At a Glance
Last Updated on September 3, 2019 Stephen Leather is a British thriller author, best known for his popular Dan (Spider) Shepherd and Jack Nightingale series, and also for his numerous standalone novels.
Here are the Stephen Leather books in order for his series, and the list of his standalone novels.
New Stephen Leather Books

Short Range (Dan Shepherd #16), 2019

Plausible Deniability (Explosive Lex Harper #1), 2019
Mike Cramer Series In Order Of Publication
Mike Cramer is ex SAS soldier who is brought in from retirement (dying of cancer) for a few last missions.
- Chinaman (Mike Cramer #1), 1992
- The Long Shot (Mike Cramer #2), 1995
- The Double Tap (Mike Cramer #3), 1996
Dan “Spider” Shepherd Series In Order Of Publication
Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd is an ex-SAS trooper now detective part of an elite undercover squad.
- Hard Landing (Dan Shepherd #1), 2004
- Soft Target (Dan Shepherd #2), 2005
- Cold Kill (Dan Shepherd #3), 2006
- Hot Blood (Dan Shepherd #4), 2007
- Dead Men (Dan Shepherd #5), 2008
- Live Fire (Dan Shepherd #6), 2009
- Rough Justice (Dan Shepherd #7), 2010
- Fair Game (Dan Shepherd #8), 2011
- False Friends (Dan Shepherd #9), 2012
- True Colours (Dan Shepherd #10), 2013
- White Lies (Dan Shepherd #11), 2014
- Black Ops (Dan Shepherd #12), 2015
- Dark Forces (Dan Shepherd #13), 2016
- Light Touch (Dan Shepherd #14), 2017
- Tall Order (Dan Shepherd #15), 2018
- Short Range (Dan Shepherd #16), 2019
There are also several Dan Spider Shepherd short stories published, including: Friendly Fire (2012), Natural Selection (2013), Warning Order (2013), Hostile Territory (2013), Dead Drop (2013, Rough Diamonds (2013), Spider’s Web (2013) Narrow Escape (2014), Personal Protection (2014), Remote Control (2014).
Jack Nightingale Series In Publication Order
Jack Nightingale is an ex-cop, now private eye. The series is part of the occult/paranormal thriller genre.
- Nightfall (Jack Nightingale #1), 2010
- Midnight (Jack Nightingale #2), 2011
- Nightmare (Jack Nightingale #3), 2012
- Nightshade (Jack Nightingale #4), 2013
- Lastnight (Jack Nightingale #5), 2014
- San Francisco Night (Jack Nightingale #6), 2014
- New York Night (Jack Nightingale #7), 2015
- Tennessee Night (Jack Nightingale #8), 2018
There are also two short stories as part of the Jack Nightingale series: Cursed (2011) and Still Bleeding (2012)
Explosive Lex Harper Series
- Plausible Deniability (Explosive Lex Harper #1), 2019
Inspector Zhang Series In Order Of Publication
These series consists of short novellas in the ‘locked room’ style of crime mysteries
- Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish (Inspector Zhang #1), 2011
- Inspector Zhang and the Falling Woman (Inspector Zhang #2), 2011
- Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai Gangster (Inspector Zhang #3), 2011
- Inspector Zhang and the Disappearing Drugs (Inspector Zhang #4), 2011
- Inspector Zhang And The Perfect Alibi (Inspector Zhang #5), 2012
- Inspector Zhang Goes To Harrogate (Inspector Zhang #6), 2012
- Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead (Inspector Zhang #7), 2013
Other Works By Stephen Leather
- Pay Off, 1987
- The Fireman, 1989
- Hungry Ghost, 1991
- The Vets, 1993
- The Birthday Girl, 1995
- The Solitary Man, 1997
- The Tunnel Rats, 1997
- The Bombmaker, 1999
- The Stretch, 2000
- Tango One, 2002
- The Eyewitness, 2003
- Private Dancer, 2005
- Dreamer’s Cat, 2010
- The Basement, 2011
- Once Bitten, 2011
- The Bestseller, 2011 (short story)
- Banging Bill’s Wife, 2012 (Asian Heat Erotic Short Stories #1)
- The Alphabet Game, 2012 (Asian Heat Erotic Short Stories #2)
- The Pregnant Wife (Asian Heat Erotic Short Stories #3)
- The Threesome (Asian Heat Erotic Short Stories #4)
- Take Two, 2013
- First Response, 2016
- Penalties, 2016
- Takedown, 2016
- The Shout, 2018
- Last Man Standing, 2019
- The Bag Carrier, 2019
- The Runner, 2020
About Stephen Leather
Born in 1956 in Manchester, England, he graduated from Bath University with a degree in Biochemistry. Not wanting to have a career as a scientist, he change course and decided to become a reporter. While working at the Daily Mirror, he was taught how to research, write and put together well written story.
His first book, Pay Off, was written in 1988 when he was still working at the Daily Mirror, in his late twenties. Before that he couldn’t write more than a few pages on paper due to lack of experience in writing. Being a journalist taught him that and more, which reflects really well in all his books he continued writing ever since.
He submitted the novel to Harper Collins and thankfully they had an ear to what he had to say. His first book being published by one of the biggest publishing companies in the world allowed him to become a published, successful author.
Currently Stephen Leather has written over 50 books as part of his main series and his standalone novels, all which have sold millions of copies all over the world. His latest book, Plausible Deniability, is the start of a new series titled Explosive Lex Harper. The first book is a short novella.
Along with writing books, he also writes screenplays for popular TV shows, like London’s Burning, The Knock and the Murder in Mind.
Two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, have been turned into UK TV movies starring Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson.
All fans (including me) love his thrillers and we are always eagerly awaiting a new book from him.
Just started reading Dan Shepherds escapades and as a retired undercover cop I can relate to his actions totally. Brilliant writing and story content. Keep it up. Thanks