the second-shooter, third-bullet theory of JFK’s assassination. He gets welcome help from the FBI’s Nick Memphis, who is an occasional guest star in the Bob Lee stories, and from a brother sniper in Moscow. Everyone else, it seems, especially a mysterious, cruel and unreachable espionage mastermind, are trying to stop Bob the Nailer. “I ain’t no genius … I just show up and pay attention,” Bob Lee says—but he’s a heckuva lot more than that!

Hunter’s portrait of the vicious, hapless “little creep” Lee Harvey Oswald has a lot in common with Stephen King’s portrayal in his “11-22-63,” with which THE THIRD BULLET also shares a time-travel perspective on that dark day in Dallas. The decision in the middle of the book to intersperse the fictional head conspirator’s confessional journals with Bob Lee’s hunt for answers is a problem, because the Yalie-twit narrative voice is both irritating and momentum-killing. It can be expected, especially since he keeps referencing New Criticism, that the baddie is an unreliable narrator as well as the plotter of hundreds of political murders.

THE THIRD BULLET drives a conclusive nail in Bob the Nailer’s unique story arch, which has entertained in varying degrees of excitement and satisfaction since 1993. A third generation of Swaggers, one already a master sniper, is out there ready for spin-offs. Bring it on, Mister Hunter!

One footnote: the movie adaptation of POINT OF IMPACT, the introduction of Bob Lee Swagger, starred Mark Wahlberg, but I’ve always pictured actors Sam Shepherd or Ed Harris as the unkillable sensei of shooting from Blue Eye, Arkansas.

Right off the bat - I was very excited for this book - another Bob Lee Swagger book can only be a good thing.. right?

Unfortunately - I had a real hard time finishing this book - Bob Lee is the main character, but could have easily been replaced by ANYONE - there was nothing overly Swagger'ish about this Swagger book. More like it seemed like it was a book with Swagger used as the main character just to shift more copies.

This was disappointing in itself, but made even more so by the disjointed writing style - the flipping back and forth between Swagger trying to work out who killed Kennedy while at the same time, being told exactly who did what and how.. really robbing the reader of using their imagination to try and get it themselves.

I did however finish it, and I did enjoy the approach they used in the Kennedy assassination - however it just didn't pull the book out the nose-dive.
Now.. some spoilers.

I am utterly at a loss as to the point of Swagger's trip to Russia. It made very little sense except possibly as a time filler.
Swagger seeing Oswald throughout the book was similarly pointless - I gained no new insight by having his ghostly apparition.

Most infuriatingly - Hugh Meachum writing his story out at the same time as we're trying to work out what was happening. Knowing how they got Oswald and how they arranged the shoot at the same time (and sometimes I think just ahead of Swagger knowing) was so mind numbingly stupid I wish I had skipped Hugh's part and then circled back around to it after I finished the book (after Swagger had a chance to work it out).

Despite Stephen Hunter rambling on and on and on about Hugh Meachum's alternate name being linked to colors as numbers AGAIN AND AGAIN.. I have no clue what the hell it had to do with his actual name. Maybe I'm not smart enough to get it.. but surely I'm not the only one.

Pretty disappointed.

The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter

Bob Lee Swagger is up to his neck in espionage and life threatening danger as he investigates the death of a man in Baltimore by hit-and-run. Information results in the man just returning from Dallas asking pointed questions concerning the JFK assassination. Swagger chooses the same path to see where it will lead and finds himself inquiring systematically the true magic of bullet number three involved in the assassination. Designed to penetrate, not fly apart, Swaggers mystery is why the third bullet exploded and disintegrated on impact considering there was no ballistic principle for such a thing to happen. Upon looking into Lee Harvey Oswald's troublesome background Swagger decides to journey to Russia and attempt to uncover a counterplot involving the notorious Russian mob Izmaylovskaya. Knowing the American Justice Department would have to approve his allegations along with a task force with subpoena power, Bob Swagger decides to call his own shots and reveal his findings and disclose the truth.
Stephen Hunter returns with his latest effort The Third Bullet, which is a Bob Lee Swagger novel. The sniper character of Swagger has now appeared in a little more than a handful of novels for Hunter. Long term fans as well as brand new readers will enjoy this product of mixing strong historical facts with intriguing dangerous fiction. Suspense is the common thread that ties together Hunters knowledge of documented events and his familiarity of weapons. The hard edged characters that are sprinkled throughout set the tone of the novel and maintain the thrill to the very end.

