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Spain is on the brink of economic collapse and European banks demand that any bailout be linked to harsh domestic changes. An alliance of Islamic bankers counters with a rescue package containing no conditions at all. The underlying goal: to break the unity of Europe and put Madrid on the path back to Islamic rule. When the United States stridently opposes that deal, terrorists storm the American consulate in Barcelona and slaughter an entire six-man U.S. Marine security guard. Washington decides the time has come to change the rules of counter-terrorism response, and instead of going after the individual hired gunmen, it unleashes black operations team Task Force Trident to take down the high-ranking financiers known as the Group of Six who were really responsible for the slaughter. Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson, one of the world's best snipers, and his beautiful sidekick Beth Ledford, go on the attack, and bodies fall from Mallorca to Madrid. Meanwhile, Algerian mastermind Yanis Rebiane puts pressure on Spain to decide before the Group of Six cracks, while his killing-machine son, Djahid roams the United States, murdering anyone his father deems a threat to the radical Islamic takeover scheme. Once Swanson's name is unearthed from secret files, Kyle and Djahid become hunter and prey. In On Scope by Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis, one shot will decide the future of Spain, NATO, and the European Union.

313 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2014

66 people are currently reading
603 people want to read

About the author

Jack Coughlin

29 books280 followers
Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin’s autobiography, Shooter, describes his experiences as the top-ranked marine sniper in the Iraq War.

Coughlin is also the author, with Donald A. Davis, of the Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels: Kill Zone, Dead Shot, Clean Kill, and An Act of Treason.

Coughlin grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts, and joined the Marines when he was 19. He served with the Marines during the drive to Baghdad and has operated on a wide range of assignments in hot spots around the world.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jackco...

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5 stars
522 (43%)
4 stars
486 (40%)
3 stars
149 (12%)
2 stars
27 (2%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
6,071 reviews78 followers
June 14, 2020
Kyle Swanson is unmasked by a none too bright former SEAL. He and his Coast Guard sidekick have to stop a terrorist group from taking over Madrid, to fulfill a prophecy. Kyle has a rival sniper hunting him, as well as the usual idiot bureaucrats.

Not bad, some of the smug tone of the last couple of books is gone.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
6,354 reviews228 followers
April 26, 2014
Another awesome book in this series. This is only my second book that I have read in this series but again a good military series. Kyle Swanson is an excellent hero. He has brains, brawn, combat skills, and takes shit from no one. This is why I have come back again for this series. That and the two authors make a great team. You know you have a good team when me the reader can not tell where one author stopped and the next one picked up.

While I did like this one, I thought the prior book, Time to Kill was better. It had more action. Not that this one did not have action. It is just that it seemed like there was more dialect this time around. However even with all the talking, this was still a quick read. The location that this story took place in was one that I liked. I could picture everything happening as if I was watching the movie version of this book in my head.
Profile Image for Steven Allen.
1,187 reviews21 followers
May 19, 2017
This was another good book in this series. Nice way to move the characters along although I am sorry to see Coastie leave. I hope that perhaps Coastie will reappear in a later book, but not because of something terrible to her new family.
Profile Image for Jil.
126 reviews13 followers
August 19, 2017
Boek 4 en ik vind de Sniper serie nog steeds geweldig!
Profile Image for Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books).
582 reviews86 followers
March 6, 2018
I read this book in less than 24 hrs. Could not put it down. What a thriller. YES, if you have the chance, pick it up...I am off to get #8...
Profile Image for SteVen Hendricks.
666 reviews29 followers
March 11, 2024
Book Review - On Scope - Jack Coughlin/Donald A. Davis
“On Scope,” Book 7 in the Kyle Swanson Sniper series is another quality military thriller installment by authors Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson and his female US Coast Guard sidekick are tasked with tracking down and stopping an Islamic terrorist from taking over Madrid, Spain. While the Algerian terrorist mastermind is causing chaos and disorder in Spain, his killing-machine son roams the United States, murdering anyone his father deems a threat to the radical Islamic takeover scheme. Once Swanson is assigned to hunt down the murderous son, a ‘cat-and-mice’ game of hunter and prey ensues and the action and suspense in the story intensifies. On Scope is well done, laden with significant action, intense suspense, and well-rounded characters. The overall plot about the future of Spain, NATO, and the European Union was a nice geopolitical storyline. Only downside to the story were a few minor and insignificant threads that were left incomplete but nothing major to alter nor divulge from the story. This was a good read, not the best in the series, but still above most other military thrillers in the genre. This is one of my top favorite action thriller series.
Profile Image for Ed.
676 reviews66 followers
December 15, 2014
Marine Corps sniper Kyle Swanson is the point of Trident Project's spear in retaliating for a terrorist bombing of the US Embassy in Spain. Good characters interact with a high speed plot on par with the best of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor for an outstanding military thriller.
Profile Image for Wendy.
2,370 reviews45 followers
May 1, 2018
“On Scope” the seventh book in the military thriller series that revolves around Kyle Swanson and the covert black ops organization, Task Force Trident opens with a deal being brokered by the “Group of Six” a Muslim financial consortium in a Spain on the brink of economic collapse and the opposition of the United States which fuels a raid on the Marine House and the explosive destruction of the American Consulate in Barcelona.

