The Double Tap

Mike Cramer #3

by Stephen Leather

The assassin - the world's most successful contract killer. An anonymous professional with a unique calling card - one bullet in the head and one in the chest for each of his targets.

The Judas goat - an ex-member of the SAS, Mike Cramer is the perfect sacrificial bait. When the FBI discover the next name on the assassin's hitlist, Cramer is set up to take his place.

The wild card - Cramer's past has caught up with him. Ex-IRA extremist Dermot Lynch blames Cramer for his lover's death and he's out for revenge.

As Cramer trains for the most dangerous mission in his career, Lynch hunts down his sworn enemy. And the unknown assassin silently closes in on his target. The players are in position for the final deadly game . . .

Genres: Thriller, Ebooks, Fiction, Crime

508 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Stephen 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.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and I'm just sorry that there it was the last of the series.

Mike Cameron is asked to do one last job for his former Colonel. What has he got to lose? What follows is a plot and subplot that weaves together nicely.

I did guess the identity of the assassin towards the end but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book which I couldn't put down.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually.. I really liked this book.. It's a pretty good read

[Jim Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought as a quick holiday read, and found this fairly enjoyable.

Based around an ex SAS soldier, now dying of cancer, who is pulled in for one last mission. Unfortunately he is spotted by an Ex-IRA man with a grudge and the two missions become entwined.

Characters are OK, plot is quite reasonable.

If you are looking for something quick and light, I'd say 'Go for it'

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

The Double Tap is the third book in the Mike Cramer series by Stephen Leather. A thriller with assassins, an ex SAS operative, one last mission, grudges, revenge, the IRA, the FBI, a hit list, and more.
An interesting story, if not a little predictable.

Thank you, Mr. Leather!

[Darren Keighley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, with a good twist, but I felt let down at the end of the book.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed beginning to read Stephen Leather's thriller books. So far, they've all had complex plots, with multiple storylines running, that, of course, converge at the end. This one was similar, though the ending was a bit much. I see that there are two earlier books featuring the same protagonist, so will have to look for them.

[Mrs A. J. Turbfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an exciting tale. The twist at the end predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.

A difficult story to get into lots of twists and turns. Knowledge of previous stories an advantage makes confusing reading at times.

[Steve]

Poor read/ How not to write a mystery

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent thriller which pushes all the right buttons.

[Buggz79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is an exceedingly well written thriller. Numerous twists culminating in an edge of your seat finale. Highly recommended

[mr lindsay hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does Stephen leather do it! Great book time after time.
Great characters and brilliant storyline.
Thank you.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read!

[Iain Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually like Leather's books and it is because I enjoy their high standard that this review is harsh. This book was a disappointment. A lot of plug in details padded out the pages for a plot where the final baddie reveal was painfully obvious from early on. The characters were sometimes painfully naive for professional security forces and bodyguards, and the ending scenes were unbelievable and somewhat boring. Such a departure from the other books that I have read from Stephen Leather. Dont waste your money on this one- go back to his earlier works which are gripping

[Stacey B. Plotts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Cramer Redux

Mr Leather has spun an enthralling look into the life of ex-SAS man Mike Cramer. Bouncing back and forth between protagonist and antagonist he keeps it lively. Leather rachets up the suspense along the way, keeping us on the edge of our seats as he builds to the grand finale.

[Niel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Riveting

Stephen Leather at his best. Page turning tension from beginning to end. Couldn't put it down. Enough twists and turns to keep everyone happy.

[Ivan Bogdanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Краят беше доста неочакван, малко като в "Хамлет".
Хареса ми. Жалко за този герой.

[Deri Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

[Own Timis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrill-a-minute read from Stephen Leather. Lots of tension built throughout, meaning I kept reading to find out what would happen.

It's the third in a series but can be read as a standalone.

[Sabarish Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending twist was quite unexpected.There was so much detailing which I think was quite unnecessary

[Matt O'Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant, really enjoyed this one, kept me gript from the first couple off pages...👍

[mike christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!Gripping throught.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book,a great plot,well researched details and a nice twist in the end,shame there won't be any more Cramer novels in the future.

[Ryan Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third of the Mike Cramer novels from Stephen Leather (although his appearance in the first - The Chinaman - is so brief you may miss it).

Cramer is a great character - a wisened, grouchy ex-SAS sergeant who has racked a fair share of enemies. In this novel he is again brought in to work for the SAS by his old CO. Leather paints a good background for this story and particularly for Cramer in it. The main plot - to catch a serial killer by using Cramer as bait - is stretched a little thin but Leather uses this the crust of a pie below which is a wealth of great filling.

I read this again recently as part of the Cramer trilogy (the others being the aforementioned The Chinaman and The Long Shot). Of the three my favourite is the first but that's not really a Cramer novel and can be read separately. The last two should really be read together. Although they don't immediately follow on from each other there are enough nods to The Long Shot in The Double Tap to make it worth reading that first.

Great read if you like 80s thrillers. There's some sexual content in them so be warned if that's not your bag.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank God that one's over! I found it terribly boring, probably mainly due to the dire narration by Martin Reid, but also the story was long-winded and far from captivating. I had no sympathy at the end when the inevitable happened and was actually glad to find that there are no more books in the series.