Direct Action: The 23rd Spider Shepherd Thriller

by Stephen Leather

Across Britain, violent criminals are walking free – cases derailed by sharp-suited defence lawyers and soft-touch judges – and public fury is reaching breaking point.

Into that anger step the New Crusaders, a shadowy group that hunts down offenders who have slipped through the net and delivers their own brand of punishment live across social media to millions of cheering followers. To some, they're heroes. To the government, they're terrorists.

Dan 'Spider' Shepherd of MI5 is tasked with bringing them down. But as Shepherd digs deeper, he uncovers a far more dangerous the New Crusaders aren't driven by justice. They're being steered by hidden forces with an agenda that has nothing to do with punishment – and everything to do with tearing the country apart.

If Shepherd fails, it won't just be the rule of law that collapses.

It will be the country itself.

Genres: Thriller

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2026

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

[Dennis Wooff]

always a pleasure

A great read keeps you on your toes from beginning to end
I would certainly recommend reading this book and if you are a follower of spider Shepherd books you will not be disappointed

[Richard Mulholland]

This was a 3.5 for me. The author's political views, while always known, were very heavy handed here and it got a bit much.

However, it was Spider, and a good time, so there's that.

[John Hinchliffe]

Audible version...
Another gripping thriller from the master storyteller Stephen Leather. Direct Action is a topical, fast-paced listen packed with tension, action, and suspense from beginning to end. With not only Spider Shepherd it was great to meet up with Razor and Lex from previous stories once again.
As always, Paul Thornley delivers a superb narration, bringing the characters and story to life with his excellent performance. A perfect pairing of author and narrator, highly recommended.

[Mrs Kay Justice]

Absolutely brilliant.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this new Spider Shepherd adventure. Stephen Leather has excellently captured and written about the way the country is going to hell in a hand cart. Love the premise of the vigilante group trying to put the injustices right. I have already have the next book pre ordered and can't wait.

[Mrs S M Burt]

This book contains a lot more political comment than other Spider books and although I enjoyed it I felt that the 2 separate storylines weren’t necessary. The ending was also a bit rushed and left many questions unanswered. Did Lex get his first class ticket back? What happened to the enquiry. Will the Major ever retire?

[Arnold]

Another great spider series.

The authors political views (which are well known) were clearly embedded in the story, which in some way affected how we view some kind standing characters.

Still a very enjoyable book with serious real life themes. Great seeing Lex.

I hope we get to see more of Liam and Spider on the ground and in the thick of it.

[Kirsty Maule]

great book as always

Love this series by Stephen as always. Great pace and very interesting and up to date bringing in current issues. Also love it when led harper makes an appearance. Totally freaked out to read my name in the book as one of the characters has it.

[Patricia Ann Turner]

A very interesting book on a topic that is relevant today, the justice system and immigration. I would hope that the storyline is fiction as it would be a very scary society to live in if true. Brilliant writing and a great Spider Shepherd book again.

[simon may]

attention grabbing thriller. Again!

Doesn’t disappoint. I Read it in one sitting. Another one you can’t put down. Can’t wait for the next one

[keith snell]

Brilliant well written 2 backgrounds blending together Did not disappoint recommend this as must for any spider fans.

[Anil]

As per usual very good book. But felt the ending was hurried.

[Chris Mason]

so good

This was so convincing I found myself looking to see if the plot was based in reality. I’ve read them all and they just get better.

[Simon Wood]

Brilliant read

Excellent well thought out plot with the story line relevant to what is occurring currently in the world. Definitely
recommended

[Own Timis]

Another thrill-a-minute Spider Shepherd novel with a twist two-thirds in that I didn't expect. The ending felt a bit rushed though.

[Phil Altimas]

they just get better.
the story is on point as you could imagine this happening very soon in the real world

[Diane Himpfen]

Brilliant

A fantastic story as usual it's a shame the new crusaders aren't real ,then perhaps this government would take people seriously

[P S]

Direct Action: The 23rd Spider Shepherd Thriller

well that was an interesting read that you didn't want to down, that was a game changer in the series and a good one as well...