This is the first Bob Lee Swagger book that I have read by Stephen Hunter, and it won't be the last, I'm sure.

The story is a fast paced mystery/thriller, written about the same historic incident from two perspectives. The first narrative takes place in 1944 in the Ukraine. The second perspective is from "the present", by people investigating the 1944 historic event. This style worked very well.

I quite enjoyed the flip flopping between the present and the past, as the story unfolded (in the past) and was deduced (in the present). The characters and locations were very easy to follow as to who was where. And, for the most part, all the parts came together at the end.

The only part of the story I thought was a bit weak, and the reason for the 4 start rating, was with the secondary plot weaved into the main story. Although it was interesting within itself, the tie in to the main story line was pretty weak. There was no important connection, other than one of the characters had connections to both story lines. As well, the termination secondary story did not tie in with anything. But perhaps the author is preparing for another book.

In the end, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written mystery/thriller yarn.