Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 9/25/2017 + 1193 more book reviews

Another good thriller from Hunter. I've been a fan of Hunter's Swagger novels--both Earl and Bob Lee--since reading PALE HORSE COMING over a decade ago. Since then, I have read all of the Swagger novels as well as some of Hunter's stand-alone's. I thought G-MAN was on a par with most of the others. This one is mostly about Bob Lee's grandfather, Charles, an enigma in the Swagger family with little known about his history. When a strong box containing a .45, a 1000-dollar-bill, and a possible treasure map is unearthed on the Swagger property in Arkansas, Bob Lee decides to try to find out the history of Charles. The book alternates between Bob Lee's quest in the present day and Charles' story in 1934 when he was recruited by the Government to work in what is now the FBI to bring the public enemies to justice. Charles was involved in the shootout with Bonnie and Clyde and the G-Men feel he could also help bring Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson to justice. Baby Face was apparently the most vicious of the bunch who showed no fear in gun battle -- a possible match for Charles? But Charles is also hiding a secret and wants his role to be kept out of the public eye. Meanwhile, in the present day, someone seems to be stalking Bob Lee and his pursuit of finding out the history of his grandfather. But who and why?

The book was full of historical information about both the G-Men and the gangsters and made me want to learn more about them. I thought the movie "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp might be a good account of the 30s gangsters but in the acknowledgements to the book, Hunter really pans this movie with its inaccuracies (Hunter is also a movie critic), so I'll probably look elsewhere. Overall, I really liked G-MAN and would recommend it along with Hunter's other Swagger novels.

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