Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Bullet Garden by Stephen Hunter is a thrilling and captivating novel that explores the origins of Earl Swagger, the legendary Marine sniper and father of Bob Lee Swagger. Set in the aftermath of D-Day, the novel follows Earl as he is recruited by the Allied intelligence to hunt down a group of German snipers who are wreaking havoc on the Normandy front. Earl soon discovers that the snipers are not only deadly, but also have a secret weapon that gives them an edge over the Allies: a mysterious device that allows them to see in the dark. Earl must use his skills, courage, and intuition to track down the enemy and uncover their secrets, while also dealing with his own personal demons and a budding romance.

The Bullet Garden is a masterful blend of historical fiction, thriller, and military fiction, that showcases Hunter's talent for creating realistic and engaging characters, vivid and immersive settings, and suspenseful and action-packed scenes. The novel is rich in historical detail and accuracy, as well as in technical and tactical knowledge of sniping and warfare. The novel also explores the themes of loyalty, honor, duty, sacrifice, and redemption, as well as the psychological and moral effects of war on the human soul. The novel is a tribute to the heroism and bravery of the Greatest Generation, as well as a homage to the classic war novels of the past.

The Bullet Garden is a novel that will appeal to fans of Stephen Hunter, as well as to anyone who enjoys a well-written and well-researched historical thriller with a compelling and charismatic protagonist. It is a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you feel like you are part of the action. It is a novel that will make you think, feel, and appreciate the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom and justice. It is a novel that you will not want to miss.

Here is another Swagger book this time it is about his father Earl and the setting is WWII, in Europe he is given an assignment but there are other people who are giving out the information to the enemy, so you have a game of cat and mouse how will he lead them into a trap or will he end up falling. A good book with a good story line as well. Very much worth the read.

Tried to read as I've enjoyed previous Stephen Hunter novels, particularly "The Shooter." But I struggled to get into the story and didn't finish.

Every book by Stephen Hunter that I've read (and I think I've read them all?) has been action-packed and intense, and this is no exception. It drags a bit at the beginning but then kicks into high gear. This is an intense historical thriller and a great backstory for the Earl Swagger. Action and espionage galore. Highly recommended!

Enemy snipers!

Just what has Gunnery Sergeant Earl Swagger become involved in?
World War II, and it looks like German snipers are targeting forces on the front. Not just any soldier but those in command.
Swagger is sent to track the snipers down. On his side he has to cope with Realpolitik within the command situation. Realpolitik is something like seeing into the future, beyond the tactical, beyond strategy. Taking the long game! Then there’s the possibility of an enemy spy amongst the personnel, someone else is attempting to pull rank for their own benefit, and oh my gosh, a myriad of other situations.
I admit to my eyes glazing over as various rifle and scopes were discussed in detail but the action was well worth me skipping quickly through those descriptions to the more meaty aspects of the chase, of moves and counter moves and the growing certainty of what is uncovered and dealt with.
The spy was a surprise and yet not. The presentation of the entitled British class was amusing and certainly had its benefits.
Thoroughly enjoyable!

An Atria ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Stephen Hunter has now written four books “starring” Earl Swagger in addition to 11 in the Bob Lee Swagger series (his son). This is actually called a prequel as it goes all the way back to WWII and how Earl earned his reputation as a Marine and war hero. Marine Master Sergeant Earl Swagger has served in the Pacific theater in WWII, the last tour of duty resulting in injuries which now find him training new marines stateside. When the D-Day invasion is slowed by deadly snipers operating out of the hedgerows in France, the most senior military personnel want the person who can stop this merciless action. Army and OSS leadership turns to Earl, giving him the rank of Major and a small staff (just two at first). He faces many challenges - military bureaucracy, ambitious individuals and maybe someone on the inside providing information to the Nazis. Holing up in an off-limits area of a military building, he and his primary aide, Lieutenant Leets, work through casualty records to come up with a plan that will deal with the snipers who are wreaking havoc on troops and troop morale. This novel is filled with action, misdirection, and some subplots you won’t see coming, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I have read several of the earlier books in both the Earl and Bob Lee series and will definitely get back to reading more of them.

If it takes a thief to catch a thief, then it also takes a sniper to catch a sniper.

