At a Glance
Stephen Leather (website) is a British thriller author, best known for his popular Dan (Spider) Shepherd and Jack Nightingale series, and also for his numerous standalone novels.
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 20 books as part of his 4 main series and his standalone novels, all which have sold millions of copies all over the world. His latest book, Black Ops, is part of the Dan Shepherd series, and is published in 2015.
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.
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.
1. Chinaman (Mike Cramer #1), 1992
2. The Long Shot (Mike Cramer #2), 1995
3. 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.
1. Hard Landing (Dan Shepherd #1), 2004
2. Soft Target (Dan Shepherd #2), 2005
3. Cold Kill (Dan Shepherd #3), 2006
4. Hot Blood (Dan Shepherd #4), 2007
5. Dead Men (Dan Shepherd #5), 2008
6. Live Fire (Dan Shepherd #6), 2009
7. Rough Justice (Dan Shepherd #7), 2010
8. Fair Game (Dan Shepherd #8), 2011
9. False Friends (Dan Shepherd #9), 2012
10. True Colours (Dan Shepherd #10), 2013
11. White Lies (Dan Shepherd #11), 2014
12. Black Ops (Dan Shepherd #12), 2015
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.
1. Nightfall (Jack Nightingale #1), 2010
2. Midnight (Jack Nightingale #2), 2011
3. Nightmare (Jack Nightingale #3), 2012
4. Nightshade (Jack Nightingale #4), 2013
5. Lastnight (Jack Nightingale #5), 2014
6. San Francisco Night (Jack Nightingale #6), 2014
There are also two short stories as part of the Jack Nightingale series: Cursed (2011) and Still Bleeding (2012)
Inspector Zhang Series In Order Of Publication
These series consists of short novellas in the ‘locked room’ style of crime mysteries
1. Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish (Inspector Zhang #1), 2011
2. Inspector Zhang and the Falling Woman (Inspector Zhang #2), 2011
3. Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai Gangster (Inspector Zhang #3), 2011
4. Inspector Zhang and the Disappearing Drugs (Inspector Zhang #4), 2011
5. Inspector Zhang And The Perfect Alibi (Inspector Zhang #5), 2012
6. Inspector Zhang Goes To Harrogate (Inspector Zhang #6), 2012
7. Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead (Inspector Zhang #7), 2013
Other Works By Stephen Leather
Pay Off, 1987 (standalone novel)
The Fireman, 1989 (standalone novel)
Hungry Ghost, 1991 (standalone novel)
The Vets, 1993 (standalone novel)
The Birthday Girl, 1995 (standalone novel)
The Solitary Man, 1997 (standalone novel)
The Tunnel Rats, 1997 (standalone novel)
The Bombmaker, 1999 (standalone novel)
The Stretch, 2000 (standalone novel)
Tango One, 2002 (standalone novel)
The Eyewitness, 2003 (standalone novel)
Private Dancer, 2005 (standalone novel)
Dreamer’s Cat, 2010 (standalone novel)
The Basement, 2011 (standalone novel)
Once Bitten, 2011 (standalone novel)
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 (standalone novel)