Black Ops

Dan Shepherd #12

by Stephen Leather

In what could be his highest-profile mission ever, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is called in to prevent the assassination of a head of state on British soil. As an MI5 agent, Spider is used to going undercover, but when he's asked to assume the identity of the contract killer hired to take out President Vladimir Putin, he knows he'll become a wanted man.And things are about to get more Spider is told that his MI5 controller and close friend Charlotte Button has been running an off-the-books assassination operation, taking vengeance on the men who killed her husband. Spider owes his life to Button - but this discovery will stretch his loyalty to the limit . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Action, Audiobook, Espionage, Crime

433 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2015

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

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 12th book in the Dan Shepherd series by Stephen Leather. I have read all the previous novels in this series and find them very entertaining and consistently well written. The books have a good balance between action, drama and suspense that make this series appeal to me even though it is not my typical choice of book. I don't feel that this book actually reaches the heights of previous ones but I am been extremely picky as it was still an excellent read.The books do work as stand alone novels but I would suggest reading them in order to fully appreciate the background stories. Great series that shows no signs of growing stale.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. This is the first book I have read by Stephen Leather, and I read this as part of an Assassinators and Hit Men Challenge. All I can say is Stephen Leather, you got me! This book had several layers in it, and also had an interesting group of characters. It took me a while to get into the book (which maybe because it was an audio book) but once I did I was totally hooked! This is book 12 in the Spider Shepherd Series but although you could see the linkage to previous books, it did still stand up very well as a standalone. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series once I get hold of them. The good news is the local libraries seems to have a fair range of Stephen Leather books.

If you enjoy Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, Matt Hilton, Alex Lukeman, Tom Barber or any books of this nature you will definitely enjoy these books. What are you waiting for....

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother actually introduced me to Stephen Leathers books only last year and in just over a year lets just say I have happily read my way through the majority of his books. So I guess you could say I am a bit of a fan.

After finishing the wonderful Jack Nightingale series which is the books I started off with, I was wondering which other of Stephen Leathers books I should try, which if you know this author there is quite a few to choose from. I finally decided on the Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series.

Black Ops is the twelfth book in the series. To be honest even if you have never read any in this series you can still easily read this as a stand alone but I will say that as it is a great series I think that after reading this one you will want to read the rest.

Yet again Stephen Leather delivers everything that I have become to expect from his books and he never lets me down. He has created yet another brilliant story line which actually had some surprises in there that I was not expecting.

Dan really has his work cut out for him in this book. Not only is he torn with his loyalties to the wonderfully strong Charlotte Button he also has to deal with Liam his son after being expelled due to drugs.

Black Ops is a gripping read that is full of action but yet more thought provoking than others in the series. Dan is a great character who appeals as much to men as women and is a genuinely good guy. He's almost like a rugged version of James Bond but is better behaved!

This is a great series of books that young adults to adults will love and an author that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Bookbridgr for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book by a friend who'd read and enjoyed it. He described it as " a Belter". I quite enjoyed it as an easy, exciting and fast paced book, and maybe if I'd read all the others in the series, I would've known and empathised more with the characters and enjoyed it even more, as it was, I reckon for me it's around a 3.5 star book. So bearing in mind I started with episode 12, I've given it 4 stars.
It was good, well written and a good story, so if you enjoy this type of spy adventure book with a few shoot-em ups and various undercover missions, this could be a book or series to try. I will certainly be reading more about Spider especially if I can persuade my mate to buy more "Belters".

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well developed espionage thriller with a strong cast of complex and well-fleshed out characters. At first I worried the parallel plot narratives would get confusing but it soon became clear that they were easy to follow until they all collided into one.

If I had a gripe it’s that there were no chapters in this book, making the change between perspectives a little bit jarring. Also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending but clearly this is being set up for the next in the series.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 12 in the Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series. I have to admit that halfway through the book it felt like things were focusing on Lex Harper and Charlotte Button more than Spider. However, the writer has a knack of weaving seemingly unlinked plot lines into a cohesive tale, and everything does make sense. As usual it is well written, and although it jumps about between the various storylines it was still a logical read. The lack of chapters can make things a little confusing with the writer's style for those who have not previously read any of his works, but everything moves along at quite a fast pace.
Even after 12 books everything is kept quite fresh by aligning a current news event to at least one thread of the various plots. So hopefully there are still plenty more assignments for Spider to get his teeth into.

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Ops is book twelve of the Dan (Spider) Shepherd action adventure thriller series.

