Not to be confused with the 2020 8-episode series "I, Sniper" based on the Washington DC USA Sniper attacks, told from one of the criminals Lee Malvo's view. ''I, Sniper'' is a novel by

Stephen Hunter Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic. Life and career Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunte ...

, published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

in 2009. It is Hunter's sixth novel whose hero is

Bob Lee Swagger Bob Lee "the Nailer" Swagger is a fictional character created by Stephen Hunter. He is the protagonist of a series of 12 novels (as of 2022) that relate his life during and after the Vietnam War, starting with '' Point of Impact'' (1993) up to th ...

, a U. S. Marine Corps sniper who first appears in '' Point of Impact'' which is partially set in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. It is tenth in order of publication and sixth in the chronology of the character. Bob Lee has been brought in as a consultant to analyze the data collected from the scene of the assassinations. He concludes that the shootings were not made by the accused perpetrator. When Carl Hitchcock turns up dead from an apparent suicide he decides to investigate further to clear a fellow sniper's name. Swagger begins investigating, by attending a demonstration of the supposed device used in the assassinations. The demonstration introduces a group of Irish soldiers who served in

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

. The novel concludes with Swagger showing his ability to outlast and outwit his enemy in a duel of snipers, clearing the name of the fallen Hitchcock in the process. The ending includes seeming references to the song " Big Iron" The characters include pseudonymous characters: Carl Hitchcock, a Marine Corps sniper based upon the real sniper,

Carlos Hathcock Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 22, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a l ...

. Other characters are based upon

Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

Bill Ayers William Charles Ayers (; born December 26, 1944) is an American retired professor and former militant organizer. In 1969, Ayers co-founded the far-left militant organization the Weather Underground, a revolutionary group that sought to overthr ...

, and Chuck Mawhinney.

References

2009 American novels American thriller novels Books about snipers Novels by Stephen Hunter Sequel novels Simon & Schuster books {{2000s-thriller-novel-stub