It’s the summer of 1944, and American troops in the Normandy countryside are being terrorized by snipers who can seemingly see in the dark. Morale is low, troop movement is non-existent, and something needs to change…soon. The man selected to solve this problem is none other than Marine Gunnery Sargent Earl Swagger. Readers of Stephen Hunters other books know Earl as the father of legendary sniper Bob Lee Swagger, and in The Bullet Garden we learn Earl’s own story.

Like his son, Earl grew up hunting and handling firearms in Polk County, Arkansas. His talent with weapons serves him well in the Marines, and he quickly becomes a legend in places like Guadalcanal and Bougainville. Wounded in battle, he is sent to Parris Island to teach rifle marksmanship to incoming recruits until he is sent to London to be briefed on the German sniper situation. Earl is a Marine’s Marine…not one for ribbons and ceremony, more interested in doing his job well than in advancing through the ranks. But here he is, surrounded by members of the OSS, by ambitious officers, and very possibly by the person or persons who is betraying American troop positions to the enemy. Unable to trust anyone fully, Earl must still figure out how the German snipers are targeting key American personnel in the bocage, spreading terror through the untested troops, and leaving no trace behind. He maneuvers around office politics and those who would choose personal advancement over the common goal. And he puts his own life on the line to stop the snipers….for good.

I have been a fan of Mr. Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger series, and The Bullet Garden more than lives up to those prior reads. Well-developed and engaging characters, a fantastic evocation of a time and place, and a mystery that could only be solved by a keenly observant and practical minded Swagger….I could not put this book down. If you are a fan of the Bob Lee books, you will love this. Haven’t read them? Not an issue, this story stands alone just fine (though once you’ve read it, I guarantee you‘ll be running to your nearest library or bookstore to find the Bob Lee books). Fans of mysteries set during WWII will find much to appreciate here as well, but the only true prerequisite is an affinity for finely crafted thrillers. Don’t hesitate, put this one into your basket right now! Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books

The Bullet Garden is timeless Swagger lore in a game of battlefield chess. Expertly blending espionage and warfighting, Hunter draws you in with the larger-than-life Earl Swagger and his love for country.

The year is 1944 and on the heels of island warfighting in the Pacific, Earl Swagger is a legend teaching marksmanship to all the new Marine recruits at Parris Island. As the war continues to rage on overseas Swagger and his expertise are called upon to assist one of the most devastating death machines plaguing the Americans. Snipers.

Swagger teams up with some remarkable and bloodied characters to help draft a plan to combat the issue at hand. Working hand in hand with Army officers and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Swagger has a non-celebrated field promotion to help navigate tricky politics. While the OSS is the premier spy agency in the United States, they aren’t the only country utilizing dark intelligence gathering techniques which leads to unnecessary blood being spilled.

While there is a whole host of back-alley secrets being passed to inhibit progress in the war-ravaged European continent, Swagger does what Swaggers do, they use their cunning ability to hunt and become the predator that they are so accustomed to being. Through unnavigable hedgerows and death fields, Swagger and team must find a way to end the sniper threat to allied soldiers, while attempting to find out why their plans seem to be known to the enemy.

Stephen Hunter has always wowed me with his creativity in storytelling and I was curious how he was going to follow up last years Targeted. Well, he absolutely nailed it. With the delivery of this historical war time thriller, you’ll notice a poetic and emotional tour of the Allied war efforts from the rifles of some of the most talented warfighters. Savagery and political needs are common hurdles thrown in the way, but Hunter shows how Swagger leads from the front and pursues truth and justice at all costs.

Bravo! I’ve been a fan of Hunter since his first book. The Master Sniper , came out over 40 years ago. This is one of his best ones—-it starts out a little slow but once it gets going it is really good. Suspenseful, complex, well written and intelligent — a historical fiction thriller of the highest order. Hunter knows his war stuff and military intelligence and certainly knows a lot about military equipment-from uniforms to sniper rifles. There is a lot of good stuff going on in this book. Read it. Highly recommended.

Earl Swagger is tasked with finding snipers that are killing soldiers and destroying morale. There are multiple story lines that all tie together at the end. This is a fast paced thriller with an unexpected twist at the end.

The Bullet Garden is WW II historical fiction from Stephen Hunter.

"July 1944 - Snipers have slowed the Allied advance. General Eisenhower demands his best shot in the Allied military. Enter Army Major Earl Swagger - pulled from the battles of the Pacific islands - for this crucial mission.
Swagger can't trust anyone as he infiltrates the shadowy corners of London and France for answers."

