• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

Crime Books

Prize-Winning Fiction

  • Home
  • Reference
    • Awards
    • Blogs
    • Reading List
      • The Best of The Best
      • International Crime
      • The Last Laugh
  • Index
    • Authors
    • Titles
    • Tags
  • E-Mail Updates
  • Search
  • Rating
    • ★ 5 Stars
    • ★ 4 Stars
    • ★ 3 Stars
    • ★ 2 Stars
    • ★ 1 Star
    • ★ Not Rated
  • Genre
    • Caper
    • Espionage
    • Historic
    • Legal Drama
    • Locked Room
    • Mystery
    • Police Procedural
    • Private Detective
  • Style
    • Cosy
    • Hard-Boiled
    • humorous
    • Literary
    • Narrative
    • Noir
    • Psychological
    • Pulp
    • Thriller
  • Region
    • British
    • European
    • Japanese
    • Nordic
    • North American
  • Era
    • Early 20th Century
      • 1900s
      • 1910s
      • 1920s
    • Mid 20th Century
      • 1930s
      • 1940s
      • 1950s
      • 1960s
    • Late 20th Century
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
    • Early 21st Century
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
  • Best Crime Fiction

Soft Target

By Stephen Leather

Soft Target
Review
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
  • Available in: Audiobook, Ebook, Hardback, Paperback
  • ISBN: 9780340834091
  • First Published: 2005
Get a Copy

A High-Paced Thriller That Asks Surprisingly Deep Questions

Soft Target by Stephen Leather is his second book to feature SAS trooper turned undercover cop Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd.

Three parallel stories, a host of technical details and there is always something happening. Perfect for the thriller reader inside you.

Get a Copy

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Synopsis

Dan Shepherd has many personas. As the plot progresses, he slips between them; a contract killer ensnaring a gangland wife, an armed response policeman infiltrating a gang of bent cops and a single parent doing a poor job raising his son. If that isn’t enough to contend with Dan, “Spider” Shepherd is also busy with terrorist attacks, crooked businessmen and armed robberies.  

Review

The plot was so fast and exhausting that I had to sit down whilst reading it. Stephen Leather does an excellent job of twisting all these threads together, creating an engaging read.

Leather has done his research. If you need to know how a drug dealer should armour plate his front door or the best way to find a wholesale drug buyer, this is the book for you.

Despite the compelling details, there were times when the story was a little far-fetched. Can an undercover police officer really commandeer an army helicopter so he can wave at his neglected son? I struggle to get my boss to lend me his company car.

However, the book wins out in the ethical questions it poses. It will leave you wondering whether the police are spending your taxes as well as they could.

Excerpt

Three hours later the heroin was being driven on the M2 towards London and had increased in wholesale value to £30,000 per kilo.  There were 200 kilos in the container, six million pounds’ worth.  Once it had been cut, the street value would be around fifteen million.

Twice when the truck went under footbridges across the motorway it was monitored by spotters, men with mobile phones who checked it wasn’t being followed.  Both were satisfied that it was not and phoned ahead to say everything was as it should be.

Soft Target by Stephen Leather


Tagged with: ★ 4 Stars, 2000s, British, Drugs, Espionage, London, Manchester, Organised Crime, Police Procedural, Review, S.A.S., Thriller, Undercover

 

