Books by Mick Herron

Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*''The new king of the spy thriller'' Mail on SundayFrom the Intelligence Service purgatory that is Slough House, where disgraced spies are sent to see out the dregs of their careers, Jackson Lamb is on his way to Oxford, where a former spook has turned up dead on a bus. Dickie Bow was a talented streetwalker once, good at following people and bringing home their secrets. He was in Berlin with Lamb, back in the day. But he''s not an obvious target for assassination in the here and now.On Dickie''s phone Lamb finds the last message he ever left, which hints that an old-time Moscow-style op is being run in the Intelligence Service''s back-yard. Once a spook, always a spook, and even being dead doesn''t mean you can''t uncover secrets.Dickie Trade ReviewPraise for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series: * . *The finest new crime series this Millennium * Mail on Sunday *Mick Herron is the real deal * Irish Times *I can't wait to read what Mick Herron writes next * Crime Fiction Lover *Surely among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years * Metro *Herron has the comedy and eye to rival Len Deighton * Sunday Telegraph *Herron may be the most literate, and slyest, thriller writer in English today * Publishers Weekly *Delightful ... with a dry humour reminiscent of Greene and Waugh * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*''The new king of the spy thriller'' Mail on SundayFrom the Intelligence Service purgatory that is Slough House, where disgraced spies are sent to see out the dregs of their careers, Jackson Lamb is on his way to Oxford, where a former spook has turned up dead on a bus. Dickie Bow was a talented streetwalker once, good at following people and bringing home their secrets. He was in Berlin with Lamb, back in the day. But he''s not an obvious target for assassination in the here and now.On Dickie''s phone Lamb finds the last message he ever left, which hints that an old-time Moscow-style op is being run in the Intelligence Service''s back-yard. Once a spook, always a spook, and even being dead doesn''t mean you can''t uncover secrets.Dickie Trade ReviewPraise for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series: * . *The finest new crime series this Millennium * Mail on Sunday *Mick Herron is the real deal * Irish Times *I can't wait to read what Mick Herron writes next * Crime Fiction Lover *Surely among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years * Metro *Herron has the comedy and eye to rival Len Deighton * Sunday Telegraph *Herron may be the most literate, and slyest, thriller writer in English today * Publishers Weekly *Delightful ... with a dry humour reminiscent of Greene and Waugh * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisSomething''s happened. A lot of things have happened. If she could turn back time, she wondered how far she would go.Twenty-six-year-old Maggie Barnes is someone you would never look at twice. Living alone in a month-to-month sublet in London, with no family but an estranged sister, no boyfriend or partner, and not much in the way of friends, Maggie is just the kind of person who could vanish from the face of the earth without anyone taking notice.Or just the kind of person MI5 needs to thwart an international plot that puts all of Britain at risk.Now one young woman has the chance to be a hero - if she can think quickly enough to stay alive.Trade ReviewAn ingenious standalone psychological thriller from Mick Herron . . . a compelling and claustrophobic three-hander * Guardian *A spine-crawlingly creepy portrait of cruelty and of loneliness . . . springing twist after brilliant twist as he practically dares his reader to try to put the book down . . . very impressive * Observer *Patrick Hamilton seems the main influence in this story of broken lives epitomising a society coming apart, both in his studies of London's losers and in his seminal depiction of gaslighting that foreshadows how Maggie is imprisoned and controlled * Sunday Times *Herron delivers a chilling psychological thriller . . . An in-one-sitting read * Sunday Times Crime Club *Imagine John Fowles's The Collector rewritten by Ruth Rendell . . . you'd be nuts not to feast on this clever black comedy * Evening Standard *Part spy thriller, part creepy psychological thriller, the slick twists and elegant prose make this a super read * Sunday Mirror *A beautifully written and ingeniously plotted standalone from Herron . . . this dark thriller is rife with the deadpan wit and trenchant observation that Herron's readers relish * Publishers Weekly *There is, quite simply, no current thriller writer who enjoys better word-of-mouth than Mick Herron, whose sardonic series of Jackson Lamb espionage novels have accrued a devoted following. The unassuming Maggie Barnes is an improbable enlistee for MI5 - but she may be able to save the UK from a devastating plot * FT, Summer Reads *John Fowles's The Collector rewritten by Ruth Rendell * Independent I *A cat-and-mouse psychological thriller about the people who fall through London's cracks. Perfectly crafted, beautifully written, I started it in the morning and it was dark when I looked up * Erin Kelly *Intriguing and filled with surprises . . . reads like John le Carre rewriting Alice in Wonderland * The Spectator *Mick Herron is a genius . . . This is What Happened has an utterly blindsiding twist which had me gasping for joy at its audacity. A good introduction to Herron for those who haven't tried the Slough House books, and a delight for those who have * Bookseller *There are more twists than a 1960s dance marathon in this unsettling tale, along with plenty of Herron's delicious dark humour * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisAn Instant Sunday Times Bestseller* and a gripping standalone thriller with a riveting reveal about a disastrous MI5 mission in Cold War Berlin. A dazzling entry-point to Mick Herron''s writing and an unmissable read for Slough House fans''Pure class'' Ian Rankin''I doubt I''ll read a more enjoyable novel all year'' Paula Hawkins''Pitch-perfect'' Lee Child''Terrific'' The Times''Never has a work of popular fiction delighted me more'' The Spectator''A thriller of immense brilliance'' Sunday TimesTwo years ago, the Monochrome inquiry was set up to investigate the British secret service. Monochrome''s mission was to ferret out misconduct, allowing the civil servants seconded to the inquiry, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, unfettered access to confidential information in the service archives. But with progress blocked at everyTrade ReviewRegular readers will enjoy identifying some familiar Slow Horse characters who appear here under other identities, but of most note is a new maturity to the writing that brings home the human cost of espionage and rejuvenates this terrific series * Sunday Times books of the year *This was the best year since the 1970s for spy thrillers. Mick Herron's The Secret Hours was a delight -- Tim Shipman * Sunday Times critics favourite read of the year *A powerful standalone spy thriller from a true contemporary master * Daily Telegraph books of the year *As Mick Herron observed in his Slow Horses origin novel, The Secret Hours (Baskerville), there's a long list of spy novelists who have been pegged as the heir to John le Carré. Herron must be in pole position for principal legatee * Guardian best crime and thrillers of 2023 *Splendid -- Philip Hensher * The Spectator books of the year *I devoured The Secret Hours in one sitting -- Peter Frankopan * The Spectator books of the year *The Secret Hours is bliss -- Sam Leith * TLS books of the year *The novel I enjoyed most was The Secret Hours by Mick Herron . . . it is funny, sharply observed and almost uniquely acute and sensitive in its consideration of something most novelists seem to regard with a lofty uninterest: the world of work -- Keith Miller * TLS books of the year *This is a more sober work than Herron's comical Slough House novels but even at his most serious he provides more good gags than you'll find in the entire Christmas TV comedy schedule -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Mirror crime and thrillers highlight *A deliciously cynical comedy of manners that is probably Herron's most mature spy novel to date -- Declan Burke * Irish Times best crime fiction of 2023 *Mick Herron's The Secret Hours was another highlight, and looks certain to bring more awards to the author's growing collection -- Jon Coates * Sunday Express crime and thriller highlights 2023 *2023 was a vintage year for crime with too many good books to mention but among many others I loved . . . Mick Herron's The Secret Hours * Nation Cymru picks of 2023 *Not only the finest writer of espionage fiction we have, Mick Herron is also one of the funniest and his latest, The Secret Hours, is proof of both. While not strictly speaking a Slough House novel, it's part of that universe and, for fans of Jackson Lamb (and who isn't?), it's both a thrilling and poignant origin story. Herron is simply incapable of writing a bad book and this is one of his very best -- Mark Billingham, author of THE LAST DANCE * Daily Express books of the year *The Secret Hours is a genesis story for fans of Mick Herron's Slow Horses series. All his trademarks are here: layered prose, a deftly unravelled plot, lashings of caustic wit, and a cast of morally-compromised yet ultimately sympathetic characters -- Vaseem Khan, author of DEATH OF A LESSER GOD * Daily Express books of the year *This might just be Mick Herron's best book - elegant prose, machine-tooled plot, mixing tension with humour. Pure class -- Ian RankinI doubt I'll read a more enjoyable novel all year. The Secret Hours has it all: thrilling action scenes, crackling dialogue, characters to infuriate and beguile, and a neatly intricate plot. And through it all cuts Herron's acerbic wit, its effect heightened by the glimpses he allows us, from time to time, from his world to ours -- Paula Hawkins, author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAINGreat Britain has a long, rich history of how-it-really-works espionage fiction, and Mick Herron - stealthy as a secret agent - has written himself to the very top of the list. If you haven't already been recruited, start with The Secret Hours - all Herron's trademark strengths are here: tension, intrigue, observation, humour, absurdity . . . and pitch-perfect prose -- Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novelsFor a novel about a government inquiry called Monochrome, nothing is black and white in The Secret Hours by Mick Herron. Stunningly plotted and written, this masterclass in intrigue is brimming with tension and paranoid energy. A meaty, breathe-if-you-dare spy thriller with teeth, heart and a sense of humour. An absolute addiction of a read -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEALThe Secret Hours is wonderful. It's Mick Herron at his best, taking us into a dark world where there is high action, a spinning moral compass, and hidden motives on every page. And, oh, yes, the fun - Herron's greatest talent may be the examination of serious things with a perfectly wry sense of humour -- Michael Connelly, author of DESERT STARA fantastic book that kept me up all night. Unputdownable! -- Philippa Perry, author of THE BOOK YOU WISH YOUR PARENTS HAD READA deft knockout of a story, with an arc of history, written with humour and style. Mick Herron is one of the best writers of spy fiction working today -- Martin Cruz Smith, author of GORKY PARKPositively pulses with misdirection, deception and deep truths. Mick Herron is a genius -- Sarah Hilary, author of BLACK THORNMick Herron is not just one of the best spy writers working today, but one of our best writers -- Charlotte Philby, author of EDITH AND KIMHerron has become something of a laureate of decrepitude * Guardian *[Mick Herron] proves himself a modern rival to Ian Fleming and John Le Carré . . . This satire-flecked thriller should establish Herron as an institution * Sunday Times *[A] terrific new novel . . . Herron's traditional tradecraft is on show - the Blackadderesque relish of words, the spy-like manipulation of the reader, the understanding of how the English fend off the serious with humour * The Times *Herron is a subtle writer who offers a great deal, including psychological insights that stay with you long after the clever plot is complete * Literary Review *A fascinating insight into the machinations of the secret service and the witty writing lifts it above the average thriller * Good Housekeeping *Never has a work of popular fiction delighted me more . . . The Secret Hours will become not so much a novel as a machine for delivering pleasure * The Spectator *I'll be amazed if I read a better book this year. Tense and darkly comic, with razor-sharp prose that revels in the absurdity of modern-day Britain, The Secret Hours achieves the seemingly impossible by improving on the Slough House series * Daily Express *Herron keeps up his gravity-defying balancing act: belly-laugh spy spoof on one side, elegiac state-of-the-nation satire on the other, with a thin, taut line of polished prose between * Financial Times *The Secret Hours has all of Herron's tight plotting and characteristically low-key humour . . . It's an excellent standalone, but fans of his Slough House books would do well to pick it up too * Observer *Mick Herron is one of the beadiest satirists of our times . . . one of his best books yet * Daily Telegraph *Twisty, intriguing fun * The i *A very clever and often darkly funny tale of espionage . . . A thoroughly enjoyable spy romp * Radio Times *With all the contemporary wit and humour that fans have come to love, as well as his deeply flawed and believable characters, Herron weaves another unputdownable tale as he follows two civil servants tasked with investigating misconduct in the British secret service. A perfect cat-and-mouse chase from this very modern master of the espionage thriller. It's easy to see why Herron is often called the heir to John Le Carré -- GlossBlisteringly exciting and darkly funny * Radio Times *Safe to say Herron's trademark humour is woven in throughout . . . Big issues come under the spotlight - who owns your data, identity, loyalty, truth and realpolitik, but all the characters feel human and individual. Though it's described as a standalone and can easily be read as such, lovers of the Slough House series will pick up on some familiar characters being illuminated in new ways * Aberdeen Journal *This is a stand-alone thriller of extreme brilliance (obviously), but it also works as a deeply satisfying origin story for aspects of the existing books -- India Knight * Sunday Times *I can't think of many things more pleasurable than hunkering down with Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, capped off with this year's deeply satisfying The Secret Hours . . . I like these better than John le Carré, which is saying something -- India Knight * Sunday Times my favourite books to curl up with at Christmas *A master of espionage fiction and a treat to read -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *Mick Herron is our best and most topical spy writer -- Ian Rankin * Guardian, What We're Reading *Herron steps away from his Slow Horses, but not the world of espionage, for this thriller . . . offering a revealing sidelight into the pre-history of Slough House. More sombre than usual but still compelling * Mail on Sunday *Wryly humorous in places, well written and full of tension * Irish Examiner *Nobody does disenchanted spies quite like Mick Herron, and in the standalone thriller The Secret Hours, read by the always impressive Sean Barrett, he is on top form. Fans of the Slough House series will be delighted by this tale of a cold war mission in Berlin gone wrong . . . A rich seam of disillusion is baked into Barrett's rendition; you can almost see the anonymous corridors of power shutting doors in the investigators' faces * Financial Times *Superbly, breathtakingly, well-plotted -- Alice O'Keeffe * Bookseller *Fans of the Slough House series will rejoice at this standalone thriller, once again set in a world of espionage, from which all glamour is largely expunged . . . Beginning with a breathlessly exciting pursuit, and moving on to a separate timeline set in post-reunification Berlin, the author's mordant wit is finely deployed on every page - just one of the familiar elements that will delight readers. Watch out for a terrific twist * Bookseller *Herron has been compared to John le Carré for the intricacy of his plotting and the thoroughness of his world building, though the two men differ greatly in tone and in focus. He has also been compared to Charles Dickens and P.G. Wodehouse for his lacerating descriptions and delight in the absurd . . . The Secret Hours is classic Herron, featuring mordant humour, bureaucratic power plays, underappreciated functionaries, bravura action sequences and at least one unexpected casualty * New York Times *Herron's narrative moves with ease between present and past, England and Germany, action and satire * Dow Jones ‘Mysteries’ *I'm going to read it again, out of sheer admiration for its plotting * Tablet *This might just be Mick Herron's best book - elegant prose, machine-tooled plot, mixing tension with humour. Pure class -- Ian Rankin

