Slough House (Slough House, #7) (2024)

It is always a joy when a new addition to Mick Herron's superb Slow Horses series makes an appearance, and believe me when I say this one lives up to all my high expectations, smart, razor sharp satire and comic humour, unparalleled in its ability to follow and echo the nightmare that is our contemporary British politics and Brexit. The Salisbury Novichok poisonings, Russian secret service interference on British soil, has not gone down well in political or intelligence circles, so much so that First Desk arch-manipulator Diana Taverner loses touch with her better instincts as she seeks revenge, making a deal with the devil that results in the Kazan episode. The devils in this case are Peter Judd, a thinly veiled Boris Johnson, and young, wealthy new tech and online Channel Go media owner, Damien Cantor, looking to outwit and own Diana, who frankly admits to the corpulent and flatulent Jackson Lamb that she has made an error.

The rag tag bunch of our slow horses, still reeling from recent losses, led by the monstrous yet brilliant Lamb,find themselves erased from the intelligence service databases, but being regularly followed, and their ranks being further depleted, is it paranoia or are they being targeted? There are multiple threads, a government for whom everything is for sale, Lamb finds himself 'comforting' a gay American dwarf who believes the Russians murdered his partner, River finds someone seeking refuge and help at his grandfather's house whilst Shirley and Lech find themselves joining forces, and the slow horses are not going to leave their fate in the hands of others. Out on the streets of London, there are right wing populist protests that Judd hopes to manipulate in search of power and for his own ends, and as events turn perilous, the slow horses go dark, leading to a heartbreaking conclusion and cliffhanger.

Herron's series, and this addition make for unmissable reading, and once again the highlight is the revolting man mountain that is the politically incorrect Jackson Lamb, happy to abuse his slow horses, but woe betide anyone else who targets them. I understand there is going to a be TV series, with Gary Oldman as Lamb, something I am looking forward to but slightly apprehensive that all the glories of the books may not translate well to the screen. I adored how Herron parodied Boris and his government, although a recent American Democrat's insightful perception of Boris as a 'shapeshifting creep' has wormed itself into my head and it feels as if it is there to stay. This is high quality and hugely entertaining read, yet moving and so poignant, that I highly recommend to all of Herron's fans and to all those readers who have yet to discover this marvellous espionage series. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.

These are such fun books that I have to drop everything and read them as soon as each one comes out.

Slough House is set in England with a backdrop of Brexit, Russian poisonings and Boris Johnson. Our favourite spies, the drop outs at Slough House, are still apparently doing very little, but there is a suspicion that they are being targeted and indeed there are a couple of deaths. I was very happy to see River Cartwright back and he has a big role in the book.

There is a great story but the best part of these books is always the characters. Who else but Herron could have dreamed up Rod(the Rodster)Ho, the man who is a legend in his own mind. Or the totally disgusting, disgraceful, appalling but so intriguing boss, Jackson Lamb.

The ending was typical of the author. Keep us guessing until the next book comes out Mr. Herron but please don't make us wait too long!

‘Slough House didn’t recharge batteries, it sapped power. It’s as if there were negative ley lines, special coordinates where forceless fields met, sucking all spirit from whoever stood there, and Slough House was slap bang on that junction.’

Slough House, the home of the ‘slow horses’, the rejects and drop-outs from the British Secret Service at Regent Park, forever condemned to endless paperwork until they retire or resign to find a more fulfilling career. Over them all rules Jackson Lamb, shambolic, unwashed, uncouth, rude and cynical but underneath the façade always brilliant and always looking out for his Joes. They might be discarded, dysfunctional Joes but they’re his Joes and, even though he might abuse and belittle them on a regular basis, he’d do his utmost to protect them.

Roddy (‘The Rodster’) Ho, computer wizard, social misfit and ultracool chick magnet (but only in his own imagination) has discovered an anomaly he calls the Weird Wiping; every one of the Slough House employees have been wiped from the Secret Service database. They’re still being paid but their personnel files have disappeared. Is this some new game that Diana Taverner, newly appointed First Desk and Head of the Service is playing and if so, what does it mean for the slow horses?

Diana Taverner may have made a mistake in trusting a politician (what was she thinking?), to help fund a project on foreign soils. Now she finds herself beholden to the owner of a media news channel with a manipulative politician pulling her strings. Meanwhile slow horses are dying in fatal accidents and Lamb’s team are starting to feel that they’re being watched.

The latest activities of Slough House play out against a background of contemporary British politics with Brexit chaos, novichok poisoning of ex spies by Russian agents on British soil and street demonstrations by the disaffected and disgruntled populace unhappy with the current government. As ever, the writing is razor sharp, the dialogue clever and witty, the carefully laid out plot unpredictable and the humour sardonic and biting, sneaking up to cause sudden outbursts of laughter. The uneasy relationships between the misfits of Slough House are evident as they attempt to work together but somehow, we can also glance their fears and vulnerabilities and feel a fondness and affinity with them as events move beyond their control. Lamb’s clandestine meetings with Diana are always entertaining with their repartee a delight. Despite her revulsion at his decrepitude, she is fully aware of the devious and brilliant mind lurking beneath the façade.

This much anticipated addition to this excellent series was indeed worth the wait. But oh, that cliffhanger of an ending, Mr Herron! Please don’t keep us holding our breath too long for the next episode!

With thanks to Soho Press and Netgalley for a copy to read. Publication 9th February.
Original review posted at Suspense and Mystery magazine.

My carefully organized reading list just took a direct hit. When I receive the latest in this series, there is zero chance it’s going to sit there patiently waiting its turn. Because I already know that lurking inside is an intricate plot wrapped around plenty of wit & humour. All that remains is to dive in & find out what fresh hell Jackson Lamb (AKA Mick Herron) & his crew stumble into this time.

