[.uk] Kill Zone : A Sniper Novel

Pulp Shooter:
Thriller based on a US sniper and co-written by an ex-sniper. In essence this is a conspiracy story with political forces trying to force an agenda of employing mercenaries (in the form of large private `security' companies) to replace the US military, and our hero sniper gets caught in the middle as part of a hostage rescue team that is not meant to succeed. A mid bag really, the action elements are very good and feel very authentic, but on the down side the plot is a little simplistic and the dialogue is very clunky at times: This needed far better editing to smooth over the rough edges but this is `okay' in a read and forget it type of way. Sadly this is not in the league of the Stephen Hunter "Bob Lee Swagger" stories, but while the plot is sign-posted and the dialogue is lacking, when this gets to the action it is fast moving and pretty good. It is the action elements that just about raise this to a three star from a two, but you should not raise expectations too high.....

Mitch Rapp Could Take Lessons from This Guy!!:
I never know who to praise when I read a book with co-authors. I know that Jack Coughlin was a top Marine sniper, so I am sure that the authenticity that prevails throughout the book can be attributed to him and that Davis has written a number of books, so I suspect he is the wordsmith. No matter. This is one terrific read if you are into the Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy type of novel. Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson reminds me of Mitch Rapp before he started to go a little soft in Flynn's later books. Trust me, you do not want to be interrogated by Swanson if you are a bad guy with important info and he is short on time. Arlen Specter would have a fainting spell. There really is nothing not to like about this one. The plot is interesting, believeable and scary. The characters are well drawn. The pace of the book is page turning. I am delighted it is the first of several books featuring Swanson and will be looking forward to the next one.

Strange book:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book; it had been purchased for me as a gift. If the author was intending the book to be a James Bond-type affair, with technology and gadgets that are completely implausible, then I understand. However, it seemed that it was written with the tone that it COULD happen, ala Tom Clancy. In that regard, it was uneasily poor. The first thing I had difficulty with was the blatant inter-service rivalries being espoused. The only heroes in this book were Marines, and everyone else was Army or Navy. Alright, I get it. Second, the author writes as if he has an authoritative knowledge on Special Operations, yet just about everything written about the organization, deployment, and training of Special Operations soldiers is either exaggerated or wrong. Most transparent is his use of the term "Special Forces". Everyone under the SOCOM or JSOC umbrella knows that Special Forces refers ONLY to the US Army Special Forces. Everything else is "Special Operations". Period. A super rifle named Excalibur, which is a computer-heavy, whisper-quiet, suppressed .50 caliber? The idea that a .50 BMG bullet could be suppressed to "whisper-quiet" defies the laws of physics, and a Scout Sniper should know that. Let's not forget about the SCRAMJET ride, set up somehow by a Marine Master Sergeant through the "Sergeant's Network". Even if such a plane existed, the idea that an enlistedman could pull in a few favors to secure his CO a ride strains believability to the point of breaking. When I read military novels, the one thing I assume will be correct are all the little military details that reveal to the reader that the author has done his homework. The 82nd Airborne does not conduct static line jumps from 5000 feet. A "small little dirtvbike" does not have a 1200cc engine. A GPS receiver can't be tracked. Why? Because it doesn't transmit anything. Some of these are small, and some are fulcrums of the plot itself. Not recommended.

Good action novel:
Well-done, fast-reading action novel. The plot is highly implausible, but more than compensated for by good action writing and character creation. A good book for a long plane trip.

4 1/2 Stars:
Dispatched on a top-secret mission to Iraq to rescue a hostage general who has noticed that his captors speak perfect American English, Marine Corps sniper Kyle Swanson is the only survivor of an attack on his unit and comes to realize that American mercenaries are working with the White House for total control over the military. BT. A fascinating and rip-roaring thriller. As a thriller reader I was both enthralled and entertained all the way to the end. It pulled me in to where I didn't want to stop reading. I hope we see another from this duo.