I love discovering new authors and John Steele is definitely a new author for me, but after having read 'Dry River', I can definitely say that I will be reading more of his work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Dry River' but more about that in a bit. What can I say about Jackie Shaw? Well for starters, he is a former undercover agent. He flies to Japan for a relaxing holiday but as is often the case, his intended relaxing holiday turns into a not so relaxing holiday as he attracts trouble like a magnet attracts paperclips. Jackie becomes involved in the hunt for a vicious serial killer and he encounters some vicious yakuza gangs along the way. I get the impression that Shaw is a man, who doesn't do things by halves. This is the third book in the Jackie Shaw series so I don't know much of his recent history but I would be interested to discover why he is the way he is. Shaw is one tough cookie but then he has had to be. He is determined, stubborn, strong, cunning, he has nerves of steel, he is devious and well you get the idea. Jackie reminds me a lot of a James Bond sort of character. I must admit that it took me a short while to get into this book but that was because I got myself in a bit of a tizz trying to pronounce the names of the Japanese characters. I know it might sound weird to some but when I read a book I tend to say the names of the different characters out loud as it helps me to get to grips with who is who. That said, once I got used to the characters I was away. I found this book to be the bookish equivalent of a Hollywood movie. Lots of violence, lots of fighting and lots of action. I soon became addicted to reading this book and I found it extremely hard to put the book down for very long. If I had to put the book down then I would look forward to being able to pick the book up again. I soon got through this book and I was most disappointed that the book had to end. 'Dry River' is well written. John draws you into the story and he ensures that you keep reading by keeping the characters interesting, the different scenarios plausible and by having several shocking unexpected surprises peppered throughout the book. John writes so convincingly that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. Mind you at the first sign of trouble I wouldn't be getting stuck in, I would be off running in the opposite direction. John has created a lead character who can be a pain in the backside but you can't help but take a shine to him. Reading this book was much like being on a rather unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. There were a few times where I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was awaiting me over the page. In short, this was certainly a different sort of read but I mean that in a good way. I did thoroughly enjoy reading it and I look forward to reading more from John Steele. I can't wait to read what he comes up with next. Here's hoping that we don't have too long to wait but whilst I wait I will definitely be reading the other books in the Jackie Shaw series. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board for 'Dry River' is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.