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Dilemma: An entertaining, fast-paced crime thriller told at its natural length. (Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Stephen Bentley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 69 ratings

Book 2 of 4: Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers

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When you are undercover, many want to kill you.

Sicilian Mafia, Thai Mafia, even the CIA, they all want you dead.

Join undercover cop Regan in this emotion-packed roller coaster of a thriller.

Steve Regan is back and this time he’s alone and undercover in a seedy area of Thailand on the trail of a Texan expatriate, Les Watkins, the biggest drug smuggler in South East Asia.

Using himself as the bait, Regan attempts to score a $50,000 deal with the Thai mafia to get closer to his target.

As he finds himself embroiled deeper into the operation, Regan suspects Watkins may be connected to Regan's nemesis, ruthless Mafia boss Carlo Vitale, who has fled the United States following a triple bombing and assassination of three crime family heads.

Besides staying alive, Regan has other problems when he suddenly finds himself facing the worst dilemma an undercover cop can face.

Dilemma is an edgy, suspenseful tale with twists and turns plus a sprinkle of romance.

Though Book 2 in the Steve Regan Undercover Cop series, it can be read as a standalone book.

If you are a Reacher or Tom Clancy fan, this book is for you.

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From the Publisher

Stephen Bentley

Bestselling author of undercover cop books

Stephen Bentley is a former British police Detective Sergeant, pioneering Operation Julie undercover detective, and barrister. He now writes in the true crime and crime fiction genres and contributes occasionally to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing, and mental health issues.

He is possibly best known for his bestselling Operation Julie memoir and as co-author of Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting.

Stephen is a member of the UK's Society of Authors and the Crime Writers' Association. His website may be found at www.stephenbentley.info where you may subscribe to his newsletter.

Stephen, with Dominic Smith, also writes as part of a writing team in the Undercover Legends series under the pen name of David Le Courageux.

You can listen to Stephen talking about his Operation Julie undercover days on the BBC Radio 4 Life Changing programme/podcast.

Nonfiction True Crime Books By Stephen Bentley

Undercover: Operation Julie - The Inside Story
Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting

Nonfiction True Crime By David Le Courageux

David Le Courageux is a pen name for the writing team of Stephen Bentley and Dominic Smith.

Their first book is titled 'Undercover Legends' with a second book 'Operation Candle' in progress.

Crime Fiction

The Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers
The Detective Matt Deal Thrillers

The Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers


The Prequel What is the secret capable of destroying a glorious achievement and a source of national pride? New and old Steve Regan fans can now discover him at the beginning of his crime-busting career in this gripping thriller. Join Regan in this prequel to the Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thriller series by tagging along with Steven Hanrahan as a young C.I.D. detective in 1970’s Liverpool until his world is shattered by a tragic event involving a fatal car crash. The young detective is hand-picked for a dangerous undercover assignment. On accepting the role, he moves to London - the ‘Smoke,’ adopting a new identity. The legend of Steve Regan is born with a foolproof backstory so he can infiltrate the international crime gang behind England’s biggest sporting secret. A secret so shocking it could taint the image of British sport irreversibly if it were ever divulged. What is that secret? Is it worth dying for? A page-turning thriller of a novella packed with suspense.	Book One As Steve Regan goes deep undercover, he starts to have problems separating reality from fiction. Working as an undercover cop, he operates in a world of duplicity. In order to stay alive, he often thinks, How do I know people are who they say they are? Tempted by the riches of drug smuggling so he can help a loved one, Regan wonders whether he can go 'rogue' and cross the line. Based on a true story and inspired by the author’s real-life undercover days and bestselling memoir, his debut crime fiction story brings to life Steve Regan, a laid-back badass British undercover cop in the Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thriller series. The title of the book is a nod to identity confusion often experienced by cops who are deep undercover. If you like hard-boiled crime fiction or are a Jack Reacher fan, this book is for you. Original-concept crime fiction about an undercover cop written by a former undercover cop!	Book Two When you are undercover, many want to kill you. Sicilian Mafia, Thai Mafia, even the CIA, they all want you dead. Join undercover cop Regan in this emotion-packed roller coaster of a thriller. Steve Regan is back and this time he’s alone and undercover in a seedy area of Thailand on the trail of a Texan expatriate, Les Watkins, the biggest drug smuggler in South East Asia. Using himself as the bait, Regan attempts to score a fifty-thousand dollar deal with the Thai mafia to get closer to his target. As he finds himself embroiled deeper into the operation, Regan suspects Watkins may be connected to Regan's nemesis, ruthless Mafia boss Carlo Vitale, who has fled the United States following a triple bombing and assassination of three crime family heads. Besides staying alive, Regan has other problems when he suddenly finds himself facing the worst dilemma an undercover cop can face. Dilemma is an edgy, suspenseful tale with twists and turns plus a sprinkle of romance.	Book Three There’s only one thing more dangerous than becoming a confidential informant. Being an undercover cop. They have something in common - living on the edge. Steve Regan is still undercover working for the same UK secret government department. He sets off on what he thinks is a last assignment: seconded to the Australian Feds posing as a hit man hired to assassinate a liberal Australian politician. The Australian murder plot leads to the discovery of a frightening far-reaching white supremacist conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United Kingdom. Regan goes deep undercover within a London police CID department to gather evidence against the white supremacists. Regan's undercover infiltration is the most dangerous and audacious assignment he has faced. Will he succeed? Or will this dangerous game endanger someone close to him? Who will survive and who will die?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I must commend the author on a most surprising and ingenious twist in the tale as the ending really took me by surprise. I will certainly look forward to the next Steve Regan story." - Amazon UK

"A memorable read! I went through a roller coaster of emotions. Could not put it down until completed.What a read !! I now need to read all books by this author." - Amazon UK

"Has all the elements of a great suspense thriller." - Goodreads
"Amazing read by a new author for me." - Amazon US

4/5 Stars - Readers' Favorite
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Dilemma by Stephen Bentley is the second installment in the Steve Regan Undercover Cop series. The story jumps in with a literal bang, and three bombs ignite in three separate locales. The protagonist, Steve Regan, has been in Thailand living undercover as a bar and brothel owner, the latter which is run by Fon, the local manager of his female staff. The reasoning behind his undercover work comes in the form of an antagonist named Carlo Vitale, a mob boss on the run from the law and from other mafia families, and doing some of his own hiding in The Land of Smiles. It's a game of cat and mouse as Steve integrates himself as best he can into the Thai lifestyle and culture while keeping his work quiet--not a particularly easy feat when he's shuffling different agencies, intel, romance, and crime, and he's got a marker on his head that makes him as much of a target as the bad guys.

Stephen Bentley has written a really fast-paced story with non-stop action in Dilemma. I haven't read the first book in the series but this does work perfectly well as a standalone. I found the descriptive elements of life in Thailand to be most intriguing, and was pleased that Fon turned out to be more than one-dimensional eye candy. There is a lot happening in an extremely short space of time, making this crime thriller best suited for readers who don't feel the need to scratch deeper and who enjoy going straight to the plot. The good news is that book three, Rivers of Blood, is already out...so if Steve Regan becomes someone you can't live without, there is more of him to follow.

About the Author

Stephen Bentley is a former UK police Detective Sergeant, pioneering undercover detective, and barrister (trial attorney). He is now a freelance writer and HuffPost UK contributor. His memoir 'Undercover: Operation Julie - The Inside Story' is a frank account of his undercover detective experiences during Operation Julie - an elite group of detectives who successfully investigated one of the world's largest drugs rings. When he isn't writing, Stephen relaxes on the beaches of the Philippines with his family where he now lives. You may find him on Twitter as @StephenBentley8

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C4HFLH3
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hendry Publishing (July 11, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 11, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1647 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 127 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,248,073 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,629 in Kidnapping Crime Fiction
- #4,723 in Organized Crime (Kindle Store)
- #7,283 in Hard-Boiled Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 69 ratings

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Stephen Bentley

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Stephen Bentley is a former British police Detective Sergeant, pioneering Operation Julie undercover detective, and barrister. He now writes in the true crime and crime fiction genres and contributes occasionally to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing, and mental health issues.

