Stephen Hunter Popular Books

Stephen Hunter Biography & Facts

Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic. Life and career Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, a Northwestern University speech professor who was murdered in 1975 by two male prostitutes. His mother was Virginia Ricker Hunter, a writer of children's books. After graduating from Northwestern in 1968 with a degree in journalism, he was drafted for two years into the United States Army. He served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C., a unit that has both operational and ceremonial missions, the latter most notably being the guard force for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He also wrote for a military paper, the Pentagon News.He joined The Baltimore Sun in 1971, working at the copy desk of the newspaper's Sunday edition for a decade. He became its film critic in 1982, a post he held until moving to The Washington Post in the same function in 1997. In 1998 Hunter won the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award in the criticism category, and in 2003 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. He accepted a buyout from the Post in 2008.Hunter's thriller novels include Point of Impact (filmed as Shooter), Black Light and Time to Hunt, which form a trilogy featuring Vietnam War veteran and sniper Bob "the Nailer" Swagger. The story of Bob Lee Swagger continued with The 47th Samurai (2007), Night of Thunder (2008), I, Sniper (2009), Dead Zero (2010), The Third Bullet (2013), Sniper's Honor (2014) and G-Man (2017). The series has led to two spin-off series: Hot Springs, Pale Horse Coming, and Havana form another trilogy centered on Bob Swagger's father, Earl Swagger, while Soft Target (2011) focuses on Bob's long-unknown son, Ray Cruz. Hunter has written three non-fiction books: Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem (1995), a collection of essays from his time at The Sun; American Gunfight (2005), an examination of the November 1, 1950 attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman; and Now Playing at the Valencia (2005), a collection of pieces from The Washington Post. Hunter has also written a number of non-film-related articles for The Post, including one on Afghanistan: "Dressed To Kill—From Kabul to Kandahar, It's Not Who You Are That Matters, but What You Shoot" (2001).Hunter is a firearms enthusiast, well known in the gun community for firearm detail in many of his works of fiction. He himself shoots as a hobby, saying "many people don't understand, shooting a firearm is a sensual pleasure that's rewarding in and of itself."In an interview with NPR on February 16, 2011, Hunter defended the public availability of high-capacity magazines after the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others. He also said that it was not clear whether the 33-round magazine used by shooter Jared Lee Loughner played a part in the shooting. He had previously written in The Washington Post that extended magazines are particularly valuable to women and the elderly, who he said could use them effectively as an alternative to semi-automatic rifles or shotguns. He points out that "women generally don't care to put in the training needed to master [rifles and shotguns]. Nor can the elderly handle [long guns] adeptly." Works Novels Bob Lee Swagger series: Point of Impact (1993) Black Light (1996) Time to Hunt (1998) The 47th Samurai (2007) Night of Thunder (2008) I, Sniper (2009) Dead Zero (2010) The Third Bullet (2013) Sniper's Honor (2014) G-Man (2017) Game of Snipers (2019) Targeted (2022)Dirty White Boys (1994), prequel to events in Black LightEarl Swagger series: Hot Springs (2000) Pale Horse Coming (2001) Havana (2003) The Bullet Garden (January 24, 2023)Ray Cruz series: Dead Zero (2010) Soft Target (2011)Stand-alones: The Master Sniper (1980) The Second Saladin (1982) Target (1985), novelization of film Target The Spanish Gambit (reissued as Tapestry of Spies) (1985) The Day Before Midnight (1989) I, Ripper (2015) Basil's War (2021)Short stories "Casey at the Bat" (2010) (in Agents of Treachery, edited by Otto Penzler)Non-fiction Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem (1996) Now Playing at the Valencia: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Essays on Movies (2005) American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill Harry Truman and the Shoot-out that Stopped It (2005) with John Bainbridge, Jr., ISBN 0743281950References . Discover the Stephen Hunter popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Stephen Hunter books.

Best Seller Stephen Hunter Books of 2024

  • The Last Patriot synopsis, comments

    The Last Patriot

    Brad Thor

    Brad Thor, master of suspense and #1 New York Times bestselling author is back with his highestvoltage thriller to date in which Navy SEAL turned covert Homeland Security operative...

  • I, Sniper synopsis, comments

    I, Sniper

    Stephen Hunter

    The explosive New York Times bestseller by Stephen Hunter that sends exMarine sniper Bob Lee Swagger into the thick of an FBI investigation and features some of the greatest gunfig...

  • Blowback synopsis, comments

    Blowback

    Brad Thor

    From #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes Blowback.Scot Harvath’s counterterrorism career has just crashed and b...

  • The First Commandment synopsis, comments

    The First Commandment

    Brad Thor

    From #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor, the explosive international thriller featuring Navy SEAL turned Homeland Security operative Scot Har...