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*'To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron's novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carré - is a terrific thing' Gary OldmanSlough House is the outpost where disgraced spies are banished to see out the rest of their derailed careers. Known as the 'slow horses' these misfits have committed crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal while on duty.In this drab and mildewed office these highly trained spies don't run ops, they push paper. Not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a slow horse and the one thing they have in common is they want to be back in the action.'The most exciting development in spy fiction since the Cold War' The Times 'The most enjoyable British spy novel in years' Mail on Sunday'The new spy master' Evening StandardTrade ReviewPraise for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series: * . *The new spy master * Evening Standard *Jackson Lamb - the most fascinating and irresistible thriller series hero to emerge since Jack Reacher * Sunday Times *As a master of wit, satire, insight . . . Herron is difficult to overpraise * Daily Telegraph *The finest new crime series this Millennium * Mail on Sunday *The best modern British spy series * Daily Express *The John le Carré of our generation * Val McDermid *Mick Herron is the real deal * Irish Times *If you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers. Better still, read the whole series * Andrew Taylor, The Spectator *Surely among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years * Metro *With his poet's eye for detail, his comic timing and relish for violence, Herron fills a gap that has been yawning ever since Len Deighton retired * Daily Telegraph *The most enjoyable spy novel in years * Mail on Sunday *A funny, stylish, satirical, gripping story * Guardian *I was delighted to discover that this is merely the first in a captivating series * Herald *The first of his series about MI5 and a character called Jackson Lamb, one of the great monsters of modern fiction. He's a wonderfully cynical writer and there's a lot of dark humour in it. I'm not clever enough to write this sort of thing * Daily Express *I was delighted to discover Mick Herron's riotous Slow Horses series about the black sheep of MI5 * Big Issue *For something really gripping, head for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series, in which a sidelined spook and his cohorts battle their way back to the centre of a life of espionage. Begin with Slow Horses and enjoy * Observer *Mick Herron's Slow Horses series has all the thrills of John Le Carre or Len Deighton with a black humour * Daily Mail (Scotland) *One of the most consistently enjoyable literary achievements of the past decade * The Times *

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Book Synopsis*Pre-order Clown Town, the ninth novel in Mick Herron''s Slough House series, now**Now an award-winning Apple TV+ series starring Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden*''The most exciting development in spy fiction since the Cold War'' The Times''To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one''s career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron''s novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carré - is a terrific thing'' Gary Oldman****Spooks are supposed to be stealthy . . . But those who make a noisy mess of their careers end up in Slough House.This is Jackson Lamb''s kingdom: a dumping ground for spies who''ve screwed up. Once high fliers, they''re now slow horses, condemned to a life of pushing paper as punishment for crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal. In drab and mildewed offices, these highly trained spies moan and squabble, stare at the walls, and dream of better days - not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a slow horse, and the one thing they have in common is their desire to be back in the action.So when a young man is kidnapped and held hostage, his beheading scheduled for live broadcast on the net, the slow horses aren''t going to just sit quietly and watch. And unless they can prove they''re not as useless as they''re thought to be, a public execution is going to echo round the world.''The most enjoyable British spy novel in years'' Mail on Sunday''The new spy master'' Evening StandardTrade ReviewPraise for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series: * . *The new spy master * Evening Standard *Jackson Lamb - the most fascinating and irresistible thriller series hero to emerge since Jack Reacher * Sunday Times *As a master of wit, satire, insight . . . Herron is difficult to overpraise * Daily Telegraph *The finest new crime series this Millennium * Mail on Sunday *The best modern British spy series * Daily Express *The John le Carré of our generation * Val McDermid *Mick Herron is the real deal * Irish Times *If you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers. Better still, read the whole series * Andrew Taylor, The Spectator *Surely among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years * Metro *With his poet's eye for detail, his comic timing and relish for violence, Herron fills a gap that has been yawning ever since Len Deighton retired * Daily Telegraph *The most enjoyable spy novel in years * Mail on Sunday *A funny, stylish, satirical, gripping story * Guardian *I was delighted to discover that this is merely the first in a captivating series * Herald *The first of his series about MI5 and a character called Jackson Lamb, one of the great monsters of modern fiction. He's a wonderfully cynical writer and there's a lot of dark humour in it. I'm not clever enough to write this sort of thing * Daily Express *I was delighted to discover Mick Herron's riotous Slow Horses series about the black sheep of MI5 * Big Issue *For something really gripping, head for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb series, in which a sidelined spook and his cohorts battle their way back to the centre of a life of espionage. Begin with Slow Horses and enjoy * Observer *Mick Herron's Slow Horses series has all the thrills of John Le Carre or Len Deighton with a black humour * Daily Mail (Scotland) *One of the most consistently enjoyable literary achievements of the past decade * The Times *

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Book Synopsis*A Slough House Christmas short story from the Sunday Times number one bestseller of BAD ACTORS.*Here in Slough House, the intelligence service''s home for inept spies, it''s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.Roddy Ho is used to being the one the slow horses turn to when they need miracles performed, and he''s always been Jackson Lamb''s Number Two. So when Lamb has a photograph that needs doctoring, it''s Ho he entrusts with the task. Christmas is a time for memories, but Lamb doesn''t do memories - or so he says. But what is it about the photo that makes him want to alter it? How would the slow horses cope if Roddy Ho didn''t exist? And most importantly of all, are the team having Christmas drinks, and if so, where?Standing by the Wall offers a glimpse into the kind of seasonal merriment you might expect at Slough House, where the boss generally marks the festive season with an increase in hostilities. But then, this is the

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Book Synopsis“Old spies grow ridiculous, River. Old spies aren’t much better than clowns.”Or so David Cartwright, the late retired head of MI5, used to tell his grandson. He forgot to add that old spies can be dangerous, too, especially if they’ve fallen on hard times—as River Cartwright is about to learn the hard way. David Cartwright, long buried, has left his library to the Spooks’ College in Oxford, and now it turns out that one of the books has gone missing. Or perhaps it never existed . . . Now River, once a “slow horse” of Slough House, MI5’s outpost for demoted and disgraced spies, has some time to kill while waiting medical clearance to return to work, and investigating the secrets of his grandfather’s library seems a harmless activity. But nothing involving the slow horses ever stays harmless for long.Over at the Park, MI5 First Desk Diana Taverner is in a pickle. An operation carried out during the height of the Troubles laid bare the ugly side of state security, and those involved are threatening to expose details. But every threat hides an opportunity, and Taverner has come up with a scheme in which the would-be blackmailer is a solution to a much newer problem. All she needs is the right dupe to get caught holding the bag.Jackson Lamb, the enigmatic and odiferous head of Slough House, does not want any of his joes involved. When Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault.But they’re his clowns. And if they don’t all come home, there’ll be a reckoning.

