James Lear
4 SeriesJames Lear is the pen name of Rupert Smith, born in Washington, DC in 1960. He grew up in Surrey and moved to London in 1978, where he has lived ever since. After a brief stint in academia, he transitioned to journalism, writing for various UK and international publications.
In "Straight Up," the second installment of the Dan Stagg Mystery series, someone is systematically killing members of a secretive special ops team that operated in Iraq during the 1990s. Dan Stagg, haunted by his past actions at an undefended surveillance station, is determined to find the surviving team members. He teams up with Al Benson, a former USMC standout now living a respectable but secretive life. As they delve deeper into the mystery, an affair emerges that threatens their mission and forces Dan to confront his past. Together, they must unravel the conspiracy before it's too late.