He is possibly best known for his bestselling Operation Julie memoir and as co-author of Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting.

Stephen is a member of the UK's Society of Authors and the Crime Writers' Association. His website may be found at www.stephenbentley.info where you may subscribe to his newsletter.

Stephen, with Dominic Smith, also writes as part of a writing team in the Undercover Legends series under the pen name of David Le Courageux.

Now a multi-genre author, Stephen also writes cozy mysteries in the pen name of KJ Cornwall.

You can listen to Stephen talking about his Operation Julie undercover days on the BBC Radio 4 Life Changing programme/podcast.

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4.2 out of 5

69 global ratings

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DES

If you like suspense, you won't be disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

Once again, Stephen Bentley writes a compelling and thrilling story, with his latest novella, Dilemma. The story builds on Book One in this series. Steve Regan continues his undercover work, doing what he does best – bringing the bad guys to justice – sometimes the judicial form of justice and sometimes his own form of justice.
This time he is infiltrating the world of a dangerous mob cartel and finds himself mixed up in the seedy world of the people trafficking, gun running and of course drugs. The tale is full of adventure as Regan and his woman Fon, make some new friends and some new enemies as well as run into a few old enemies.
Reagan is forced to dig deep in his heart to do what is right when he falls in love with a woman he probably shouldn’t. The action-packed ride has plenty of narrow escapes and near misses. Right from the first bombs ripping thorough major cities in the US to the last surprising ending, the story is a captivating and fun read.

One person found this helpful

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Roger Fauble

4 1/2 stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021

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Dilemma (Steve Regan Undercover Cop #2), my sixth read from author Stephen Bentley. Surprisingly enjoyable read, the story flowed better than the first book. Alan R. Gron’s narration again adds greatly to a good book's enjoyment. “I received a free Audiobooks.com copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I own 12 other books by this author and look forward to reading more from him. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

As an aside, I am NOT a fan of Audiobooks.com. You can't adjust the playback speed, it held my place as I read the book over a couple of days.

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kindle reader

Action-packed thriller makes for an exciting read!

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2019

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Steve Regan is undercover cop Steve Ryan in Thailand. Embedded as the farang manager of Lucky’s Bar. Trying to infiltrate with fifty thousand dollars of drug buy money, heroin, he meets face to face with his target, Les Watkins, a Texan, the number one drug smuggler in South East Asia in the early 1980’s.

Three bombs go off in three Italian restaurants frequented by local mafia, murdering the Mafia bosses in these American cities. Violent bombs that killed innocents, including a ten-year-old boy. Carlo Vitale, capo of the Miami Mafia, is now on the ‘most wanted’ list. He escapes to Thailand.

Steve and his Mama-san Fon face danger in this fast-paced thriller in Thailand. What will be their fate? Vitale’s? Watkins? This well-written action-packed thriller makes for an exciting read.

One person found this helpful

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29

Wow! Great read.

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

Looking for a book that takes you away from everything and sucks you into it's story completely? Then look no further! With a hard core, calculated undercover cop and a steamy female sidekick, the author reveals the world of mobsters, drug dealers, and Thailand prisons.

Although this is the second book in a series, the author does a great job of setting the scene to bring the reader fully into the story. At the end it will leave you wanting more. Thank goodness the next book is already out. I'm off to download it now.

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Another lame read.

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

Why can't you writers get simple details right???
They jump off a bridge and immediately the bad guys have a boat there to catch them...seriously...???
This kind of lame writing just flatly spoils any story. Too dumb.