With a friend among the murdered marines, when Task Force Trident is given a green light to kill the six high-ranking financiers Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson takes his mission personally hunting the five men and one woman down with deadly precision. Only when a Washington official leaks the names of Kyle and his partner Beth Ledford to the Group of Six mastermind Yanis Rebiane and his mentally unstable son Djahid does their assignment become deadly dangerous.

Fast-paced and action-packed the danger heats up after reprisals against three of the high-ranking financiers spur Yanis Rebiane into blackmailing a U.S. Senator into uncovering the name of the American black operations group and the sniper responsible for the attacks. Exposed, Kyle and his partner Coastie’s (aka Beth Ledford) latest mission aborted, intensity and suspense quickly escalate when the remaining members of the Group of Six turn against one another, putting their financial bailout for Spain with its secret domestic implications in jeopardy. Gripping and tense the authors skillfully often defuse the heightened violence with minor subplots like Coastie’s quandary about her future, and Lady Pat Cromwell’s unsuccessful matchmaking as well as her persuasion to have Kyle to take over the business.

Bringing the story to life are strong, compelling and unforgettable characters like the quiet and stoic skilled sniper Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson and tough, apprehensive and emotionally insecure Beth Ledford (Coastie). But it’s the ruthlessness of Yanis and the cold inhumanity of his son Djahid Rebiane that add a dark chill to the story.

Like all of Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis’s Kyle Swanson military thrillers I enjoyed “On Scope” and will continue to read more novels in this series
62 reviews
December 25, 2018
When a group of Marines guarding an embassy in Barcelona, Spain are killed along with the ambassador, Kyle Swanson is tasked with hunting down those who financed the attack. The mysterious group of Six is planning to take over Spain through offering a financial loan in exchange for Muslim control over Spain's government. Swanson and his partner Beth Ledford travel the world hunting down the six people behind the terrorist attack while the Group of Six's own secret operative is trying to get rid of all the loose ends before they can get to them. This is an action packed spy/sniper novel and features many exotic locations across the globe.
Profile Image for MARY.
1,482 reviews
April 21, 2019
I was looking at the books at my library when I spotted this one and another one and thought I would check it and give it a try. Well I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was something that I had not read before. Their secret/classified team was given away so it had to be closed down as it were. It was a very good book. There are several book in this series and this was #7 and now I'm about to read #8.
364 reviews2 followers
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April 17, 2024
The key character in this series is Kyle Swanson, a sniper. He belongs to a proactive gov’t group known as Group of Six who report directly to President of US and conduct black ops against the county’s enemies. That sounds like a bit of a stretch. However, the stories are entertaining with their authentic action.
Profile Image for Warren Thoms.
528 reviews4 followers
September 27, 2017
Good story. Interesting to see the conflict with Coastie about killing and whether she can keep on doing it. I was sure the ending was going to be different but those things might happen in the next book.
Profile Image for Andrew.
788 reviews8 followers
April 6, 2021
These Kyle Swanson novels get better with each installment in the series. Great military/special operations fiction. Fast-moving plot, good action. An easy, entertaining read, written by a guy who clearly knows a thing or two about the subject matter.
Profile Image for Stuart Haining.
Author 12 books6 followers
April 20, 2022
8/10 25% £. What started off as yet another ex forces military hero novel (yawn) actually turned into a half decent page turner yarn. Worth trying more from this author despite no great surprises in the plot.
Profile Image for Leila Osborn.
65 reviews3 followers
June 5, 2019
I don't usually write read use but I was seriously unimpressed with the ending of this book otherwise it was fine and up to par with all the others in the series
1 review
July 30, 2020
I love this series

Good read can't wait to get the next read I always enjoy a good read my favourite author excellent x
Profile Image for Kendal.
385 reviews5 followers
January 29, 2022
Coastie returns! And the story takes place in Spain!
474 reviews
December 22, 2022
A fun read. Much like Tom Clancy books, slow begining but then hang on as it speeds up. I felt a great story, it held my attention till the end.
27 reviews
January 26, 2023
Another Kyle Swanson adventure

Another chapter in the Kyle Swanson saga. Great story. Interesting characters. Love this series. Can't wait to read th he next book!!!
Profile Image for Lou.
420 reviews
February 22, 2017
This was a very taut thriller with some great insight into how snipers operate. They are even human too!
Profile Image for Peter.
1,170 reviews43 followers
May 17, 2014
Kyle Swanson—an elite Marine sniper on the very covert Task Force Trident—is brought into a dicey situation: Spain’s economy is collapsing, loans from the Economic Union come at a very stiff price, and a group of six Muslims, mostly financiers, is offering a way out: they will bail Spain out if she leaves the EU. The goals are to reestablish the Muslim beachhead in Spain that was lost in 1492, and to ultimately convert Spain to an Islamic state after sufficient numbers of Muslims have immigrated.

