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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
With such pacy and astringent thrillers as The Fireman and The Chinaman, Stephen Leather has acquired a keen following. The author (who divides his time between Bangkok and London) began his career in a fashion common to many thriller writers: as a journalist who decided he could write a better thriller than most of the current crop of practitioners. It’s a conviction that he’s proved (both to himself and to readers) several times over. Rough Justice, his latest, is characteristically in-your-face fare, the kind of crime/thriller writing that wastes no words in delivering the goods.
All over London, criminals are being viciously attacked and left bleeding or crippled by vigilante cops. For some, this is no great tragedy -- after all, crime rates appear to be on the decrease. But it is inevitable that the situation must change, and Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd, working for the Serious Organised Crime Agency, is instructed by his bosses that this form of justice without benefit of law court has to end. Shepherd, of course, has always been fully aware that fighting crime is a deeply ambiguous business, and that rules now and then have to be broken. But he realises that an unpleasant job has to be done, and gets on with it, even though he is unhappy with the task of investigating fellow police officers. He finds it necessary to go undercover and join a crack squad of officers who know exactly what is happening on the streets. Needless to say, he is soon having to make extremely uncomfortable decisions -- not least when he finds his own family under threat.
Avid crime readers will spot that Dan Shepherd's job here is not a million miles away from that of Ian Rankin's post-Rebus protagonist Malcolm Fox, but Stephen Leather deals in a very different kind of crime fiction. All of the elements that make Leather’s earlier work so pungent are fully in play here, and his customary command of pace (usually, foot pressed firmly to the floor) is also much in evidence. We are comfortable now in the rough company of Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd, and despite this being one of Leather’s longest novels (at nearly 500 pages), most readers will find it reads like a much shorter book -- that is to say: not easily put down. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'ROUGH JUSTICE is a top drawer thriller with blood-soaked action, terrifyingly real villains, spine-tingling menace and a pulsating plot with serious ethical issues at its heart. Another class act from Mr Leather . . .' (Lancashire Evening Post )
'One of the strongest and most outstanding books of his career to date. Another real scorcher . . . so gripping I just could not put it down' (www.eurocrime.co.uk )
'As tough as British thrillers get . . . gripping' (Irish Independent )
'One of the strongest and most outstanding books of his career to date. Another real scorcher . . . so gripping I just could not put it down' (www.eurocrime.co.uk )
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 )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read all of Stephen Leather's thrillers and particularly enjoyed the "Spider Shepherd" tales, I am an established fan but I can honestly say that Rough Justice is as good as anything the author has written. Rough Justice works on a number of levels, it is a thriller that deals with the very grey areas between justice and revenge and also asks some uncomfortable questions.
Here we have Spider going undercover to expose some rogue Police officers who are taking justice into their own hands set within an environment that is perhaps overly politically correct and overly protective of the bad guys rather then the victims. Spider gets his own exposure to this in a scenario that is scarily (and sadly) true. In balance to this we also have Spider considering taking things into his own hands as a result of a terrorist attack....
This moves at pace but the author does a great job of giving all the characters real personalities amid excellent research. The banter and process of the Police team that Spider works with felt spot on, as did their varying attitudes and frustrations. I sense that Stephen Leather is no fan of the "Nanny State" (a theme repeated in his other recent book, Nightfall), and it would be hard to argue with him based on the themes in this book. But this is a thriller and it works very well at that level, you get a sense of the tension and the pressures of working undercover and the difficulty of maintaining two identities. As a reader you are likely to change your mind about what is acceptable and what is not, or at the very least you will pause to think about your views of right and wrong.
There are some significant changes in this novel as well, and a possible change of direction for Spider, it's an interesting one although it may well take future books into a direction already quite well populated and away from the unique(ish) undercover scenario we have become used to. And there are still some things to be resolved........
A great thriller from an author at the top of his game. Recommended.
Here we have Spider going undercover to expose some rogue Police officers who are taking justice into their own hands set within an environment that is perhaps overly politically correct and overly protective of the bad guys rather then the victims. Spider gets his own exposure to this in a scenario that is scarily (and sadly) true. In balance to this we also have Spider considering taking things into his own hands as a result of a terrorist attack....
This moves at pace but the author does a great job of giving all the characters real personalities amid excellent research. The banter and process of the Police team that Spider works with felt spot on, as did their varying attitudes and frustrations. I sense that Stephen Leather is no fan of the "Nanny State" (a theme repeated in his other recent book, Nightfall), and it would be hard to argue with him based on the themes in this book. But this is a thriller and it works very well at that level, you get a sense of the tension and the pressures of working undercover and the difficulty of maintaining two identities. As a reader you are likely to change your mind about what is acceptable and what is not, or at the very least you will pause to think about your views of right and wrong.
