IN THE RING by James Lear

Lear is the world’s leading writer of erotic gay male fiction with a string of sexually action-packed novels to his name. In recent years, he has turned away from his excellent historical erotica to write contemporary novels, notably the Dan Stagg series.

In The Ring is book three in this series, which opens with the shocking news that Dan Stagg has been killed in a bomb blast in Baghdad. Except he hasn’t. The CIA want the world to believe otherwise, as they have a top-secret mission for this insatiable top! Yes, Dan has been recruited to be the honeypot in an operation cooked up by the CIA and MI6.

Apparently, Dan’s sexual charisma has become so legendary the CIA have decided he is the ideal candidate to penetrate the circle of Alan Vaughan, a corrupt, closeted boxing promoter with a stable of sexually compliant young men. Vaughan is suspected of being involved with a serious terror threat and Dan’s mission is to uncover the plot.

Sending Dan Stagg off to the UK as a spy is an inspired plot decision, which unleashes all sorts of gay James Bond-style shenanigans. It’s also home territory for Lear, the pseudonym of British author Rupert Smith. And Lear’s signature “sizzling sex scene in every chapter” style does not disappoint – even when Dan is recovering from the bomb blast in hospital he still manages to rouse himself for some action with his sexy Latino nurse and, before long, is testing the extent of his rehabilitation by bending the young man over the hospital bed!

Yes, Dan Stagg is back in top form – and so is James Lear!