Try Another Book

Encyclopedia Mysteriosa by William L. DeAndrea

Encyclopedia Mysteriosa

Read More
The Darkest Room Johan Theorin

The Darkest Room

Read More
The Stranger Diaries Elly Griffiths

The Stranger Diaries

Read More
The Second Life of Inspector Canessa by Roberto Perrone

The Second Life of Inspector Canessa

Read More
Good Behavior Donald E. Westlake

Good Behavior

Read More
Cops and Robbers Donald E. Westlake

Cops and Robbers

Read More
Witch Hunt Jack Harvey

Witch Hunt

Read More
Sorry Zoran Drvenkar

Sorry

Read More
Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellström

Three Seconds

Read More
The Torment of Others by Val McDermid

The Torment of Others

Read More
The Lewis Man by Peter May

The Lewis Man

Read More
Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith

Gorky Park

Read More
Backflash Richard Stark

Backflash

Read More
The Seeker by S.G. Maclean

The Seeker

Read More
Slow Horses by Mick Herron

Slow Horses

Read More
Rain Gods James Lee Burke

Rain Gods

Read More
The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas

The Three Evangelists

Read More
We begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

We Begin at the End

Read More
Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Thirteen

Read More
Sideswipe Charles Willeford

Sideswipe

Read More
Destroying Angel by S.G. MacLean

Destroying Angel

Read More
You by Zoran Drvenkar

You

Read More
Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaitre

Blood Wedding

Read More
Other Paths to Glory by Anthony Price

Other Paths to Glory

Read More
A Morbid Taste For Bones by Ellis Peters

A Morbid Taste for Bones

Read More
Uniform Justice by Donna Leon

Uniform Justice

Read More
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine

A Fatal Inversion

Read More
Black Cherry Blues James Lee Burke

Black Cherry Blues

Read More
The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre

The Godmother

Read More
Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid

Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime

Read More
The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indriðason

The Shadow District

Read More
Camille by Pierre Lemaitre

Camille

Read More
An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas

An Uncertain Place

Read More
We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal

We Know You Remember

Read More
Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Dead Lions

Read More
Briarpatch Ross Thomas

Briarpatch

Read More
Metropolis by Philip Kerr

Metropolis

Read More
Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas

Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand

Read More

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Try Another Author

Ruth Rendell

Rith Rendell

Pierre Lemaitre

Pierre Lemaitre

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

Volker Kutscher

Volker Kutscher

J.K. Rowling / Robert Galbraith

Robert Galbraith

Tove Alsterdal

Tove Alsterdal

Donna Leon

Donna Leon

Dominique Manotti

Dominique Manotti

Martin Cruz Smith

Martin Cruz Smith

Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh

Peter Lovesey

Peter Lovesey

Natsuo Kirino

Natsuo Kirino

Fred Vargas

Fred Vargas

Dominique Sylvain

Dominique Sylvain

Iceberg Slim

Iceberg Slim

Philip Kerr

Philip Kerr

Joe Gores

Joe Gores

Anthony Price

Anthony Price

Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin

Joël Dicker

Joël Dicker

Zoran Drvenkar

Zoran Drvenkar

Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell

Jørn Lier Horst

Jørn Lier Horst

P.D. James

P.D. James

Sara Lövestam

Sara Lövestam

James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke

Hannelore Cayre

Hannelore Cayre

Donald E Westlake

Donald E Westlake

John Dickson Carr

John Dickson Carr

Arnaldur Indriðason

Arnaldur Indriðason

Peter James

Peter James

Peter May

Peter May

Mick Herron

Mick Herron

Martina Cole

Martina Cole

Roslund and Hellström

Roslund and Hellström

Hideo Yokoyama

Hideo Yokoyama

Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block

Chris Whitaker

Chris Whitaker

Johan Theorin

Johan Theorin

Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon

Ellis Peters

Ellis Peters

Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith

G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton

Andy McNab

Andy McNab

William L DeAndrea

William L. DeAndrea

Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler

Stephen Leather

Stephen Leather

Roberto Perrone

Roberto Perrone

John Grisham

John Grisham

Ross Thomas

Ross Thomas

S.G. MacLean

S G MacLean

Val McDermid

Val McDermid

Cameron McCabe

Cameron McCabe

Charles Willeford

Charles Willeford

Share this:

Subscribe via e-mail

 


This site contains sponsored links. I receive a small commission if you buy a book after visiting a link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This doesn’t affect the price you pay. Click here to learn more.


 

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Follow

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • goodreads
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Reviews

  • Rain Gods
  • The Second Life of Inspector Canessa
  • Dirty War
  • A Time of Predators
  • Maigret and the Headless Corpse
  • Broken

Best Crime Fiction

Who are the best crime fiction authors? Enter your e-mail address in the box below to find out.

Affiliate Links · Contact · Site Map · Privacy Policy · Log In

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, read the Privacy PolicyOK