Stephen Leather's Blog, page 2
November 24, 2020
November 21, 2020
An Agent Running In The Field
When I was in my twenties and wanted to be a writer, I read pretty much everything by Jack Higgins, Len Deighton and Gerald Seymour. And the more I read, the more I began to think that if I worked hard enough and learned the craft, that I might one day be able to write the sort of books that they write. But I also read everything by John Le Carre, and the more I read of his work, the more I realised I would never be as good a writer as he is.
Now, forty years later, I like to think that I am just about in the same league as Jack Higgins, Len Deighton and Gerald Seymour. But when I pick up a new Le Carre, I’m always brought back to earth. After some thirty years earning my living as a thriller writer, I can see that I will never be as good a writer as the master..
I’ve just finished reading Le Carre’s latest - Agent Running In The Field - and wanted talk about it. (SPOILER ALERT - If you haven’t read it and think you might, don’t read any further as I will talk about the plot and the ending!)
It’s a great read, I stormed through it in a few days and read it late into the night. The writing is, as always, superb, and the characterisation is awesome, as are his descriptions of people and places. He writes at a totally different level to me. I’m not worthy.
So what I am posting about it? It’s not by way of criticism, it’s more a case of trying to get my thoughts in order and to see what everyone else thinks.
Here’s one thing that troubled me. Everyone in the book is rabidly anti-Trump and anti-Brexit. Everyone. There is no balance. Now, I’m not necessarily a fan of balance. My editor asked me to put in a favourable Somali person in my thriller about Somalian pirates, and I did understand and agreed even though I felt it wasn’t necessary. And generally I have Spider Shepherd to provide a more balanced view when faced with characters spouting extremist opinions be they right, left, racist or homophobic. But there is no one in this book to provide an opposing view. I just felt it was tiring being constantly told that only idiots supported Trump or wanted to leave the EU. And it felt to me that if you write like that you risk alienating half your readers!
The other issue I had was the plot. The ending made absolutely no sense to me. The hero - Nat- and his wife, help the would-be traitor Ed escape with his new wife, Flo. They sneak him out of a building and into a car they have rented and drive him to an airport. The idea is that Ed and Flo run away to start a new life somewhere in Europe. Wait, what? They have no money, no fake documents, how exactly are they going to do that? Fifty years ago it might have been possible to start a new life as easily as that, but these days? And Nat has openly helped a would-be traitor to escape. That means he and his wife are headed for prison. There’s no thought of what the repercussions will be. And would Ed’s alternative, of staying in place and becoming a double agent, be so bad? A few years of that and he could leave and start a new life with the blessing of the UK authorities. I really didn’t understand the ending. Or was I missing something? If you have read it, please let me know what you think!
But it was the tradecraft, I think, that worried me the most. In his early books I loved the operating secrets that he revealed, dead drop letter boxes, secret meetings, counter-surveillance measures, I always felt that he was telling me stuff that I really wasn’t supposed to know. But in this latest book, most of the tradecraft seems to be stuck back in the Seventies. Do agents still put secret papers in hollowed-out handles of badminton rackets? Do foreign spies still receive coded messages using one-off code pads? Do they listen to overseas radio stations to get their coded instructions? At one point Nat is wary of the phone extension in his bedroom. But he is happily carrying around a mobile that his bosses have given him. Doesn’t he realise that even when switched off it is capable of storing and transmitting everything heard in its vicinity? Doesn’t he know that lasers can pick up vibrations on his window and turn that into sound? The bedroom landline is the least of his worries.
He wants to contact a former spy and his way of contacting her is to write a note, sneak into her building, pop it through the letterbox and knock and run away. He then waits for her to join him on a bench. But he didn’t even know if she was home.
It was all very strange, as if spies from the 60s and 70s had been transplanted to the present day and who ignored all the technological advance that have been made over the decades. These days a landline is the last place you’d put a bug, and encrypted mobiles and websites are a safe way of communicating generally. A burner smart phone and a few WhatsApp accounts will do the job…..
Anyway, I did love the book, it entertained me and made me think, so job done. I’d love to hear any other opinions on it!
July 18, 2019
Promoting A Book With Sockpuppets - Is It Wrong?
There is a school of thought that says writers shouldn't use sock puppets to promote their work. Me, I am ambivalent. I think this works.
