I don’t know how he does it, but Stephen Leather always finds a way to add a new flavor to his thrillers. I thought I’d seen it all but then he comes up with Baltic Black Ops, a thriller that’s laced with all the horrors of war yet you can’t keep your eyes away because of the swift justice the good guys deliver that make you wish for more heroes like the merry-band team of Spider Shepherd and his warriors.
As Russian forces employ all sorts of dirty tricks in Lithuania and Kaliningrad, pillaging violently for access to the “Baltic gold”, MI6 decide to retaliate via a crack SAS team led by Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd, with the sole mission to create chaos in the Baltic region through sabotage, assassination and black ops. As the team lands behind enemy lines, they’ll have to put all their years of experience and guerrilla warfare tactics towards systematically breaking down Russian incursion and operations before they reach fruition. Not everyone’s going to come out of this mission the same way they went in.
Stephen Leather brings to life the horrors of asymmetrical warfare and the dangers men and women face in the line of fire in this age of unregulated violence. Not only do you feel a knot in your stomach from the unflinching depiction of such horrors but you are compelled to see Dan Shepherd and his team take the fight to corrupt and truly evil beings willing to commit heinous acts for selfish gains.
Leather doesn’t just present the grounds for a morally-just mission, but also gives detailed insights into the technical aspects regarding the asymmetrical warfare Spider wages with his team on the Russians, explaining to the heart’s content of each thriller enthusiast the different battleground considerations, weaponry, and choke points of how to best attack an opponent that has outmanned and outgunned you. It’s best looked at as a playbook of outwitting the enemy in their own backyard.
Do yourself a huge favor and don’t miss out on this fast-paced, highly-addictive, and action-packed military thriller written with an elegance and straightforwardness that Leather embodies with a classy demeanor.
Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase Baltic Black Ops
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
