Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 28, 1993                   TAG: 9303280227
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO BOOK PAGE EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HUNTER'S NOVEL IS SHORT ON POLITICS, LONG ON REALITY

"Point of Impact" is a suspense novel with some eerie parallels in today's news.

First and most obviously, there's the matter of firearms and gun control. Weapons play an important role in this story of assassination and intrigue, but author Stephen Hunter refuses to take an easily defined pro- or anti-gun position. That has led some reviewers to falsely label the book as an apology for the National Rifle Association. The fiction takes no position on the political question.

Much more interesting is one key part of the story. While it wouldn't be fair to reveal the details, it's not giving away too much to say that the plot motivation could have come straight from the U.N. Truth Commission's report on El Salvador. In that regard, Hunter's novel won't find any fans in recent conservative administrations.

But both of those echoes of reality are beside the point. As he did in "The Day Before Midnight," Hunter is primarily interested in spinning out a good story.

His hero is Bob "The Nailer" Swagger, one of the best snipers in Vietnam. He now lives a solitary existence with his dog in the remote hills of Arkansas. He's still dealing with demons from his past when he's approached by two shady characters who ask for his help.

Carefully lying and manipulating Bob's memories and his sense of duty, they draw him into an intricate conspiracy. At the same time, FBI agent Nick Memphis - a man with demons of his own - is coming to realize that a murder in New Orleans isn't as simple as it appears. Eventually, both men find themselves taking a fall. But who are they taking it for, and why, and how can they save themselves?

Any number of writers can set up an engaging premise. It's a relatively simple matter of inventing some shocking but plausible events and surrounding them with an atmosphere of menace. Sustaining and building upon that premise is harder, and bringing it all to a satisfying conclusion is more difficult still. Hunter pulls it off.

The clockwork elements of the plot mesh seamlessly; the characters are fully realized and believable (though the women don't have much to do). After arriving at a suspenseful showdown, where many novelists would have ended the story, Hunter keeps going for another 40 pages to give it all a final twist that's much more satisfying than a conventional finish.

The most passionate ideologues on both sides of the gun- control issue will find plenty to dislike in "Point of Impact." For everyone else, it's a solid page-turner that'll make you turn off the TV and unplug the phone.