Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: Cold Kill by Stephen Leather

By Angela Youngman Aug 14, 2006, 20:04 GMT

This is not for anyone who wants a gentle, relaxing read. Ex SAS, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is an undercover cop who is prepared to kill in the course of his work. Initially investigating a people smuggling ring, the discovery of large containers full of fraudulent cash on board the smugglers vessel widens the scope of the inquiry.

The fact that the person being paid to bring in the cash commits a rather gruesome suicide rather than talk indicates that some nasty people are involved. Links to the middle East and terrorist networks emerge almost by accident. The climax on a train deep underneath the English Channel is quite dramatic.

Very topical subject matter raised in a hard bitten way. More of a thriller than a pure crime novel, it takes a different stance on cops & villains conflict. The character of Dan Shepherd is well drawn and it makes you wonder just how far he could go before he reaches the line across which he will not go.