Ten thousand people jam the aisles, the corridors, the elevators, and the escalators of America, the Mall — a giant Rubik’s Cube of a structure with its own amusement park located in the spacious center atrium. Of those people, nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight have come to shop. The other twelve have come to kill. Ray Cruz, one of the heroes of Hunter’s last bestseller, Dead Zero, is in the mall with his fiancée and her family. The retired Marine sniper thought he was done with stalking and killing—but among the trapped thousands, he’s the only one with a plan and the guts to confront the self-proclaimed “Brigade Mumbai.” Now all he needs is a gun. FBI Sniper Dave McElroy has a gun. But positioned on the roof of the vast building and without explosives or fuses — or the go-ahead from his superiors — he is cut off from his targets and forced into the role of witness to the horror unfolding below. Having learned the lessons of Columbine, the feds believe that immediate action is the only solution. But Douglas Obobo, the charismatic and ambitious commandant of the state police, orders cooperation, tolerance, communication, and empathy for the gunmen. He feels that with his superior negotiating skills, he can make contact with the shooters and gently nudge them into surrender. But what if their goal all along has been unparalleled massacre — and they’re only waiting for prime time?
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
One of the Best Books of 2012 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
“Stephen Hunter spent years reviewing movies for The Washington Post. That work gave him a keen sense of pacing and timing. The evidence shows up in Soft Target, which unrolls a complicated and grabby plot in just 256 tense pages. And Hunter packs in a surprise with the identity and motive of the individual behind the terrorist attack.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Hunter’s writing is sharp, detailed and laced with enough offhand wit to keep readers from sinking into the general gore and Islam-bashing. . . . Hunter has produced a fast, gratifying read.”—The Houston Chronicle
“A solid addition to Stephen Hunter’s sniper series, made more engaging by its invocation of current events and political posturing. I join his other fans in hoping he has another one already in the works.”—The Washington Times
“Stephen Hunter didn’t invent the high-action thriller. But, as he once again demonstrates in the lightning-paced Soft Target, he might as well have. . . . Soft Target is Die Hard with a brain and a plan. A lean, action-packed tale that begs to be read in a single sitting.”—The Providence Journal
“Fast-paced…fearsome.”—Publishers Weekly
“Combining elements of the locked-room mystery, the disaster novel, and the lock-and-load thriller, Hunter produces a remarkably gripping tale, building character (the captives, the bureaucrats, and the “terrorists” all get compelling backstories) every bit as convincingly as he drives the narrative to its High Noon–style finale.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Any thriller in which Middle Eastern terrorists whack Santa on the first page is bound to be exciting. As always, Hunter has crafted a fast-paced and all-too-plausible telling of our worst nightmares coming true. Ray Cruz is a worthy successor to Swagger. Hunter’s fans, along with new readers, will enjoy the violent battle between Cruz and the bad guys.”—Library Journal
“Black Friday [is] on the cusp of becoming blood-soaked Friday. . . . Among the shoppers, albeit reluctantly, is Ray Cruz, a retired marine sniper, son of the iconic marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger, whose valorous exploits Hunter has richly detailed (Dead Zero, 2010, etc.). . . . Snipers and SWAT teams gather, but only one man is in an advantageous tactical position, behind enemy lines, as it were. Only one man, but he’s Bob Lee Swagger’s son, and what a good thing it is that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.”—Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
“Stephen Hunter spent years reviewing movies for The Washington Post. That work gave him a keen sense of pacing and timing. The evidence shows up in Soft Target, which unrolls a complicated and grabby plot in just 256 tense pages. And Hunter packs in a surprise with the identity and motive of the individual behind the terrorist attack.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Hunter’s writing is sharp, detailed and laced with enough offhand wit to keep readers from sinking into the general gore and Islam-bashing. . . . Hunter has produced a fast, gratifying read.”—The Houston Chronicle
“A solid addition to Stephen Hunter’s sniper series, made more engaging by its invocation of current events and political posturing. I join his other fans in hoping he has another one already in the works.”—The Washington Times
“Stephen Hunter didn’t invent the high-action thriller. But, as he once again demonstrates in the lightning-paced Soft Target, he might as well have. . . . Soft Target is Die Hard with a brain and a plan. A lean, action-packed tale that begs to be read in a single sitting.”—The Providence Journal
“Fast-paced…fearsome.”—Publishers Weekly
“Combining elements of the locked-room mystery, the disaster novel, and the lock-and-load thriller, Hunter produces a remarkably gripping tale, building character (the captives, the bureaucrats, and the “terrorists” all get compelling backstories) every bit as convincingly as he drives the narrative to its High Noon–style finale.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Any thriller in which Middle Eastern terrorists whack Santa on the first page is bound to be exciting. As always, Hunter has crafted a fast-paced and all-too-plausible telling of our worst nightmares coming true. Ray Cruz is a worthy successor to Swagger. Hunter’s fans, along with new readers, will enjoy the violent battle between Cruz and the bad guys.”—Library Journal
“Black Friday [is] on the cusp of becoming blood-soaked Friday. . . . Among the shoppers, albeit reluctantly, is Ray Cruz, a retired marine sniper, son of the iconic marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger, whose valorous exploits Hunter has richly detailed (Dead Zero, 2010, etc.). . . . Snipers and SWAT teams gather, but only one man is in an advantageous tactical position, behind enemy lines, as it were. Only one man, but he’s Bob Lee Swagger’s son, and what a good thing it is that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.”—Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Stephen Hunter has written eighteen novels, including I, Sniper and Point of Impact. The retired chief film critic for The Washington Post, where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, he lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
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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
66 of 68 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The torch passes to a new generation in this actioner from Hunter
December 9, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Hunter now brings his series into the third generation of Swagger men in his new offering "Soft Target".
