A top Russian intelligence agent has defected to the West and the only man with whom he will speak is Kyle Swanson, who busted him out of the U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper School years ago. The defector proves to be an Edward Snowden-type gold mine of amazing secrets about the When, Where and How of President Vladimir Pushkin's next grab for lost Soviet territory. But Swanson, now a special contractor with the CIA, soon begins to believe that it is all fool's gold being sprinkled by Moscow to ignite an open military fight with NATO and the United States. Using his own deadly methods, the sniper sets out to find the truth, but to slow him down, the Russians kidnap Swanson's beautiful friend Calico, the CIA station chief in Estonia. From Italy to the Arctic Circle, Kyle Swanson is on the hunt, convinced that the defector actually is running a complex plot to hand Russia a kingdom in the north. But Swanson seems always to be a step behind because there is a traitor within his own chain of command. To stop the madness, Swanson must deliver a kill shot a hundred miles away from a border bridge in Estonia, where a Russian Army waits on the far shore as a government official crosses over with an invitation to invade. “Kyle Swanson returns for his boldest and best adventure yet. . . . Coughlin and Davis' series only gets better with each installment. Series fans will devour this one, but new readers will enjoy it just as much, as knowledge of prior novels in the series is not required. A great military thriller for anyone with a little time to kill.” ― Booklist (starred review) on Time to Kill “The latest Kyle Swanson sniper thriller might be the best yet. . . . Quickly paced and tightly written, this one is a definite winner for all fans of the military action thriller.” ― Booklist on Running the Maze “Coughlin and Davis ( An Act of Treason , 2011, etc.) hit the action-adventure 10-ring again.” ― Kirkus Reviews on Running the Maze “Will leave readers cheering.” ― Publishers Weekly on Clean Kill “The latest Kyle Swanson sniper thriller might be the best yet. . . . Quickly paced and tightly written, this one is a definite winner.” ― Booklist on Running the Maze “Coughlin and Davis hit the action-adventure 10-ring again.” ― Kirkus Reviews on Running the Maze “A strong and compelling narrative. Coughlin and Davis have concocted another winner that should only encourage a growing readership. ” ― Booklist on Clean Kill 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, including Long Shot and In the Crosshairs . 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. Donald A. Davis is co-author of New York Times bestseller Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper and author of Lightning Strike: The Secret Mission to Kill Admiral Yamamoto and Avenge Pearl Harbor . He lives outside Boulder, Colorado. Long Shot A Sniper Novel By Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2016 Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-07295-5 CHAPTER 1 ROME, ITALY This had to be a head shot. Under normal circumstances, a sniper goes for the chest, which not only provides a larger area and is thus an easier target, but the chest also is the gateway to the vital organs of the body. A big bullet in there goes spinning and bouncing around, breaking bones and shearing veins and pulping muscles, and collapsing the frail human machine that made life possible. Kyle Swanson knew that as he ignored the easy shot and instead dialed in on the head of Roland Lewis Martin from Bellwood, Indiana. The CIA sniper knew a lot of other things, the total of which meant that young Mister Martin had richly earned the .50-caliber bullet that would soon tear off his entire skull and leave his quivering body with a bloody stump of a neck. Martin was a nice-looking young man, at least as seen through the powerful scope mounted on the Excalibur sniper rifle. Only twenty-nine years old, he still had the muscular build of his days being an offensive tackle on the Bellwood High Blue Jackets football team. The continued physical conditioning was a testament to the exercise he had received in his years of fighting for ISIS, the murderous Islamic State jihadists. His hair was black and cut short, and his cheeks wore a stubble of beard. The broad nose had been broken twice, healed a bit crookedly, and his teeth gleamed plastic and bright after so many caps and root canals. His white cotton shirt was open at the neck, showing the deep tan. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing the blue tattoo of a snake that coiled from his wrist to his elbow