The Solitary Man

Rating:
Summary: An involving read from a top thriller writer
Review: Sad that Stephen Leather is not as well known in the US as in the UK and elsewhere, for he is a very talented author who draws upon his experience as a journalist and first hand knowledge of the settings of his books.

Here weaving favourite themes such as the IRA, drug-smuggling and South-East Asia he produces yet another compelling tale. The IRA having had a man arrested whilst drug-smuggling and imprisoned in the infamous "Bangkok Hilton" prison track down the hero Hutch, a man expert at breaking out of prison. They blackmail him into getting thrown into the prison to rescue their man by fixing it so that he faces a long sentence himself. His Chinese girlfriend Chau Ling, daughter of a wealthy Triad leader, attempts to get him out of prison herself taking advantage of the fact that in Thailand, money talks very loudly indeed.

A subplot involving a unsanctioned strike on a Thai drugs baron in retaliation for the death via heroin of a politician's son is deftly woven into the mix producing a three-way conflict amongst the dramatis personae. Nobody describes South-East Asia as vividly and real as Leather and few thriller writers are able to sustain his narrative tension. I highly recommend Leather to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre........

Rating:
Summary: Why no Stephen Leather
Review: Stephen Leather has a great new book called The Stretch ,what a shame you cannot buy it on Amazon.. But you can get it through the U.K. site.All Stephen Leather books are a good read.fast paced with good story lines,and always well researched.

Rating:
Summary: it's not Leather at all
Review: Stephen Leather is an exceptionally good writer but this book is not Leather at all.Though it has potential to develop the story to powerful climax, Leather gets soft overempasizing unrelated issues like Hutch's(main hero) girlfriend Chau Ling a daughter of a powerful magnet in Hong Kong.It gets so unbelievable to the point that Chau Ling can challenge the allmighty DEA in Thailland get away with it and have her way.Mercy Mr Leather,you have writen masterpieces like Hungry Ghost,Vets,Double Tap,Long Shot,etc.please do not ruin it with incorporating highly improbable events.Keep up the good work.