Bob "The Nailer" Swagger, knight in rusting armor, has been aging gracefully, but it's been getting clearer in the last couple of books that he's getting a bit long in the tooth to continue with the kinds of activities Hunter's stories require. It really becomes an issue of believability, as I've pointed out in my reviews of other books in series that feature Vietnam vets as the central characters: we Viet vets are becoming... old. (Maaaaan... that hurts to write!). To see Dave Robicheaux or Elvis Cole or Harry Bosch or Bob The Nailer doing all these super-athletic things they seem to do... well, it really starts to strain the old credibility.
Hunter's been smart enough to address this by introducing Bob Lee's illegitimate son, Ray Cruz, as his heir-apparent, and this novel clearly illustrates why: there's just no way that Bob Lee could have done what Cruz does in this book and have it be believable at all.
The story: jihadi terrorists have raided the thinly-disguised Mall of America on Black Friday, the busy post-Thanksgiving shopping day, killing many shoppers and taking about 1,000 of them hostage. Cruz is the only "shooter" in the place, and he (and a few other people) has managed to evade capture.
The authorities responding to the scene are commanded by a thinly-disguised Obama-style statie colonel - cleverly named Obobo - in love with his own voice and convinced of his own infallibility and ability to deal with the terrs through non-violent persuasion, setting up a clash of strategies and wills between himself and the SWAT-types who want to go in shooting.
How all this works out is the main thrust of the story.
This is a straight actioner; no subtlety involved. It's not a complex story at all, and takes place over the span of just a few hours. It's loaded with lots of action, little in plot, not much character development, a lot of political digs at liberalism, and high entertainment value if you go in knowing what you're buying. It's like watching "Die Hard", or "Dirty Harry". It doesn't profess to be anything more. It's simply escapist beach or airplane reading. On that basis, four stars.
Bob "The Nailer" Swagger, knight in rusting armor, has been aging gracefully, but it's been getting clearer in the last couple of books that he's getting a bit long in the tooth to continue with the kinds of activities Hunter's stories require. It really becomes an issue of believability, as I've pointed out in my reviews of other books in series that feature Vietnam vets as the central characters: we Viet vets are becoming... old. (Maaaaan... that hurts to write!). To see Dave Robicheaux or Elvis Cole or Harry Bosch or Bob The Nailer doing all these super-athletic things they seem to do... well, it really starts to strain the old credibility.
Hunter's been smart enough to address this by introducing Bob Lee's illegitimate son, Ray Cruz, as his heir-apparent, and this novel clearly illustrates why: there's just no way that Bob Lee could have done what Cruz does in this book and have it be believable at all.
The story: jihadi terrorists have raided the thinly-disguised Mall of America on Black Friday, the busy post-Thanksgiving shopping day, killing many shoppers and taking about 1,000 of them hostage. Cruz is the only "shooter" in the place, and he (and a few other people) has managed to evade capture.
The authorities responding to the scene are commanded by a thinly-disguised Obama-style statie colonel - cleverly named Obobo - in love with his own voice and convinced of his own infallibility and ability to deal with the terrs through non-violent persuasion, setting up a clash of strategies and wills between himself and the SWAT-types who want to go in shooting.
How all this works out is the main thrust of the story.
This is a straight actioner; no subtlety involved. It's not a complex story at all, and takes place over the span of just a few hours. It's loaded with lots of action, little in plot, not much character development, a lot of political digs at liberalism, and high entertainment value if you go in knowing what you're buying. It's like watching "Die Hard", or "Dirty Harry". It doesn't profess to be anything more. It's simply escapist beach or airplane reading. On that basis, four stars.
127 of 155 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Wow. Just... wow.
Let me provide some context for this review. I LOVE Stephen Hunter. I have read everything he has published, including his film criticism. The whole Swagger family saga, starting with Dirty White Boys, which set the background, and continuing through the historical novels and the more modern stuff, are maybe my favorite series of recent times. (Lee Child's Reacher novels are the only other books that come close, for me.) I pre-ordered this for Kindle six months ago and I had been waiting eagerly for it. I deliberately didn't start the new Harry Bosch because I knew this was coming online a day or two later. So, in case I didn't make it clear, I LOVE Stephen Hunter.
I found "Soft Target" borderline unreadable.