  • Free Fall synopsis, comments

    Free Fall

    Brad Thor

    The prelude to Hidden Order, Brad Thor's riveting and pulsepounding Scot Harvath thriller.Experience the suspense and thrills only Brad Thor can write in Free Fall, the shocking pr...

  • Foreign Agent synopsis, comments

    Foreign Agent

    Brad Thor

    “The best thriller of the year...an exciting and entertaining read.” The Washington Times“A topnotch thriller.” Bill O’ReillyFrom #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bests...

  • Time to Hunt synopsis, comments

    Time to Hunt

    Stephen Hunter

    “Stephen Hunter is in a class by himself.  Time to Hunt is as vivid and haunting as a moving target in the crosshairs of a sniper scope.”Nelson Demille, author of&#x...

  • Backlash synopsis, comments

    Backlash

    Brad Thor

    “Raw emotion, nonstop action, and relentless pacing makes Backlash another onenight read from Brad Thor.” The Real Book Spy#1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling ...

  • Dead Fall synopsis, comments

    Dead Fall

    Brad Thor

    Lethal operative Scot Harvath is dispatched to avenge the killing of American citizens abroad in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor’s new pul...

  • Kill Shot synopsis, comments

    Kill Shot

    Vince Flynn

    #1 internationally bestselling author Vince Flynn delivers the young, hungry, and lethal Mitch Rapp at the onset of his career as a CIA superagent.In the year since the CIA trained...

  • Game of Snipers synopsis, comments

    Game of Snipers

    Stephen Hunter

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER"Bob Lee Swagger is a true American literary icon."Mark Greaney, New York Times Bestselling Author of Mission CriticalIn this blazing new thriller from Pulitzer ...

  • Black List synopsis, comments

    Black List

    Brad Thor

    #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his most explosive thriller ever. Somewhere deep inside the United States government is a clo...

  • Spymaster synopsis, comments

    Spymaster

    Brad Thor

    Scot Harvath must do whatever it takes to prevent the United States from being dragged into a deadly war in this heartpounding thriller that is “timely, raw, and filled with enough...

  • Separation of Power synopsis, comments

    Separation of Power

    Vince Flynn

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Mitch Rapp series “knows how deliver action in his novels” (St. Paul Pioneer Press) and does so again with this thrilli...

  • Path of the Assassin synopsis, comments

    Path of the Assassin

    Brad Thor

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Scot Harvath series and “heir to Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum” (Chicago Tribune) returns with this unputdownable, whiteknuckled thri...

  • Pursuit of Honor synopsis, comments

    Pursuit of Honor

    Vince Flynn

    Mitch Rappthe “mainstay of the modern technothriller” (New York Journal of Books)returns in this exhilarating political thriller as he fights for the sake of his country and the pu...

  • Takedown synopsis, comments

    Takedown

    Brad Thor

    From #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes Takedown.July 4th weekend, New York City: As thousands of holiday trav...

  • The Last Man synopsis, comments

    The Last Man

    Vince Flynn

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn “has never been better” (The Providence Journal) in this highoctane thriller following Mitch Rapp as he searches for a missing CIA ...

  • Epilogue II synopsis, comments

    Epilogue II

    Brad Thor

    If you read and loved the #1 New York Times bestseller Hidden Order, enjoy this free bonus chapter.Experience the suspense and thrills only Brad Thor can write in Epilogue II, a sh...

  • Point of Impact synopsis, comments

    Point of Impact

    Stephen Hunter

    “A harsh, visceral, novel of conspiracy and betrayal . . . a distrubing mix that plays on our sense of history while at the same time it appeals to our darkest fantasies of rough j...

  • The Survivor synopsis, comments

    The Survivor

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    The #1 New York Times bestselling novel that picks up where the “tight, right, and dynamite” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) The Last Man left off, The Survivor is a noholdsbarred race...

  • Lethal Agent synopsis, comments

    Lethal Agent

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    An unprecedented and terrifying bioterrorism plot threatens to kill millions in the midst of a divisive presidential election in this “gut punch of a tale that exploits our greates...

  • Full Black synopsis, comments

    Full Black

    Brad Thor

    #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor brings his darkest and most intriguing thriller yeta terrifying story of espionage and betrayalbrilliantly...

  • The Athens Solution synopsis, comments

    The Athens Solution

    Brad Thor

    From Brad Thor, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code of Conduct, comes a lightningpaced short story, pitting Scot Harvath against a threat unlike any he’s faced before…...

  • Act of War synopsis, comments

    Act of War

    Brad Thor

    The #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor delivers his most frightening and pulsepounding thriller ever!After a CIA agent mysteriously dies over...

  • The Third Bullet synopsis, comments

    The Third Bullet

    Stephen Hunter

    Former marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger investigates one of the most enduring controversies of our timethe JFK assassinationin this New York Times bestselling “terrific thriller” (Boo...

