 | |
| Author | Stephen Leather |
|---|---|
| Country | Great Britain |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 406 |
| Preceded by | The Bombmaker |
| Followed by | Tango One |
The Stretch is a thriller written by Stephen Leather, published in 2000. The novel, his twelfth, was based on the script for his television miniseries of the same name.
Leather originally wrote The Stretch as a two-part miniseries for Sky One. Filmed in the United Kingdom and Spain in 1999, it aired in 2000. [1] His previous television experience was writing for the program The Knock . [2] Leather's editor at Hodder & Stoughton encouraged him to turn the screenplay into a book. The publication of the novel was timed to coincide with the TV broadcast. [3]
The Stretch was published by Hodder & Stoughton in hardcover in 2000, followed by a paperback edition in 2001.
Career criminal Terry Greene is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of low-level drug dealer Preston Snow. Greene, who claims to be innocent, wants his estranged wife, Samantha “Sam” Greene to take over his illegal activities, which include money counterfeiting and drug and alcohol trafficking. Terry had previously hidden his illegal activities from Sam. She believes him to be innocent, and testifies on his behalf at his trial. Sam and Terry have three children, one of whom, the teenaged Trisha, lives with Sam in London. After some initial hesitation, Sam agrees to do as her husband wishes, in order to replenish the family's weakened finances. With help from Terry's driver/bodyguard Andy McKinley, Sam quickly becomes a capable, respected crime boss. Detective Chief Inspector Frank Welch is out to nab Sam, who, along with her husband, insultingly refers to him as Raquel. After another prisoner, Sean Kelly, confesses to Snow's murder, Terry is released from prison. Sam is conflicted as to whether or not she can trust Terry after his years of infidelity and lying about his criminal activities. Despite her hesitations, she allows Terry to move back in. Meanwhile, their daughter, Laura, is being abused by her husband, Jonathan Nichols. Sam's threats to Jonathan do nothing to halt the abuse; later, Terry beats him up and threatens him with murder unless he leaves the country, which Nichols does.
As Welch continues to investigate the Greenes, Sam implores Terry to retire from the criminal world. Terry convinces her to assist him on a big heroin score, which he plans to bring in from Spain and sell to North London gangster and distributor Geoff Donovan for 10 million pounds. Sam learns that Terry had a daughter with Snow's estranged wife, Alicia; that Terry did indeed murder Snow; and that Kelly only confessed to the murder because he was paid off and dying of cancer. When she confronts Terry, he admits to murdering Snow, but claims that it was in self-defense. Nevertheless, Sam helps Terry with the heroin deal, which appears to go off without a hitch, until they’re confronted by masked gunmen who steal the money and drugs and appear to murder Andy and Sam. Terry flees, only to realize that something's not right. He returns to the warehouse, finding nobody there, and no dead bodies. He finds a note from Sam stating that she and members of a rival criminal group tricked him, with Sam, Andy and her daughters planning to move to Spain to start over.
The two-part miniseries, also called The Stretch, was filmed in the UK and Spain in 1999 and broadcast in the UK on Sky One in 2000. [1] It was the channel's “Event of the Week” on November 12, 2000. [4] It starred Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson as Terry and Sam Greene; the duo were reunited for the first time since they portrayed a married couple on the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1988. The Guardian called their chemistry in The Stretch “magical” and also praised “some tasty cameos and supporting performances.” [4] Leather wrote the script, [1] with an original score by Dobson's husband, guitarist Brian May of Queen. [5] [6]
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The Stretch is a two-part British television crime drama mini-series, created and written by Stephen Leather and directed by Frank W. Smith. The series, produced by Paul Knight Productions, first broadcast on Sky One on 12 November 2000, concluding the following week. The series follows career criminal Terry Greene, who is sentenced to life for a murder he didn't commit. His wife Sam has two choices - to walk away from the criminal empire he'd built up, or to take it over.