Missouri native Stephen Hunter (b. 1946) is an American novelist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize–winning film critic. He is best known for the popular Bob Lee Swagger series of thrillers — featuring Vietnam War veteran and sniper Bob "the Nailer" Swagger — which led to the Earl Swagger and Ray Cruz spinoff series. The author of more than a dozen novels, Hunter has also published two collections of film criticism and a nonfiction book, American Gunfight.