What do You think about Soft Target (2005)?
The 2nd book in the Dan Shepherd series by the underrated Stephen Leather. After I started reading this series last week I have become completely absorbed in it and can't put the books down. I finished the 2nd book this evening and immediately started reading the next one. At this rate I will have finished all 10 books by the end of the month. I had the same feeling when I first started reading the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child and I am hoping that like that series it continues to improve as the characters develop further. So close to a 5 star rating as was the last one.
—Gary
This was the first Stephen Leather book that I've read. I have to say, if this book is anything to go by he's a very good author. The characters were full and three dimensional, and he was very good at getting you (at least in my case) to connect to them as real people.The plot was very good and and very well told, realistic and believable. Its the sort of book I just didn't want to put down, very engrossing. Full of action, with the technical knowledge to back it up. The little details in every scene made the story very real indeed, and as a good book should do I felt I was there with Shepherd every step of the way. I felt his adrenaline, and his pain.The only criticism I have really is that he doesn't use chapters, very odd.The book though, absolutely amazing and thoroughly recommended.
—Dave
I need to start by explaining that I am exactly 11 books and 9 years behind in the Spider Shepherd series so I figured it was high time I started to catch up. As soon as I started I only got as far as 5 chapters in and it was game over, nothing in my house was getting cleaned, no dinner cooked and no TV watched. I realised that I have been seriously depriving myself by not reading these and ploughed on and finished this in just 2 days (well a girl has to work and pay bills after all).I realised that pretty early on Spider is a bloody fantastic character. He has a somewhat fractured history and with the loss of his wife he is desperately trying to balance his work life with taking care of his son. Having been so long since I read the first book it didn’t matter, as there was plenty of background info on Spider so that anybody can pick this book up and read it without having read book 1. Spider is former SAS and now working as an undercover copper. There are two main threads to the story, one involving Spider working undercover posing as a contract killer. The second thread involves him infiltrating an elite armed police unit to try and work out who is ripping off the local drug dealers. Both threads of the story had plenty of action and it seems like Spider doesn’t even have time to breathe. It was incredibly fast paced and I found myself absorbing everything and just wishing for the best outcome. In addition to the two cases Spider works on, there is the added sub-plot of a group of terrorists planning to bomb some major places in London.It’s been such a long time since reading book 1, I was astounded that I waited this long to read the second! Having finished this book in 2 sittings, I’m chomping at the bit to get to book 3. I actually brought books 2, 3 and 4 in one Kindle package for less than £7, which I thought was a great deal. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. This was a truly exciting and utterly compelling read.
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