The plot was derivative (unless you're the only American thriller fan who never saw "Die Hard") and predictable pretty much from the first page to the last. The characters would have had to be fleshed out considerably to be called one-dimensional. The villains, both the perpatrators of the central crime and the bureaucrats who create additional hurdles for our hero to overcome (see "Die Hard," above) are particularly cartoonish. The politics are crude and unsubtle and grow tiresome after about 30 pages.
I kept reading only because (a) I like to finish what I start; (b) I was on a seven hour flight; and (c) I kept hoping against hope that there would be some sort of last-chapter twist that would redeem what had come before. There wasn't.
I can only say that I now regret every second I invested in this book. My time would have been better spent watching the last chapter of the Harry Potter series on the inflight entertainment system over and over until the landing lights went on. And if you only knew how much I hate Harry Potter, and how much I love Stephen Hunter (in case I didn't mention it already) you'd understand how much it pains me to say that.
Thanks, Amazon, for providing me with this opportunity to vent.
Let me provide some context for this review. I LOVE Stephen Hunter. I have read everything he has published, including his film criticism. The whole Swagger family saga, starting with Dirty White Boys, which set the background, and continuing through the historical novels and the more modern stuff, are maybe my favorite series of recent times. (Lee Child's Reacher novels are the only other books that come close, for me.) I pre-ordered this for Kindle six months ago and I had been waiting eagerly for it. I deliberately didn't start the new Harry Bosch because I knew this was coming online a day or two later. So, in case I didn't make it clear, I LOVE Stephen Hunter.
I found "Soft Target" borderline unreadable.
The plot was derivative (unless you're the only American thriller fan who never saw "Die Hard") and predictable pretty much from the first page to the last. The characters would have had to be fleshed out considerably to be called one-dimensional. The villains, both the perpatrators of the central crime and the bureaucrats who create additional hurdles for our hero to overcome (see "Die Hard," above) are particularly cartoonish. The politics are crude and unsubtle and grow tiresome after about 30 pages.
I kept reading only because (a) I like to finish what I start; (b) I was on a seven hour flight; and (c) I kept hoping against hope that there would be some sort of last-chapter twist that would redeem what had come before. There wasn't.
I can only say that I now regret every second I invested in this book. My time would have been better spent watching the last chapter of the Harry Potter series on the inflight entertainment system over and over until the landing lights went on. And if you only knew how much I hate Harry Potter, and how much I love Stephen Hunter (in case I didn't mention it already) you'd understand how much it pains me to say that.
Thanks, Amazon, for providing me with this opportunity to vent.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Jerry Ivy
Format:Hardcover
SOFT TARGET brings back Ray Cruz, ex-Marine wonder kid. He's shopping at the most mega-mall of all in the USA...complete with indoor amusement park...when an apparent terrorist attack traps thousands inside. The best thing about the book it is how swiftly it moves. No American writer has mastered the art of the supersonic plot better than Hunter and once you pick it up, the known world dissolves and you are there, with Ray, on the inside of this situation and deciding how best to help and then, with some luck and a lot of skill, exercising the impromptu plan. At the same time, Hunter brings political reality to the front with conflict between the "suits" and the operatives. All in all...a great read to get your mind out of the clouds and into reality of what, unfortunately, could happen with very sophisticated attackers. Hunter obviously researched the book's components and used his knowledge of weaponry and ballistics to add his "signature" style to the book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The new bob the nailer
All of Stephen Hunter novels are great. With the son of the sniper taking over the job that his father has done .
Published 1 day ago by DUCK
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting read
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Ray, Nick and even the bad guys. Have read every Bob Lee Swagger book, loved them all and I'm sure this one won't disappoint you, go for it!
Published 11 days ago by andrea blattman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definately Stephen Hunter
Well come on people this is not nearly as bad as everyone seems to make out. I'm beginning to think this review mechanism encourages the lemmings/sharks, once the smell of blood is... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Charles V
5.0 out of 5 stars
In Anticipation
Just got it, haven't read it yet. I love Stephen Hunter's books. The plots are great, the technical side is accurate. Good stuff. I can hardly wait to get to it.
Hal
Hal
Published 1 month ago by H. Hansen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Typical great S.Hunter novel
From set-up to final take-down & spin-down,'Soft Target', was a study in excitement, suspense,and masterful writing. Thank you ,once again Mr. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wanda Hatcher
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quick read, fun but lacking depth
Stephen Hunter's new hero, Ray Cruz, is trapped in America, The Mall (also in Minnesota but not exactly the Mall of America) when terrorists take over the mall and take hundreds of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by John J. Franco
4.0 out of 5 stars
My first Ray Cruz
Interesting setting and plot. Lot's of blood and gore. Good Segway into future Ray Cruz books. Enjoyed drama anlthough a little shy of reality
Published 1 month ago by Top Soldier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern gun culture thriller
I have found all Steven Hunter books entertaining and very hard to put down. This one is no exception and it struck a chord here and there that harmonized with my own observations... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Paul D. Muller
4.0 out of 5 stars
I like Stephen Hunter
I have read almost all his books. This one is very interesting I will be ordering more in the future.
Published 1 month ago by William Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dead on with today's headlines
Soft Target delivers in print that which we imagine we would do to the bad guys if we had the expertise. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dan Trefney
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