  • G-Man synopsis, comments

    G-Man

    Stephen Hunter

    “A roaring good read.”FORBES.com Master sniper Bob Lee Swagger returns in this riveting novel by bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter.The Great Depression wa...

  • The Apostle synopsis, comments

    The Apostle

    Brad Thor

    From #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes the whiteknuckled thriller The Apostle.A new administration and a new approach to dealing wit...

  • Hidden Order synopsis, comments

    Hidden Order

    Brad Thor

    #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his hottest and most actionpacked thriller yet!The most secretive organization in America ope...

  • Extreme Measures synopsis, comments

    Extreme Measures

    Vince Flynn

    #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Vince Flynn delivers a whiteknuckled rollercoaster ride of a novel featuring “the best hero the thriller genre has to offer” (The Real Book...

  • Targeted synopsis, comments

    Targeted

    Stephen Hunter

    Master sniper Bob Lee Swagger protects a group of political hostages during a perilous standoff in this razorsharp, whiteknuckled thriller from Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Time...

  • Near Dark synopsis, comments

    Near Dark

    Brad Thor

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER“Fastpaced...pulsepounding...supremely entertaining…His best ever.” The Washington Times“This might be the single greate...

  • Memorial Day synopsis, comments

    Memorial Day

    Vince Flynn

    When the CIA receives word about an upcoming terrorist attack, they immediately look towards their superagent Mitch Rapp to do whatever it takes to protect American lives in this “...

  • Soft Target synopsis, comments

    Soft Target

    Stephen Hunter

    Another actionpacked thriller from Stephen Hunter, this time starring Ray Cruz, the son of exMarine sniper Bob Lee Swagger, who was introduced in Hunter’s previous bestseller, Dead...

  • State of the Union synopsis, comments

    State of the Union

    Brad Thor

    “The perfect allAmerican hero” (Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Scot Harvath is on the hunt for a dangerous killer bent on world domination in this whiteknuck...

  • The Athena Project synopsis, comments

    The Athena Project

    Brad Thor

    From #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor, four deadly women from the topsecret Athena Project join Delta Force as they undertake one of the na...

  • Executive Power synopsis, comments

    Executive Power

    Vince Flynn

    The New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series returns with this “fastpaced spy thriller” (People) following the country’s best assassin as he finds himself in the crossfire of A...

  • American Assassin synopsis, comments

    American Assassin

    Vince Flynn

    In #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn’s explosive and “captivating” (Glenn Beck) thriller, witness the young Mitch Rapp as he takes on his first assignment.Mitch Rapp...

  • The 47th Samurai synopsis, comments

    The 47th Samurai

    Stephen Hunter

    In The 47th Samurai, Bob Lee Swagger, the gritty hero of Stephen Hunter's bestselling novels Point of Impact and Time to Hunt, returns in this intense and exotic thriller.Bob Lee S...

  • Order to Kill synopsis, comments

    Order to Kill

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    In the next thrilling novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series, the antiterrorism operative heads to Pakistan to confront a mortal threat he may not be prepared...

  • In a Dark, Dark Wood synopsis, comments

    In a Dark, Dark Wood

    Ruth Ware

    AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE An NPR Best Book of the Yea...

  • Transfer of Power synopsis, comments

    Transfer of Power

    Vince Flynn

    This “rollercoaster, edgeofyourseat thriller” (StarTribune, Minneapolis) in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series follows the CIA’s top operative as he must stop a ma...

  • Shadow of Doubt synopsis, comments

    Shadow of Doubt

    Brad Thor

    America’s top spy Scot Harvath returns in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor’s new pulsepounding thriller. A shadowy Russian defector. A beau...

  • Big Summer synopsis, comments

    Big Summer

    Jennifer Weiner

    A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant “beach read to end all beach reads” (Entertainment Weekly) about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of maki...

  • Term Limits synopsis, comments

    Term Limits

    Vince Flynn

    Politics and riveting suspense collide in this whiteknuckled thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of American Assassinsoon to be a major motion picture.In one blo...

  • Code of Conduct synopsis, comments

    Code of Conduct

    Brad Thor

    “Thor tops himself again and again.” Bookreporter “Feels like the TV show 24 on the page.” Associated Press #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor presents his greatest thr...

  • Black Light synopsis, comments

    Black Light

    Stephen Hunter

    Only one thing stands between a son and his father's killer: forty years of lies. . .On a remote Arizona ranch, a man who has known loss, fear, and war weeps for the first time sin...

  • Foreign Influence synopsis, comments

    Foreign Influence

    Brad Thor

    Navy SEAL turned covert operative Scot Harvath is called to action once again in this pulsepounding political thriller from #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling...

  • The Lions of Lucerne synopsis, comments

    The Lions of Lucerne

    Brad Thor

    In his daring and chilling first novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor draws us into a sinister labyrinth of political intrigue and international terrorism, serving...