The last book ended rather cryptically, leaving me a tad uneasy as to the fate of the Slow Horses. And after the first few chapters, that feeling was back. With bells on. At first there’s just a whisper, a fleeting glimpse of a stranger having a really bad day. Something odd is happening & it’s clear there’s been a subtle shift in the status quo.

But let’s be honest. When it comes to this gang of MI5 rejects, “something odd” is hardly breaking news. It’s just that this time, things are a bit more….um….fatal. The Horses need someone on top of their game, a seasoned agent with the smooth moves to seamlessly infiltrate those behind the heinous plot.

Or…they could turn to the Ho. Roddy Ho, that is. During one of his routine hacks of the HR department, he notices odd thing #1: all the Slow Horses have been erased from the files. It seems they no longer exist. Huh…maybe he’d better run this by boss Jackson Lamb.

I’m not going to get into the plot. Just know that Herron is playing the long game & the seeds for this were planted a few books ago. There’s a persistent creepiness from the beginning that only intensifies as it becomes clear someone is manipulating events like a chess master. Ghosts from the past, novichok poisonings & Lady Di’s latest machinations are just some of the obstacles thrown in the path of the regular cast.

Herron’s dialogue remains one of the most enjoyable aspects of these books & each of the characters has lines that make you giggle. But it’s Roddy Ho who really shines in this outing. He sees himself as the love child of James Bond & Jason Bourne, a legendary spook who’s irresistible to anything with ovaries. Nothing could be further from the truth but don’t worry. The “HotRod” is not one to let something as trivial as reality alter his world view.

River, Louisa, Lech, Catherine, Shirley…they’re all back. And though they may squabble like siblings, it’s a given they’ll have each other’s back as events around them spiral out of control. Their interactions are often loud, sometimes violent & always entertaining. But in separate chapters, we spend one-on-one time with each & it’s in these private, sometimes poignant moments we hear their thoughts & fears.

As usual, the author includes plenty of sly commentary about the state of the world we live in. And once again he ends things in a way that has me fearing what I’ll find in the next book. It can’t arrive soon enough.

5★
“For a city is an impermanent thing, its surface ever shifting, like the sea. And like the sea, a city has its sharks.”

London is full of sharks and spooks and, in this case, hit squads. There is a war going on between Russian and English spies, and as the book opens, the Russians are retaliating against the assassination of one of theirs.

There’s a fair bit of politics in this one, where Peter Judd, a former Parliamentary minister, “a politician whose greed for power was so naked it required a parental advisory sticker” has plans to raise his public profile by stirring up the Yellow Vests behind the scenes. You know, fuelling the fires of dissent. Brexit is never named but is occasionally referred to only in phrases such as “budgetary fallout from You-Know-What”.

“Even unelected, Judd remained a big beast in the political jungle. But Diana had done her growing up on Spook Street, where big beasts numbered among the daily kill.”

Judd and Diana Taverner have had a longstanding acquaintance. Possibly an earlier affair? I don’t remember. She is First Desk at “Park”, which is Regent’s Park, Secret Service headquarters. She is the supreme boss – except when her budget is at stake, when she may resort to outsourcing “funding”.

Judd is applying pressure and telling her how he wants her to appear and what he wants her to say on a TV broadcast that he hopes will rattle some cages for his benefit.

“‘You hardly need me to write your script.’

‘I’m starting to get the impression that that’s exactly what you think I need,’

‘If you prefer, we could shoot you behind a screen.’

‘I could probably arrange something similar for you.’

And we know she could. In fact, we almost wish she would. But Herron doesn’t keep us in one scene for very long. The action moves between Slough House, the Park, Diana Taverner and her crew, Judd and a TV guy, River out in the field, Shirley drunk and drugged, and weird, funny Roddy Ho.

But – just as we’re in a dark alley with a torch flickering at the other end or on a back road at night with headlights suddenly appearing – BOOM! We are moved to the club where Judd and Taverner are conversing or back to Jackson Lamb, being his disgusting self somewhere.

Lamb is the boss of Slough House, theoretically working for Taverner, but even she doubts it. In each book he becomes more repugnant and more clever. He seems to appear without apparently arriving. More like the apparition of a homeless man from a dumpster. In one scene, at a kind of party where he is smoking a particularly fragrant Russian cigarette:

“Lamb had found a bottle of malt and was in a corner smoking, looking like a bin someone had set fire to.”

He smokes constantly, farts, throws butts on the floor, lighters out the window, and demeans his people.

“Lamb rolled his eyes. ‘God, you’re a drag to have around. Moan moan moan. It’s like being shackled to the ghost of Bob Marley.’

‘I think you mean Jacob.’

‘Depends,’

He is protective of his joes – his spooks – when they’re on missions, but he gets his money’s worth.

“ ’And if you’re now serving two purposes instead of one, it’s like I’ve just halved all your salaries.’ He beamed. ‘Win win.’”

You get the idea. I’ll make no attempt to discuss the plot, but there certainly is one and it’s up-to-date, post-Brexit but pre-Covid.

Fans will enjoy seeing favourite characters.

Drinker and co*ke user Shirley Dander: “Shirley could handle criticism as well as the next guy, but the next guy was a touchy bastard.
. . .
. . . a thing about Shirley Dander’s partners was that they tended to die; their brains misted against an office wall, or their insides spilt on snowy Welsh hillsides.”

Kinda takes the shine off wanting to work with her.

Roddy Ho, about himself: “ Roddy Ho was the Duke of Digital; everyone knew that. He was Master of the Monitor, Lord of the Laptop, but that was only half the story. Take him away from his screens and he was also King of the Kerb, Sultan of the Streets, the something of the Pavements.”

Roddy does know how to hack into almost everything, but that’s where it stops, long before the kerb or the streets. His boss has no filters. “‘It’s like having my own personal Yellow Pages,’ said Lamb. ‘Or, you know. Just Pages in his case’”

I am not cherry-picking quotable quotes. If you went through Herron’s books with a rake you’d end up with an enormous pile of excellent, quirky phrases, put-downs and descriptions.

