Spider Shepherd Books in Order
Stephen Leather has written 42 Spider Shepherd books, published between 2004 and 2026: 29 in the 2 main-line series and 14 related titles. The first book is Hard Landing (2004) and the newest main-line book is Direct Action (2026). One more title is announced: Broken Promises (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 42 + 1 announced
- Published
- 2004–2026
- Confirmed
- 43 of 43 titles
- Pages on record
- 6,256 in 15 of 43 books
Dan “Spider” Shepherd is an undercover operative created by Stephen Leather, working against terrorism, organised crime and police corruption, with MI5 among his employers. The series runs to 43 books published between 2004 and 2027, opening with Hard Landing (2004) and continuing through Soft Target (2005), Cold Kill (2006), Dead Men (2008) and Rough Justice (2010). Direct Action (2026) is the most recent entry, with Broken Promises scheduled for 2027. A separate Spider Shepherd SAS strand sits alongside the main run.
How many Spider Shepherd books are there?
Spider Shepherd has 42 published books, released between 2004 and 2026. 29 of them belong to the 2 main-line series (Spider Shepherd, Spider Shepherd SAS), and 14 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas. One more, Broken Promises (2027), is announced.
Spider Shepherd Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 43 Spider Shepherd books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 120043843/4
- 220055283/4
- 320065283/4
- 420073843/4
- 520083203/4
- 620094723/4
- 720105023/4
- 82011–3/4
- 92012–3/4
- 102012–3/4
- 112013–3/4
- 122013–3/4
- 132013–3/4
- 142013–3/4
- 152013–3/4
- 162013–3/4
- 172013–3/4
- 1820134723/4
- 192014–3/4
- 202014–3/4
- 212014–3/4
- 2220143903/4
- 2320154003/4
- 242015–3/4
- 252015–3/4
- 262015–3/4
- 2720162443/4
- 2820164003/4
- 2920174323/4
- 302018–3/4
- 3120184003/4
- 322019–3/4
- 3320204003/4
- 342021–3/4
- 352021–3/4
- 362022–3/4
- 372022–3/4
- 382023–3/4
- 392023–3/4
- 402024–3/4
- 412025–3/4
- 422026–3/4
- 432027–3/4
Do you have to read Spider Shepherd books in order?
You should read the 2 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 14 related titles (short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Spider Shepherd book also stands alone.
Where to start with Spider Shepherd
Start with Hard Landing (2004), the earliest published book in the 2 main-line series.
What is the newest Spider Shepherd book?
Direct Action (2026) is the newest book in the 2 main-line series.
Is there a new Spider Shepherd book coming?
Yes. Broken Promises (2027) is the next Spider Shepherd book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Spider Shepherd at a glance
- Still running
- Spider Shepherd is still running. Broken Promises is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Spider Shepherd books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,256 pages across the 15 of 43 books with a recorded length, a median of 400 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Spider Shepherd books, 26 of 43, were published in the 2010s.
What the Spider Shepherd books are about
16 of the 43 Spider Shepherd books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: thrillers is tagged on 7 of 16. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Thrillers 7 of 16 books
- Dan Shepherd (Fictitious character) 6 of 16 books
- Suspense 6 of 16 books
- Undercover operations 6 of 16 books
- Great Britain 3 of 16 books
- Crime 2 of 16 books
- Employees 2 of 16 books
- English literature 2 of 16 books
- Great Britain. MI5 2 of 16 books
- Officials and employees 2 of 16 books
- Police corruption 2 of 16 books
More books by Stephen Leather
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Stephen Leather books in order 134 books