Rating: 
Summary: The Veterans' Revolt of 1946, in Hot Springs, Ark.
Review:
Loosely based on an actual historical event, when returning World War II vets decided to clean up the corrupt cesspool that was Hot Springs, Arkansas, Stephen Hunter freely admits that he has taken great liberties with history. But when there is a conflict between a cool plot twist and history, as Hunter declares, the former will always win. He is a storyteller first, last, and always.
Hunter is a good storyteller partly because he spends considerable time researching his details in order to get things right, and make his stories plausible. Good fiction must be plausible. In this effort he has done his usual fine job, using books and experts to make certain that his details fall together on such things as the firearms he introduces (the Thompson submachine gun, for example, as well as combat enhanced .45 model 1911A1 Colt government model, and other weapons). He names some of his resources in the Acknowledgement chaper of the book.
One place where he apparently lacked adequate research though, was in describing a sailboat, where, no doubt he thought he could "wing it" with what knowledge he thought he had. Such tiny details trip up many an author who tries to spin a yarn about something he has no knowledge of, making a fine writer and careful researcher like Hunter stand out from the rest. And, he certainly does.
The detail? A "sheet" is not a sail. It is a rope. Some insist on calling it a "line." Its purpose is to control a sail.
Hunter uses the word to indicate the number of sails the boat will spread. He might better have indicated them by name, for presumably the boat was speading its jib, main, and mizzen, assuming that it was a ketch or yawl (not clarified). And, Stephen, there is no "twenty-two bells." On a 24 hour clock, 2200 is ten PM. There are only eight bells, which are sounded, incrementally, a half-hour apart, and then at the sounding of eight bells, it begins again with one bell.
Hunter apparently, judging from the speeches he puts in his protagonists mouth, doesn't like swabbies, and this is swabby language. But, remember this, The Marine Corps is part of the Navy, and any boot Marine should know the significance of the bell system of watch-keeping.
But, like Ruash Limbaugh would say, "Just kidding! Just Kidding!"
Stephen Hunter writes a helluva book, even if, as I suspect, he is really a bleeding heart liberal Democrat. He's currently my favorite fiction writer.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating: 
Summary: A welcome prequel
Review: Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the three "Bob the Nailer" offerings from Hunter, I looked forward to this novel whose central character is Earl Swagger -- WWII veteran, medal of honor winner, tortured soul, and father to Bob the Nailer. Although not as good as Point of Impact (which was an impressive page turner), Hot Springs did not disappoint. Early morning workouts on the stepper or exercise bike were not seen as drudgery but rather as an opportunity to pound out more pages of Hot Springs. Throughout the book, one comes to know and further appreciate the intricacies, both positive and negative, of being a Swagger. Action sequences and character development are interwoven and provide a complementary blend throughout the book. This novel is able to stand on its own as an action/thriller, but for those who have already completed the "Bob the Nailer" books, it also offers a good early glimpse at characters from previous novels and ties together events that are littered throughout those efforts. Certainly, this will not be the last novel from Hunter based on the Swagger clan.
Rating:
Summary: Hot Springing Around
Review: Hot Springs
This is a very good book by a talented author. Much of it is pure page-turner, and plotholes are kept to a minimum. Rare!!
However, like so many novels now, "Hot Springs" could have benefited greatly from some editorial assistance in tightening the narrative. Why do authors think that writing well is the only requirement? In this book we get well-written side-trips that take forever to advance some aspect of the plot that could have been handled in a flashback, or some other way.
As a matter of fact, the ENTIRE subject of Earl's father and brother is unnecessary to the main story, but is dragged through it like a ball and chain.
Overall, I'm very glad I found it and will look for more Hunter. I only wish he would stick more to the action that he's so good at, and indulge much less in psychological journeys, character-building etc. etc.
Rating:
Summary: More of the same
Review: I almost wish "Hot Springs" was my first Stephen Hunter novel. On its own, it's a solid, hard-boiled tale. It's also a prequel to almost all of his other novels, giving Hunter the perfect opportunity to show off his skill at foreshadowing and drawing connections between apparently unrelated stories, which is considerable. "Hot Springs" would make a great introduction to Hunter's work.Unfortunately, as the latest installment, it's somewhat lacking. While it does have plenty of new revelations and background information for those readers already familiar with Stephen Hunter's characters, it doesn't have much else, and what's there feels a bit recycled. The plot is fairly straight-forward, lacking the dramatic cross-cutting of "Time to Hunt" and "Black Light", the twistedness of "Point of Impact", or the sheer intensity of "Dirty White Boys". Anyone who's read Hunter before knows exactly how it will end, and may even recognize the setting of the inevitable final showdown. Still, it's good to see old friends like Earl Swagger and Sam Vincent again, as well as real-life historical characters like Bugs Siegel, Virginia Hill, and colorful FBI agent and trick shooter D.A. "Jelly" Bryce. (In a major role and only thinly disguised under the name "Parker".)There are also tantalizing hints that we may soon hear much more of Frenchy Short, whose character promises to be quite a departure for Hunter.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Read
Review: I feel a little out of my depth in reviewing this book. I have no experience with guns, gunfights, or gangsters, but I do know an entertaining read when I come across one and this was great entertainment. Earl Swagger, just home from fighting in WWII, heads up a team of men reminiscent of the "Untouchables" to clean up the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas which is rife with gangsters, gambling and prostitution. Earl is a somewhat dark character except when he is doing his job...training his team of law enforcers and taking out bad guys. When he is in his element, he is downright jovial. Earl's wife, June, is less well developed and the author made some errors in writing about her pregnancy and delivery (A face down presentation is normal. A face up presentation would be a problem. And, as any woman who has given birth could tell you, ten centimeters is the magic number for cervical dilation, not twelve to fifteen.). But since this is, in large part, a "guy book", these errors do not distract from the major story line. There is plenty of exciting action to keep the reader interested. I have been a fan of Stephen Hunter's since "Black Light" and I enjoy his writing style very much. This is a very good addition to the Swagger saga.