I was delighted to see River Cartwright back, the first Slow Horse we ever met, I think, but he is in terrible peril, and the tension builds. I will warn you only that Herron does kill people off – see the reference to Shirley’s past partners.

Such good writing, such memorable characters, and such timely stories. Loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the preview copy. More please!

p.s. Great interview with the author titled: "Mick Herron: 'I look at Jackson Lamb and think: My God, did I write that? My mother reads this stuff!'"

https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

Can't praise enough the writing and the way Mr Herron has with words. Being a non-native speaker, reading this series is more than a pleasure, it's an invaluable treasure chest with the modern English, seasoned with wit, sarcasm and Englishness.
OverDrive, thank you!

EXCERPT: The study remained like a showroom in a vacant property - books, chairs, curtains; the shelf with its odd collection of trophies: a glass globe, a hunk of concrete, a lump of metal that had been a Luger; the desk with its sheet of blotting paper, like something out of Dickens, and the letter opener, which was an actual stiletto, and had once belonged to Beria - and if David Cartwright had left secrets in his wake they'd be somewhere in that room, on those shelves, among a billion other words. River didn't know if he really believed that, but he knew for sure that he didn't know he didn't, and if River thought that way others might too, and act upon the possibility. Spook secrets were dangerous to friends and foes alike, and the old man had made plenty of both down the years. He could see one of either breed breaking a lock, finessing a window; could see them working round the study, looking for clues. If that was happening, River needed to stop it. Any trail his dead grandfather had left, no one was going to follow but him.

ABOUT 'SLOUGH HOUSE': Slough House - the crumbling office building to which failed spies, the 'slow horses', are banished - has been wiped from secret service records.

Reeling from recent losses in their ranks, the slow horses are worried they've been pushed further into the cold, and fatal accidents keep happening.

With a new populist movement taking a grip on London's streets, the aftermath of a blunder by the Russian secret service that left a British citizen dead, and the old order ensuring that everything's for sale to the highest bidder, the world's an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. The wise move would be to find a safe place and wait for the troubles to pass.

But the slow horses aren't famed for making wise decisions.

MY THOUGHTS: I have never read Mick Herron previously, although I had heard a lot of great things about his writing, and they are all true. I am not known for enjoying spy thrillers, but Slough House is not your traditional spy thriller. Its characters are misfits, those who have failed in some way, who the hierarchy would prefer to forget even exist. Slough House could best be described as a halfway house, but the question would be, halfway to where?

There is a lot of dialogue in Slough House, which I usually don't like, but Herron's wonderful one-liners had me almost hysterical at times. His dialogue is also clever in other ways. He has used reasonably recent events as a background for the plot in Slough House, although it was completed prior to the advent of Covid, so there's no reference to social distancing or the pandemic.

Slough House is #7 in the series, so I had no knowledge of any of the characters going into this book, something I intend to remedy. I became quite fond of this bunch of misfits who, although they outwardly show disdain and contempt for one another, have an underlying and undeniable deep loyalty. I need to know how they got to where they are, what has shaped, or misshapen them. They are a fascinating bunch for whom I feel great affection, and therefore I am going to start this series from the beginning. In fact, I am going to read everything this author has written.

Herron writes with wicked imagery, sardonic wit and black humour, which I love. I rank him right up there with Adrian McKinty and Ken Bruen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#SloughHouse #NetGalley

I: @johnmurrays

T: @johnmurrays

#contemporaryfiction #crime #humour #spythriller

THE AUTHOR: Mick Herron was born in Newcastle and has a degree in English from Balliol College, Oxford. He is the author of seven books in the Slough House series as well as a mystery series set in Oxford featuring Sarah Tucker and/or P.I. Zoë Boehm. He now lives in Oxford and works in London.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to John Murray Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Slough House by Mick Herron for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

4.5 ☆

To those who buy and sell and own and build, the past is simply a shortcut to what's yet to come, and what's yet to come offers magpie riches to those prepared to embrace the changes demanded. Or so the promises run.

The other mystery to me is why the readership numbers aren't larger for this fantastic series. Although the beginning of the series appeared as a spoof of the spy genre, Herron has said that he was most interested in office culture and these ensemble-cast stories are very character driven. It just happened that he used spies because this set-up allowed for national topics. The plotlines have been a bit wild but it's one of Jackson Lamb's saws - we're spies, all sorts of outlandish sh*t happens! Herron's other attribute is his boldness, for he does not shy away from grim realities. The plots may sometimes veer on the cartoon-ish edge but the "good guys" have very bad things happen to them, including violent deaths. Finally, Herron's skewering of the political milieu has grown sharper with each installment and yet the satire is softened by his humor. This series is freshly imaginative, clever, and sardonically witty - a winning combination for me.

Mick Herron has done it again. This series is perfect for those that want their humor dark and smart. It’s the kind of humor that catches you unaware, in a “did he really just say that?” style. In fact, listening to this has made me even more curious to see the tv series. So much of the story is the thoughts of the characters and I wonder how that will be conveyed.
The story has moved into Brexit and once again, Herron takes aim at the politicians, as well as the idiot rabble whose brains they twist.
Diana Taverner has made a deal with the devil and she’s on a slippery slope downwards. Regents Park and the Russians are in a contest and she’s opted to finance her revenge with “outside money”. The slow horses of Slough House have been erased from Regent Park’s database. And now they appear to be being targeted. The story moves at a fast pace, with not everyone making it out alive.
I highly recommend this book and the entire series for fans of dark thrillers that depend more on character depth than Mission Impossible style action.
Again, I am so impressed with Gerard Doyle as the narrator.

So many loose ends when this book concluded. Only one more to go in the series, and I wonder how it's going to wrap up. Fingers crossed in the hopes that Mr. Herron may have more planned.

This is the 7th book in Mick Herron's 'Slough House' (Slow Horses) series, about British MI5 agents who've made a serious mistake and are relegated to working in a dilapidated building called Slough House. The novels in this series are best read in order because of the continuing story arc.