Ah, here we go again. I recently became acquainted with Hunter from reading "Point of Impact" Terrific book, I really enjoyed it. So I was excited to read another book with the great Bob Lee Swagger. As I began the book, I thought to myself this is great, here we go again. Swagger is an old man now, but he's a crazy old coot. I'm genuinely digging it. This story has some familiarization from PoI. The mood is similar, the characters the same, the plot... the SAME. And then it dawns on me. Wait a minute this is the same story that I just read.

....Then I get to the second third of the book. Zzzzz Wake up, wake up! talk about a snore fest. Hunter just doesn't get it. Swagger disappears and a new narration starts, telling us how JFK was really killed. Now I won't get into details, but the similarities of this plot and his other works are just too apparent.

In the end your left with a decent beginning, a middle that goes on and on about JFK's assassination from a gun experts POV (which in this case is only interesting if you are a gun enthusiast) and an ending which is lack luster and recycled.

I suspect that there will be a lot of interest about JFK with the 50th anniversary of his assassination coming up this November. Honestly, I'm surprised there has not been more mention of it. Here's hoping that Stephen King's 11/22/63 will be better.

I put this on the "Thriller" shelf as well as my historical fiction shelf. It is and it isn't. Hunter is a good writer and this is also a good book. We've picked up Bob Lee's story here and (like your reviewer) he's getting a bit...long in the tooth. Vietnam was 50 years ago, ended in '73 ('75 actually) which is 40 years ago.

Here the story takes up some well trod ground, the Kennedy assassination. Like so many others Bob get's involved in figuring out the conspiracy.

Hunter does a good job of laying out fairly plausible events and a good story. Also as he opens the novel he manages to poke a little fun at himself. An "author" is murdered who writes action thrillers and some of the descriptions sound suspiciously familiar.

If you like the Bob Lee character and the series you'll probably like this one. A little less action, more of a mystery, but a good read.

Hunter is always outstanding -- and Bob Lee is incredible.
A "lousy" book by Hunter would rate a 4.5, this one's a 5.0. His writing is so good, it meets my LOFTY expectations every time. Thanks to Stephen Hunter for continuing to be my all time favorite author. This one is right up there -- tied with many of his for first!!
Greg

This book had a promising start and I really enjoyed the first third and the review of the factual events on 22 November 1963. However when the story veered into Russian espionage and secret agent fantasy I could not sustain interest.

I am torn between two and three stars, while this is the worst Bob Lee book I can remember reading, it was still Bob Lee. I just wanted Hugh to shut it and Bob to get to the killing.

58 years after the fateful day, Stephen Hunter explores the Kennedy assassination through the eyes of his usual hero, Bob Lee Swagger - homespun Marine sniper, and expert in all things related to guns. Hunter writes this story in two dramatically different ways - one in the third person through the eyes of Swagger, the plain-spoken, but brilliant ex Marine sniper. The other in first person, through the voice of a long-retired CIA agent with a very long history of organizing assassinations around the world. The agent is a Yale graduate, and speaks with a smarter-than-everybody-else voice, often, that voice makes the reader's teeth grind a bit. The former agent is an elitist of the worst kind. Contrast that with Swagger, who doesn't have a pretentious bone in his body. The story delves into the most arcane subjects in the Kennedy assassination, but is admittedly well-thought out, and well researched. Hunter knows his stuff, and he credits a number of experts in his acknowledgements for their assistance. Only reason for only 4 stars is the portion of the book written through the eyes of the retired CIA agent. Not that it's not well done - just that he's so danged unlikeable.

The story line is richly entertaining, offering a plausible alternative theory to the Warren Commission lone-gun conclusion on the JFK assassination. It is extremely well researched and well written, which brought the suggested theory alive.
I wanted to give this book a solid 4 star rating, but here is the reason I downgraded it. First of all, I am not a firearms enthusiast !!! Thus, I found the repeated description of guns, the various models and their ballistic properties too detailed, overwhelming and boring. Also, I found the story a bit too long and and drawn out (576 pages) I was slugging it out near the end.
Having said all of this, it is still a good read, because of the different take on what might or could have happened. With this book I put JFK's assassination to rest.

When I picked this ebook up I wrongly thought this was a non fiction. It obviously isn't even if it borrows some truths and spinn its own story. I enjoyed this a lot, found it both engaging and entertaining. Doubt I have read any other book in the series but very tempted to give them a look

JFK from another knoll

An easy enjoyable read that dives deep into Dallas 1963. Swagger at his finest in a relaxing well told tale.

