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False Friends (The 9th Spider Shepherd Thriller) [Hardcover]

Stephen Leather
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Book Description

2 Aug 2012 0340924993 978-0340924990
The ninth book in the bestselling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series.

The most wanted man in the world is dead.
Now those loyal to him seek revenge.

When Navy Seals track down and kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, it's obvious there was a traitor on the inside. After the false friends are revealed to be two British students, Malik and Chaudhry - former Islamic fundamentalists recruited by MI5 - they become targets themselves.

Dan 'Spider' Shepherd must teach the pair how to survive undercover with al-Qaeda closing in. But Spider is not used to playing the handler. And with the line between mentor and friend beginning to blur, and a terrorist plot putting thousands of lives at stake, can he protect everyone before it's too late?

Frequently Bought Together

False Friends (The 9th Spider Shepherd Thriller) + Fair Game (The 8th Spider Shepherd Thriller) + Live Fire (The 6th Spider Shepherd Thriller) (Dan Shepherd Mystery)
Price For All Three: £18.69

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (2 Aug 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0340924993
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340924990
  • Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 4 x 23.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 127,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Praise for Stephen Leather's novels:



'This is an aggressively topical novel but a genuinely thrilling one, too.'

Daily Telegraph

'As tough as British thrillers get . . . gripping' Irish Independent

'In brisk newsman's style he explores complex contemporary issues while keeping the action fast and bloody.'

--Economist

About the Author

Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers. Before becoming a novelist he 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. He began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages and he has also written for television.

You can find out more from Stephen's website, www.stephenleather.com and his blog, www.stephenleather.blogspot.co.uk. You can also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenleather.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling 1 Aug 2012
By N. Brett TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stephen Leather is fairly unusual in this genre, he has allowed his character "Spider" Shepherd to develop and evolve through the books and has balanced the action with realistic and satisfying characterisation. The books also reflect a changing society, environment and culture so the books feel up to date and fresh.

In False Friends, Spider is babysitting two Pakistani informers who not only helped identify the location of Bin Laden but also are being primed for the next big UK terrorist `spectacular'. At the same time he is doing a favour for his friends back in the Met, playing an arms dealer but with some bad guys with a very topical link.

All the Spider Shepherd books are a pleasure and this one is no different. The author knows how to pull together plot lines and how to engage the reader in an environment that is either exciting or very familiar. I liked the Pakistani informers especially, they were given real depth and character. Their attitudes, motives and passions felt real and utterly believable. Devout, from good families but with a view that terrorism is wrong balanced with the attitudes and language of young men of their age. And a sense of being British but also devout Muslims which was a refreshing change.

There are a few themes running through this topical thriller, hidden agendas, trust and that of living a lie. Even Shepherd's boss, Charlie Button has evolved as a character and now reflects a more hard-nosed approach and you sense that she and Shepherd do not quite have the relationship they once had, and Shepherd's viewpoint that is very much black and white is not shared by others around him who play in the grey areas.

So, again we have an intelligent, topical thriller populated with `real' people and characters. I think it is a brilliant series and this fits in perfectly.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars False Friends: The 9th Spider Shepherd Thriller 29 Mar 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent book, Kindle special, so easy to download and read, there is nothing I can fault in any Stephen Leather novel.
Spider Shepherd Excellent series
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Tale of Terrorism 2 Aug 2012
By ACB (swansea) TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stephen Leather has written another fast-paced action thriller involving Dan 'Spider' Shepherd of MI5. A Navy Seal helicopter invasion of a compound in Abittabad leads to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden and his son. Shepherd is a reluctant observer who was under the impression that it was a capture operation, not a shoot to kill. The information on the location of the al-Qaeda leader was provided to MI5 by two Muslim students, Chaudhry and Malik, who had been seconded to a training programme in Pakistan and had met Bin Laden. Strict, honest Muslims with a conscience, they have a revulsive attitude to violence, particularly amongst British Muslims. Fearing al-Qaeda revenge, Shepherd is their handler under an alias. He is responsible for their well-being using surveillance when necessary. Khalid is their mentor in England. An al-Qaeda operative, he is grooming them for a major terrorist attack on an as yet unkown target. He demands total loyalty from his operatives. They are naturally anxious but ready for the call, (as long as Shepherd is rapidly on their case to intervene).

Meanwhile, Charlie Button, Shepherd's boss at MI5, has him seconded to the Met., under orders from number 10, meeting up with old colleagues Jimmy 'Razor' Sharpe and DCS Sam Hargrove to infiltrate a right-wing group, the English Defence League, whose fanatical leaders are based in Birmingham and planning a mass act of terrorism requiring high-tech. guns and ammunition. Spider and Razor go undercover as suppliers.

The novel moves at pace and is written with a topical slant. Politics, al-Qaeda activity and threat, potential mass murder (akin to the Oslo slaughter), racial mixing, undercover agents, taken with views on honesty versus lies, ethics and morals. Spider Shepherd is again superbly portrayed by the author as are Chaudhry and Malik whose characters are well-developed, with the reader easily warming to them and their predicament. Plenty of characters, action and current topics to chew on in this enjoyable, easy read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Just awesome
Stephen Leather is my favourite British crime writer. His extremely high standards are consistently maintained and his energy, pace and plots are current and designed to keep you... Read more
Published 1 day ago by B. Peyton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
That's all the 9 of the Spider Shepherd books read and I would say they are the best series I have ever read, the author rates as a pure genius.
Published 5 days ago by Mr. J. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
I have read all the spider shepherd books and actually pre-ordered the next one. Riveting stuff and a great read
Published 7 days ago by julesoutthere
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Clancy
A great story teller, better than Clancy or any US author. Well written, descriptive with a thrilling theme throughout. OK
Published 10 days ago by Anthony Robertson
5.0 out of 5 stars Aint No Incey Wincey Spider
Having followed Dan Spider Shepherd from Hard Landing I love the way his character has evolved. He's a tough guy with. . .well he's human and believable. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Andrew Scorah
5.0 out of 5 stars Another good Spider book.
Another good Spider book, now I'm looking for the next. I hope Stephen keeps writing them, because I'm certainly going to keep buying them - its has a guarantee of quality.
Published 12 days ago by D. Burden
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant read
I've read all the books in the series and this one is as good as all the others. It's not common for me to read as quickly as I do with these. Says it all.
Published 17 days ago by Parsen66
5.0 out of 5 stars FALSE FRIENDS by Stephen Learner
False Friends by. Stephen Leather

Well worth a five star rating. Stephen Leather never fails to produce a first class thriller in his Spider series. Read more
Published 28 days ago by anon
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful I'm sure!
I haven't read this book just yet but I know it will be as good as the rest. My husband and I are both enjoying them.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. P. A. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous read
Loved False Friends - It was great reading about Dan Shepherd & Charlotte Button - their characters are great and it was good to have Razor back involved as well - and of course we... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Suzanne
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