*****

The man in charge of Slough House is former spy master Jackson Lamb, an offensive slob who slings insults at people, smokes too much, eats too much, and has terrible hygiene. Regardless, Lamb feels compelled to look out for his 'joes' (agents), even if he thinks they're idiots.

By now Diana Taverner has been first chair at Regents Park for a while, and she's a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, Lady Di's ambition, hubris, and impatience led her to make a big mistake.

The Russians had used the nerve agent Novichok to kill a person on British soil, so Diana retaliated by engineering an assassination in Russia.

To finance the hit, Diana (secretly) took money from a cabal of wealthy British citizens, and two members of the syndicate, politically ambitious Peter Judd.....

.....and media tycoon Damien Cantor, seem to think Diana owes them - and they're not shy about asking for favors.

Diana has pulled another shady stunt as well. She's 'disappeared' Slough House and all its personnel from Regents Park's records, and hasn't explained why. Meanwhile, some of the slow horses notice they're being followed, and two former slow horses have been murdered. It's clear Jackson Lamb and his joes need to take some action.

In the meantime, the slow horses stay true to form. Catherine Standish hands out/organizes the boring assignments created by Lamb - like making lists of people who borrow 'suspicious' library books;

River Cartwright ditches his paperwork, but races into action when necessary;

Louisa Guy tries to follow the rules more than most of the slow horses;

Lech Wicinski makes it his business to suss out who's following him;

Shirley Dander's cocaine addiction and hot temper cause trouble;

and Roddy Ho makes us laugh with his deluded narcissism, but does good work with his computer hacking skills.

There's plenty of action in this book, and some big surprises. This thriller is a must read or fans of the series.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

I won't go into the storyline since that can be found elsewhere.

The first six books in the Slough House series have been just wonderful but number seven, to my fragment of a mind, did not measure up. Herron has a very quirky writing style and an equally quirky way to create a plot. In this book, he got a tad carried away with his quirkiness and the result, in my not-too-humble opinion was a very mediocre book. I also would have preferred it if the book had an ending.

I just changed my rating from three stars to two after reading my own review. It damn sure did not read like a three-star review and who am I to argue with me?

Clearly not recommended although I will most certainly read further books in the series because I have so thoroughly enjoyed some of Herron's earlier books. If you like really quirky espionage stories written in an unusual and very tongue-in-cheek manner, I suggest that you start with Book #1 in this series and, if you enjoy it enough, read books two through six but give seven a miss.

Finito

4 stars

This instalment of the hugely enjoyable Slough House series is far more based in current British politics than previous instalments.

The Salisbury novichok attack, the rise of right-wing yobbo movements, media giants wanting a say in government policy, Putin not playing by the long-established espionage rules, the utter and complete washout that is Brex...sorry, "you-know-what"...all shuffle for prime story real estate.

It works, but it's also a cacophony of various voices and themes which don't always gel into a harmonious whole. Unfortunately, this is also the first instalment where I skimmed sections and that's what lost it a star.

Specifically, whenever ex-politician and arch-manipulator Peter Judd showed his ugly face. His convos with 1st Desk Diana Taverner are eye-rolling snooze fests compared to what Slough House is up to and up against. Judd is even more annoying than Roddy Ho...and I didn't think that was possible.

On to the 8th and (currently) final instalment!!

EXCERPT: The study remained like a showroom in a vacant property - books, chairs, curtains; the shelf with its odd collection of trophies: a glass globe, a hunk of concrete, a lump of metal that had been a Luger; the desk with its sheet of blotting paper, like something out of Dickens, and the letter opener, which was an actual stiletto, and had once belonged to Beria - and if David Cartwright had left secrets in his wake they'd be somewhere in that room, on those shelves, among a billion other words. River didn't know if he really believed that, but he knew for sure that he didn't know he didn't, and if River thought that way others might too, and act upon the possibility. Spook secrets were dangerous to friends and foes alike, and the old man had made plenty of both down the years. He could see one of either breed breaking a lock, finessing a window; could see them working round the study, looking for clues. If that was happening, River needed to stop it. Any trail his dead grandfather had left, no one was going to follow but him.

ABOUT 'SLOUGH HOUSE': Slough House - the crumbling office building to which failed spies, the 'slow horses', are banished - has been wiped from secret service records.

Reeling from recent losses in their ranks, the slow horses are worried they've been pushed further into the cold, and fatal accidents keep happening.

With a new populist movement taking a grip on London's streets, the aftermath of a blunder by the Russian secret service that left a British citizen dead, and the old order ensuring that everything's for sale to the highest bidder, the world's an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. The wise move would be to find a safe place and wait for the troubles to pass.

But the slow horses aren't famed for making wise decisions.

MY THOUGHTS: I have never read Mick Herron previously, although I had heard a lot of great things about his writing, and they are all true. I am not known for enjoying spy thrillers, but Slough House is not your traditional spy thriller. Its characters are misfits, those who have failed in some way, who the hierarchy would prefer to forget even exist. Slough House could best be described as a halfway house, but the question would be, halfway to where?

There is a lot of dialogue in Slough House, which I usually don't like, but Herron's wonderful one-liners had me almost hysterical at times. His dialogue is also clever in other ways. He has used reasonably recent events as a background for the plot in Slough House, although it was completed prior to the advent of Covid, so there's no reference to social distancing or the pandemic.

Slough House is #7 in the series, so I had no knowledge of any of the characters going into this book, something I intend to remedy. I became quite fond of this bunch of misfits who, although they outwardly show disdain and contempt for one another, have an underlying and undeniable deep loyalty. I need to know how they got to where they are, what has shaped, or misshapen them. They are a fascinating bunch for whom I feel great affection, and therefore I am going to start this series from the beginning. In fact, I am going to read everything this author has written.

