Hot Springs

Written by Stephen Hunter

Narrated by Eric G. Dove

Earl Swagger is tough as hell. But even tough guys have their secrets. Plagued by the memory of his abusive father, apprehensive about his own impending parenthood, Earl is a decorated ex-Marine of absolute integrity—and overwhelming melancholy. Now he’s about to face his biggest, bloodiest challenge yet.

It is the summer of 1946, organized crime’s garish golden age, when American justice seems to have gone to seed for good. Nowhere is this more true than in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the reigning capital of corruption. When the district attorney vows to bring down the mob, Earl is recruited to run the show. As casino raids erupt into nerve-shattering combat amid screaming prostitutes and fleeing johns, the body count mounts—along with the suspense.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781455815661

Stephen Hunter

Stephen Hunter has written over twenty novels. The retired chief film critic for The Washington Post, where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, he has also published two collections of film criticism and a nonfiction work, American Gunfight. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews for Hot Springs

[Amy Selvidge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Among the best books I've read or heard in years!

[jercox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good extension of the swagger series, moving up to the father's experiences. Less sniper focused, still very firearm heavy. Enjoyed it.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's the summer of 1946 and crime boss, Owney Madden, is bringing gambling and prostitution to Hot Springs, Arkansas, the reigning capital of corruption. He's assisted by the Grumley's, a psychopathic hillbilly family. When the district attorney vows to bring down the mob, Earl Swagger, is recruited to run the show. Haunted by memories of his experiences in World War II and of his abusive father, the medal of honor winner, and tortured soul believes himself almost beyond redemption. He only knows he's an angry man with nowhere to go in the post-war peace. As casino raids erupt into nerve-shattering combat the suspense mounts. Earl and his team of rookie cops find they have to do battle not only with heavily armed mobsters but also with politicians. They quickly learn that no one anywhere can be trusted, not even the men on their own side.

Hot Springs is a solid, hard-boiled noir novel and Earl is a principled and heroic figure. He's quite flawed in many respects. He leaves his pregnant wife alone so he can try to clean up the corruption in Hot Springs. Characters like Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, and movie stars like Mickey Rooney are everywhere. There's a particularly interesting interchange with a pool boy named Roy, who later becomes Rock Hudson. The black Arkansans are the most rooted people in town, and their recognition of their precarious position in the society is painful to see.

I loved the way the author portrays the Arkansas speech of the time and place. He tries to capture the new American South after WWII, the race problem, the concepts of culture and language distinctions. Readers may find the language used in the book distasteful. The author offers plenty of sex and violence but it's not unexpected in this type of book. Hunter writes a great series featuring sniper Bob Lee Swagger so it was very interesting to meet the man who was Bob Lee's father. There are two other books in the Earl Swagger series. The next one is called Pale Horse Coming and it has Earl infiltrating a Mississippi prison in 1951. I can't imaging the mayhem that will ensue so I'm off to see if I can find a copy.