The central cahracter Bob Lee Swagger, is plucked from retirement to test some new ammunition. Surprisingly he finds himself set up , and must use his wits and his Remington 700 to clear his name. So much for the plot. What you have hear is an enjoyable romp, with bad bad guys, good good guys and a few helpless women thrown in along the way. Bob Lee is a well sketched out character, and if you can you can ignore a number of serious plot flaws you will find a very enjoyable techno thriller.
Incidentally, as a shooter of some talent myself, most of the technical stuff is about right.
To be honest, I stopped reading Stephen Hunter's later books after one or two failed attempts to recapture the magic of this book. All the later novels, despite being written as prequals to this, seem like spinoffs from a successful tv show and never as good as the original. Day before Midnight was excellent but that's about it.
Hunter does a great job of telling just enough of the story to let you think you know where he is going. Then he turns the story on you leaving you surprised. He does this throughout the book. Only once was I able to guess where he was going. All the times that I thought I had him, Hunter was laughing at me from in front of his typewriter. He does it from the very beginning as we open up on Swagger in a deer blind waiting for Ole Tim, the largest buck in the forest. Swagger's character grows on you, even though he appears tough and rough around the edges.
Hunter is a master of the false-direction. He sets everything up so perfectly that once he changes the tables on you, you can see how he set you up. It all makes sense. It's the literary version of magic. Some authors are good at it, for others you can see the wires. Hunter is very good at it. If you like action/adventure, good writing, and an author that's good a deception, check this one out. I'll definitely read more of Hunter.