Herron writes with wicked imagery, sardonic wit and black humour, which I love. I rank him right up there with Adrian McKinty and Ken Bruen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#SloughHouse #NetGalley

I: @johnmurrays

T: @johnmurrays

#contemporaryfiction #crime #humour #spythriller

THE AUTHOR: Mick Herron was born in Newcastle and has a degree in English from Balliol College, Oxford. He is the author of seven books in the Slough House series as well as a mystery series set in Oxford featuring Sarah Tucker and/or P.I. Zoë Boehm. He now lives in Oxford and works in London.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to John Murray Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Slough House by Mick Herron for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

If you aren't reading the Slough House spy novels yet, what are you waiting for? Pick up a copy of Slow Horses and get going! You are unlikely to regret it and you have lots of reading pleasure ahead.

I couldn't put this book down last night—I read until I ran out of words. Mick Herron nails the spy genre, creating characters that I care about, turning them loose in a dangerous city, and giving them enemies both foreign and domestic to cope with. Herron has a keen grasp on contemporary politics and you have zero doubts about his views on the state of affairs. I love his dark sense of humour and his sharp commentary on politicians and bureaucrats in addition to the espionage biz. I appreciate how Herron works events from the current news into his plotlines: Brexit, Yellow Vests, Novichok and Russian “tourists," for example. Although some of his references may not age well, I think the quality of the narrative will hold up to the test of time.

Despite the attrition rate at Slough House, many of the regulars are still there. Jackson Lamb takes his place at the centre of this novel, asserting his exclusive right to bedevil his slow horses. It's like siblings—we can bad mouth each other, but we'll stand together against the criticism of others. Though the slow horses may be failures, they are his failures, they are still joes, and Lamb protects them or avenges them as necessary. Don't get me wrong—I’ve always appreciated Lamb. He is the archetype of the horrible boss, but when the chips are down, he defends his own and I love him for it. We still don't know why he's attempting to drink and smoke himself to death or why he dresses like a homeless person, but those characteristics provide excellent cover.

Unusually, Herron ends this volume on a cliffhanger. The next book cannot come out fast enough for me! I will be on tenterhooks until that time, but at least I know there will be another book. I will make an appropriate sacrifice to the Goddess of Book Publishing in thanks.

I'm *beyond excited* to have received an ARC from those lovely people at John Murray (thank you!) but it also leaves me in a quandary as I don't want to say anything that will give even the slightest spoilers for the delights between these covers... so I'm just going to say that if you're not a Herron fan, do yourself a favour and start this series from the beginning; and if you are, you'll need no urging from me to get your hands on this as soon as you possibly can. Just get ready for a jaw-dropping development at the start - and a poignant ending.

As much as the political intelligence, the leap-off-the-page characters and the unpredictable plotting, I love these books for their finger-on-the-pulse of contemporary UK politics in all its horror (Brexit is 'You-Know-What') and this book is especially attentive to the narcissistic self-interest of PJ who just happens to bear more than a passing resemblance to our revered PM, BJ...

So rather that a review, this is a whet your appetite sneaky preview of top lines:

'If you're going to tell a lie, tell a big one. Stick it on the side of a bus.'

'The paths to power of current world leaders - paths including conspiracy, knee-jerk racism, indeterminate fecundity and cheating at golf - were so askew from the traditional routes that only an idiot would have dared forecast future developments.' ~ a line especially pertinent today November 7 2020 as the US election is finally called for Joe Biden.

'There were those who'd said of Peter Judd, during his years as a contender for the highest office in the land, that his clowning masked a laser-like focus on his own best interests'

Sharp, smart, hilarious, scathing, acute, and *that ending* - unmissable!

Oh my heart! I don't think I'll be able to bear the suspense for very long, and will be picking up the next instalment pretty soon to find out what happens after that cliffhanger ending. This reaffirms my personal rule to read this series one book behind the latest release, so I'll always have something to look forward to.

After 7 full length novels and several novellas, Slough House has just become my equal favourite, along with Spook Street. Analysing this feeling, it didn't take me long to see what the connection was - both are stories where the slow horses are front and centre of the intrigue. Not just caught up in it, but central to it. This time around, Jackson Lamb's crew have been mistakenly (???) characterised as an elite squad of assassins, and are being targeted by the Russians. Of course, it takes a couple of hits before they realise this and swing into action to save themselves and each other. I query whether it was mistaken because - as usual - there are strings being pulled left, right and centre by the Park. And why the Russians? Well, I will say up front they have NOT time travelled back to the Cold War era! This is a very contemporary story, with the finishing touches being made just as we began to don our masks in 2020. I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling, so I'll just say it was edge-of-the-seat thrilling.

Since reading #6, I've watched both series of the TV adaptation that are currently available, and found it interesting to see how my brain visualised the characters as a I read this book. Did I revert to my previously imagined versions? No! It must be a sign of good casting that the actors have taken over my imagination.

Slough House is the seventh book in the Slough House/Jackson Lamb series by award-winning British author, Mick Herron. Against a background of Brexit, Novichok poisonings and Yellow Vest protests, the remaining slow horses are dealing with the recent violent loss of two associates. Their boss, Jackson Lamb is still keeping his team busy with pointless and unproductive assignments: following up social media absconders (#gonequiet), failures to pay fines or potential safe-houses for non-friendlies.

The wiping of all their personal files from the Service database is puzzling, and when some notice they are being tailed, Lamb concludes First Desk at Regent’s Park, Di Taverner is using his staff as targets for trainee spooks. Catherine Standish is unconvinced, citing the recent, supposedly accidental, death of a former slow horse. But River Cartwright is distracted by living proof of another former slow horse, while Lech Wicinski is talked into dubious action on a Park tail by Shirley Dander.