August 23, 2018
The Guardian - The Newspaper That Hates The Things That We All Love
You can read the nasty piece he wrote BY CLICKING HERE
That's the thing about the journalists on the Guardian - they think they are so superior to the rest of us. I have hated the Guardian ever since they betrayed Sarah Tisdall back in 1983 (when I was working for the Glasgow Herald, a much better newspaper than the Guardian) but it has got worse in recent years. This piece by Stuart Heritage is typical of what passes for journalism on The Guardian these days. I truly hope that the paper goes the way of the equally awful Independent and ends up as just a website. That's what it deserves. I love The Big Bang Theory. It makes me laugh. Great writers, great direction, great actors. I am happy to be one of the millions of fans the show has. We will all miss it when it's gone.
I did post a comment on the article saying what a shoddy piece of 'journalism' it was, but my comment was 'moderated' i.e. deleted.
The Guardian is no fan of free speech, and that's a fact! It's no fan of popular culture either. They hate the things that everyone else likes, because that makes them feel superior. They have a similar attitude to fiction. They are condescending about most genre fiction, preferring to review the sort of books that makes them appear smart but which no one buys.
This is what Heritage says at one point - Because, inexplicably, The Big Bang Theory is still one of the most-watched shows on US television.
How condescending is that? Yes, it is one of the most watched shows in the world. How is that inexplicable? People watch it because they enjoy it. because it gives them pleasure. Heritage actually studied screenwriting at university so how does he not get that?
Let's be clear - there is nothing wrong with popular fiction, or with popular sitcoms that give pleasure to millions. Reviewers count for nothing in the grand scheme of things, all that matters is what people want to watch and read. If Stuart Heritage wants to dance on the grave of a sitcom that has run its course, well fine. But I will miss it, and so will millions of others.
August 3, 2018
A Sunday Times Bestseller
You can buy Tall Order BY CLICKING HERE
At the moment I'm hard at work on a new standalone thriller - LAST MAN STANDING - and then I'll be starting on the Spider Shepherd book for 2019. Busy, busy, busy!
July 30, 2017
Great Review For Takedown, My Lex Harper Thriller
Well, I say standalone, I have just started writing a second Lex Harper novel - PAYBACK - a fast-paced revenge story that I'm having a lot of fun with. I don't know if my publisher Hodder and Stoughton want a second Lex Harper book but if not I'll happily self publish it. We'll see!
Anywhere, here's the review!
You can buy TAKEDOWN HERE
The latest Spider Shepherd book, LIGHT TOUCH, has just been published and already has seven cracking reviews on Amazon!
YOU CAN SEE LIGHT TOUCH BY CLICKING HERE
Amazon have just slashed the price of the LIGHT TOUCH hardback to £7, which is cheap!
March 29, 2017
So Far, So Good!
Having said that, it's worth checking out my Facebook page HERE
I've stayed off Twitter for more than a year and haven't regretted it at all. I left at the same time as Stephen Fry. He went back, I didn't. I've noticed a lot of writers do love to Tweet but I still believe it's a waste of time and energy - you either preach to the converted or get attacked by trolls. Either way there are more productive ways of using your time!
And boy, have I been productive!
I've just finished writing the 14th Spider Shepherd book, Light Touch. It'll be in the shops late July but is already available for pre-sale on Amazon HERE
It's a fast-paced read with Spider Shepherd being sent undercover to find out if a cop has gone over to the dark side. It also introduces another SAS character, Matt Standing, who is on a mission of his own in London. The two story lines collide big-time and Shepherd finds himself making some very tough choices!
I've also released half a dozen Jack Nightingale short stories. I love the Nightingale character and hope to have a full-length Nightingale book ready by the end of the year!
I have put nine of the stories in a collection which is now available as a paperback and as an eBook. You can buy it HERE
There are nine short stories in the collection - Still Bleeding, Cursed, Blood Bath, I Know Who Did It, My Name Is Lydia, The Creeper, Children Of The Dark, Tracks and The Undead. When I have another nine done, I plan to publish them in a second volume!
Yesterday I finished writing another standalone thriller about a female firefighter. Vicky Lewis, who gets badly injured and is moved to fire investigations. It's a fast-paced thriller with some great characters and I had terrific fun writing it. As you can see from the photographs below, I researched the hell out of it!
The book is called BURNT and is with my agent now!
Durting the last year I also wrote and self-published my soccer thriller, PENALTIES. I had lots of fun writing it, even though I know next to nothing about football.
Here's the blurb -
Premier League footballer Gabe Savage is on the way to one of the most important matches of his life when he gets a phone call from his wife. She has been kidnapped along with their young son. And the message from the kidnappers is brutal - IF YOUR TEAM WINS, YOUR FAMILY DIES. With the kick-off only hours away, there is only one person Gabe can turn to - his brother Ray, a vicious London gangster. But a dark family secret means that he hasn't spoken to Ray for years. Can Ray help? And will he?
