Hard Landing

While this was a moderately entertaining book, I was quite distracted by extranenous words that appeared to be part of a word processing edit and which didn't get taken out in the final version. There were several chapters where this occurred often enough to be distracting from the story.

Hard Landing is the first novel in the Spider Shepherd series by author Stephen Leather. Bob MacDonald is out on a robbery with a crew of gangster's lead by notorious criminal Verity. Before they can rob the place, however, armed police turn up outside. After a brief stand-off the crew are soon arrested and MacDonald ends up on remand. He refuses to give his name or any details. That's because he thinks he will be released soon. But his undercover mission has changed, unknown to him, and Dan Shepherd must now find out how wanted murdered Carpenter is killing off witnesses in his trial.

I enjoyed this book. It's great to see a British action novel and a novel that isn't completely gangster or isn't a police procedural type novel. Read show more the full review here show less

Quite weak, builds very slowly, full of clichés and feels like a second-rate TV action movie. I kept reading hoping that it's going to get better, and that didn't happen.

Think this is, just another "Spy" - Book?! Think, Again!.. Deduct One Star for, just "Part-of-a-Trade"!.. FOUR Stars?! READ It!.. You'll, See!!..

always a good read,believe it was the first book of the spider shepherd sreries

very good thriller, the first of the Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series of books

looking forward to reading more of the series

Former SAS trooper Dan Shepherd, now a detective in an elite undercover squad, is at the center of these hard-hitting, high-action thrillers from Stephen Leather. Scalpel-sharp suspense and as gritty as the genre gets.Dan Shepherd is used to putting his life on the line. Working for an elite undercover squad, he's lied, cheated, and conned in order to bring Britain's most wanted criminals to justice. But when a powerful drug lord starts to kill off witnesses to his crimes, Shepherd has no choice but to go undercover in a high-security prison—a world where one wrong move will mean certain death. As Shepherd gambles everything to move in on his quarry, he soon realizes that the man he's hunting is far more dangerous than the police show more realize. And that he's capable of striking outside the prison walls and hitting Shepherd where it hurts most.Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Best Thriller of the Year. show less