Di Taverner has gone down the dangerous path of funding the Service by private donors, believing she can still control the direction of their actions; she is warned that “when you disappoint rich and powerful men, they let their displeasure be known.” And, at first, she’s dismissive of the rumour about Russian operatives exacting revenge for a certain non-Park-sanctioned killing…

As obnoxious as Lamb is, he’s protective of his own: it’s not long before a few more pennies drop and Catherine Standish sends out the message that tells the slow horses just how serious things are: “Blake’s grave. Now.”

It’s interesting to see what different device Herron uses to familiarise the reader with the Slough House building at the start of each book: this time, an estate agent walk-through. As always, the laugh-out-loud potential of Herron’s work necessitates a warning against reading whilst eating or drinking, or for those with continence issues; also that reading in the quiet carriage on public transport may disturb other travellers.

For example: when Lamb begins a staff meeting with “Sorry to keep you waiting. I was up late comforting a gay American dwarf” the slow horses are momentarily non-plussed, but they are almost reassured when he follows up a little later to Roddy Ho: “’That new, is it? The palsy shirt?’ ‘Paisley,’ said Roddy. ‘If you say so. Makes you look spastic either way.’” His parting remarks “And remember, all of us are lying in the gutter. But some of you are circling the drain” prove Lamb’s mastery of offensiveness is still intact.

Without fail, Herron has a finger on the pulse and often writes with tongue firmly in cheek. And if his readers form attachments to certain characters, Herron can never be accused of that sentimentality: the cliff-hanger ending, while it might cause a lump in a few throats, adequately demonstrates this. Slough House is Herron at the top of his game. A credible plot, clever dialogue and lots of action: British crime fiction at its best.

I was delighted to receive the latest Slough House novel – seventh in a series which is current, political, clever, witty and realistic. Diana Taverner finds herself making some bad decisions in this novel; not the least her involvement with Peter Judd, who bears more than a little resemblance to our current Prime Minister. For there has been foreign agents spreading havoc, not least poisoning civilians, in a way that actually happened. Such events, on home turf, require a response and Taverner is keen enough to make that happen to allow Judd’s involvement.

Nothing happens without consequences though and, in a strange twist of fate, Slough House finds itself under threat. Their careers already buried, the Slow Horses now find their service records have been wiped. Still, someone is aware of their existence, as there are odd deaths and even stranger resurrections. With the Slow Horses in danger it is, again, up to Jackson Lamb to shuffle out of his lair and protect those who shuffle paper under his domain.

It is hard to say how much I love this series. From the recognition of having two of the Slow Horses trail around the familiar Old Street roundabout I know well, to Ho’s wonderfully delusional behaviour, or just Jackson Lamb accidentally throwing his lighter out of a window, this has some fantastically dry humour – mostly in Lamb’s sly, cruel and extremely politically incorrect language. Still, he shows, in this book, that he is more than capable of breaking bones and breaking into buildings. Underestimate him at your peril – he is not to be fooled, or fooled with.

One thing about this series is, despite the humour, the danger is real and the ending of this novel will pull the reader up short. Despite the emotional investment I have with this series, and the characters, I (gratefully) received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

The penultimate book in the series, and a good one it is. If you know the series, you know what to expect.

Although the series is decidedly British, this book called to mind many of the indignities suffered by the American political system since 2016 (and before, actually, but who's counting?). All that "lying down with strange bedfellows" to get what you think you want, and the unpleasant repercussions of having done that.

Although the tone and the plot of the book are consistent with what has come before, a couple of things were worth noting for me. Readers of the series will be aware of how each book begins with a description of Slough House, the building, presented from an omniscient perspective. I found that section of

At the other end of the story, the conclusion had more than the usual number of twists and surprises, and a great cliffhanger for the final volume. And Alan was right - Roddy Ho did have the best line in the book, surprising as that may be. :-)

Two last things. I've listened, rather than read, all but one of the series books, and I can't say enough wonderful things about Gerard Doyle's narration. Some narrators just get the story across, occasionally one actually detracts from the book, and others enhance what the author has created. Doyle definitely falls into the last category with the Slough House series. He manages to individualize all the characters without resorting to parody (his women are especially good), and his overall tone makes Jackson Lamb's world come alive.

Finally - I can't resist, I'm moving right on to the last book in the series. I know I'll be sad when it's over, but Herron has set me on a mission!

Well this is a book that's full of surprises and yet crammed full of exactly what you expect (and want) in a Slough House book.

On this occasion Slough House itself is under threat and, by default, all of its occupants. They're being followed. All of them. Some people are even following Lamb, which seems a rather insane thing to do. Did noone warn them.

So that's the first string. The next string is that someone is killing spooks. Is it sanctioned? Does anyone know who's to blame? Someone has let other dogs than those at the Park loose and its turning into a bloodbath.

Third string involves Russian spies, Novichok, a dead journalist and his partner, ex-spooks and even a surprise appearance or three. It's yet another game of guess who this person is based on - to be fair, some of the characters are so obviously based on certain people I'm amazed noone's been down their solicitors. My favourite is Judd's new best pal, Damien Cantor.

Of course the usual suspects are all behaving true to form but, at times, they are truly off the leash and it's nice to see Wicinski get a bigger role. Shirley is still teetering, Catherine is still long-suffering, Louisa is trying hard to be the most normal person around and Roddy Ho is gradually becoming more deluded as time goes on. I'm still waiting for someone to give him the slap he so clearly deserves but then Judd is just as deserving as is Lady Di Taverner. Maybe, must maybe, one of them will get their comeuppance a little in this episode.

Onto the latest (and so far, the last) in the series. Dead Actors you have a lot to live up to.

Probably all that really need be said about Slough House is that it’s well up to the standard of the rest of this brilliant series. It is difficult to elaborate more without any spoilers, but…

Slough House has everything one expects from Mick Herron: a complex but comprehensible plot involving the usual political chicanery involving Diana Taverner and Peter Judd (who, disclaimers about resemblance to real people living or dead notwithstanding, is a brilliant parody of the current Prime Minister). There is genuine threat from foreign agents, too, with some very exciting passages and sometimes wholly unexpected developments. The occupants of Slough House are their customary brilliant character studies with Roddy Ho’s wonderful self-delusion and Shirley Dander’s impatient, drug-fuelled rage especially prominent this time – and, of course, Jackson Lamb is on magnificently sharp, repellent form.

