Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2016
352 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
"To say this is a great read is an understatement. This book is not your usual thriller 'good vs. bad.' It's much more like always looking for someone to blame as the action and humor continue to skyrocket." - Suspense Magazine
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," 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.
"Starred Review. Herron expertly juggles multiple plot lines and fully formed characters, injecting everything with a jolt of black humor." - Publishers Weekly
"Readers love this series for its breezy treatment of espionage in which you get to cheer for the underdogs while also showing respect for their opponents. Characters are drawn with the sharpest possible pen and, like them or not, they are compelling whether alone or in groups." - Library Journal
"To say this is a great read is an understatement. This book is not your usual thriller 'good vs. bad.' It's much more like always looking for someone to blame as the action and humor continue to skyrocket." - Suspense Magazine
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mick Herron is a British novelist and short story writer who was born in Newcastle and studied English at Oxford. He is the author of the Slough House espionage series (soon to be an Apple TV+ show starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas), four Oxford mysteries, and several standalone novels. His work has won the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel, the Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, and the Ellery Queen Readers Award, and been nominated for the Macavity, Barry, Shamus, and Theakstons Novel of the Year Awards. He currently lives in Oxford and writes full-time.
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