Slow Burn

Whoever told me I would love this author and this series was right, 100% right, I was worried starting at Book 17 and only a few weeks ago I commented on a thread in a book group that I NEVER go back to start a series. past 3 books,.tbh I don’t think I ever have wanted to, until now
Spider Shepherd is ex SAS, now working for MI5 and this book has him travelling to Syria to meet ISIS brides ( and on the day Begum was on the news again I was reading about her in this book ) whilst collecting a wife and child of an ISIS trainer turned informant who has landed in the UK ready to tell all if he gets his family back, plus dealing with Chinese spies working as escorts in London....a heady mix of current affairs, top action, secret worlds and fast paced adventure, told in a straight no nonsense way that obviously appeals to readers
His writing is great, characters ( on each side ) bold, real and provocative and the main man ‘Spider’ I liked instantly
The story builds to what could be a shocking end to NY’s Eve ( on my street ) and it really did have me captured right up until the last word
I want to write more but my Amazon wish list is calling to add the previous 16 books plus anything else by the author
Short version I LOVED IT
10/10
5 Stars

A welcome return for one of my favourite fictional characters, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd. I seem to have been reading this series of books for ever and when I open a new one its like catching up with an old friend. This, the seventeenth in a series that never gets old, is bang up to date with current affairs, very well researched and I found myself yet again drawn into Spiders web from the opening pages.

Its the run-up to Christmas and Dan starts this novel undercover in London on the receiving end of the expert attentions of 'masseuse' Jasmine, being monitored closely from a surveillance van round the corner by MI5 colleage Amar Singh.

But Dan has more than one string to his bow and Jasmine finds herself rudely put on hold when former ISIS trainer, Salam Jaraf steps off a plane at Heathrow and hands himself in at UK immigration. Seeking asylum in exchange for information and the safe passage of his wife and son from a refugee camp on the Turkish/Syrian border, Jaraf is only willing to identify those he trained when his family have been safely transported to UK so Dan finds himself on a plane heading out to Turkey. At the same time he's to meet with three jihadi brides, all of them wanting to return to the UK, his task to interview them and find out what they have to offer and if they'd pose a threat if allowed to return.

Of course things don't go smoothly and there's a good mix of action, intrigue and drama that kept Dan on his toes and me turning the pages right to the the adrenaline filled ending when Dan sees the New Year in with a bang.

A great read from start to finish and one of the best in the series!

"Slow Burn:The !7th Spider Shepherd Thriller” written by Stephen Leather and published in hardcover and kindle by Hodder & Stoughton on 23rd Jyly 2020. 400 pages ISBN-13: 978-1473671973

This must be the best book by the author that I have ever read. He has written many books but this could easily be his first as the author is so adept at his craft that there is a freshness and innovation to his writing that makes it truly exceptional.

There are thousands of jihadi brides in refugee camps in the Middle East. Some of them were once British before they were stripped of their citizenship. Were they brainwashed or simply naive when they set out for Syria as teenagers? And, if they were allowed to return, would they pose a threat to our country?

Spider Shepherd is about to be sent on an extraordinary mission to the Syrian border by his MI5 boss. There he will have to decide which of the women he meets is still a threat, and if not, which of them has information useful to the Secret Service and can be allowed back. His are life or death decisions.

But there is one bride he must take back to the UK whatever her circumstances. She is the wife of a notorious ISIS bombmaker, Salam Jaraf. Jaraf is an asylum seeker who has information on terrorist cells in Britain. But the bombmaker will only tell MI5 what he knows if his wife and son are brought to him. However, it soon becomes obvious that hostile forces are following Spider and Mrs Jaraf across Turkey. Bringing this woman back from the warzone will become one of the most dangerous missions Spider has ever undertaken.

The story is very violent and bloody and there are scenes of torture that may upset readers of a more sensitive nature but they had to be included because they were very necessary to the very detailed story. The tension between the different personalities and the excellent characterisation make this a highly enjoyable thriller..

As a former journalist for ten years on newspapers such as The Times in London and The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong before becoming a novelist, the author is highly skilled in researching in depth before writing his stories and the authenticity of that highly detailed research is clearly shown in the meticulous descriptions and prose of his stories.

It is not a handicap to the new reader that this is Leather’s 17th book in the “Spider” Shepherd series as full explanations are given about all the characters and aspects of the plot.

Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers, an e-book and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels. Born in Manchester, he has been writing full time since 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages and several of his novels have been turned into films. In 2011 alone he sold more than half a million e-books and was voted by 'The Bookseller' magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world.

This seasoned writer is at the top of his game and immersing yourself in his world is deeply rewarding as it is a spellbinding and quite brilliant read. SLOW BURN is an extremely enjoyable book and a rattling good read. It was well written and therefore easy to read, even though it is quite lengthy at 400 pages but it is very cleverly plotted and I was completely gripped until the final exciting paragraph. I believe that this was the author's best book so far.

Extremely well recommended.

Terry Halligan,

(Advance copy from the publisher in exchange for a fair review).st him are real. The minister he is protecting is kidnapped, and it soon becomes apparent that the murder, the threats and the minister's kidnap are all interconnected...

I have always liked the Spider Shepherd books, so I was happy to get the chance to review this one.

I am pleased to say that Stephen Leather again doesn't disappoint. There is the usual intrigue, skulduggery and action, and some of the action seems a bit inexplicable at times, but Mr Leather again delivers a cracking read.

I was also impressed that he shows Spider becoming more contemplative and subtle as he goes through life.

Well worth a read.