I did not read it. Could not figure out how to delete it out of my list.

As the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination approaches, we are likely to be inundated with material that's been compiled from a variety of sources over those 50 years; conspiracy theories, re-examinations of the published reports, and endless speculation about 'what really happened.' Stephen Hunter, in his Acknowledgements at the end of The Third Bullet, notes that at one time, he considered writing a JFK, 'what really happened' novel, and created his recurring character, Bob Lee Swagger, as the assassin. As it turned out, he abandoned the JFK tale, but kept Bob Lee Swagger, much to the delight of those among us who've grown to appreciate this character (not to mention his knowledgeable-about-guns-ammo-trajectory-science family).
While there appears to be a predictable groan emanating from the general populace, which has, after 50 years, had its fill of alternative history explanations for the event, it's important to remember as you consider whether this novel is worth your time, that the character of Bob Lee Swagger is not 'fresh off the boat.' Those of us who've followed his exploits over a series of novels have come to appreciate his style, his knowledge, and yes, even his eponymous swagger. You are in the hands of a skilled author here, and whatever you may think of his theory, which emanates, unlike other stories of the assassination, from a detailed knowledge about guns, you cannot argue with his craftsmanship in the construction of a compelling tale.
It never occurred to me until I read this book (somewhat of a spoiler alert here; not much, though) that the two bullets that entered Kennedy's body behaved differently. One (which came to be known as the Magic Bullet) charged on through, went on to hit the governor of Texas, and shatter his wrist, and ended up (if memory serves) in his thigh. The other bullet, seen in painful detail on the Zapruder film, blew up in Kennedy's head. How does this happen? How do two bullets, fired presumably from the same gun, act so differently? The question arises from the annals of ammunition technology. Some bullets are designed to explode on contact. Others are not. Two bullets from the same weapon that behave so differently is a little odd. While there's a lot about ammunition technology that might account for it (a sort of Murphy's Law thing, related to a sort of 'shit happens' theory), Hunter's premise is that it's indicative of another weapon, another assassin.
This second assassin (a team, actually, with one shooter) begins to materialize as Swagger starts looking into the assassination. He's prompted to do so by virtue of a request that he finds compelling.
At one point in this story, the narrative is taken over by the Master Planner, who writes in a detailed memoir of the circumstances leading up to, and beyond the immediate gunshot events of November 22, 1963. This Master Planner's 'voice' is first-person narrative, and much livelier than the third-person 'voice,' which tracks Swagger's investigation. You get so you like this guy, even though he's the architect, if not the trigger man, of Kennedy's death.
My strong recommendation in regards to this book (recommended on the book jacket by Lee Child, Michael Connelly, and Vince Flynn, among others) has less to do with the theory that Hunter articulates, than it does with the style in which he articulates it. It's a terrific read, and unless I'm sadly mistaken will do more to bring this moment of history to light again, than any of the academic tomes to which we are likely to be subjected over the next nine months.

A present-day hit-and-run homicide draws Bob Lee Swagger -- retired marine sniper and all-around troubleshooter extraordinaire -- into the maze of circumstances, coincidences, and conspiracy theories that is the JFK assassination.

Author Stephen Hunter has clearly done his research on the subject, and nimbly navigates around the multitude of theories, books, and reports (most notably the Warren Commission findings). From a personal standpoint, I have to say that I have never been particularly fascinated by the JFK assassination. The TV movie of Bill O'Reilly's "Killing Kennedy" was pretty much enough for me. So that this book won my fascination is a testament to its narrative effectiveness. And the fact that Hunter could come up with a fresh take on the Kennedy assassination is a tribute to his creative genius.

As with the other Bob Lee Swagger novels, this one is part mystery, part action -- all mixed with a good dose of Swagger's easy-going, aw-shucks, but deadly earnest manner.

About half-way through the novel, Hunter makes a jarring writing decision. He shifts the POV, for major lengths of the novel, to a first person narrative. More importantly, he adopts the narrative style of the particular person's POV -- and I found the style inherently less appealing than the direct and amiable third-person narrative that Hunter usually invokes. It took me a while to absorb the stylistic change and get back into the "flow" of the narrative. It was a bold writing move -- one that eventually works, but again, I note that it was a jarring transition.