This story has three main threads. Firstly a possession of drugs incident for Dan’s teenage son, secondly an ‘off the books’ case to stop a terrorist group from buying arms, and thirdly the infiltration of a group planning to assassinate the Russian leader when he visits Britain.

This was quite a complex story and I did wonder how the author would draw them all together, but the three parts worked well giving the reader suitable breaks between the action elements. There’s just enough technical knowhow about weapons in spits and spats for those who might be interested, although I mainly skipped over these, but it didn’t deter from my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

Another good book in this series. I really must seek out more of them to read.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read - not his best work.

[Elite Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd

This is the 12th novel in the Dan Shepherd series but it is a compliment to Stephen Leather that it can be read as a stand-alone book. In the past I have read books that are in a series and have struggled to understand the plot fully because I have no prior knowledge of the previous books.

Dan is an M15 agent working for Charlotte Button his boss and close friend. He is asked to assume the identity of a contract killer who has been hired to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. He also becomes involved in trying to unmask a drug smuggling group in order to get charges dropped against his 16-year-old son Liam, who has been caught in possession of Class A drugs and expelled from his private school.

Another plot running throughout this book involves Lex Harper, who is the former spotter from Dan’s days as an SAS sniper in Afghanistan. He is posing as an arms dealer trying to sell to two members of the New IRA in an effort to unmask then and discredit their organisation.

On top of all this action, Dan is told that Charlotte has been running undercover jobs mainly via Lex to take revenge on the killers of her husband. Dan is put in an impossible position by being asked to contact Lex and make him admit that these murders were unauthorised thus compromising Charlotte who has saved his life in the past.

The action is thick and fast switching between Dan and Lex and incorporating Dan’s efforts to get the charges dropped against his son. I particularly like the way the authors includes modern themes such as the New IRA and his theory that the jet brought down over Ukraine (which is the basis for the plot against Putin) was actually initiated by President Obama.

The plots are all sorted out satisfactorily but the ending seems to portend a different direction for the main characters and it will be interesting to see if this happens in the next book of the series. I will be looking out for this and will definitely be reading it.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Nick Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Britain’s top thriller writer gives us the 12th book in the Spider Shepherd series. This is a series kept fresh by evolving characters and changing circumstances and is delivered through top quality writing.

Part of the author’s gift is that he never just churns out the same old stuff, his work is current, relevant and clever enough to give a fresh take on things. A regular feature is the ability to thread storylines together but Black ops has a number of running threads that will eventually centre on Spider. While Spider has gone off the books to help his son out of trouble, he is also asked to check out his boss, Charlie Button because it appears she may be using her position for some personal revenge. On top of all this we have a black ops team doing a sting operation on some Irish terrorists and if that wasn’t enough, Spider is also undercover as a potential assassin for Vladimir Putin! You are not going to get much time to draw breath in this one!

This is astonishingly topical but not in any way that feels in the least bit forced. The pace is relentless and this will be a problem if you want to put the book down and also finds the space to revisit some of the recurring characters from the series.

This was an absolute blast and I highly recommend it, topical thrillers do not get better than this.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy.

[Chris Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

A spy on my heels...

I duck into a cafe...

Insane fare...

Rats like raindrops...

Swimming in my soup...

Tarantulas for waiters...

Scurry about in spats...

Toasted twigs tasting plate...

Harvested from the tree of fate...

It's all so existential...

In a very bad way...

Food as performance art...

Close your eyes, throw a dart...

Now look and see what you've got...

Melted, smoked infused plastic is the new condiment...

Chris Roberts, God of Not Eating Like a Retard

[Phil Altimas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great spider shepard book, I love leathers writing style, his books have a perfect balance of action, drama, and anticipation. They make you want to turn the page,
His back ground work is amazing. In this book his controller has taken the wrong path and the he is called on to investigate her. At the same time he is undercover working as an contract killer
He also has some family issues to contend with, all the threads come together and lead us into a great culmination
Leather also brings in some old friends
A great book and well worth reading

[Lee Penney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think my dad gave me this one after having read it — it’s the sort of thing he tends to read. It was the sort of book I used to read, having churned my way through plenty of Clancy and the like in days past.

This one doesn’t feature a plot that threatens the world, mercifully, but has plenty of action around stopping terrorists, preventing assassination plots and destroying criminal networks.

Having said that, most of the action is over and done with fairly quickly and the bulk of the book becomes a tedious narration of flights, meetings and conversations. There are some tense moments, a few twists and turns but at no point do you feel this isn’t all going to end well. There’s rarely a sense of peril and any tight spot is usually exited by simply calling a friend.