In short, this is another cracker from Mick Herron. It’s gripping, involving, very funny in places and has a very shrewd take on contemporary events. Very warmly recommended indeed. (And how long until the next one…?)

(My thanks to John Murray for an ARC vis NetGalley.)

I've long been a fan of this series and Mick Herron's writing generally. It has been a while since I read one but watching the first series on TV reminded me just how good these books are (and I do prefer them as books). The writing is so good, you feel every sentence has been worked on to get the best out of it. Drama, sadness, playfulness and great humour. Lamb really is an appalling character and I can easily understand those who don't like him but he is bloody funny too!

Herron really doesn't worry about keeping characters alive so do expect that some will not make it to the end of the book AND it ends on a cliffhanger. 4.5/5 and I will read all the books I can.1

Slough House is the seventh book in the brilliantly unique Slow Horses British spy thriller series - soon to be seen on TV in a star-studded adaptation. You probably do need to have read the earlier books to understand the character dynamics, and previous events are referenced throughout - we listened to the audiobook and The Cats’ Father, who hasn’t read the previous books, was able to follow but missed a lot of the jokes & plot points. There are a lot of characters and rapid changes of scene, and so you do have to pay attention - which I find harder while listening than eye-reading, but I did enjoy the narrator’s range of voices.

Something strange is happening to the remaining denizens of Slough House, the decrepit London building where failed spies are sent to wither away in career oblivion: someone has wiped their identities from the MI5 database, and former employees have started dying. Repulsive wily old Jackson Lamb - arguably the most un-PC character in modern fiction - discovers that scheming First Desk Diana Taverner is up to no good again: a revenge attack on a Russian operative in Kazan, as retaliation for the infamous Salisbury novichok poisonings. She may have gone too far though, having involved corrupt former politician Peter Judd and ambitious young media tycoon Damon Cantor in the conspiracy, and the fall-out is now beyond her control - with the Slow Horses set to pay the price. Can River, Shirley, Roddy, Lech, Catherine and Louisa survive long enough to expose the villains - and how does a door-stopping gay American dwarf fit in?

These books are certainly not for everyone - there’s dark satire, vicious political commentary, a whole cast of miserable characters being awful to one another - Shirley’s the only one who ever enjoys herself, and that’s only because she’s always drunk or on drugs - and some nasty murders, but they are also laugh out loud funny with some of the best insults ever - I might have to listen to it again to save them up. They’re set in an alternate but close version of Britain, post Brexit (which is never named but referred to frequently nevertheless) and pre-Covid.

I didn’t like this one quite as much as the earlier instalments, I’m not sure if that was the plot or the format, and I don’t like cliffhanger endings - especially as I no longer seem to be deemed worthy of ARCs for the series so have a long wait to find out what happens next - surely he wouldn’t...? It’s still a solid 4 star read/listen though, and I can’t wait to see it on the small screen.

In the seventh installment of this series, Mick Herron returns to the convoluted and devious world of the British Secret Service and the inhabitants of Slough House.These “Joes” are the disgraced of the secret world, shunted aside and relegated to meaningless tasks that underscore their irrelevance. At the head of this seeming hodgepodge of debris stands the Falstaffian Jackson Lamb. He rules his group with invective, coarseness and vituperation yet is protective as a mother hen when they are threatened.

Currently, the “ Slow Horses” have had their personnel files erased from the digital data base. Additionally, their members, both past and present, are being stalked and targeted for extinction. Once the Horses become aware of their peril,they become enmeshed in a larger set of events, triggered by a misguided alliance initiated by the First Chair, Lady Di. This drama provides Herron a canvas for portraying current world political conditions and satirizing the foibles of our decision makers, bureaucratic institutions and media crazes.

Herron’s remarkable prose holds the reader in thrall.It is poetic, sparse and insightful.He portrays a world where information is guarded closely, innuendo is a deadly weapon and territory is guarded with a vengeance.He achieves these effects with an economical and rapier like wit. Describing a major power player, Herron observes,”Innocence became him like a wimple does a stripper.” This same verbal facility enables Herron to poke fun at his characters while simultaneously imbuing them with enough humanity and vulnerability that we long to know them better.

This novel is short in length but long in depth.My only challenge when reading this series is to remind myself to slow down. The texture and quality of the imagery should be savored, like a fine wine and not rushed, like a soft drink.I would encourage all readers to savor the bouquet,swirl it around and enjoy as slow a journey of consumption as possible.

This is yet another winning book from the series featuring the "slow horses" of Britain's intelligence world. Pretty much everything extreme one can imagine happens, and it is a wild ride start to finish. There are hysterical episodes, ridiculous circ*mstances hard to accept and poignant moments for good measure. I love this series, but it does require starting at the beginning.
I do admit that it may not be the best choice of a book during Holy Week, but I am glad I read it and also learned that this is being turned into a series for Apple viewing sometime in future. How will the farts be treated, I wonder.

I first read (Slough House #7) in November 2020 prior to its official publication on 4 February 2021. I reread it in May 2023.

Mick Herron uses contemporary events to inform his plots which gives them the feel of a highly credible parallel universe. Slough House takes place this against the backdrop of Brexit and a new populist street protest movement inspired by the French gilets jaunes. Things in the real world may be going from bad to worse but Mick Herron always manages to wring humour and drama from the worst of circ*mstances. Here the notion of a Public Private Partnership get a whole new meaning as the Slough House team, having been wiped from Service records, start having fatal "accidents".

The star of the show continues to be Jackson Lamb, the Slough House boss. As obnoxious as ever but underestimate him at your peril. Saying anything else about the plot might ruin the magic, suffice to say Mick Herron delivers again, as always.

