What do you think?
Rate this book
The Stretch
As a big player in the 90s London underworld, Terry Greene has always made a priority of 'taking care of business' personally. Preston Snow was out of line. So the up-close-and-personal visit was in no way out of character.It was a messy hit. But the job was done.More messy however, was the aftermath. Fingered by one of his own crew, Terry finds himself taking the fall and is put away for life. The only person he can trust in the entire world is his estranged wife, Sam. She must now take over the reins of his organisation, find the snitch and - in theory - get Terry off the hook. But after a shaky start, she quickly starts to get her own ideas . . .***********PRAISE FOR STEPHEN LEATHER'A master of the thriller genre'Irish Times'As tough as British thrillers get . . . gripping' Irish Independent 'The sheer impetus of his story-telling is damned hard to resist'Sunday Express
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2000
About the author
Stephen Leather
211 books1,567 followersStephen Leather was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. For much of 2011 his self-published eBooks - including The Bestseller, The Basement, Once Bitten and Dreamer's Cat - dominated the UK eBook bestseller lists and sold more than half a million copies. The Basement topped the Kindle charts in the UK and the US, and in total he has sold more than two million eBooks. His bestselling book The Chinaman was filmed as The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan and grossing more than $100 million.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 10, 2020
Stephen Leather is a British thriller author who has also written for television shows such as London’s Burning, The Knock and the BBC’s Murder in Mind series.
Stephen Leather has 62 books, and numerous short stories, under his belt: The Stretch is his 9th stand alone novel.
The Stretch was a gripping gangster crime story featuring two unscrupulous, strong-willed but likeable characters that keeps the reader on their toes. Haha, perhaps at first I liked them and then I kind of went to disliking them and back to liking them anew changing my mind throughout the book. So, I’m still deciding…I’ll get back to you…
This mobster tale was a lot of fun in a serious and explosive thrill kind of way. The story zooms along with twists and turns, blood and violence, humour and excitement until the final page is turned. An unexpected ending that surprised me.
*Book #1 of the 2020 International male author challenge
Stephen Leather has 62 books, and numerous short stories, under his belt: The Stretch is his 9th stand alone novel.
The Stretch was a gripping gangster crime story featuring two unscrupulous, strong-willed but likeable characters that keeps the reader on their toes. Haha, perhaps at first I liked them and then I kind of went to disliking them and back to liking them anew changing my mind throughout the book. So, I’m still deciding…I’ll get back to you…
This mobster tale was a lot of fun in a serious and explosive thrill kind of way. The story zooms along with twists and turns, blood and violence, humour and excitement until the final page is turned. An unexpected ending that surprised me.
*Book #1 of the 2020 International male author challenge
May 22, 2019
this has to be one of the best books i have read in a long time
a gangland boss is in court for the murder of a drug dealer, his wife steps into his shoes to keep the criminal empire afloat. It has everything a good book should have. great plot, bent cops, drug deals fights a bit of a love interest and it made me want to turn the page and at the same time i didn't want it to end !
MR Leather you are a genius !
a gangland boss is in court for the murder of a drug dealer, his wife steps into his shoes to keep the criminal empire afloat. It has everything a good book should have. great plot, bent cops, drug deals fights a bit of a love interest and it made me want to turn the page and at the same time i didn't want it to end !
MR Leather you are a genius !
December 19, 2024
I've owned a copy of this book for a while. This is the second time reading a Stephen leather book, unfortunately the first one I read I didn't like it. I'm not holding high hopes for this one but you never know I may be surpised.
It started strong before losing me very quickly.
By page 60 I was getting frustrated at the mundane dribbled being mentioned. There's only so many times I can read "she poured herself a drink...she smoked..she ate.."
Than I started noticing how many times names were being mentioned. It sounds stupid, i know. But does every character in every piece of dialogue really need their full name repeated? As a reader, I don't necessarily need to care about their last name being repeated every spoken time, let alone being called "Mrs ..." or "Mr ..." in almost every paragraph.
Sam has a daughter who i think is supposed to be 15/16, but she sounds like she's the parent. That at times it makes it hard to tell whose who when their in the same scene speaking.
With the amount of characters a reader has to follow, it feels extremely hard to keep track of. Since they use a whole character name, it feels as if I'm following thousands rather than maybe no more than ten, which still feels like an insane amount of characters.
As it got closer to the end it began to weave more roads, as the pages thinned it felt as if itd be impossible to finish. Even as i got to the last three pages the story felt as if it was rushing to end.