There are some significant changes in this novel as well, and a possible change of direction for Spider, it's an interesting one although it may well take future books into a direction already quite well populated and away from the unique(ish) undercover scenario we have become used to. And there are still some things to be resolved........
A great thriller from an author at the top of his game. Recommended.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a big Stephen Leather fan and have followed Dan "Spider" Shephard from his first appearence in Hard Landing. My favourite book in this series so far has been Soft Target, which was my first ever book by this author and it had me gripped from the start.
I was worried that this book was covering very similar ground and was just a re-jig of a story already done... However I was pleased to see I was wrong and it was a different path to that book. I wont go over the plot in too much detail as I don't want to give any spoilers but suffice to say it takes some interesting twists and continues the prose very nicely.
I was really dis-appointed when Mike "Joker" Cramer was killed off in a previous series of books and I hope Mr Leather doesn't make the same mistake again..!? The ending of this leads nicely into a different path for the characters and could really refresh the series.
My only gripe is having a chapter of Nightfall at the back of the book... Why!? I have that book and really enjoyed it but don't see the point of this other than a marketing ploy?
But apart from that another top read 5 stars - keep them coming!!
Mr Leather I know you read these reviews, I know the Shephard series is popular but I also loved one offs like the tunnel rats and birthday girl, are there any "ones offs" due out and also when is the next Nightingale book due out??
I was worried that this book was covering very similar ground and was just a re-jig of a story already done... However I was pleased to see I was wrong and it was a different path to that book. I wont go over the plot in too much detail as I don't want to give any spoilers but suffice to say it takes some interesting twists and continues the prose very nicely.
I was really dis-appointed when Mike "Joker" Cramer was killed off in a previous series of books and I hope Mr Leather doesn't make the same mistake again..!? The ending of this leads nicely into a different path for the characters and could really refresh the series.
My only gripe is having a chapter of Nightfall at the back of the book... Why!? I have that book and really enjoyed it but don't see the point of this other than a marketing ploy?
But apart from that another top read 5 stars - keep them coming!!
Mr Leather I know you read these reviews, I know the Shephard series is popular but I also loved one offs like the tunnel rats and birthday girl, are there any "ones offs" due out and also when is the next Nightingale book due out??
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
You'd think that a seventh book with the same character would get boring. Stephen Leather is too good a writer to let that happen.
Spider has to investigate a group of vigilante cops, calling into question his morals and his career. Leather raises some fascinating issues. Should it be an eye for an eye, and should the police have greater powers, to name just two. Leather presents both sides of the argument expertly and combines these issues with the usual action and humour found in his previous books.
The ending is a belter. Stephen, how could you?! Will we see the Spider unleash hell in book eight? I hope so......
Spider has to investigate a group of vigilante cops, calling into question his morals and his career. Leather raises some fascinating issues. Should it be an eye for an eye, and should the police have greater powers, to name just two. Leather presents both sides of the argument expertly and combines these issues with the usual action and humour found in his previous books.
The ending is a belter. Stephen, how could you?! Will we see the Spider unleash hell in book eight? I hope so......
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good book - tedious format
Am only about a third of the way through and have read most of the Shepherd books. This one seems exciting and up to date. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ace reviews
Back on song... A well balanaced page turner
Welcome back Spider Shepherd - after a few entertaining but lightweight instalments Mr Leather produces a rip snorter of a holiday/commute read that is packed with good pieces of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Glover
Sensitive issues managed well
The Vigilante path is well trod and there is some pretty mediocre output.
However Stephen Leather, in Rough Justice, was able to paint both sides of the picture in a... Read more
However Stephen Leather, in Rough Justice, was able to paint both sides of the picture in a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jonathan Clark
Didn't enjoy it
I have read other Spider novels and have enjoyed them. This one I found to be too long winded. I only needed to know once what make and model of car or bike he was driving. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alex Eavis
Disappointing
I've read all the Spider Shepherd books and this one left me cold. I think there's been an attempt to set up some grand moral play on the rights and wrongs of vigilantism, but... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Brian Allan
BRILLIANT ...AGAIN.
If you have read any of my other reviews of the Spider Shepard series you will understand the title. I love these books. Read more
Published 9 months ago by KJCXXX
Brilliant!
I bought the first Dan Shepherd books purely due to the price at £0.49 for my kindle. Not normally my kind of thing but I absolutely loved them and over the last 2 months have... Read more
Published 11 months ago by lucyloo
Not His Best Work
Read many Stephen Leather books and this felt it was hurried. The plot was great and the middle was fantastic - classic Leather. Read more
Published 13 months ago by sab2008
Outstanding
just finished this book, and dont really know what to say, I've read all the others but this one has to be my favourite, excellently written and i have to agree with a previous... Read more
Published 14 months ago by spierso
rough justice is amazing
You must read this book. I have to confess to being a bit of a book worm, but I have read all of the Dan Shepard books,and this is probably my favourite! Read more
Published 15 months ago by marc
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