How cool is that? You can buy PENALTIES by clicking HERE
I love the Ray Savage character and might well use him in another book at some point!Earlier this year Hodder and Stoughton published another standalone thriller of mine, TAKEDOWN, featuring Lex Harper, a character from my Spider books..
It was planned as a series but it doesn't look as if Hodder want more, which is a pity! I might well write more and self-publish them - we'll see!
So what am I working on now? I have started on a new Jack Nightingale short story, The Mansion, which should be ready in a week or two.
I've also just started writing a standalone thriller about two detectives in London investigating a death in a mosque. It's an awesome idea and unfortunately it's so awesome I can say very little about it, I don't normally keep my cards close to my chest but this book is a bit special so mum's the word until it's done and dusted!
Oh, and I have had a Richard Yokely book on the back burner for years now. I've written about 20,000 words but have yet to finish it. This might be the year that I finally do!
May 4, 2016
Amazon Cuts The Price Of My Self-Published Paperbacks
It's a terrific promotion for those readers who want to hold a real paperback in their hands.
I have self-published the books through Createspace, which is an awesome print-on-demand system which most self-publishers use.
Authors don't make as much money from the POD paperbacks as they do from eBooks but it's worth doing as so many readers do prefer paperbacks to eBooks.
Amazon have chosen six of my paperbacks as part of a May promotion.
New York Night - the latest Jack Nightingale supernatural thriller - is just £5.99 for the month of May - You can buy it - HERE
San Francisco Night - where Jack Nightingale fights demons in San Francisco - is also just £5.99 - You can buy it HERE
The Spider Shepherd SAS short story collections are included in the promotion with Spider Shepherd: SAS Volume 1 now £5.39 now, down from £8.99 - You can buy it HERE
Spider Shepherd: SAS Volume 2 is also £5.39, down from £8.99 - You can buy it HERE
Take Two - my murder mystery set in the world of soap operas - is also down from £8.99 to £5.39 - You can buy it HERE
My psychological thriller The Bestseller is slashed from £7.99 to £4.79 - You can buy it HERE
February 26, 2016
First Response - The New Standalone Novel
Hodder and Stoughton have set the pricing for the eBook at £9.99 which I actually think is pricey, especially now that the hardback is just £8.
Here's the blurb for the new book, which I think is one of my best:
London is under siege. Nine men in suicide vests primed to explode hold hostages in nine different locations around the city, and are ready to die for their cause.Their mission: to force the government to release jihadist prisoners from Belmarsh Prison. Their deadline: 6 p.m. Today. But the bombers are cleanskins, terrorists with no obvious link to any group, and who do not appear on any anti-terror watch list. What has brought them together on this one day to act in this way? Mo Kamran is the Superintendent in charge of the Special Crime and Operations branch of the Met. As the disaster unfolds and the SAS, armed police, and other emergency services rush to the scenes, he is tasked with preventing the biggest terrorist outrage the capital has ever known.But nothing is what it seems. And only Kamran has the big picture. Will anyone believe him?
February 7, 2016
Blowing Up A Bus On Lambeth Bridge
Martin is halfway through filming my book The Chinaman, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. The bus blowing up is one of the major stunts in the movie and cost more than £300,000.
It could only be done once, obviously, so it was rehearsed several times so that all ten cameras (including one in a helicopter) would capture the shot.
It looked amazing, and my hats are off to the nine stuntmen who were actually on the bus when it exploded! Here's the picture I took!
The explosion was reported on ITV and most newspaper websites carried photographs and video!
This is how ITV reported it - CLICK HERE
This is how the Daily Mail reported it - CLICK HERE
The Guardian, possibly the worst newspaper in the world IMHO, reported that Londoners were terrified as they thought it was a real terrorist bombing. Absolute nonsense, of course, but I realised long ago that you can't believe anything in The Guardian. I was there, no one was terrified. And there was plenty of warning as to what was going on.
I saw a lot of the footage taken and it was amazing, truly amazing. Martin Campbell is a genius.
After the explosion I was allowed on to the bridge to inspect the damage with screenwriter David Marconi.
To be honest, there isn't a bus bombing in The Chinaman. I wrote about a bombing at the racecourse at Ascot but they weren't happy about having a bomb there so David wrote a bus bomb scene. I'm glad he did because it's really effective.
What was really cool was that Pierce Brosnan turned up to watch, even though it was his day off. He wandered around in a warm jacket and a baseball cap and was virtually unrecognised! Like the rest of us, he captured the explosion on his phone!
It's going to be a great movie and I'm really looking forward to seeing it on the big screen!
