Kill Zone: A Sniper Novel (Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels)

Kill zone is writen more like a screen play than a book. The story is there with only minimum back description and color. Some chapters are but a few pages and hold only the information needed to understand the story line. It would be a great book for people who only like to read a little. It does not go into grand detail like a Clancy novel , dont get me wrong I really liked it and think that many of books I read could be more like it. I mean that some wrters try to hard and this says what is needed and thats it. I would read another book by this author and this style no problem.

A highly successful military/political thriller set in today's world, Kill Zone is hard to put down---in fact, I read it in a day: couldn't stop reading. Just the right amount of military background, political intrigue, action, and characterization. Well worth reading. It also shows some strong feelings that I suspect are common in the military regarding the increasing use of unregulated and legally immune mercenaries.

I first became aware of Sergeant Jack Coughlin when I read and reviewed (See my prior review.) his biography entitled "SHOOTER" which was released in April 2005. Since I am a Viet Nam era veteran, Jack and I talked the same language, and his writing style in "SHOOTER" was written like we talked; four-letter-words, death, killing, survival, primal camaraderie, and lack of true understanding from anyone outside the immediate "team". At the end of the book I rated his classic biography FIVE STARS, and wished there was more to read, because I felt like I was parting ways with a friend. When I saw this novel on the shelf with his name on it as co-author, I bought it immediately. And man am I glad I did! This story is a non-stop, visceral, military marvel of excitement, "straight-talk", and "straight-shooting"! (Pun intended!) The protagonist is Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson, (Jack's alter-ego.) "Superstar" Marine sniper, who has seen it all and done it all. As the plot unfolds there is treason and subterfuge under way reaching to the highest levels of power in the United States. Included in these dastardly deeds are a State Senator, the National Security Advisor, Gates Global, the largest international military contractor, and uncountable underlings from near and far. The key to the plot involves the kidnapping of Brigadier General Bradley Middleton of the U.S. Marine Corps. The kidnapping is pulled off by mercenaries employed by Gates Global, but made to look like it was done by Middle East terrorists. Kyle gets involved in a rescue mission that has multi-levels of complexity that I won't say any more about, in order to not give away the intrigue that runs rampant throughout this thunderbolt of a story. The character development throughout this worldwide cast of villains and hero's is magnificent and as mentioned in my opening, the author talks the way military people talk in war and during covert operations. In fact I am going to quote a passage from the book, that so clearly explains something I've tried to explain to my own son for the last twenty years: "The major was a veteran but had little experience with snipers, and had never seen one personally deal with the aftermath of a day of battle. Ordinary soldiers shoot almost anonymously and seldom see what they hit. Pilots never view the bodies blown away by their bomb, and tankers have limited visibility. But with a powerful scope, a sniper sees every strand of hair in an enemy mustache, the color of an eye and the movement of a finger. They also see the gory holes they make in a man, and after the battle is over, that has to be dealt with. Every sniper has his own way of adjusting." "We have to be peculiar, or we wouldn't be snipers in the first place. None of us do what we have to do simply because we enjoy killing people. That would be crazy. Some, the lucky ones, would just get drunk and wash away the images with beer and whiskey. Nightmares and divorces were common. Others would be grippe

I really hate fiction... but this book is incredible. The reader realizes quickly that Kill Zone's central character Kyle Swanson, is layered with such attention to detail that he is obviously an amalgam of stories author Jack Coughlin couldn't tell us in a non fiction account. As you may recall from his New York Times Best selling memoir Shooter, Coughlin is not only the Marine Corps' Top Ranked Sniper, he is also the embodiment of a warrior. Fans of Shooter will not only love this book, but will clamor aloud for a follow up. The action is uber intense and I would often pause and say to myself, "this must have happened somewhere in some far off dark continent." It would make sense that only Coughlin could expertly pack into a fictional account all the things he has done for America through the glass of his sniper rifle that is most likely still very much "off the record." Kill Zone jostles you around with such force you will need to take Dramamine. Coughlin and Davis are the pilots on this wild ride that is two parts action thriller, one part political suspense. Kill Zone delivers on so many levels, I would need a co-author to finish this review. Coughlin has created the first chapter in what audiences will undoubtedly hope is a series of similar combat themed novels. Get the book before Hollywood ruins the movie.

An action packed story. Great read with a complex character at its center stage. Although similar plotline to most action adventures, it still kept me interested and intrigued. Great escapism.