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I read this book in one sitting. Fast paced and to the point. This is the perfect book to read on a plane. I like the no nonsense style of the hero and how he deals with situations as an undercover agent. The authors experience and knowledge of the drug business brings this tale to life. Bring on the next edition.

One person found this helpful

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Elaine M. Steele

Dilemma-action packed!

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

This fast paced sequel follows my now favorite cop Steve Ryan to Thailand. The scene setting places you right in the middle of the action! Recommended for all crime novel fans!

One person found this helpful

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Ron K

Drugs and More

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019

Dilemma by Stephen Bentley is Book Two in a series: Steve Regan Undercover Cop. I was attracted to this book because of its geographical setting, Thailand, where I have spent fifteen of the last thirty years. “Undercover Cop” is a bit misleading as protagonist Steve mixes elements of police and intelligence functions. One hundred forty pages make for a comparatively short novel that tries to explore three things: police work, intelligence work, and (most interesting of all) cross-cultural understanding as British Steve builds a relationship with Thai Fon. Although an interesting story, in trying to include too much this novel loses a lot of its appeal. It barely provides a surface look at three complex issues.

Police work and intelligence operations have different end goals. When they are mixed up in the real world, investigations result. Not investigations of bad actors but investigations of governmental agencies. The objective of an intelligence function is information gathering. When intelligence agencies go further by taking action, they risk breaking laws. This happens frequently, much to the delight of investigative journalism. The same problem is mirrored on the police side. When police attempt to gather information through surveillance, electronic and otherwise, they risk breaking some laws while attempting to uphold others. More glee for journalists. Therefore, any kind of blended operation requires a very complex set of interactions at a leadership level, not at a street level. This is where the novel falls short.

We have heads of Mafia families competing for control in the USA using a time trusted way of selecting leaders, murdering the opposition. One relatively successful leader, Carlo Vitale, needs to flee the US and selects Thailand as a place to hide. From there, he can still actively control a drug operation. Unfortunately for him, our protagonist Steve, who will appear with the last name Regan or Ryan, has been establishing his undercover identity as a bar owner in Thailand. Steve is an undercover cop trying to infiltrate drug organizations. Carlo and Steve will meet in the last half of the novel. Carlo will immediately recognize Steve because years previously Carlo had seen Steve once briefly when Steve had visited the US. For the first part of the novel, we have a series of intermediate meetings leading up to the meeting with Carlo while Steve develops his relationship with Fon. As far as the criminal and intelligence part of the novel, we have a Mafia leader (Italian) killing people in the US, fleeing to Thailand where he will eventually encounter Steve (British) in an operation that will eventually involve Australians. OK, but administratively and jurisdictionally a nightmare. Suspend belief here.

The more interesting cross-cultural part was, for me, extremely shallow. For those who have spent more than a few months in Thailand, this appears to have been written by a tourist. Few clichés were missed. The idea of a foreigner (Steve) managing or owning a bar in Thailand which, like many bars in Thailand, are a combination bar and brothel will interest many readers. Steve is a benevolent owner who never accepts the many benefits offered by his employees. Right. Steve will eventually hook up with Fon, who is his manager (mama-san) of the bar and girls. Fon is an ex-bargirl (prostitute) herself but no longer does that work. Now she manages the girls as they meet customers in the bar and occasionally entertain them in one of the twelve rooms adjacent to the bar. Fon’s room in the bar is adjacent to Steve’s but over a period of four months, neither of them has entered the other’s room. Right.

The plot is straightforward. We know from the outset that Steve is going to prevail in all things. The story is the process by which we get from point A to the conclusion. There are action scenes I find extremely improbable. Depictions of the incompetence of Thai police are accurate but the ease of escaping from jail is exaggerated. Stephen Bentley might want to check on sales of his novel in Thailand before vacationing there. The public opinion of Thai police is justifiably low. Corruption is as rampant as described in this novel. But the police don’t like to be reminded of it. They have long memories for slights once they are made aware of them.