It started strong before losing me very quickly.
By page 60 I was getting frustrated at the mundane dribbled being mentioned. There's only so many times I can read "she poured herself a drink...she smoked..she ate.."
Than I started noticing how many times names were being mentioned. It sounds stupid, i know. But does every character in every piece of dialogue really need their full name repeated? As a reader, I don't necessarily need to care about their last name being repeated every spoken time, let alone being called "Mrs ..." or "Mr ..." in almost every paragraph.
Sam has a daughter who i think is supposed to be 15/16, but she sounds like she's the parent. That at times it makes it hard to tell whose who when their in the same scene speaking.
With the amount of characters a reader has to follow, it feels extremely hard to keep track of. Since they use a whole character name, it feels as if I'm following thousands rather than maybe no more than ten, which still feels like an insane amount of characters.
As it got closer to the end it began to weave more roads, as the pages thinned it felt as if itd be impossible to finish. Even as i got to the last three pages the story felt as if it was rushing to end.
November 15, 2019
Grudgingly two stars.
This could have been a really enjoyable book.
Good character's, good storyline, lots of action.
BUT.
The constant anti-smoking barrage?
I take it the author is a non smoker with an axe to grind... It got irritating.
Especially when heroin addicts were compared to smokers and heroin dealer's were made out to be better than smokers? Are you mad?
Crime including money laundering, violence, drug dealing, flesh trade and fraud are defended and excused for those that just want a big house and private education for their kid's... Paedophiles are accepted.
But smokers? This book bangs on about smoking as the worst crime ever...
As a smoker whose heroin addict brother killed my mum for drug money, this repeated comparison of cigarettes vs drug's ruined the book for me.
I've never known anyone to assault, murder, mug or burgle for cigarette money. Write what you know. Leave your personal vendetta outside your stories and stop excusing crime that destroys peopl.
This could have been a really enjoyable book.
Good character's, good storyline, lots of action.
BUT.
The constant anti-smoking barrage?
I take it the author is a non smoker with an axe to grind... It got irritating.
Especially when heroin addicts were compared to smokers and heroin dealer's were made out to be better than smokers? Are you mad?
Crime including money laundering, violence, drug dealing, flesh trade and fraud are defended and excused for those that just want a big house and private education for their kid's... Paedophiles are accepted.
But smokers? This book bangs on about smoking as the worst crime ever...
As a smoker whose heroin addict brother killed my mum for drug money, this repeated comparison of cigarettes vs drug's ruined the book for me.
I've never known anyone to assault, murder, mug or burgle for cigarette money. Write what you know. Leave your personal vendetta outside your stories and stop excusing crime that destroys peopl.
March 6, 2022
A GREAT READ
Another book I loved from this author. It kept me turning the pages long into the night. Well crafted but that’s exactly what I expect from such a good writer. Using the crime characters as the principle characters made an interesting change, we all know there is a vibrant underworld and both Sam and Terry could be very charming – if it suited them. A reminder that even criminals have family. Any time I suffer from writer’s block I pick up a Stephen Leather book, the perfect cure. Off to get the next one.
Another book I loved from this author. It kept me turning the pages long into the night. Well crafted but that’s exactly what I expect from such a good writer. Using the crime characters as the principle characters made an interesting change, we all know there is a vibrant underworld and both Sam and Terry could be very charming – if it suited them. A reminder that even criminals have family. Any time I suffer from writer’s block I pick up a Stephen Leather book, the perfect cure. Off to get the next one.
April 26, 2019
Most enjoyable
Set in London with gangsters, bent cops, murders and all things criminal, this book is a deviation from Stephen Leather's other books and lead characters but has his usual pacey style throughout. Romps along and very easy to read so recommended for those who enjoy that type of thriller....over to you
Set in London with gangsters, bent cops, murders and all things criminal, this book is a deviation from Stephen Leather's other books and lead characters but has his usual pacey style throughout. Romps along and very easy to read so recommended for those who enjoy that type of thriller....over to you
September 7, 2019
This was the second time that I have read The Stretch by Stephen Leather and although it was still a page turner, not the 10/10 I gave it the first time. Still a great gritty read.
Although the main character is a complete cad you do warm to him and the wife is a complete match for him, shes fiesty and likeable.
Don’t think I will read it for a third time, but would definitely recommend.