4/5

Moscow Rules and London Rules shared this much in common: once you handed over your secrets, you became the product. Cantor would have found out the hard way that you never feed a cat just once. You feed a cat, it owns you ever after.

In this, the seventh in the Slow Horses series, the failed spooks under the odious Jackson Lamb, relegated to indefinite tedium at Slough House, are being targeted by MI5 First Desk, Diana Taverner, allowing new recruits surveillance practice, and by her Russian equivalent, Vassily Rasnokov – who has a two-person hit squad taking out former joes, identified by pre-digital files from the vaults of the formidable Molly Doran.

This one has a Shakespearean feel to it: a whiff of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the team’s office – A thing about Slough House, it wasn’t so much a last-chance-saloon as an out-of-options off-licence, a touch of “King Lear” in the razor-sharp exchanges between Taverner and Peter Judd, former silvertail politician, now PR guru, both caught up in off-book activity against Russian former joes that ended badly. Add too, an echo of “Romeo and Juliet” in the rekindled relationship between River Cartwright and Sid Baker. But the new fly in the ointment is media entrepreneur, Damien Cantor.

(Taverner) had a long-standing aversion to being told what she knew, though it had been a long while since anyone had dared. And this particular man – Damien Cantor – had probably still been in school then. He was mid-thirties now, treading that line between being a noise in the business world and still hip to the streets: three-day stubble and trainers. When they were on about sixty being the new forty, they forgot to add that that made thirty-something the new twelve.

A bit of a slow burner as the various threads emerge and entangle, livened by the swift wit and references to Dr Who, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, with a wonderful twist and an almost cliff-hanger ending to segue into the next one Bad Actors. For this reader, not my favourite of the series, but still up there.

This is my favorite type of book - clever humor (esp British) with a good story. And this series is one of my favorites. The only downside is that I'm at the end of available books in the series (again). This one seemed like the best so far, but maybe it was the wait for it to come out, or just that I'm getting to know the characters better. But if you've read any others, and liked them, you'll like this one.

It seems like every paragraph has at least one good line, although many of them are only good when you get to know the characters. The star of the series, Jackson Lamb, seems like a complete dick at first. But after getting to know him, you see that he's a total dick. You wouldn't want to work for him, and you wouldn't want to be in the same room with him, most likely. He enjoys polluting the air around him in various ways, insulting everyone, and occasionally doing physical harm to someone just to prove a point (sometimes not even to the person he harms).

Most of the other regulars are also pretty entertaining. I'd insert some good quotes, but I wouldn't know where to stop. So, do yourself a favor and read the books. It may take a little while to get comfortable with what's going on, but it's worth it. I think this one could be read by itself, but I'm not sure if it would be as good without knowing the back stories. But they can be read later, I suppose.

I'd compare this series somewhat to another favorite, Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series.

Slow Horses Win the Race
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook edition (February 2021) released simultaneously with the Soho Crime hardcover (February 2021)

Meanwhile the man to Diana's left required her attention.
"What you said afterwards," he said. "Smiert spionam*. It made me laugh."
"How did you come to hear about that?"
"Oh, come on. You said it to spark a legend. You knew it would get around."
She had a long-standing aversion to being told what she knew, although it had been a long while since anyone had dared. And this particular man - Damien Cantor - had probably still been in school then. He was mid-thirties now, treading that line between being a noise in the business world and still being hip to the streets: three day stubble and trainers. When they went on about sixty being the new forty, they forgot to add that that made thirty-something the new twelve. - dialogue between MI-5's First Desk Diana Taverner and media mogul Damien Cantor excerpted from Slough House

'We’re Slough House’, he said. Then added, ‘Hasta la vista baby,’ before following the others down the stairs. - Slough House's Roderick Ho channels Arnold Schwarzenegger during a victorious moment in an excerpt from Slough House

Actors Jack Lowden and Olivia Cooke as Slough House's River Cartwright and Sidonie Baker in the foreground as the group gathers around Roddy Ho's computers in a scene from Season 1 of Slow Horses. Image sourced from the Slow Horses Wiki

Slough House is yet another 5 star in the series thanks to its paying off some long-term unfinished business from as far back as Slow Horses (#1 2010) and the complexities of the rest of the plot, which has former members of Slough House apparently targeted for assassination as payback for one of First Desk Diana Taverner's own plots against the Russians. While Taverner tangles with and against political manipulator Peter Judd, a media mogul Damien Cantor has unwittingly played useful idiot to the Russians and fed them Slough House secrets. Slough House is also targeted within the service as its members are being shadowed as training exercises by the new recruits of Regent's Park head office. And there is a fictional UK Yellow Vests movement being directed for political gain on top of everything else.

Jackson Lamb marshals his forces and Slough House goes to the mattresses against all comers. It all ends with a shocking cliffhanger, for which I thankfully don't have to wait a year to hear a resolution, as Bad Actors (#8 2022) is now readily available.

The narration performance by now series regular Gerard Doyle was excellent as always.

Trivia and Links
* Смерть Шпионам (Russian: Death to Spies), the slogan of Ian Fleming's fictional (although based on a real WWII organization) SMERSH Soviet Russian assassination organization, first introduced in Casino Royale (James Bond #1, 1953).

There is a Slough House glossary at SpyWrite.com (with some spoilers obviously, but the most major spoilers are hidden behind white script which you have to mouse over in order to read) which is extremely useful if you are trying to follow all of the characters and story arcs of the series and looking for definitions to the words and expressions of author Mick Herron's invented spy terminology. The glossary does not appear to have many updates related to books #7 & #8 however, but is still good for the characters and background of the earlier books.

Slough House could be the basis for a future Season 7 of the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses (2022 - ?), if the show is extended past its current renewal up to a Season 4. You can watch the Season 2 teaser (based on Book 2 "Dead Lions") on YouTube here. You can watch the Season 1 trailer (based on Book 1 "Slow Horses") on YouTube here.