HOT SPRINGS. [Paperback]

Stephen. Hunter (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 532 pages
• Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER. NY 2000; Intl edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743410491
• ISBN-13: 978-0743410496
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,145,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Hunter won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism as well as the 1998 American Society of Newspaper Editors Award for Distinguished Writing in Criticism for his work as film critic at The Washington Post. He is the author of several bestselling novels, including Time to Hunt, Black Light, Point of Impact, and the New York Times bestsellers Havana, Pale Horse Coming, and Hot Springs. He lives in Baltimore.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome prequel, July 25, 2000

By 

Timothy J. Kindler (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hot Springs (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Prequel to the "Bob the Nailer" Books, January 26, 2001

By 

P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hot Springs (Hardcover)

Stephen Hunter has hit another homer with HOT SPRINGS, a novel that is a variation on a theme given to his previous readers in POINT OF IMPACT, TIME TO HUNT and DIRTY WHITE BOYS. Instead of another outing with "Bob The Nailer" the master sniper readers have read about in previous novels, we get a rich text that tells the story of his father, Earl Swagger. Throughout this book, fans of Hunter's previous tales will find the origins of the myth that surrounds Bob Lee Swagger.

Earl Swagger is a WW II vet whose heroism and battlefield prowess earned him a Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima. As this book opens, he is receiving that medal from President Harry S Truman. However, the former Marine 1st Sgt has already been medically retired and is having difficulty readjusting to civilian life and a peacetime America. He also has a pregnant wife and is wondering what to do when he is given the opportunity to become part of something big. He is hired by an ambitious Arkansas prosecutor who wants to rid the town of Hot Springs of all its corrupting influences and the criminals who make their livings preying on the vices and weaknesses of others.

Earl and the famous FBI agent, D.A. Parker are hired to form a special team, a strike force to break up the gangster stranglehold on the town. Earl, who has had no sense of purpose since the end of the war initially becomes the drill instructor for the ad hoc team of 12 police officers from all over the country. While part of the plan is to rid Hot Springs of vice, the other part is to train these 12 policemen in modern methodologies so that they can go home and spread the experience around among their fellow officers back home. Hunter does a fine job describing each of the personalities of the lawmen and also introduces historical figures such as Bugsy Siegel, Virginia Hill, Mickey Rooney and a assorted mix of backwoods moonshiners, bushwackers and inbred rednecks.

Earl and D.A. Parker teach the young lawmen all the tricks of the trade in order to make them more effective and keep them alive. His Marine Corps tactical expertise comes into play during every operation the group undertakes. Along with his urban combat worries, Earl is forced to deal with the legacy of his father, a former Polk County Sheriff who was gunned down while Earl was off fighting WW II. A WW I hero himself, he was brutal to his two sons. As a result, Earl ran away from home to join the Marines and his younger brother hanged himself in 1942. When Earl comes home from the war, an out-of-work hero, he has no family left but his young and pregnant wife.

Hunter captures all of the flavor of 1946 Arkansas. One can see, feel and live the time, before air conditioning existed, when segregation was still the law of the land and the races did not mix in rural southern America. The author also paces this story at a moderate pace. He keeps the reader wanting more, without rushing his story or the characters and it follows a logical flow that adds to the enjoyment.

As readers familiar with Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger books will realize as they read, Earl is a principled AND heroic figure. He is the type of man who met every challenge placed before him without complaint or hesitation. He is what we don't find too much of in America anymore. He is a proud man, a heroic figure who will not be put upon, maligned or otherwise mistreated. It is obvious after reading this book, that Bobby Lee Swagger is his father's son.

It is not necessary to have read Hunter's earliest works to appreciate HOT SPRINGS. However, if you have, you will appreciate this book all the more because you will be able to make the inevitable comparisons between father and son. If you haven't read the others first, that's okay, too. Once you have read HOT SPRINGS, you'll want to read about Bob the Nailer, if for no other reason than to see what kind of man Earl Swagger raised.

I recommend this book to Stephen Hunter's existing fans and to those who haven't discovered him. Once you read HOT SPRINGS, you'll want to read the rest of the Swagger Saga.

Paul Connors

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More of the same, July 5, 2000

By 

Jason Steiner (Glendale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hot Springs (Hardcover)

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.