When one of their own is kidnapped, the washed-up MI5 operatives of Slough House—the Slow Horses, as they’re known—outwit rogue agents at the very highest levels of British Intelligence, and even to Downing Street itself.London: Slough House is the MI5 branch where disgraced operatives are reassigned after they’ve messed up too badly to be trusted with real intelligence work. The “Slow Horses,” … The “Slow Horses,” as the failed spies of Slough House are called, are doomed to spend the rest of their careers pushing paper, but they all want back in on the action.
When one of their own is kidnapped and held for ransom, the agents of Slough House must defeat the odds, overturning all expectations of their competence, to breach the top-notch security of MI5’s intelligence headquarters, Regent’s Park, and steal valuable intel in exchange for their comrade’s safety. The kidnapping is only the tip of the iceberg, however—the agents uncover a larger web of intrigue that involves not only a group of private mercenaries but the highest authorities in the Secret Service. After years spent as the lowest on the totem pole, the Slow Horses suddenly find themselves caught in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens not only the future of Slough House, but of MI5 itself.
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The Slough House series by Mick Herron offers a wry, unpredictable twist on the British spy genre. His cast of unforgettable characters are plunged into a deadly internal battle in Real Tigers, my favorite in the series so far.
River Cartwright is about as Bond-esque as Harry Potter. No dames. No fast cars. But he is quit handy in a tight spot as are his fellow Slow Horses, an ever changing barnful. There are many characters, good guys and bad guys, so you never know who’s going to give up the ghost at the end of the book – it could be either or both. This book involves paper, paperwork, and records keeping. MI5 is drowning in paper. Its a problem. And in that paper there are secrets so the paper must be safeguarded at all costs. The series is also populated with several strong female characters in a refreshing way – they don’t come across as obligatory spunky girl archetypes. They are as integral to the stories as the male characters and have problems as challenging as the male characters. As soon as I finished this audio, I purchases the next in the series.
Gerard Doyle, the narrator, is one of my favorites. I’d give anything a try if he reads it and I’m usually glad I did.
This is the third ‘Slough House’ (Jackson Lamb) book I’ve read and, like the others, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Love the humour running through the book along with Heron’s pithy turn of phrase, great descriptions and memorable all-too-human characters. The plot meandered a bit but the ending was, as always, compelling and dramatic.
Mick Herron’s Slough House series is a highly cynical and highly entertaining twist on the spy thriller, starting with the premise that MI5 maintains a special unit for agents who have disgraced themselves in one way or another. They can’t be fired, as they know too much, but they can’t be allowed to muck things up any more, either, so they are exiled to Slough (pronounced “slow”) House, where they are kept busy with meaningless make-work tasks. That’s the idea, anyway, but the head of the unit, a burned-out case named Jackson Lamb, keeps finding ways to make his ensemble cast of misfits (known as the Slough Horses) relevant.
In this case, a devious plot to bring down the head of MI5 requires one of the Horses to be kidnapped by members of a private security outfit linked to a ruthless Boris Johnson-like Home Secretary with his sights set on 10 Downing Street. The Slough Horses make great patsies, scapegoats and fall guys when the higher-ups need them, but Lamb is not going to stand for that: the Horses may not be worth much, but they’re all he’s got. And when it comes to fighting dirty, he can stand in there with the best of them.
It’s a deeply cynical view of a British establishment consumed with infighting and back-stabbing; how accurate it is I couldn’t say. Given the Brexit debacle, you have to wonder. In any event, if you like convoluted intrigue and colorful characters (the Horses with all their quirks, their strengths and weaknesses, are vividly portrayed), give the Slough Horses a chance.
3.5 Stars
Catherine Standish knows that chance encounters never happen to spooks. She’s worked in the Intelligence Service long enough to understand treachery, double-dealing and stabbing in the back.
What she doesn’t know is why anyone would target her: a recovering drunk pushing paper with the other lost causes in Jackson Lamb’s kingdom of exiles at Slough House.
Whoever it is holding her hostage, it can’t be personal. It must be about Slough House.
I’m definitely warming to Jackson Lamb & as with the other books in the series it takes time to get into the plot. An enjoyable read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
REAL TIGERS is another thrilling instalment in Mick Herron’s Slough House series.
Slough House has new recruits, and they are as dysfunctional and dangerous – in their own ways – as the rest of the inhabitants. Yet in true Slough House style, their introduction initially has little impact; most of the inhabitants are in a world of their own and living with the untold tedium of doing the work of people seen as lower than even the bottom rung of the secret service ladder.
Machinations at both the Park (secret service head office) and within the government sees those aspiring to the top jobs plotting to overthrow incumbents and take those roles themselves. The plotting wonderfully weaves a cohesive narrative involving the Park, politicians and the Slough House team as they all fight for survival.
There’s a great cast of self-interested characters that I have no problems in believing exist in real life. And along with the ever-acerbic Jackson Lamb, and his hapless crew, I was treated to a marvellous thriller that had me engaged from the first page until the very end.
Each book gets better and better in this series and I cannot wait to read the next one.