Yet another Bob Lee Swagger novel from Stephen Hunter, and let me tell you, this one’s a dandy. I, Sniper ought to please most any fan, unless he’s a liberal. (I suppose there could be liberal Hunter fans.)

The last couple of Sniper books seemed to be attempts to mix things up a little. The 47th Samurai, a tour de force of pure storytelling in the teeth of probability, took Bob Lee completely out of the shooting world, and into the world of the sword. Still perhaps my favorite in the series, it’s nevertheless a jog down a side road.

Night of Thunder was fun, but lightweight.

I, Sniper is plain, unadulterated Bob Lee Swagger, a mainline fix of pure sharpshooting goodness. It’s mainly about snipers, and even the non-sniping story line concerns shooting. Guns are central at every point, and Bob Lee shows the virtues of the wise old warrior—he may be a fraction of a second slower than the youngsters, but he’s three moves ahead of them at almost every point.

To put the cherry on the sundae, author Hunter takes some neat jabs at liberals—more than he ever has before in the series.

When four famous anti-war activists (loosely fictionalized but most of them readily identifiable) from the ’60s are murdered, one after the other, by a sniper, suspicion soon falls on Carl Hitchcock, famous as the top sniper of the Vietnam War (based on a real-life Marine named Carlos Hathcock, who, in a strange inversion, was the chief inspiration for Bob Lee). When Hitchcock is found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted wound, in a motel room, killed with the murder weapon, the case looks open-and-shut. But FBI agent Nick Memphis, in charge of the investigation, decides to check with one last expert—his old buddy Bob Lee Swagger, another legendary Vietnam sniper.

Before long, Bob Lee comes up with proof that Hitchcock did not fire—and could not have fired—the fatal shots.

Soon Nick’s career is in jeopardy, and Bob Lee’s life is in danger, because someone very powerful has a big stake in keeping the truth from coming out.

But he has not reckoned with Bob Lee Swagger.

Loved this one. Perhaps not quite as much as The 47th Samurai, but it’s a worthy entry in a classic action series that never seems to flag. In its way it goes over the top as much as the samurai book, notably in Chapter 55 (which I won’t spoil for you) but I can only say that Hunter has the skill to carry that sort of excess off with style, like an old rock star who’s still got the magic.

Long may he wave.

Cautions for language and adult themes. Recommended for action fans, especially if they’re gun lovers.

Like me.