This is a unique story from Hunter. No matter how much WW II fiction you have read you won't have seen this one. Hunter gets into a little known period right after the Allied invasion. Earl Swagger has appeared in several of Hunter's books and this is a bit of an origin story. Swagger is first and foremost a hunter, and in this story he is hunting an enemy that is well hidden and little known.

Hunter has always been very detailed about weapons and ammunition and he does that here. There's even a scene where the specs of a Panzer tank come into play.

Swagger is a bigger-than-life character. He is smart and brave and unwilling to hide behind others to take care of a problem. And he's not fond of those that do. He is also surprisingly effective at playing the necessary political games to take care of problems.

Hunter writes a fast-paced narrative. He pulls you in and holds your attention. I had a hard time putting this one down. Great pick for a new twist on WW II fiction.

The D-Day landings have been a success. The Allies are now in France. But they're not making a great deal of headway because of one dreaded word: snipers.

The areas between the hedges are being called the bullet garden, thanks to snipers working seemingly without any limitations, picking off soldiers at will. It's clear that to get going inland, the Allies are going to have to solve this particular problem.

Enter Gunnery Sergeant Earl Swagger. He is not, at this time, working as a sniper. Injured in the Pacific campaign, he's now instructing fresh new Marines at Parris Island, dealing out hard truths. He's talked into going to Europe for the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) to flush out the snipers gumming up the works. He agrees, is giving a commission as a Major in the US Army, and put on a plane.

He's given a staff, some offices, and told to get to work, which he does - much to the chagrin and annoyance of another officer, who doesn't like any other fiefdoms clogging up his own fiefdom. Swagger isn't one much for office politics and tells his staff - primarily, his second in command, who in reality outranks him, and his aide de camp - to ignore the other officer, as he'll handle it. He does this as well, in a subtle way, the amusing lesson worthy of being taught to office workers in modern times.

In the meantime, in a sequence I personally thought funny as hell thanks to the crazy reasoning he gives, Swagger puts together a profile of the snipers to his boss and a couple of other brass, which they accept as sound. I'll leave it at that so as not to spoil it, but I urge you to think hard on it as the book continues, to see if you can spot the reason why before Swagger explains it.

Swagger is then given a field team to go sniper hunting, which includes two young soldiers who left Harvard to join, and whom we met in the opening chapters. While some readers may be able to figure out the how of the snipers striking as they do, it's much more difficult to get to the who of the group - and I certainly didn't guess their identities.

There's a subplot about a romance and a spy in the office, but the latter was dead easy to spot. That aside, it's a terrific read and well worth the time to invest.

Four and a half out of five stars, rounded up to five.

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the reading copy.

There are A LOT of happenings in Stephen Hunter's The Bullet Garden, and all of them are fantastic. The Bullet Garden fills in some gaps in the Earl Swagger story and is reminiscent of his earlier works involving Papa Swagger. After D-Day, German snipers began taking out high ranking personnel at night around Normandy. Swagger is brought in to learn how the Germans were able to shoot at night, and stop them.

The Bullet Garden is old-school Hunter at his absolute best. Hunter has created a multiple storyline knockout involving leadership principles, a mole hunt, a sniper hunt, military feuds, lovestruck fools, and everything in between. There is a pivotal detail so out of left field I could have 20 million guesses and I would have never thought of said detail.

If you want to learn more about Earl Swagger or just learning of him, The Bullet Garden encapsulates everything Earl Swagger is.

My sincere thanks to Stephen Hunter, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of The Bullet Garden!

An intense and mysterious historical thriller that keeps you guessing, The Bullet Garden is the perfect origin story for Earl Swagger. Stephen Hunter puts you in the middle of a crucial WWII sniper hunt to witness Swagger’s genius on full display.

In the thick of WWII, shortly after D-Day, American soldiers are getting picked off one by one as enemy snipers ply their trade in France. Knowing how critical it is to the war effort and to troop morale to put a stop to the killings, the OSS is tasked with figuring out what’s happening and putting and end to it. Enter Earl Swagger, legendary war hero on loan from the Marines with orders to track down and kill the snipers. Using his powerful observation skills, his experience and his leadership abilities, Earl will do anything and everything to successfully complete this critical mission.

The Bullet Garden combines several things I appreciate – WWII stories, historical fiction, and military thrillers – bringing all 3 together to form a brilliant story featuring an iconic character. It’s multilayered with parallel plotlines, has characters you’ll love and others you’ll hate, has its share of emotional moments, doesn’t give anything away prematurely, and includes all the technical aspects of shooting and the weapons that go bang that you expect from a Stephen Hunter novel. It’s smart and entertaining. A true treat to long time fans but also a fantastic standalone novel for people to enjoy.

