Pale Horse Coming

But when an old friend disappears inside Thebes, ex-Marine and Arkansas State Police Sgt. Earl Swagger takes a personal interest in the case. As he infiltrates the prison, what he experiences defies his wildest nightmares -- a savage world where death is the only salvation. As tough as he is, Swagger barely escapes with his life -- and his mind -- intact. But he's not going to stay away for long. Recruiting six of the hardest, deadliest gunmen ever known, bloody vengeance is soon at hand. Because Earl Swagger is going back to Thebes.

Amazon.com Review
Medal of Honor winner Earl Swagger returns in a hard-hitting sequel to Stephen Hunter's best-selling Hot Springs, this time compelled by duty and friendship to follow his best friend, former Arkansas prosecutor Sam Vincent, to the most dangerous place in Mississippi. Sam has gone to Thebes, a prison for violent African American criminals, on a mission for a client. What he finds there is not only a travesty of justice, but a place where the inhumanity of the jailers is matched by the horrific secret research being carried out on helpless prisoners. Captured and tortured himself, Earl manages to escape, but in short order he's back, along with a hand-picked posse of aging sharpshooters who are eager to prove they've still got what it takes. They're also as intent as Earl is on unmasking the conspiracy and destroying the real criminals. Bloody, bullet-ridden, and brilliantly paced, this is Hunter at his explosive best. --Jane Adams

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

An enjoyable adventure in the bayou, 2008-12-04
This was my second Hunter novel and the first one that introduced me to Swagger family. I definitely enjoyed this better than the stand-alone novel. In large part, it had to be because I found Earl Swagger an interesting character. He is the old-style larger-than-life hero that I enjoy so much.

Earl's experience in the Thebe's prison is particularly interesting as torture upon torture is added to Earl and he comes nearer and nearer to breaking.

One thing that kind of gave me pause was the name change of historic characters. It's one thing if Hunter wanted to change the name of characters because of what he had them do, but you can still tell who they are. You might as well use their real names.

Still, it's a great read that left me wanting to read more of Hunter's books.




0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Revenge is a dish best served cold! Good ol' Killing Done Right, 2008-11-28
What can I say.. I love senseless, cold and unmerciful violence in my book. Stephen Hunter provides just what I need in this glorious book.

I just can't get enough of righteous hard violence without remorse in the books nowadays but boy o'boy... does this book deliver.

I don't like giving out story lines so let me just say that in this book, Stephen Hunter does a perfect job in some good ol' western style shoot 'em up killing.

Buy this book!


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Hunter Does It Again!, 2008-10-17
This is the fourth Stephen Hunter book I have read. I stumbled upon him after seeing Shooter with Mark Wahlberg. I don't know how I missed him! I have loved everything I have read. Hot Springs was fantastic. Midnight was fantastic. Pale Horse Coming was very exciting. Its a little over the top at times -- but being a big Clive Cussler fan, I have learned to accept a stretch here and there in exchange for a fun story. This is definitely the case. Very exciting. A page-turner for sure. And as usual, a bit of history to ground it in realism. I highly recommend it -- and can not wait for the next book of Hunter's I read.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A good read, 2008-09-08
A good read written by Stephen Hunter featuring Earl Swagger . The book was received in like new condition and delivered promptly . I highly recommend this book if you are a Stephen Hunter fan .


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

A Modern Pulp Classic, 2008-04-21
I've been reading Stephen Hunter's books since "Point of Impact" and it seems that he just keeps getting better. I finished "Hot Springs" a few years ago while I was spending some time in Arkansas. I had the book for awhile and thought that taking it along for the trip would be appropriate. As with a lot of Stephen Hunter's books, place is an important character. So it was with "Hot Springs" and it is with the "Pale Horse Coming" version of 1950's Mississippi. He captures the image that we all have of that particular time and place very well. It's the "Cool Hand Luke" Mississippi that everyone knows. The stereotypical redneck sheriff and deputies with the shotguns and dogs. Only here they are redneck law enforcement on steroids. The antagonists may feel familiar but Hunter gives them enough depth to be menacing and it actually feels good to anticipate that moment when Earl has his revenge. This book is very cinematic in that respect, there are about four scenes in the story that I felt like cheering at the end of. A lot of this book is presented in a very movie like fashion and I couldn't help but think I would like to see it turned into a feature. But than I also think you couldn't do it justice.

Than there's Earl Swagger himself. He's the elemental protagonist. Like Conan the Barbarian, Earl is a killer with his own unwavering sense of right and wrong. He stands for what he believes, consequences be damned. He's the classic hero. As much as there is to admire in him, he's also a pretty flawed character. Aside from being alcoholic he's a pretty neglectful husband and father.

It's obvious by my five star rating that I enjoyed the book tremendously but there were a few very minor quibbles I had. There is one major plot point that is a little hard to swallow but the book is so much fun I was more than willing to go along with it. Also there is a lot of coarse language, I mean a lot. I wasn't offended but it was something I noticed so it distracted somewhat from the narrative.

I don't believe I've read any other author that could write such descriptive, beautiful action sequences with the exception of Elmore Leonard. To a certain degree, Stephen Hunter reminds me of Leonard but a bit darker. The final set piece with the old gunfighters is colorful and funny in spots. The last section in general is really fun since I was reading Guns and Ammo and American Rifleman around the time Elmer Keith and Col. Jeff Cooper and the like were still around and writing.

I can't get over how much I enjoyed this book. It set on my shelf for a year or so before I picked it up but I ran out and bought the next book in the series, "Havana" and read it right after this which is how excited I was by "Pale Horse Coming".

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