The 9th Spider Shepherd Short Story

I've just self-published the 9th Spider Shepherd short story - Personal Protection - in which Spider, still in the SAS, is tasked with protecting a Middle Eastern ruler whose life is under threat.

You can buy Personal Protection on the Kindle  BY CLICKING HERE

There are now nine Spider Shepherd short stories, more than 120,000 words in total, so I'm going to look into the possibility of having them published as a paperback.

Watch this space!

Narrow Escape - The New Spider Shepherd Short Story

I've just self-published the new Spider Shepherd short story. It's called Narrow Escape and is set at the time Spider was on SAS Selection - in particular on the Escape and Evasion part of the course. It's generally regarded as the toughest part of the SAS Selection process, but as Spider progresses through it he realises that all is not as it should be, and that his life is truly on the line.

You can buy Narrow Escape BY CLICKING HERE

I have another Spider Shepherd short story planned - I shall keep you posted!

Still Bleeding - A Jack Nightingale Short Story

Supernatural detective Jack Nightingale appears in five full-length novels - Nightfall, Nightmare, Midnight, Nightshade and Lastnight (to be published on January16).  But he also appears in the short story Still Bleeding.

In Still Bleeding Nightingale is called in to investigate a case of stigmata - a young girl is bleeding from her hands and feet and claims to have been visited by the Virgin Mary. But Nightingale realises that all is not as it seems and that the girl is in mortal danger.

You can buy Still Bleeding BY CLICKING HERE

Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead

I have just published the latest Inspector Zhang short story - Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead.   I had great fun writing it, though I have been struggling with the flu for the past couple of days.  Even dosed up on Lemsip Max Cold and Flu tablets I was still able to work!

It's set on the island of Sentosa, which I've visited several times. It's full of fun places, including the Universal Studios theme park.   It's another locked room mystery, where Inspector Zhang is called to a murder scene where a doctor has been stabbed in a locked room.

The Inspector Zhang books are great fun to write but they are a real struggle as locked room mysteries are notoriously difficult to write. I have two plots which I have been struggling with for more than a year. I have great set-ups for the story, and even have the titles and covers, but I just can't come up with solutions to the crimes!

You can buy Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead for the Kindle in the UK - HERE

And you can buy it on the Kindle in the US - HERE

Inspector Zhang is the third Stephen Leather continuing character. I also have Dan "Spider" Shepherd and Jack Nightingale. So far I have published seven Spider short stories and one Nightingale short story. I am currently working on another Nightingale short and have a cracker of an idea for another Spider short!  I'll keep you posted!

Rough Diamonds - the latest Spider Shepherd SAS short story

I have just put a new Spider Shepherd SAS short story on the Kindle and Smashwords. The story is Rough Diamonds, an action-packed tale drawn from Spider's SAS days in war-torn Sierra Leone.

I had great fun writing it - the SAS stories give me a chance to show where Spider came from and what made him the man he is. It also gives me a chance to introduce other characters who will reappear in later books.  There is a terrific MI6 operative - Jonathan Parker - in Rough Diamonds and he will be in the next Spider novel.

You can buy Rough Diamonds in the UK - HERE

And in the US - HERE

I'm going to take a short break from writing Spider Shepherd short stories as I have to start work on the new Spider Shepherd full length novel.  Though I am working on a Jack Nightingale short story as we speak!

Hostile Territory - the sixth Spider Shepherd short story

I have just published the sixth Spider Shepherd short story - Hostile Territory. It's set during Spider's days in the SAS when he was in Sierra Leone and is action-packed. I had great fun writing it and plan to do more set in the African country. I actually went to Sierra Leone on holiday many years ago, long before the civil wars. Great beaches, though the constant power cuts were annoying. Wasn't the friendliest of places, either. I only went because my holiday to to Sri Lanka was cancelled because the Tamil Tigers had gone on a killing spree!

You can buy Hostile Territory in the UK - HERE

And in the US - HERE

In Hostile Territory I have a very interesting MI6 character - Jonathan Parker - who I plan to have reappear inn the Spider Shepherd novels.

Warning Order - the new Spider Shepherd Short Story

I've just published the fifth Spider Shepherd SAS short story - Warning Order. It starts off on an ill-fated training exercise off the coast of Norway and ends in war-torn Sierra Leone. Action-packed, as always! I have another two, possibly three, Spider short stories in the pipeline!

You can buy it in the UK - HERE

And in the US - HERE