This is a collection of novellas featuring 3 generations of the Swagger family, Grand Father, Father and and Bob Lee. Each novella is on its own but they are connected thru family. It was interesting to see the history of the family as told by each generation. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

480 pages

4 stars

Stephen Hunter regales us with three great stories of the Swagger family.
First, we visit Earl Swagger during the era of stock yards and big name villains. It is 1933. Earl is sent to the Chicago stockyards to look for “Baby Face” Nelson. When he arrives, without backup of any kind, he discovers far more than he bargained for.

We move on to 1945. And Earl Swagger is investigating a bank robbery. The suspect, Johnny Tuesday, killed a man, and another was shot. He also stole a substantial amount of money from a bank in a small town in Maryland.

Unfortunately for Earl, he walks into a firestorm of racism, nasty politics, bad people and everyone has a gun and they are quick to use them. Can Earl get out of this one in one piece?

As an aside, I cannot praise Mr. Hunter’s last book about Bob Lee and his time in VietNam. It was a riveting and excellent read. In this short story, Bob Lee has returned, but mourns his friends that were lost for what he feels as nothing. He drowns himself in hard liquor.

Two men draw him into a case. While he is not a cop, let alone a detective, he takes on the case. Bob Lee struggles with the major question of who he is saving. Is he fighting for the young women he hopes to save from a terrible death? Or, is he fighting for his own salvation?

The theme that runs through these stories is a little disheartening. There is so much injustice and violence in this world. Mr. Hunter seems to want the reader to see that, given time, good will triumph. Sometimes it just takes a while.

The Swagger men are all heroes. They strive for fairness and are good men. We should all behave thusly.

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

Excellent collection of novellas featuring three generations of Swagger men.. We see similarities and differences in this family of men who each carry a burden of fighting for his sense of right and wrong.