Stephen Hunter is one of the best to ever do it and he brings the heat once again in The Bullet Garden. It’s a perfect blend of action, investigation, politics, military operations and espionage. A surefire hit with thriller fans young and old!

I've read several books by Stephen Hunter and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. Fast paced, and easy to follow along with characters I've come to know and love. His books grab you and keep you wanting to read more. I highly recommend this book.

The Bullet Garden by Stephen Hunter
Rating: Starred Review

Summary: An Earl Swagger prequel. The world is in the midsts of WW2 and Earl is back from the pacific war theater where he island hopped and became somewhat of a legend war god. When the war in Europe gets bogged down by some mysterious snipers in the hedge grows of France interrupting the D-day push the OSS calls on a Earl to solve the problem he is only capable to figure out.

Comments: Hunters gift as a writer is to slowly turn the thermostat up. No slow burn, but a continuous stoking the fire to keep the reader page flipping. His love for the rifle, the precision of shooting, oh I know how difficult this is, lives in his story. I would highly recommend some research and back reading of the Earl Swagger books. They are all excellent.

Stephen Hunter is back in rare form with his latest blockbuster novel starring Earl Swagger! I have read all of his "Swagger" books, and this one ranks right up at the very top. An intelligent, multi-layered, and well researched book, this one is a step above his (always good) efforts. You have to buckle yourself up, as it's a fast moving, exciting romp through the European war theater in World War 2. Swagger's almost other worldly skills in the sniper arena are put to good use, and his knowledge of the art is unprecedented. Much more than just a "sniper" novel, it touches on subjects that I have not seen Hunter address before.
This is a fantastic book! I literally could not put it down.
Bravo, Mr. Hunter, bravo!

Swagger is well-named. Earl blazes a trail from 1942 Guadalcanal to 1944 Normandy and meets every single person of import while doing it.

Marine Gunnery Sergeant Swagger was badly wounded in Tarawa. After spending six months in the hospital, Swagger was assigned to Parris Island as the senior NCO in charge of Rifle Marksmanship. Suddenly, a B-17 swoops from the sky. The Allied advance through Normandy has been stalled by a crack unit of Nazi night snipers. Will Swagger work with OSS in London to root them out?

Swagger will. Stephen Hunter lays down a riveting war tale with multiple characters, locales and points of view. The stakes are the highest and not everyone will survive. The author also pours forth a Niagara of highly technical military weapons information, which I am sure is 100% accurate. I wouldn't know.

I do recognize the supporting characters in Swagger's arc and there are many. The military leaders (Eisenhower, Bradley, Beetle Smith), the politicians (Roosevelt, Churchill), the spies (Wild Bill Donovan, Kim Philby) the actors (Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier). And the writers! Is that Hemingway or Tolkein or Orwell or the mysterious Isak Dinesen?

Swagger certainly puts the Greatest in the Greatest Generation.

It’s always interesting to travel back to the roots of a character and/or his family. Seeing the foundation upon which Bob Lee’s values are based helps understand the character. For that reason the book is important even though it lacks much of the thrill and excitement of the other books.

480 pages

5 stars

WWII rages. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Earl Swagger is recovering from a wound received during his island hopping journey through the Pacific Islands. He is a sniper par excellence.

He is recruited through the auspices of none other than General Eisenhower to solve a little problem they are having in France. German snipers. They are killing officers and NCO’s by the dozens demoralizing the troops.

Earl receives a special commission in the Army as a major. He does his homework. Along with Leets, who is another unsung hero, they procure maps, intelligence and lists of causes of deaths. They talk to people. They keep their mission a closely guarded secret.

While there is much discussion and dialogue, there is also action and tension.

The story is interspersed with vignettes of one of the snipers, the best perhaps, whose ethnicity comes as a surprise. This is only one of the many surprises this book holds.

Mr. Hunter portrays Earl as a true American hero. The reader gets a real feel of Earl: level-headed, no bs, take him or leave him, but respectful. I like Earl very much. This book is very well written and plotted. It reads quickly, pulling the reader into the story effortlessly. I’ve read many of this author’s books, and this novel is one of my favorites. More Earl please, Mr. Hunter.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.