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent book in the saga
Review: I had some difficulty at the beginning to place the story in time with the others Hunter book. Charles Swagger, Earl Swagger and Bobby Lee Swagger were dificult to understand at first. Also the book was difficult to close because the farther you get in the story, the more you need to know, the more you understand. Dirty White Boys and Time to Hunt are related in this book. Since I read all of Hunter book, I was trying to recall exactly what was written before. Now, I need to go back in my library, retrieve the other two book and read them again. The book is so good I will enjoy reading Dirty White Boy now with all the information from Hot Springs. And I'll just have to wait for Pale Horse Coming...
Rating: 
Summary: Might have been a good comic book
Review: I suppose that it only makes sense that Hunter give us some more info on his favorite character, Bobby Lee Swagger, by doing a book on his father. After all, Bobby Lee's life was pretty full and he did deserve a break. So this story is about Earl Swagger, the tough marine who fathered Bobby Lee. Earl has recently left the army after getting being awarded the Medal of Honor and is at a lost of what to do. He quickly finds himself recruited though to work for an ambitious prosecutor to clean up the town of Hot Springs from the mob controlled casinos and whore houses. The book does an excellent job of giving us more depth on all the characters from the previous Swagger novels by filling in an interesting and realistic family history. At the same time, we get to enjoy a story that stands by itself, that includes a lot of action with a Mob-centric theme and that keeps our avid interest throughout the book. About the only negative that I had was that the book is set in the 1940's; I enjoy stories set in current day and not "period" books. However considering that this is about the father of a current day character, it had to be set in the past.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit disappointing...
Review: I'm a big Stephen Hunter fan and have enjoyed most of his previous books. It was a disappointment, therefore, to find that this novel was not up to the standard of his usual works. The outstanding flaw with this story is its one dimensional villains, a bunch of mobsters who are straight out of some cheesy Mafia movie. The most interesting thing about lead criminal Owney Maddox is that he occasionally affects an English accent. Add to the cliched mobsters some cliched hillbilly muscle and the story has some real problems. Earl Swagger is an interesting enough character, although in certain ways a little too perfect. Yes, he can be a drunk and a bad husband, but in a fight, he is so utterly superior that it reduces some of the suspense. Hunter is a great writer (usually) and he can even make this weaker effort exciting at times. The second half of this book in particular has some good moments. Nonetheless, this book would not be a good introduction to Hunter's works, and I cannot recommend it to anyone other than his usual fans.
Rating:
Summary: Would Make a Good Movie!
Review: Not as good as Point of Impact, but still a very good read and gets better as it motors along. Would make a good movie!
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this.
Review: Stephen Hunter is simply a spectacular story teller. This is the latest in the Swagger saga and could be considered the prequel. "Hot Springs" presents the back story of Earl Swagger (Bob Lee a.k.a. "Bob the Nailer's" father.) Earl returns from the Pacific campaign a Medal of Honor winner...a true hero. He is tapped to ramrod a strike force whose agenda is to put an end to the illicit activities so pervasive in Hot Springs, mostly controlled by Owney Maddox. The head of the strike force has grand polical ambitions, so Earl's enemies and allies both work against him. Mr. Hunter brings the likes of Harry Truman, Bugsy Siegel, Virginia Hill, Mickey Rooney and Alan Ladd in for cameo appearances and sets the 1946 scene to perfection in many subtle ways. The book moves at warp speed. You are compelled to turn pages in an attempt to keep up with the action.The story is presented from the minds of four or five main characters in alternating chapters so when you want to learn the outcome of one situation you must enjoy three or four more chapters to get that particular resolution. Like eating peanuts, you cannot read just one chapter. Mr. Hunter delivers a nonstop action read laced with taut suspense and peopled with rich, well defined characters. No one (heroes especially) is perfect and this novel is hard boiled noir at its very best.
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