Plausible Deniability

Lex Harper #1.5

by Stephen Leather

A heart-pounding new standalone novella from Sunday Times bestselling author Stephen Leather featuring hitman-for-hire Lex Harper.

He has the uncanny knack of producing plots that are all too real, and this is no exception — Daily Mail on First Response

The war on drugs has always been a dirty business. But there are some jobs that are so dirty that even MI5 can’t risk getting involved.

Which is when the authorities turn to a man who isn’t afraid to go where others fear to tread – Lex Harper.

Harper is sent into the Golden Triangle in a bid to block the flood of heroin that is crippling the West. But when the plan backfires, Harper discovers that heroin poses a threat much closer to home. And his retaliation takes him on a mission of revenge around the world.

Praise for Stephen Leather’s Dan "Spider" Shepherd series:

Let Spider draw you into his web, you won't regret it. — The Sun
The sheer impetus of his storytelling is damned hard to resist. — Daily Express
A master of the thriller genre. — Irish Times

Genres: Thriller

218 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2019

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 3 out of 5]

A short story (218 pages) by author Stephen Leather.
British operator Lex Harper is called on by the authorities to tackle the war on drugs. He is sent into the Golden Triangle in a bid to block the flood of heroin that is crippling the West. But like most good stories things don't always go to plan.
A good short read and could just as easily been rounded up to four stars. Good characters and plenty of action in such a short novel.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see that this Lex Harper is going to be a big star for Stephen Leather. He has the Spider Shepherd skills but is not quite so limited as Spider is (being a family man and all). For sure looking for more full-length Lex stories.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book with a bit too much happening, almost Marvel Hero abilities

[Richard Mulholland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but a little bit of a mixed bag of stories losely held together. A cautious recommendation for Leather fans, if you're new to the author, start elsewhere.

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lex Harper is a Brit operator trusted to take on seemingly impossible missions. A more focused and ruthless character than Stephen Leather’s usual Spider Shepherd protagonist.
This novella is almost three or four missions wrapped into a linked theme. We start with a mission that does not go well and leaves Harper in a bad place. Recovering he fins himself under threat from a corrupt Thai officer, his solution might involve working with some unusual bed-fellows.....
Take a deep breath as this is a page turner, it almost moves too fast at times, some of the situations could almost have been developed into books on their own. But this is Stephen Leather so expect pace, clever plotting and LOTS of action.
Enormous fun.

[Simon Farrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book - more novel than novella

Whilst I had no doubt that this book would be up to the author’s usual standards, I was a little worried that it would be too short, and that the character of Harper would be little more than a cookie cutter of Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd.
I needn’t have worried. The book is of more than sufficient length to make it a worthwhile read in it’s own right. Lex Harper is a curious character in his own right, that I’m sure has many more stories to tell.

[Mark Philbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is a short story it feels like 3 separate stories loosely stitched together. I love the character Lex Harper, and this novella goes some way in cementing his appeal. A no nonsense, less morally aware ‘Spider’ Shepherd. It is a quick enjoyable read that fills the gap before the next full length novel.

[i.s. wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Leather seems to be writing more and more like Chris Ryan. The story was quite a whirlwind but also longer than your standard novella at just over 200 pages. As well as being full of action from beginning to end it also takes you all over the world. It was certainly well written and researched as all books are by this author. It just feels to me that it feels rather formulaic and lacks the originality of his earlier novels which were nearly all standalones. I will still probably keep reading them though!

[Mr Mark Hawksford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure

This was probably a 3.5. It’s a fairly short book and when you read it you’ll understand why. In most places it tends to just tell the story with very little background. It started off well but I felt the final 3 missions were a little quick and predictable. At the end I was checking I hadn’t missed a final chapter.

[Mr David Bevan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed with this "Novella". Thought it was a bit light, which is very unusual for Stephen Leather. I've read most of his other books at sometime and generally enjoy them. Maybe this one was light because it was a novella. If it had been a full novel it might have had more detail. Perhaps you get what you pay for.

[Mr Roy Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a short book, this was a long book :). It was effectively a number of short stories in one as there were many plots and many action sets. Not sure you can be a converted heroin addict and just a few days afterwards complete a campaign of killing. Light reading, if you do not mind the deaths, and a good filler until the next book in the series.

[Guy richard Seager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read

A fantastic spin off from Stephen Leather, Lex harper always gets his man with what ever needs to be done. I can thoroughly recommend this high paced adrenaline fuelled book.

[Paul Mort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cracker from mr leather. Just felt a little more rushed than usual. Would love to more of lex harper back story

[john rogerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plausible deniability

Another great read from Stephen leather about lex Harper thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to more of his adventures

[phil beason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen leather

Another great book by the author of the spider shepherd series rip roaring international action definitely recommend read great stuff

[Dave Livesey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the whole book ... but the final mission and the ultimate ending just felt a little bit weak/rushed.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the least likely premises in the Leather cannon... buy out the entire year's production of Thai/Burmese/Cambodian heroin production. What could possibly go wrong?

[Mike Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average easy ready

Easy read. Story was pretty basic and predictable but a quick days read that was relaxing. Would recommend for a bit of light relaxation

[ROD LEDBROOK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast moving and credible.One very good read

[Lyn Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced

Story well told - plenty of twists in the plot keep you wondering what comes next - like able character. Happy to read more in this series

[Sue Morcumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book fast-paced and full of action, more than I was expecting, knowing the key player from previous Dan Shepherd books I knew the character and he was excellent in this story, he was level headed, and organised and the book was exciting from start to finish, would like to know if there was going to be another to finish off the story as it was left with an opening if there was going to be a continuation. Lots of information about what they were doing and the procedures that they undertook to be invisible in situations and the respect that the main operator gained by his knowledge and understanding of the situation, fascinating details about a superyacht that was being used and the experiences that were used and money being of no object gave the yacht the services it needed for this story to be so good. Would recommend to everyone to read, and it was nice that there was no un-necessary swearing or any sex with too much detail, it was about a special op carried out to a high standard. It is well worth reading.

[Mike Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another success

I will admit I am a Stephen Leather fan but this Lex Harper novella exceeded my expectations and I hope more to come
Lex is not perfect but he is a good man and has a strong sense of justice. These traits come through in this story, which seems a bit longer than other novellas I have read
I am not going to give any details of the story away, you will have to read it. I am more than happy to thoroughly recommend it

[Phil Altimas · Rating 4 out of 5]

lex has always been a bit player in the spider novels. Now he is the star
i wondered if a novella could give enough back story and excitement for a first story and yes it worked

Lex is contacted by charlie button to get involved in a drugs war and that leads onto some great adventures, the action was good and fast paced. the supporting cast where great

loved the story line, loved the pace.

I do hope Lex gets a series of his own.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Novella?
More action, more plots, more suspense and more page turning excitement

If this is a a novella then bring on the novel, I am going to reread this book and as a speed reader

with all the excitement I still may have missed some nuances or counterplots

Thank You Stephen , I am a fervent member of your fan club.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lex Harper was a Para in the Spider Shepherd SAS stories and is now a hitman for hire - this novella involves Myanmar drug traders, a corrupt Thai army colonel, Saudi special forces, Somali pirates and the Serbian mafia

[Ian Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt rushed and too much happening to make it credible, even for Lex Harper!
To go from chasing Somali pirates to Serb mafia and then Thai generals was a bit far fetched.
Still an enjoyable read probably 3.5 but didn't have the feel of a Stephen Leather book...