Underdogs is Stephen Leather at his finest with a fresh change of style with fast-paced and technically engaging action.
Andy Bird is a man living the harsh streets of London as a homeless man. One look at him wouldn’t give you the full picture, but he’s Andy “Deadman” Bird, an ex-SAS veteran who lost his hearing on a mission gone haywire. Unable to adjust to life back home, he finds himself in an undesirable place but he’s got his dog, Tyrone with him. As fate would have it, it’s on the streets of London that he witnesses a murder that starts a chain reaction with trained killers and cops alike hunting Andy and Tyrone. They may be underdogs, but that’s their speciality.
Stephen Leather raises the bar on crafting a distinctive protagonist in Andy Bird. Even as a deaf protagonist, Andy not only learns to rise up to the challenge but also shows us that there’s nothing we can’t succeed at if we’re willing to go the extra mile. The unorthodox challenge of a deaf character trying to dodge bullets and close encounters when every sound matters adds a crispy layer of excitement and anticipation to the action in Underdogs. Andy’s bond with Tyrone also adds with an emotional driving force to elevate the storytelling from a straight-forward action thriller to a compelling thriller that keeps you hooked with tenacity.
It wouldn’t be a Stephen Leather story without kickass action, high stakes, and nail-biting excitement. Underdogs delivers on all with flying colors and then some. As soon as you start your journey with Underdogs, you’re only going to put it down once you’ve run out of pages to flip.
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