I just picked up SE2 Remastered, SE3, and SE5 on sale on Steam The series just went on sale today.
I also HATE third-person games, but with the Sniper Elite series, all the actual sniping is first person, through the scope. And you won't have to walk very far in third person before you spot your next target. So it's probably the least offensive third-person title that I've ever played.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, as noted above, is very enjoyable as well. But that's the only title in that series that I know. Maybe someone else can comment on the rest of that series.
Anyway, as of the time of this post, the entire Sniper Elite series is on sale on Steam with major discounts. So if you want to try it, now is the time. I love SE4, the one set in Italy, and the ones that I just bought get excellent reviews.
The original is a bit long in the tooth and has that blocky, old game look, so I passed. But SE2 Remastered, SE3, SE4, and of course, the latest, SE5, all look good.
So now I have Italy, Germany, France, and North Africa covered. Time for some X-Ray head shots, LOL!