Stephen Hunter once again shows why he’s revered by other thriller writers and why his books are automatic must reads. Targeted is well-written with pacing that continuously builds tension before the pressure becomes too much and explodes in an action-packed, satisfyingly violent conclusion.
Targeted features 3 storylines that converge into a singular novel. First, there’s the political grandstanding storyline that subpoenas Bob Lee Swagger to testify and defend his actions in front of a congressional committee hellbent on making him the bad guy. Second, there’s the Chechen crime family storyline that starts by trying to rip off the Russians and turns into a hostage situation with the congressional committee mentioned previously. And third, there’s the Revolutionary War flashback storyline that provides insight into Swagger’s lineage and ties into the political nonsense he’s forced to deal with. Rest assured that while this might have you scratching your head in confusion, it works quite well, especially once the storylines come together about halfway through the book. At that point of convergence, everything becomes clear and the book really accelerates in pace, setting up a race to the finish that puts everyone in the crosshairs.
One aspect of Targeted that should be celebrated is the fact that despite Bob Lee Swagger being in his mid-70’s, he’s still sharp as a tack and taking the fight to the enemy both physically and mentally. He’s forced to play political mind games during this traveshamockery of a hearing and then go kinetic when the timing is right to go after the hostage takers. We can debate how realistic this is, but that’s not the point. It’s just cool to have a thriller that features an old dude kicking ass. In most instances, long running series are trying to figure out how to transition tier one operators from the field to a supervisory/planning/consulting type of role. But not here. Not in this series. Bob Lee Swagger is going to keep swinging until death finally calls his number. And that’s awesomely unique in the genre.
Oh yeah, one last thing. The bad guys are equal parts terrifying and hilarious in an 80’s action movie kind of way. I’m not sure how Stephen Hunter pulls that off, but it’s spectacular. Really adds to the entertainment level of an already fun, fast-paced read.
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