The Last Line

'John Cook is the Jack Reacher of 1940's Britain' - Damien Lewis

May 1940.

With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow.

In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen.

But even as the foreign threat looms, it's rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A twelve-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she's just the tip of the iceberg - countless evacuees haven't made it to their host families.

As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society. He will do whatever it takes to make the culprits pay. There are some lines you just don't cross.

THE LAST LINE is a blistering action thriller combined with a smart noir mystery, played out expertly against the taut backdrop of the British home front.

'A brilliant noir thriller set in the darkest days of the Second World War' - Stephen Leather

'A vivid sense of place with tension on every level, The Last Line dripped with historical detail and authenticity. I absolutely loved it!' - Marion Todd

READERS LOVE THE LAST LINE:

'This is an excellent debut novel with a gripping storyline' - 5 NetGalley Review

'This is a first class 5 star read that is a cleverly written compelling, captivating historical crime thriller that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys an unputdownable thrilling read' - 5 NetGalley Review

'Stephen has a way of describing his characters so tremendously that you really fall in love with them. John, Margaret and Doc for me are just the most incredible characters' - 5 NetGalley Review

'A superb novel which I thoroughly enjoyed' - 5 NetGalley Review

'If you like Lee Child then you will like this book. It has all the familiar hallmarks . . . vivid writing, well crafted characters, excellent plot and a crusading Superman with definite ideas about right and wrong and meting out his version of justice' - 5* NetGalley Review

A brilliant noir thriller set in the darkest days of the Second World War Stephen Leather
Ronson delivers a cracking yarn, convincingly told. John Cook is the Jack Reacher of 1940s Britain Damien Lewis, author of THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
A vivid sense of place with tension on every level, The Last Line dripped with historical detail and authenticity. I absolutely loved it Marion Todd, author of SEE THEM RUN
A tough, taut wartime thriller that reads like a cross between Alastair MacLean and Lee Child and atmospherically conjures up the spectre of war, the threat of Nazi invasion and other evils uncomfortably close to home. Dad's Army, it ain't! Robbie Morrison
Thrilling and intriguing in equal measure. Like Jack Reacher on the Home Front in WWII Mason Cross
The pace is quick and the action keeps coming. With well-chosen prose, the author gives the reader a snapshot of English countryside during wartime, with victory gardens, makeshift landing strips in farmers' fields and railway platforms full of evacuated children. It was a page-turner and I couldn't get enough SaltyGalReads
Addictively readable Irish Independent

Stephen Ronson grew up in Sussex, and spent a large part of his childhood exploring the woods and fields around Uckfield, many of which were still dotted with reminders of WW2 - pill boxes, tank traps, nissen huts, and graffiti left by soldiers awaiting D-Day. He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units - groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted nazi invasion and lead the fight back, he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done. Many of the locations and characters in the John Cook series are inspired by real places and real people. In particular, Stephen was inspired by his grandparents, Eric, Bessie, Peter and Vera, each of whom did their bit on the home front.

Nowadays, Stephen divides his time between Vermont, USA, and Uckfield, East Sussex. When he's not writing, he can be found renovating his house, or walking the woods and the fields.

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