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Book Synopsis''Masterful . . . superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison'' Publishers WeeklyWhat should have been a simple pick-up turns into a day-long nightmare for Bad Sam Chapman.When an operational catastrophe puts a gun in the hands of a young man, who then breaks into South Oxford Nursery School and takes a group of hostages, teacher Louise Kennedy fears the worst. But Jaime Segura isn''t there on a homicidal mission, and he''s just as scared as those whose lives he holds as collateral. As an armed police presence builds outside the school''s gates, Bad Sam Chapman - head of the intelligence service''s internal security force, the Dogs - battles the clock to find out what Jaime is after. But the only person Jaime will talk to is Ben Whistler, an MI6 accountant who worked with Jaime''s lover, Miro. Miro''s gone missing, along with a quarter of a billion pounds allotted for rTrade ReviewMasterful . . . superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison - Publishers Weekly

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*''The finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years'' MetroSlough House is the Intelligence Service outpost for failed spies, former high-fliers now dubbed the ''slow horses''. Catherine Standish, one of their number, worked in Regent''s Park long enough to understand treachery, double-dealing and stabbing in the back, and she''s known Jackson Lamb long enough to have learned that old sins cast long shadows. And she also knows that chance encounters never happen to spooks, even recovering drunks whose careers have crashed and burned.What she doesn''t know is why anyone would target her.So whoever''s holding her hostage, it can''t be personal. It must be about Slough House. Most likely, it''s about Jackson Lamb. And say what you lTrade ReviewHerron's Slough House novels are the finest new crime series this Millennium . . . Funny and thrilling in equal measure, Real Tigers is an absolute joy * Mail on Sunday *Satire, verbal sparring and gunfights are deftly combined in an excellently written novel permeated by Herron's sly, dry and very English sense of humour - rather as if Philip Larkin or Alan Bennett had had a go at spy fiction * Sunday Times *Real Tigers has revitalised the spy thriller genre * Sunday Express *In the grand tradition of British espionage writing: no 007-style mayhem, but a narrative involving rogue agents and a kidnapped spy that is both sardonically funny and pleasingly complex * Independent *A pulsating spy thriller * Daily Express *The great spy novelists - Ambler, Greene, le Carré, Deighton - pull off the difficult double act of showing that the business of espionage is simultaneously deadly serious and highly risible: office politics on a grand scale. These writers, without downplaying the dangers of spying, refuse to take the spies as seriously as they take themselves. They have a kindred spirit in Mick Herron . . . There is a near-constant stream of crackling, scabrous dialogue . . . Herron's casual observations are beautifully phrased . . . With his poet's eye for detail, his comic timing and relish for violence, Herron fills a gap that has been yawning ever since Len Deighton retired * Daily Telegraph *A masterful third spy novel from the gifted Herron . . . He has been published only by an American firm until now, in spite of the fact that he is British and his stories are set in this country. Now, all three books appear here, and Herron will, at last, receive the recognition that his talent richly deserves . . . Deliciously tongue-in-cheek and with a striking serpentine construction, it is a thriller that moves Herron close to the class of Graham Greene * Daily Mail *The Slough House series of which Real Tigers is the third instalment, is surely among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years. Where Mick Herron's contemporaries stumble through thickets of cliché, his fiction feels fresh and real . . . a narrative of breathtaking ingenuity. Brilliant * Metro *Herron, like all good novelists, manufactures his own form of reality and persuades his readers to subscribe to it. The satire is streaked with violence, which itself has elements of visual comedy. The dialogue is sharp and the prose is dark and sardonic. Underlying everything is a sense of outrage about the corruption within the Establishment. This is not the sort of novel where you're likely to find positive portraits of Old Etonians. But if you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers. Better still, read the whole series * The Spectator *All the action you might want from an espionage thriller is to be found in Real Tigers, with betrayal, double-dealing and a fantastically violent climax in an underground facility but the true pleasures of Mick Herron's Gold Dagger-winning Slough House series lie elsewhere: in the sharp wit and dry irony and elegant grace of the prose, the razor-sharp characterisation; and above all, the authorial overview: sophisticated and intelligent, satirical but never tipping into pastiche . . . Think Le Carré with fewer posh people and laugh-out-loud funny. Mick Herron is the real deal * Irish Times *This third Slough House novel proves Herron has the comedy and eye to rival Len Deighton * Sunday Telegraph *What a find! It is the third in a series of witty, cynical and immensely original books . . . The story, though good is not the main reason to read this book. Rather, it is its elegant style, original viewpoint, dry wit and spring-to-life characters, some recognisable. I think Herron's is the next big name in crime fiction * Literary Review *Probably the best literary spy fiction you'll read this year * Choice *Both sardonically funny and pleasingly complex * i *Authentic espionage thriller * Sun *I absolutely loved Real Tigers. It's a decidedly British spy novel written with distinctly American noir panache. Herron has a natural talent for creating and portraying characters that are instantly understandable, relatable, and more than occasionally despicable. A real treat -- Roger Hobbs, author of GHOSTMANBeautiful, wicked writing married to a wonderful black cynicism. You won't want to think the world works like this but Herron's version is horribly persuasive -- Harry Bingham, author of THIS THING OF DARKNESSDamn it, this man's good. This is the espionage game stripped of its posturing and played out without a James Bond or a Jason Bourne in sight, but with a keener wit, a telling conscience, and better jokes. I loved it -- Helen Giltrow, author of THE DISTANCEThis tale of rogue spies is brilliantly written, excellently plotted and darkly funny. One of the best crime novels of the year -- Martyn Waites, author of THE MERCY SEATSizzlingly stylish, ferociously funny and fiercely intelligent, Mick Herron has managed to breathe new life into the spy novel. With its deft, elaborate plotting and brilliantly flawed characters, Real Tigers is a one hell of a ride -- Stav Sherez, author of ELEVEN DAYSIn Real Tigers, Mick Herron has crafted a truly standout spy thriller. Witty, urbane, filled with acute observations, endlessly quotable lines and a cast of wonderfully jaded agents who I look forward to spending time with for many more books to come. An utter delight -- Chris Ewan, author of SAFE HOUSEThe disgraced spies at MI5's Slough House must try to save one of their own in CWA Gold Dagger Award-winner Herron's outstanding third thriller featuring uncouth Jackson Lamb and crew . . . Herron expertly juggles multiple plot lines and fully formed characters, injecting everything with a jolt of black humour * Publisher's Weekly *The latest instalment in the eventful days and sleepless nights of the denizens of Slough House is another sheer delight . . . Herron wonderfully blends the thriller element and the humane as he orchestrates a most complex but believable plot like a watchmaker. At times darkly hilarious, at others gripping and intense, this confirms Herron and his series as a future classic. Get onboard now * lovereading *[A] twisted tale of real intelligence . . . Herron's second Slough House book, Dead Lions was the Crime Writers' Association's Novel of the Year in 2013 but it, and he, remained under the radar. With this new work, the third in the series, he's unlikely to stay a secret for much longer * Esquire *CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger Winner, Mick Herron employs a quick filmic cross-cutting method in the third of his Slough House series . . . If Herron could manipulate the Service the way he has constructed Real Tigers many of us might feel more secure about the future. In the meantime, quake * Shots *Herron has written another cracker. He won the CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger in 2013 for Dead Lions, and it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think he might win it again. All the things that made the other books in the series such a success are present again. Machiavellian plotting, sly humour, characters so compromised but so well-drawn you won't be sure if he wants them to win or lose, and topical satire - this time the thorny issue of extraordinary rendition. All in all Real Tigers is another dazzling effort and I can't wait to read what Mick Herron writes next * Crime Fiction Lover *Simply loved love the writing style, particularly the narrator's occasional asides that are wry, humorous and more than once make you giggle with their sharp, dry wit. I will, however, say that in common with all the other Slough House novels, it's a genuine rollercoaster of a ride and best of all Heron has no qualms about body count and killing off established characters, so expect to squeal occasionally and gasp "No!!!" when a body turns up * crimewarp.co.uk *It is impossible not to be impressed by Herron's use of language. He is able to express himself so neatly and frequently presents the reader with epigrammatic comments . . . a thoroughly entertaining tale * Crime Review *Combines the spy thriller with farce in a manner befitting a country that puts Coco the Clown in charge of the Secret Intelligence Service * Evening Standard *Cleverly plotted and beautifully written * Daily Record *

