Book Reviews: Point of Impact & First Family

I've had some downtime around the holidays, so I read a couple of books.

First, I read David Baldacci's First Family. This is the fourth book in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series. I've read a handful of his books and I can't say they are that memorable. I enjoyed several of his other books in the Camel Club series, but all in all they are mostly escapist reading. I've had this one for a long time, but the last Camel Club book I read was so disappointing, I put off reading this one. His stuff is good enough that I've read more than one, but not so good that I feel compelled to ever pick up another of his novels. I think a good alternative (especially to the King and Maxwell series) would be Nelson DeMille's John Corey and Kate Mayfield from Plum Island and subsequent books.

I got Stephen Hunter's Point of Impact for Christmas and burned through it. I had seen Shooter, the movie with Marky Mark, so I had an idea of the plot. I really enjoyed this book. Not surprisingly, the novel had a lot more depth than the movie. In addition to more information about Bob Lee Swagger, you get the whole back story on Special Agent Nick Memphis. If you are into guns, you'll also appreciate Hunter's attention to details when it comes to the rifles and long range shooting. I definitely recommend it. Good thing, too, as I also got the next three books in the Bob Lee series as gifts.