Jackie Shaw Books

'SPECTACULAR - A TAUT, INTELLIGENT THRILLER’ Tony Parsons Twenty years ago undercover agent Jackie Shaw fled his home city after a horrific terrorist attack, vowing never to return. But when Jackie's father dies, his loyalty to his family means he must go back to pay his respects, regardless of the danger he will face. Jackie’s dark past soon catches up with him and he finds himself pursued by ruthless men who have waited two decades for revenge. Jackie is a trained killer and he is prepared to break laws and bones in his fight for survival. But with so many dark forces set on destroying him, will that be enough? The first in John Steele’s critically acclaimed Jackie Shaw series, RAVENHILL is a compulsive and gripping thriller which readers of Lee Child, Mark Dawson, Adrian McKinty and David Baldacci will love. *** 'The best Belfast thriller since Harry’s Game by Gerald Seymour’ -- Tony Parsons 'Jackie is faced with a dilemma which fuels a cracking plot' -- The Sunday Times Crime Club 'Cracking debut novel delivering heart-pounding action' -- Irish Independent *** What readers are saying about RAVENHILL ...‘Gritty, violent and very good. Highly recommended .’ ‘Absolutely fabulous debut novel. A great thriller with moral twists.’ ‘ A five-star read without any doubt.’ ‘Superb read. The story is riveting .’ ‘ One of the best thrillers I have read.’

SEVEN SKINS – two words scrawled above a hit-list of six people who are targets for assassination by bomb, bullet or blade. The only man who can save them is Jackie Shaw. But he is alone, outnumbered and the security services he was supposed to be working for have cut him off. Now three professional killers are on the loose, and Jackie is ready to tear an entire city apart to find them before their innocent lives are lost... SEVEN SKINS is the second gripping thriller to feature Jackie Shaw, an ex-soldier and undercover agent whose talent for violence is only matched by his hatred of it. *** ‘SEVEN SKINS is just wonderful – fierce, chilling, whip-smart noir which deserves to win a whole string of awards. John Steele is going to be one of crime writing's elite.’ -- Ken Bruen ‘Dark, thrilling, and shockingly authentic.’ -- Claire McGowan *** What readers are saying about SEVEN SKINS... ' Superb follow up' 'Another fantastic read' ' John Steele and Jackie Shaw do it again '

Pursued by killers and tormented by his own demons, can Jackie Shaw get out of Japan alive? 'You race to turn the pages - an astonishing achievement in storytelling' Jake Needham, Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Mean Streets of Asia Crime Novels *** Ex-undercover agent Jackie Shaw visits northern Japan for a holiday, desperate to escape the brutality and tragedy of his past. But when a local man is butchered as he spies on a young woman in the seedy heart of Sapporo’s entertainment district, Jackie is dragged into the hunt for a terrifying serial killer and begins a long and bloody battle with vicious yakuza gangs. From the twisted underbelly of one of Japan’s largest cities to the vast, unforgiving wilderness of the northern territories of Hokkaido, DRY RIVER is a uniquely menacing and compulsive thriller which will take you to places you’ve never been before. If you like Barry Eisler, Mark Dawson, Adrian McKinty or James Clavell, you'll love John Steele's books. DRY RIVER is the third book in John's Jackie Shaw series and the most gripping yet! ‘A fast, compulsive crime thriller. Recommended for readers who love this genre’ SHALINI'S BOOKS & REVIEWS 'DRY RIVER captures a sense of place with such vivid, visceral, and violent detail that you can smell the sweat, the blood, and the wasabi. John Steele’s picture-perfect depiction of the yakuza world in Japan is not only accurate, it is frightening.' RAYMOND BENSON, author of Blues in the Dark and the five-book The Black Stiletto ‘Action-packed, thrilling, intense… a hugely entertaining read.’ OVER THE RAINBOW BOOK BLOG ‘Completely unputdownable… with a cast of superb characters, a well-written narrative and more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, this comes highly recommended’ AVID READERS RETREAT ‘I enjoyed this one immensely… the characters were fantastically written, the plot was paced well. Recommended!’ JESSICA BELMONT