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Book SynopsisOxford private investigator Zoë Boehm struggles with the after-effects of her violent past as she hunts for a killer - or has she become the hunted?

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Book SynopsisCWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron's debut novel introduces Sarah Tucker, whose search for a missing child unravels a murderous conspiracy.

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Book SynopsisOxford private detective Zoë Boehm turns up dead in Newcastle, launching her friend Sarah Tucker into an investigation with several leads - but no one she can trust.

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Book SynopsisA SPECIAL SIGNED ANNIVERSARY EDITION CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF SLOW HORSESFeaturing an exclusive foreword from Mick Herron and an exclusive essay from Tim Shipman (author of All Out War)With stunning sprayed edges and endpapers, new cover design, ribbon marker and signed by the author, this unmissable one-off special edition is the perfect gift and collector''s item for fans of Slow Horses, the basis of the award-winning TV show starring Gary Oldman----''To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one''s career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron''s novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carré - is a terrific thing'' Gary OldmanSlough House is the outpost where disgraced spies are banished to see out the rest of their derailed careers. Known as the ''slow horses'' these misfits have committed crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal while on duty.In this drab and mildewed office these highly trained spies don''t run ops, they push paper. Not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a slow horse and the one thing they have in common is they want to be back in the action.''The most exciting development in spy fiction since the Cold War'' The Times''The most enjoyable British spy novel in years'' Mail on Sunday''The new spy master'' Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**A ''Book of the Year'' in The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Spectator, Sunday Express, TLS, Irish Times*''Pure class'' Ian Rankin ''Pitch-perfect'' Lee Child''A powerful standalone spy thriller from a true contemporary master'' Daily TelegraphTrying to investigate the Secret Service is like trying to get rid of the stink of dead badger. Hard.For two years the government''s Monochrome inquiry has produced nothing more than a series of dead ends.The Service has kept what happened in the newly reunified Berlin under wraps for decades, and intends for it to stay that way.But then the OTIS file turns up.What classified secrets does it hold? And what damage will it create?All Max Janácek knows is that someone is chasing him through the pitch-dark country lanes and they want him gone.WE ALL HAVE JOBS TO DO IN THE DAYLIGHT. IT''S WHAT YOU DO IN THE SECRET HOURS THAT REVEALS WHO YOU REALLY ARE.''Wonderful . . . high action, a spinning moral compass, and hidden motives on every page'' Michael Connelly*Mick Herron''s The Secret Hours was a Sunday Times Number Four bestseller in hardback in the second week of September 2023

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*''A terrific spy novel'' Ian RankinTwenty years retired from the Intelligence Service, David Cartwright still knows where all the bones are buried. But when he forgets that secrets are supposed to stay hidden, there''s suddenly a target on his back.The ''Old Bastard'' raised his grandson to be a hero, not a slow horse. Now, far from joining the myths and legends of Spook Street, River Cartwright is part of Jackson Lamb''s team of pen-pushing no-hopers at Slough House. Which doesn''t mean he won''t ditch everything and go rogue when his grandfather comes under threat.Lamb worked with Cartwright back in the day, and knows better than most that this is no innocent old man. So when a panic button raises the alarm at Intelligence Service HQ, iTrade ReviewA terrific spy novel: sublime dialogue, frictionless plotting * Ian Rankin *Immensely satisfying and utterly brilliant * Sarah Hilary *Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to. I read the Jackson Lamb books one after the other and am already desperate for the next one. They are smart, darkly comic and hugely addictive * Mark Billingham *A captivating series where the intelligence services' misfits and screw-ups become the useful tools of Herron's quite magnificent creation, Jackson Lamb * Christopher Brookmyre *I love Mick Herron's books more than is decent. Hands down my favourite crime series of the decade . . . Spook Street is a superb novel - fast-paced, original, witty and completely satisfying on every level. I just can't get enough of this brilliant series * Antonia Hodgson *In Spook Street Mick Herron returns to the wonderful fallen spies of MI5 in a series that is fast becoming a classic * Daily Express *The dialogue crackles. Herron is a master of timing, word by word, sentence by sentence. His language creates its own world, with streaks of satire and loss that prevent it from becoming too comfortable. Give yourself a treat and hurry on down to Spook Street * The Spectator *It's all sheer fun. Herron is spy fiction's great humorist, mixing absurd situations with sparklingly funny dialogue and elegant, witty prose * The Times *Slough House provides the hub for Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb spy novels, of which Spook Street is the fourth, a series that is by some distance the most impressive new body of work in spy fiction * Irish Times *Mick Herron's outstanding series is extremely funny * Daily Telegraph *It's not often a reviewer can say, "You've never read anything quite like this" but it's a safe encomium to use in the case of Mick Herron. The author's idiosyncratic writing is unique in his genre: the spycraft of le Carré refracted through the blackly comic vision of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 * Financial Times *Herron's series of novels about a group of deadbeat spies - or 'slow horses', in spook parlance - has been hailed as the most exciting thing to hit the genre since George Smiley hung up his mackintosh * Mail on Sunday *Spook Street is written with a wry, sardonic wit that will make you laugh out loud as you are taken on a gripping thrill ride * Daily Express *The new spy master * Evening Standard *Mick Herron's Spook Street began with an atrocity targeted at teenagers, which seemed horribly prescient come the Manchester Arena attack in May. But it's these discomfiting dips into the real world that give Herron's entertaining series about incompetent MI5 rejects its depth * Daily Telegraph, Crime Books of the Year *The long and enduring power of Le Carré leaves British espionage fiction a cramped space for newcomers. Mick Herron has carved out his own distinctive territory . . . Chief cowboy of the slow horses, Jackson Lamb, whose vulgar hedonism would be enough to make Falstaff look like Philip Hammond, is becoming one of crime fiction's great characters * Mark Lawson, Guardian, Crime Book of the Year *This is irresistible writing suggesting a lovechild of le Carre and Joseph Heller's Catch-22: ironclad storytelling and off-kilter humour * Financial Times, Books of the Year *This fourth in Herron's series of novels about Slough House, the department for disgraced spies, combines a terrorist attack, the murder of an old spymaster, and a mysterious fire to create a brilliantly plotted - and witty - addition * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year *A modern masterpiece * Irish Times, Books of the Year *The lavishly loathsome Jackson Lamb oversees the action with all the finesse of a shark in a swimming pool * Metro, Crime Novel of the Year *