This is the 12th book in the Spider Shepherd series, which might explain the lack of any character development or progression. Having jumped straight into a series, especially this late in it, means there’s not a lot of backstory still to uncover. That said, all of the characters were still paper thin and, if I had read the rest of the series, the constant mentions of each character’s CV would probably have been even more annoying.

To start with I was really enjoying this and burned through it — it’s not a challenging read — but the book slowly tapers off into forgetable escapades as the ‘mission’ outlines provided earlier on are simply played out to the letter — no stumbling blocks or unexpected turns, at least none that aren’t passed by with a shrug of the shoulders.

Clearly these books do well, but it felt like the writer phoned it in, which may explain how he can churn out a couple of books a year. Suitable for passing the time, but not much else.

[Sue Morcumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, all became clear in this book, and it was well written and brought two stories to an end very well, it was an excellent read with lots of twists and turns and the end result was surprising. There were many twists and turns in the story and it was a book you had to really read. I am now looking forward to the next book and see what Dan Shepard decides to do. Charlotte Button his boss seemed to know everything Dad was doing so she must have had him under constant surveillance which he was not aware of and there were forces in play that only Charlotte knew about. A very good storyline which had a very good end and now leads on to a new chapter in both their lives. I look forward to reading the next book. Very enjoyable but, as I have said before, you need to read these books in order as there is a network of information all the way through.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn’t much in this novel that hasn’t already been written before, so no big surprises. Even the plot twists aren’t too twisty.

If that reads like a negative way to start a 4 star review then it isn’t meant to be, this is a good read; engrossing and interesting with some well placed details about official procedure.

There is a subtle humour in this story too, the subject and plot are serious but Stephen Leather writes this in a way that nods to the genre of undercover operations.

This novel was engrossing, a definite page-turner and I will be reading more about Spider since this was such an enjoyable introduction.

[Sameer Mehra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Black Ops" by Stephen Leather is an engaging and fast-paced thriller that plunges the reader into the world of covert operations and espionage. The novel is part of the popular 'Spider' Shepherd series. Stephen Leather doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of the spy world, including the psychological toll it takes on operatives. The action scenes are vividly described, creating tense and exciting moments that are both believable and thrilling. Its a compelling read for fans of the thriller and espionage genres. Stephen Leather continues to deliver with his mix of action, complex characters, and insightful glimpses into the shadowy world of covert operations.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spider is such a pussy. He isn't consistent with his personality, just pisses me off. Why is he bending over backwards for some arsehole cops that he could and should be just ending their careers with a phone call. That's the problem with cops nowadays, all about paperwork and stats, they'd turn their own family in for driving 2mph over the limit. Probably 9 out of 10 are like that now, to be fair it's a slightly better situation than when 9 out of 10 were bent.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book enjoyable in the main, but some parts were slow, some fast paced and the various storylines converged to make an interesting conclusion.

The side issue of police bureaucracy, in the case of bringing a drugs trade down was interesting with a strait-laced copper and his sidekick who was prepared to, not bend the rules so to speak, but to keep the ppl who are foolish go with a stern slap and warning.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Stephen leather book I have read and it won't be the last. Very enjoyable crime thriller following two different undercover agents whose cases become intertwined. Action, humour, betrayal violence - all the essentials for a classic crime thriller.

[Paddy Flavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page Turner

An example of how a winning formula is worth sticking with. Stephen consistently delivers fast paced dialogue containing procedural accuracy, a mix that keeps the reader engaged.

[T.C. Correy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Stephen Leather. I liked the story, the writing. Will read more

[David Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and even better author...

Yep a great read again from this author I just can't get enough of this talented author and will definitely be reading more from this author

[Hannah Arndt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Spider Shepherd book. Found it difficult to follow at times and the lack of chapters really threw me. Not as fast paced as I expected.

[Peter Sinfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gem from Stephen Leather

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the series. Some absurdities in the plot, but the usual multiple stories that eventually touch, at least a little.

[Richard Outram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another goody. I am really enjoying these books.

[Leigh Rapson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No disappointment

These books are a little samey but each one leaves me riveted. Just impossible to put down! Really hope this series continues for some time to come.

[Shaun Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - at his best, there are moments where the pace is like that of a Bourne movie. However, there was too much going on here - crazy plots. Good holiday read and I’m glad I’ve discovered Leather.

[Helen Stead · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complicated story, had to keep recapping to get the facts straight. First one I've read of the Spider Shepherd series, but I'll certainly look out for more.

[paul harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story. 👍