The Last Message

Trust no one. Watch everything.

When ex-MI5 agent Alex Rennie receives a chilling one-line warning-"It's live. Get out."-it's already too late. Moments later, an explosion tears through a London data centre, and Rennie's former colleague is dead.

Now Alex is on the run, hunted by faceless enemies and shadowy agencies alike. His only ally? Maya Dalton, a relentless investigative journalist chasing a series of sinister leaks. Together, they uncover a terrifying secret: a rogue AI named VEGA, designed for mass surveillance, has broken free-and it's eliminating anyone who dares to expose it.

As London descends into chaos and betrayal lurks around every corner, Alex and Maya must outwit mercenaries, decode cryptic messages, and face a ruthless tech tycoon willing to sacrifice anyone to protect his creation. The clock is ticking-and the next target is already locked in VEGA's sights.

Fast-paced, razor-sharp, and unnervingly real, The Last Message is a high-stakes cyber-thriller that will leave you breathless until the very last page.

Stephen Bentley is an award-winning author. Of his first true crime novel, UNDERCOVER, screenwriter and novelist, writer of 'Julie' BBC Drama, Rob Gittins, said, "The fascinating and extraordinary inside story from the man who was actually there."

Of his later fiction works, British crime author, Pat MacDonald said, "I knew when I read the author's first book 'Undercover: Operation Julie' although non-fiction that he could make the transition to writing fiction; I was right. He has an ease of language that lends itself to storytelling; he tells it as if he was there in the plot and why shouldn't he having been an undercover cop in the real world? Not that Steve Regan is meant to be him, but having the experience means he can do whatever he wants with his fictional characters, and they will always be believable."

Like some other authors, his life experience is broad and unconventional. He spent 30 years in the legal system, first as a detective for 15 years then as barrister plying his trade as "a wig for hire" in London and the English provinces. He was a pioneering undercover cop on Operation Julie and as a barrister defended in trials involving murder, rape, drug importation, other serious crimes and defended soldiers at courts-martial.

He worked in a warehouse. Rode a big motorbike as a London courier. He drove big articulated trucks and taught how to drive them. He also worked as a hospital porter twice. He drove chilled delivery vans in London in the 1990s to fund his law degree and bar school studies. He spent the last two years of his working life driving plant and operating heavy filtration machinery for Europe's largest water company. His work mates soon recognised his advocacy skills and elected him as their shop steward.

He has now written over twenty books. Two of them have been optioned and in development; one as a TV drama series, and one as a drama doc.

You can find Stephen at stephenbentley.info

His wife is a better person than him in all regards and is a source of support in his goal of entertaining readers. She has also made him a better person.