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*''The best thriller writer in Britain today'' Sunday ExpressAt Regent''s Park, the Intelligence Service HQ, new First Desk Claude Whelan is learning the job the hard way.Tasked with protecting a beleaguered Prime Minister, he''s facing attack from all directions: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat''s wife, a tabloid columnist, who''s crucifying Whelan in print; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who''s alert for Claude''s every stumble. Meanwhile, the country''s being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks.Over at Slough House, the last stop for washed up spies, the crew are struggling with personal problems: repressed grTrade ReviewThe new spy master * Evening Standard *The new king of the spy thriller * Mail on Sunday *The best modern British spy series * Daily Express *Dazzingly inventive. Superbly orchestrated . . . Lamb - the most fascinating and irresistible thriller series hero to emerge since Jack Reacher * Sunday Times *He's been called the heir to Len Deighton - and Mick Herron's latest mordantly funny espionage novel only backs that up * Sunday Times *London Rules confirms Mick Herron as the greatest comic writer of spy fiction in the English language, and possibly all crime fiction * The Times *Le Carré looks sugar-coated next to the acid Slough House novels . . . as a master of wit, satire, insight and that very English trick of disguising heartfelt writing as detached irony before launching a surprise assault on the reader's emotions, Herron is difficult to overpraise * Daily Telegraph *Addictive . . . I cannot recommend these books strongly enough * Nick Lezard, The Spectator *The fifth instalment of the award-winning Jackson Lamb series is witty, sardonic and laugh-out-loud funny yet also thrilling and thought-provoking . . . Herron has often been compared with spy thriller greats John le Carré and Len Deighton but it is time he was recognised in his own right as the best thriller writer in Britain today. In a series that never lets its fans down, London Rules is the best instalment yet * Sunday Express, ***** *It is, as ever, a joy to return to this world: there is a warm, wise, amused depth to Herron's writing, which shines a stark light on the atrocities he describes. He's also horribly funny * Observer *Superb new Jackson Lamb thriller * Irish Times *Mick Herron is the John le Carré of our generation * Val McDermid *This year's discoveries for me were the spy novels of Mick Herron . . . Herron's Jackson Lamb books are mesmerisingly good, combining the best double, triple and quadruple-crossing traditions of Len Deighton and early Le Carré with the mordant humour of Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe novels * Marcus Berkmann, Spectator Books of the Year *London Rules is well up to the high standard of its predecessors, with the usual mixture of jokes and jeopardy at Slough House, the place where MI5 careers go to die under the dubious auspices of the wonderfully repulsive Jackson Lamb * Guardian, Books of the Year 2018 *Fortunately, Mick Herron seems to write a new Jackson Lamb novel every year. His latest in this series of wonderful and witty books about the more than eccentric head of a branch of MI5, London Rules, came out on time. I read the first four of these thrillers in a couple of weeks last year. The latest is well up to Herron's usual standards * Chris Patten, New Statesman Best Books of 2018 *London Rules by Mick Herron is the latest - and so far the best - bulletin from that twilight home for burned-out spies by the Barbican, Slough House . . . If you haven't read Herron yet you should * Evening Standard, Best Crime Novels of 2018 *This is modern British spy fiction at its brilliant best; taut, tense, quirky, funny and thrilling * Choice *Herron's comic brilliance should not overshadow the fact that his books are frequently thrilling, often thought-provoking, and sometimes moving and even inspiring. Reading one of Herron's worst books would be the highlight of my month and London Rules is one of his best * Sunday Express *London Rules takes the Jackson Lamb series to new levels of nerve-shredding tension, leavened as always with moments of eye-watering hilarity - often on the same page * Christopher Brookmyre *The great triumph of Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb books - apart from the sly wit, the clever plots and the characters - is his creation of a hilariously plausible, complete and utterly original intelligence world, in which cock-up always trumps conspiracy, the small-minded and rampantly egotistical rise to the top, and defeat is almost always snatched from the jaws of victory * M J Carter *Jackson Lamb is one of the most singularly offensive, cruel and heartless - but above all funny - fictional creations of recent times . . . Similar in the tones of Len Deighton, devoid of all glamour, grimly realistic and brutal and darkly hilarious, London Rules further burnishes Mick Herron's reputation as the finest spy novelist of his generation * Irish Examiner *London Rules may be the best Jackson Lamb thriller yet, and that's saying something, considering how brilliant the previous ones are * Mark Billingham *Sharper, funnier and more distorted than ever * Literary Review *Excellent espionage tale that is also very funny without becoming Carry On Le Carré * The Sun *Herron adeptly negotiates the rules of satire and the laws of libel to create fictional public figures who simultaneously hit more than one real-life bullseye...Stylistically, Herron's narrative voice swoops from the high to the low but it's the dialogue that zings: the screenwriters of the inevitable TV version won't have to change much... Herron is a very funny writer, but also a serious plotter * Guardian *the most remarkable and mesmerising series of novels, set mostly and explicitly in London, to have appeared in years. It is hypnotically fascinating, absolutely contemporary, cynical and hopeful * The Arts Desk *London Rules epitomises precisely why Mick Herron's espionage novels are the new hallmarks of the genre. It's a rousing, provocative - and genuinely funny, at times - political thriller with a labyrinthine plot * Simon McDonald *Jackson Lamb - subtle of brain but outrageously gross in almost every other way - still rules over his band of misfit agents in this fifth title in Herron's hilarious take on the contemporary spy thriller. Based at decrepit Slough House, dumping ground for the security services' awkward squad, his team get the jump on their disdainful colleagues when a weird terrorist plot starts to play out * Sunday Times Crime Club *If Slough House on Aldersgate Street EC1 really existed it would already rival the Old Curiosity Shop on Portsmouth Street WC2 as a landmark of literary London . . . Herron has read his Carl Hiaasen as well as his Charles Dickens. The coruscating cynicism and cartoon comedy do not detract from the seriousness of the message: 'Hate crime pollutes the soul, but only the souls of those who commit it' * Evening Standard *The fifth instalment of the award-winning Jackson Lamb series is witty, sardonic and laugh-out-loud funny yet also thrilling and thought-provoking. Not many people can turn a terror attack into a farce but Herron achieves it with a cleverly constructed story, well-rounded characters and poetic prose. Herron has often been compared with spy thriller greats John le Carré and Len Deighton but it is time he was recognised in his own right as the best thriller writer in Britain today. In a series that never lets its fans down, London Rules is the best instalment yet * Sunday Express, ***** *By turns gripping and laugh-out-loud funny, with few concessions to the stifling modern cult of you-can't-say-that * Daily Mail, Books of the Year 2018 *So funny that you might easily miss the bleak pain of many of the characters involved * Literary Review *The curmudgeonly spymaster Jackson Lamb and his superannuated colleagues go from strength to strength, with Herron balancing suspenseful counterterrorism antics with black farce * The i, Best Books of 2018 *The permanently sozzled and flatulent Jackson Lamb, a former spook now reduced to managing disgraced spies at Slough House, is one of modern literature's greatest creations * Ben Walsh, Evening Standard *Mick Herron's London Rules the fifth in his blackly comic Jackson Lamb spy series, got the year off to a cracking start as it filleted the pretensions of Britain's contemporary intelligence forces * Irish Times, Book of the Year *Witty, thrilling and thought-provoking, it is Herron's best novel yet * Daily Express *