To forestall this, the U. S. has offered financial assistance to Spain. The Group of Six decides to send a message to stand back. The message is an attack on the American consulate in Barcelona, leaving six Marines dead. Swanson’s team is assigned to take out the terrorist group that did the deed, returning the “stand back” message in kind. And so the game begins.

The key opponents are Kyle Swanson, the on-the-ground leader of the team assigned to send the message to the G6 by assassinating its members, and Yasim, the G6 tactician who, with his murderous son, was responsible for the Barcelona attack; Kyle. The two adversaries circle each other as they sniff out their opposition. Along the way people die, a U.S. senator becomes a traitor, and more people die. Will Task Force Trident prevent the G6 plan? Will Yasim be able to put Task Force Trident out? Will we care at the end?

The answer to the first and second is for the reader to discover. The answer to the second was a surprise for me—my first Kyle Swanson experience was tepid, but this one holds together with a faster pace, though a weak ending. It’s a pretty good thriller. Three stars.
Profile Image for Tom Tischler.
904 reviews15 followers
May 21, 2014
Spain is on the brink of economic collapse and European banks
won't lend them any money. A group of Islamic bankers counter
with a rescue package with no conditions. Their goal is to put
Spain back under Islamic rule. When the U.S. opposes this deal
terrorists storm the consulate in Barcelona and kill an entire
six man Marine security detail. Washington decides the time has
come to change the rules. Instead of going after the individual
gunmen they are going to take down the high ranking financiers
known as The Group of Six. This task falls to Task Force Trident
and Kyle Swanson. Soon bodies begin to fall. Meanwhile Algerian
mastermind Yanis Rebiane puts pressure on Spain to accept their
deal and his son Djahid roams the U.S. killing anyone his
father deems a threat to the plan. Once Kyle's name is unearthed
from secret files Kyle and Djahid become hunter and prey and
one shot will decide the fate of Spain. Another good story from
Jack Coughlin. This one is not as bloodthirsty as some of the
others though.
1 review
August 12, 2014
When reading this book my mood kept swinging from angry to sad. Sad because such a great series came to an abrupt halt with this book. Angry because the story is constructed so unbelievably poorly.
It's not just that the story is quite unbelievable (looking at it from a professional bankers perspective), it's also that there are just so many flaws in it. In order to not spoil too much here, let me just give one example:
The most professional special ops unit (Trident) contacts a banker and forces him to get in touch with the head of the terrorist group. Right after forcing him they keep neither eyes nor ears on him. As a result the head terrorist's son walks into the bankers office and skins him alive.
With numerous such incidents throughout the book I was forced to give it just one star.
And since this is my first one-star rating I felt obliged to provide my reasoning therefore.
Profile Image for Nick Brett.
1,054 reviews67 followers
January 5, 2015
This is a series that has hit quite a few highs, but isn’t quite sure what space it is trying to occupy. Starting with a sniper as the main character, he has now turned into some kind of Mitch Rapp super-soldier. And the series itself is starting to nudge towards the space left by the sad loss of Vince Flynn. Lots here about the Special Forces trying to do the right thing but being hampered by politicians and those who seek to under-mine the good old US of A. This one has the gang assassinating a group that have supported and funded the bombing of a US embassy in Spain and the book tries to justify this with too many character conversations about the fact that what they are doing is right. “Coastie” is now a full member of the team and a welcome alternative focus but this does feel a little bit like it is struggling to derive complex plots and then slot a sniper into the story.
Profile Image for Wayne.
118 reviews
July 5, 2014
This was book number 7 written by Jack Coughlin that had Kyle Swanson as the lead character. In this story a U.S. Senator blows the cover of the top secret organization known as Task Force Trident. Also revealed was Kyle Swanson's identity. This mess had to be dealt with and the story takes a strange turn when Coastie the sharp shooter whom everybody thought would mary Kyle in fact married someone else. This book is a good and exciting read. The remaining question is will there be more stories about Kyle Swanson?
Profile Image for Chris.
2,013 reviews29 followers
July 1, 2014
It gets personal for Kyle Swanson when six Marines are killed by terrorists in Barcelona. Swanson is unleashed on the six bankers who authorized the violence and is like an avenging angel. Lots of action as always and it quickly wraps up with a short page count, unlike Tom Clancy's bulky works. But you are left wondering what's next in the series as people are leaving the unit and getting promoted. What will become of Kyle Swanson? I'm thinking retirement and contract work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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