Slough House is a dumping ground for British intelligence agents who’ve screwed up a case in any number of ways — by leaving a secret file on a train or blowing a surveillance. River Cartwright, one such “slow horse,” is bitter about his failure and about his tedious assignment transcribing cell phone conversations.
When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his … his beheading live on the Internet, River sees an opportunity to redeem himself.
Is the victim who he first appears to be? And what’s the kidnappers’ connection with a disgraced journalist? As the clock ticks on the execution, River finds that everyone has his own agenda.
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British spy novels are not generally known for their humor, but Mick Herron’s “Slough House” series may be changing that.
“Slow Horses,” first of the series, introduces us to a motley crew of disgraced and apparently incompetent MI5 agents who’ve been sent out to pasture. Not to the countryside but to a dingy building far from the agency’s …
I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars because a 3 feels too harsh and a 4 a little too generous.
Aside from a few moments sprinkled throughout, for me, this story lacked pace and drama to keep me consistently turning the pages to see what happens next. However, what it does have – and the thing which leaves me wishing I could give it a …
An old friend in London recommended Mick Herron’s books for a mix of realism, humor and storytelling. I read a few reviews online that said “Slow Horses” gets off to a slow start and ends with page-turning tension and action. They were correct on both counts, and had the majority of readers (and my friend: WOM is still the best recommendation of …
I’m a big fan of John Le Carre. From “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” to “Agent Running in the Field,” Le Carre weaves deep stories with fantastic style and prose. Once started, they’re often hard to put down.
I’ve not found many other authors working the spy genre able to combine these elements well. But Mick Herron has taken a bit of a twist …
Herron creates a unique alternative world of spies and spooks and what makes them tick (or not!). Jackson Lamb is a terrific character, and the dialogue sings on many keys. It’s a great series.
Mick Herron is a British espionage treasure – keep on spyin’ Mick.
The other day, Ann Cleeves said on Twitter that this series is a must-read. So I bought the audio which, as it happens, is narrated by one of my favorites. It’s a spy thriller with a taste of Camel Club or Tinker, Tailor but it is humorous and quirky without being slapstick and I love it. Bought the second in the series and about to start …
Real depth and character development. Reminiscent of John Le Carre.
just okay
I’d read that Mick Herron’s spy books were being compared to John le Carre’s. The latter is one of my heroes so I wasn’t sure what to expect. After reading the first in the Jackson Lamb series, I would say they are very different in style and approach. What they do have in common is evoking the boredom and cynicism of the world of spooks …
I’m listening to this in audio and really recommend it for reading in print. The scene breaks are not obvious in the audio version. My first book by this author and I am really enjoying the characters and the clever use of language.
3.75 Stars
Slough House is a dumping ground for members of the intelligence service who’ve screwed up: left a service file on a train, say, blown a surveillance, or become drunkenly unreliable. They’re the service’s poor relations – the slow horses – and most bitter among them is River Cartwright, whose days are spent transcribing mobile phone …
Mick Herron has written an unusual spy novel. As a thriller it falls a bit short because of a slow beginning. Slough House, a place of exile for British spies who are screw-ups or victims of politics, contains several characters important to the story. The author has the task of relating enough of their backstories so their actions and motives …
Great series