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*''Sets a new bar for spy fiction'' Financial TimesIn Slough House, the backwater for failed spies, memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.With winter taking its grip Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can''t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible for killing a slow horse breaks cover at last, Lamb sends his crew out to even the score.This time, they''re headTrade ReviewHerron does not seek to be John le Carre - his is a wryer, more ironic style; faster, more down to earth, with rapid prose that grabs you by the throat. If you haven't read him yet, do so now * Daily Mail *The best thriller writer in Britain today * Daily Express *This series is bitingly intelligent, light of touch and frequently hilarious * Observer *Mick Herron is fast becoming the go-to author for British espionage . . . Aficionados can expect Herron's trademark snappy dialogue, memorably flawed characters and sharp political observation * Guardian *Herron is superior to the vast majority of thriller writers at their best, and there's no shortage here of reliable treats ranging from messy, inept gunfights to brutally sarcastic dialogue * Sunday Times *Every bit as captivating as its predecessors . . . like a pin-sharp sitcom that happens to include murder and high politics, they purr along on the gracelessness and ineptitude of the self-deluding Slow Horses, the unmatchable Lamb, and the crackling writing that has made all six in the series unmissable * Big Issue *A delight - an ingeniously plotted thriller, delivered in bone dry, sublimely sardonic style * Sunday Mirror *Herron's morbidly witty backdrop hosts incisive storytelling with a rich mix of engaging characters * Financial Times *Well observed, angry and deeply sad, Joe Country is fundamentally about injustice . . . It is a rare novelist who can make such unrelenting misery so funny * TLS *Mick Herron's Slough House spy thrillers are by now, one of the least well-kept secrets in espionage fiction. Everyone with even half an eye on the genre knows he is somewhere near the top . . . Herron is a fine, often glorious sentence-by-sentence writer, and fiercely funny with his dialogue . . . a hugely satisfying addition to the series * Literary Review *Herron's running jokes with language are part of the fun, and his corpulent, politically incorrect and scatalogically creative eminence noir Jackson Lamb is the icing on the cake * The Times *If you haven't yet immersed yourself in the world of Slough House, the arena for Herron's jaded and thoroughly imperfect spies, you've a treat in store . . . Combining espionage, ennui and deadpan humour, they set a new bar for spy fiction * FT, Books of the Year *A complex, accomplished novel by the best thriller writer in Britain today * Daily Express, Books of the Year *

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman**THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***THE TIMES THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR*****WINNER OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022***''A gripping thriller'' Ian RankinSlough 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 Trade ReviewI can report that the new Mick Herron novel, Slough House, is as eye-wateringly funny as it is nerve-shreddingly tense. I think this might be the best Jackson Lamb outing yet, and that's taking it above a very high benchmark * Christopher Brookmyre *This is a darker, scarier Herron. The gags are still there but the satire's more biting. The privatization of a secret service op and the manipulation of news is relevant and horribly credible * Ann Cleeves *Mick Herron is one of the finest writers of his generation * Steve Cavanagh *I enjoyed Slough House tremendously. Witty, clever and horribly on point. Lots to laugh about while being careful not to miss a word. This isn't a book to skim read * Kit de Waal *An excellent writer * Sunday Times *[Slough House] is the best yet. The jokes are frequent and good, the pacing first rate, and the plot pieces, the moves and countermoves, snap as satisfyingly into place as anything I've read in the genre. * Times Literary Supplement *Herron has certainly devised the most completely realised espionage universe since that peopled by George Smiley...What Herron has actually been writing is a modern sit-com. This is "the Office" (as insiders refer to MI6) as The Office, half-complete with the Slough setting. * The Times *[Jackson Lamb] Herron's glorious creation propels the story to the bitter end where the non-stop barrage of jokes is fatally undercut by a final shocking twist. * Evening Standard *I'll tell you what, to have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron's novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carre - is a terrific thing. * Gary Oldman *

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Book SynopsisThe road to hell is paved with all sorts of intentions, as Oxford private investigator Zoë Boehm discovers when a straightforward jewellery store robbery turns out to be anything but.

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Book Synopsis*From the creator of SLOW HORSES and soon to be a major TV series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson*''If you haven''t read Zoë Boehm yet, welcome to your next fiction addiction'' Val McDermid, author of Past Lying''Good characterisation, dialogue and a well-paced narrative make this confident first novel frighteningly plausible'' Daily TelegraphIt''s an evening like any other when an explosion rips through the leafy Oxford suburb Sarah Tucker calls home.In the aftermath, a house now stands devastated, with two adults dead and a young girl missing.With the police more interested in keeping the neighbours from rubbernecking than in searching for the missing child, Sarah becomes obsessed with finding her.She enlists the help of Zoë Boehm''s investigation agency, but Sarah''s and Zoë''s search reveals more secrets than answers, taking them from Oxford''s cobbled streets to the rugged outer rea

