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Direct Action

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Direct Action

By: Stephen Leather
Narrated by: Paul Thornley
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Across Britain, violent criminals are walking free – cases derailed by sharp-suited defence lawyers and soft-touch judges – and public fury is reaching breaking point.

Into that anger step the New Crusaders, a shadowy group that hunts down offenders who have slipped through the net and delivers their own brand of punishment live across social media to millions of cheering followers. To some, they're heroes. To the government, they're terrorists.

Dan 'Spider' Shepherd of MI5 is tasked with bringing them down. But as Shepherd digs deeper, he uncovers a far more dangerous truth: the New Crusaders aren't driven by justice. They're being steered by hidden forces with an agenda that has nothing to do with punishment – and everything to do with tearing the country apart.

If Shepherd fails, it won't just be the rule of law that collapses.

It will be the country itself.

©2026 Stephen Leather (P)2026 Ulverscroft Audio Crime Fiction Espionage Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Rage Crusade
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Hostile Territory By: Stephen Leather
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Another superbly written book exciting and full of action Stephen Leather is the man and Paul Thornley makes every book come to life a great team.

Another great read

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What a ride !!
I have been awaiting this book ...it didnt disappoint. Very topical , action all the way. .Narration was superb as always from Paul Thornley.
If you like this genre ...then this is a must !!
Highly recommended !!!

Brilliant !

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This is dangerously close to today's problems. Could this happen? Yes. Brilliantly written and narrated.

Superb story

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I always enjoy Stephen's books, not just the Spider Shepherd series. The narration is always excellent and well paced. You always know what to expect with this series, but that's not a bad thing, and each book is full of action and drama.
I did find this a bit preachy at times with a lot of exposition on the problems of immigration. the bad guys giving regular rants and other characters discussing the problems repeatedly. Occasionally characters explored the issue from different standpoints but it felt very one sided and became tedious

spider back in action

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same old same... but in a really good way! Spider in 2026... same premise but up to date

Enjoyed my annual spider listen

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