Being a firearm enthusiast, Hunter likes to bring a wealth of gun lore and knowledge into his stories. And where else to bring such expertise other than a novel about the Kennedy assassination??? His penchant might come across as excessive for some, but Hunter brings an air of total credibility and authenticity to his depictions of gun technology, handling, and use. He is to firearms what Tom Clancy was to high-tech weapons systems, Pat Cornwell to forensics, and Michael Crichton to medicine/science. As Hunter notes in the author's afterward, "There are some tweaks I purposely left out to keep non-gun culture people from slipping into a coma..." :-)

Given the epic 50-year scope of the story, the fascinating reworking of totally trampled ground, and the bold narrative choices made, I have to score "The Third Bullet" as one of Hunter's better novels -- which means it's better than just "good," and even "good" Hunter fiction is better than most of the stuff out there. :-)

I really enjoyed (believe?) the theory that Hunter brought alive in this book.
From book jacket, because I couldn't describe it any better:
Bob Lee Swagger is back in a thriller fifty years in the making . . . It’s not even a clue. It’s a whisper, a trace, a ghost echo, drifting down through the decades via chance connections so fragile that they would disintegrate in the puff of a breath. But it’s enough to get legendary former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger interested in the events of November 22, 1963, and the third bullet that so decisively ended the life of John F. Kennedy and set the stage for one of the most enduring controversies of our time.

Swagger begins his slow night stalk through a much-traveled landscape. But he’s asking questions that few have asked before: Why did the third bullet explode? Why did Lee Harvey Oswald, about to become the most hunted man on earth, risk it all by returning to his rooming house to secure a pistol he easily could have brought with him? How could a conspiracy that went unpenetrated for fifty years have been thrown together in the two and a half days between the announcement of the president’s route and the assassination itself?

As Bob investigates, another voice enters the narrative: knowing, ironic, almost familiar, that of a gifted, Yale-educated veteran of the CIA Plans Division. Hugh Meachum has secrets and the means and the will to keep them buried. When weighed against his own legacy, Swagger’s life is an insignificant expense—but to blunt the threat, he’ll first have to ambush the sniper.

As each man hunts the other across today’s globe and through the thickets of history, The Third Bullet builds to an explosive climax that will finally prove what Bob Lee Swagger has always known: it’s never too late for justice.(less)
Hardcover, 496 pages
Published January 15th 2013 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2013)
ISBN 145164020X (ISBN13: 9781451640205)
edition languageEnglish
seriesBob Lee Swagger #8
charactersBob Lee Swagger

I've enjoyed Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger novels for some time now, and I enjoyed “The Third Bullet.” While there is not as much action in this adventure as in earlier books, I like the thinking Bob Lee Swagger too. Maybe it is because I'm getting older too.

The author uses several techniques that I found clever and liked. From using himself as a minor character to developing a JFC conspiracy that falls in line with what we know about the actual killing of President Kennedy and the earliest Bob Lee Swagger novel, “Point of Impact.”

Being a former Army sniper myself, I did not mind the extended descriptions on weapons, ammunition, and ballistics. However, I could see how some, not as into guns and bullets, would tend to disapprove of such detail that takes away from the action of the story. And there is action, albeit, not as much as previous tales. There is a lot more thinking in this one, and Swagger's age shows.

This book also uses chapters written from a different perspective to provide the inside scoop on how the assassination went down. We learn these details in this manner, along with the facts Swagger uncovers. I enjoyed the blend of authenticity with the motives and personalities of the fictional characters. It made for a enjoyable read. While not my favorite Swagger novel, it was definitely worth the read and I do hope there is still more to come. Even older, Bob Lee Swagger still has it.

An odd book, but not a bad one. The prose is straight-up bizarre. It's like getting hit on the head with a hammer. Repeatedly. I think it's deliberate, and meant to mimic pulp fiction or whatever, but it feels a bit gimmicky. It's just not needed, and the book would have benefitted from the prose being less painfully self-aware. Fans of that style would perhaps love it, and I think Hunter is doing it with a sense of fun. It just gets bogged down for me. Especially for so long a book, and especially given that the framework involves two narrators and two additional voices in the form of letters--and they all sound exactly alike.

Still, I loved the history, the detail, and even the ballistics (and I am decidedly NOT a gun person). You have to go into it with a high tolerance for non-narrative exposition, because this thing reads like a thinly-veiled expose pretending to be fiction. But the expose is pretty great, and it provides a solid context for why the assassination was such an important and lasting moment in our history. It's not really about JFK himself, who is neither presented as hero or villain, but about that moment in time, which was and still feels strange, disorienting, and even surreal. All of that translates. It works. The sense of before and after is intense.

Overall, not the most inspired fiction I've ever read, but weirdly effective anyway. I suspect it will stick with me for a long time.