Stephen Hunter is a pretty good author but I was not impressed with his stereotypical characters in this novel. He says that it is an allegorical tale - I think it's a bit far fetched. While I do agree that radicals have a great target of opportunity in attacking a shopping mall, I thought the premise of this book was weak.
I thought this was a solid thriller from Hunter. This is the second novel to feature Ray Cruz, Bob Lee Swagger's long lost son. He first appeared in the Swagger thriller Dead Zero which I thought was one of Hunter's best. In this one, Cruz just happens to be in America the Mall in Minnesota (a thinly disguised Mall of America) when the mall is attacked by a group of Islamic terrorists. Cruz plays a key role in dealing with the terrorists along with an FBI sniper on the roof of the mall and an unauthorized State police SWAT team. But all is not as it seems... there is a young psychopath who idolizes school shooters and mayhem in general who has organized the attack along with a local Somalian Imam. Nikki Swagger, Bob Lee's daughter, also has a role as a news reporter covering the attack by helicopter. Overall, the book did have a lot of action but it was not as focused as Hunter's earlier works. Cruz just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time to help alleviate a potential massacre. Mild recommendation for this one.
I've already started the next Hunter book, "The Third Bullet" which features Bob Lee, and it has grabbed my attention!
I've already started the next Hunter book, "The Third Bullet" which features Bob Lee, and it has grabbed my attention!
We like Ray Cruz character