Although the main character is a complete cad you do warm to him and the wife is a complete match for him, shes fiesty and likeable.
Don’t think I will read it for a third time, but would definitely recommend.
February 6, 2021
Kim Fletcher seriously stirs the plot in this thriller. Seriously, though, one of my favorite books. Stephen was ahead of his time in creating a strong woman character who grows from seeming naivety to street smart whilst battling a corrupt underworld. No spoilers here, but I'm surprised it hasn't been made into a Guy Richie film yet.
August 22, 2018
A wonderfully written tale. The end although predictable was great. A must read for fans of this genre.
Really looking forward to more of the same. Wish mind worked like this author storytelling at its best. No doubt more to come.
Really looking forward to more of the same. Wish mind worked like this author storytelling at its best. No doubt more to come.
December 8, 2018
Super!
First time I've read this guy's books but it's not going to be the last of many I hope. Great story and characters. Authentic plots and breathtaking action. Really great read.
First time I've read this guy's books but it's not going to be the last of many I hope. Great story and characters. Authentic plots and breathtaking action. Really great read.
February 9, 2019
Even better the 2nd time
First read this book as a paperback years ago. I thought I would read again and add to my kindle library.
Pleased I did as i had forgotten how good it was, definitely a great read 2nd time round with a wonderful ending.
First read this book as a paperback years ago. I thought I would read again and add to my kindle library.
Pleased I did as i had forgotten how good it was, definitely a great read 2nd time round with a wonderful ending.
February 27, 2019
Another great story
Stephen Leather is a great writer and this book is as good as if not better than the previous ones. A great story with lots of action and plenty of twists and turns. Also an ending that I did not see coming.Read this book if you read nothing else this year..
Stephen Leather is a great writer and this book is as good as if not better than the previous ones. A great story with lots of action and plenty of twists and turns. Also an ending that I did not see coming.Read this book if you read nothing else this year..
November 22, 2018
Satisfying
I’m really glad it went the way it did but I knew it would from about 60% in. All of them were great characters and would love to read a follow on.
I’m really glad it went the way it did but I knew it would from about 60% in. All of them were great characters and would love to read a follow on.
January 14, 2019
Thrills galore
Once again Stephen Leather has produced an unputdownable thriller which I had to read in one sitting!
Good characters and great storyline. Five star rating.
Once again Stephen Leather has produced an unputdownable thriller which I had to read in one sitting!
Good characters and great storyline. Five star rating.
February 19, 2019
Great fun
Thoroughly enjoyable British crime thriller. Went from hating the main characters to loving them and back to hating them again. That's the mark if a great storyteller.
Thoroughly enjoyable British crime thriller. Went from hating the main characters to loving them and back to hating them again. That's the mark if a great storyteller.
March 3, 2019
Average
Keen on this author but Stretch is not his best. Pretty predictable and too many stereotypes. Happy to continue to follow Leather.
Keen on this author but Stretch is not his best. Pretty predictable and too many stereotypes. Happy to continue to follow Leather.
June 7, 2019
Great read
Enthralling from start to finish. Great story line that grabs your attention. I could not put the book down. Highly recommended
Enthralling from start to finish. Great story line that grabs your attention. I could not put the book down. Highly recommended
December 15, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable read!
January 12, 2020
Wow
An excellent thriller that was impossible to put down, from start to finish it was full of interesting incidents. Roll on the next one.
An excellent thriller that was impossible to put down, from start to finish it was full of interesting incidents. Roll on the next one.
February 15, 2021
An excellent read. I love that the location is London. So much action. A page turner. I read it in 2 days.
July 21, 2021
Great plot, moves along, develops believable characters without verbose description, very enjoyable, didn't want to put down. Also read The Long Shot and will read more from Stephen Leather.
June 16, 2022
A pretty decent London gangster story, with a clever ending
September 26, 2022
Good read
December 26, 2022
Old school crime thriller. Good read.
February 18, 2023
Good, but predictable ending.
May 4, 2023
Good story about gangland but some cliched characterisation and not many likeable characters
January 24, 2024
AMAZING 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
February 25, 2024
Brilliant!
January 10, 2025
Hospital read
August 24, 2026
Some would say Terry Greene is a mastermind, others, perhaps not. Regardless of opinion, Stephen Leather does a great job of painting vivid imagery as he takes you through the exciting story of Terry's ventures he manages to carry out, mostly whilst behind bars.
A thrilling, exciting read.
A thrilling, exciting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews