Stephen Hunter's name has become associated with realistic sniper novels, starring his protagonist Bob Lee Swagger. But in Hunter’s newest novel, we meet Basil St. Florian, an agent in the British Army. Set during WWII, he has to go undercover in Nazi-occupied France.
In a classic spy novel, with scents of Nelson DeMille’s Charm School and LeCarre’s Smiley books, Hunter has created a fantastic spy thriller with Basil’s War.
It felt strange stepping away from the Swagger series, and I am a huge fan of Bob Lee. I missed reading about the sniper, but I do appreciate how Hunter never froze Swagger in time. We’ve seen him slowly get older, and it’s great to see Hunter introduce a new character in Basil. I thought this novel was fantastically written, and it instantly felt like a classic spy novel. Although it is not the high-octane shoot-em-up thriller, it is a slow burn that keeps burning through the novel’s entirety. Hunter has always had well-crafted novels that suck the reading in immediately, and Basil’s War is no different.
A fantastic thriller that perfectly accompanies a cold beer on a hot day. If you’re a fan of Hunter, you’ll love this novel, or if you just enjoy a good spy novel, make sure you grab a copy.
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