Surprisingly, there is little sexually inappropriate language used in a novel about drugs, human trafficking, and prostitution. The lack of any depth to the story leads me to make a sound like “meh” and give the novel three stars. I downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited (KU). The Amazon price is USD 2.99.

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Top reviews from other countries

Pat McDonald

Second book in the Steve Regan undercover cop series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2018

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This is the second book in the Steve Regan undercover cop series which introduces a less conventional undercover cop operating in a big organised crime world. Regan is now working for a small exclusive band of handpicked operatives DOCS Destroy Organised Crime Syndicates and he finds himself in Thailand where the ‘elephant in the room’ might turn out to be Watkins who he was sent to do ‘business’ with; in the world of undercover you never know who are the good guys and who are the bad. I never give away an ending but this one was a pleasant surprise, I didn’t see that coming!
There is an easy authentic emphasis to Regan, why wouldn't there be when the author himself is an ex-undercover cop which gives it a realistic feel and believable dialogues. Once again the author’s characters are three dimensional making them credible. I love the way Regan challenges his own actions and the economically descriptive settings that make me feel I’m in there with him, not watching somewhere on a screen, it’s rich and atmospheric, you can feel the tension. Pleased to know that there is more to come from Stephen Bentley in this series; it would make a terrific crime action film.

One person found this helpful

Susan Pearson

The Spy Game

Reviewed in Australia on August 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

Well written though I always wonder why the tough macho undercover cops who can kill as easy as look at you shed tears over a woman they've just met.

Tigerclaw

Another Good One As Book 3 Takes Undercover Operative Steve Regan For A Thrilling Ride In Thailand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

Another good one. However, I found I enjoyed the two previous books in this series more.

Working undercover is something Steve Regan has done for sometime. The name on his birth certificate is Steven Hanrahan.

In his last outing, Regan and his good friends Red and John Barnard ended up joining a covert agency called DOCS. In short it means ‘Destroy Organised Crime Syndicates’.

This story takes Regan to Thailand. Chasing a drug smuggler. A man called Les Watkins. Watkins has links to Mafioso, Carlo Vitale. If you have been following this series. You will know that Vitale has a major gripe with Regan. Will this lead to a clash of nemesis?

One person found this helpful

Sashadoo

Even better than the first book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2018

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In the second Steve Regan book, we find Regan, (now known as Ryan), managing a bar and whorehouse in Thailand. He is undercover again of course, working a new drug case. What he doesn't know is that he will soon be pitched against an old enemy from the past, one that puts his life and that of his new lover, Fon, in mortal danger. Dilemma is without doubt a faster moving, more polished and pacy read than the first book in the trilogy. It's a genuine page-turner with plenty of action and a real and satisfying love interest for the hero of the piece, which serves to make Regan a more believable 'human' character. I must commend the author on a most surprising and ingenious twist in the tale as the ending really took me by surprise. I will certainly look forward to the next Steve Regan story. This was worth the preorder and didn't disappoint me at all.

One person found this helpful

A. Mellor

Paranoia keeps you alive!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

Undercover cop, and infiltrator, Steve Regan was embedded in Phuket, when he learnt that synchronised bombs had targeted Italian restaurants, in three different American citiies. What happened next intrigued me and kept me up reading till the last surprise.

This novella, is the second book in the Steve Regan Undercover Cop thriller series; however, it can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed reading a book written from the viewpoint of a real-life undercover cop.

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Dilemma: An entertaining, fast-paced crime thriller told at its natural length. (Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers Book 2) Kindle Edition

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From the Publisher

Stephen Bentley

Bestselling author of undercover cop books

Nonfiction True Crime Books By Stephen Bentley

Nonfiction True Crime By David Le Courageux

Crime Fiction

The Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers

The Prequel

Book One

Book Two

Book Three

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

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About the author

Stephen Bentley

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