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Book Synopsis*From the creator of SLOW HORSES and soon to be a major TV series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson*''If you haven''t read Zoë Boehm yet, welcome to your next fiction addiction'' Val McDermid, author of Past Lying''Herron is a stylish writer with a mordant sensibility and a deadly wit. He''s also a tricky plotter'' New York Times Book ReviewWhen Zoë Boehm agrees to track down the gang who knocked over Sweeney''s jewellery shop, she''s just hoping to break even in time for tax season. She certainly doesn''t expect to wind up in a coffin. But she''s about to become entangled with a strange collection of characters, starting with suicidal Tim Whitby, who''s dedicating what''s left of his life to protecting the pretty, battered Katrina Blake from her late husband''s sociopathic brothers, Arkle and Trent.Unfortunately for Zoë, Arkle has a crossbow, Tim has nothing left to lose, and even Katrina has her secretsTrade ReviewTough, bright and highly promising * Chicago Tribune *Stylish and engaging * Washington Post *Frighteningly plausible * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''A first-rate modern thriller'' Daily MailSet in the same world as Mick Herron''s bestselling Slough House thrillers, Nobody Walks introduces JK Coe, a fledgling spy who''s about to get a harsh lesson in the realities of life on Spook StreetTom Bettany is working at a meat processing plant in France when he gets a voicemail telling him that his estranged 26-year-old son is dead - Liam Bettany fell from his London balcony, where he was smoking pot.Now for the first time since he cut all ties years ago, Bettany returns home to London to find out the truth about his son''s death. But more than a few people are interested to hear Bettany is back in town, from incarcerated mob bosses to those in the highest echelons of MI5. And some of them - like JK Coe - will have cause to regret his reappearance.Bettany might have thought he''d left it all behind when he first skipped town, but nobody ever really walks away.Trade ReviewFast-moving and deeply cynical, yet thoroughly heartfelt, this is a first-rate modern thriller * Daily Mail *Mick Herron writes thrillers that are smart in the places that count. Smart prose, smart plotting * Toronto Star *Blackly comic * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTwo Slough House Novellas**THE DROP**'It is time Mick Herron was recognised in his own right as the best thriller writer in Britain today' Sunday ExpressOld spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone cafe, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality.A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.**THE LIST**'Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to' Mark BillinghamDieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that the deceased had been keeping a secret second bank account - and there's only ever one reason a spy has a secret second bank account. The question of whether he was a double agent must be resolved, and its answer may undo an entire career's worth of spy secrets.**previously published as two separate editions**Trade ReviewThe new king of the spy thriller - Mail on SundayThe new spy master - Evening StandardIt's all sheer fun. Herron is spy fiction's great humorist, mixing absurd situations with sparklingly funny dialogue and elegant, witty prose - The TimesMick Herron is the John le Carre of our generation - Val McDermidMick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to - Mark Billingham

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Book Synopsis'This tightly plotted tragicomedy will provide a welcome fix for addicts awaiting Herron's seventh Jackson Lamb novel' The Times'Packed with Herron's trademark witty one-liners and sardonic humour . . . it's clear why Herron is a force to be reckoned with and the best thriller writer in Britain today' Daily Express'A slim serio-comic offering . . . It plays out typically cleverly' Sunday TimesIf life in the Intelligence Service has taught John Bachelor anything, it's to keep his head down. Especially now, when he's living rent-free in a dead spook's flat. So he's not delighted to be woken at dawn by a pair of Regent's Park's heavies, looking for a client he's not seen in years. John doesn't know what secrets Benny Manors has stolen, but they're attracting the wrong attention. And if he's to save his own skin, not to mention safeguard his living arrangements, John has to find Benny before those secrets see the light.Benny could be anywhere, provided it serves alcohol. So John sets out on a reluctant trawl through the bars of the capital, all the while plagued by the age-old questions: Will he end up sleeping in his car? How many bottles of gin can he afford at London prices?And just how far will Regent's Park go to prevent anyone rocking the Establishment's boat?Trade ReviewThis tightly plotted tragicomedy will provide a welcome fix for addicts awaiting Herron's seventh Jackson Lamb novel * The Times *Packed with Herron's trademark witty one-liners and sardonic humour . . . it's clear why Herron is a force to be reckoned with and the best thriller writer in Britain today * Daily Express *A slim serio-comic offering . . . It plays out typically cleverly * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis*FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING SLOUGH HOUSE THRILLERS*Mick Herron is 'Britain's finest living thriller writer' (Sunday Express) and author of the bestselling and award-winning Slough House novels. Dolphin Junction captures his trademark tension, humour, and suspense in the form of short fiction, collected here for the first time.When a wife leaves her husband under suspicious circumstances, he sets off in search for her, unprepared for the guilty secrets he's about to drag back into the light.A man is tempted by a luxury apartment with a top-of-the-range kitchen. But there is a heavy price to pay for this glamorous new life.A couple go on a hike through the Derbyshire countryside, to ignore the fact their marriage is on the rocks.And there is a peek into the past of Jackson Lamb, the boss of Slough House, as well as stories featuring the shrewd detective Zoë Boehm and her hapless partner Joe Silvermann.Dolphin Junction displays Herron's craft for deftly plotted storytelling, dark wit, and memorable twists.'Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to' Mark Billingham'Mick Herron is one of the finest writers of his generation' Steve CavanaghTrade ReviewNothing in this particular stocking could be described as filler, in fact: every story, whether sweet or dark, is a delicious treat. * Jake Kerridge, The Sunday Telegraph *An early Christmas bonus. * The Times *Definitely one for the Christmas list, Dolphin Junction is both a perfect introduction to the creator of monstrous spymaster Jackson Lamb and a treat for Slough House aficionados. * Guardian *One of our top spy writers proves he can write crime short stories which are as brilliant as his novels. Slough House features but this is an eclectic mix of tales. Herron is a one off. * NB Magazine *What we're reading. * The i *

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Book Synopsis*Discover The Secret Hours, the gripping new thriller from Mick Herron and an unmissable read for Slough House fans**Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A pitch-perfect espionage thriller' Sunday TimesIn MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere.A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar.Over at Slough House, the home for demoted and embittered spies, the slow horses are doing what they do best: adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation.In a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing is the norm, bad actors are bending the rules for their own gain. If the slow horses want to change the script, they'll need to get their own act together before the final curtain.*Includes the short story Standing by the Wall: A Slough House Interlude*'The foremost living spy novelist in the English language' New Statesman'This is entertainment of the highest class' Literary Review'The man is a genius' The SpectatorTrade ReviewBad Actors took a big step into literary excellence. The dazzling, Conrad-like structure turned an entertainment into a major literary statement -- Philip Hensher * The Spectator *Bad Actors is both thriller and anti-thriller: subverting and denying the treats you expect from the genre, but then providing them in a twisted form after all * Sunday Times *Jackson Lamb is the greatest literary creation of this century . . . Herron is master of the metaphor and his extraordinarily well-plotted books are always centred on real-life events -- Nikki May * Great British Life *An ingeniously structured caper * Mail on Sunday *Satire at its best along with him being one of the best spy thriller writers around * Shots Mag *Britain's finest contemporary thriller series * Daily Express *There's no doubting Herron's intelligence. Will he prove to be our age's Anthony Trollope? . . . Few other contemporary thrillers, at any event, would have the confidence to make a plot point of the post-Brexit residency status of some of Lazio's hardcore Curva Nord football fans . . . [Bad Actors] deserves the bouquets that will come its way, and Herron is building a series with lasting resonance. We'll miss the show when some day he decides to bring the curtain down * The Times *A pitch-perfect espionage thriller and a double delight for political nerds as it thrusts the slow horses into a Russian intelligence operation in Westminster . . . What Bad Actors shows is that he has inherited le Carré's mantle for using the thriller to dissect the times in which he lives . . . Bad Actors is his most piquant political satire, dripping with tart observations about our unruly rulers -- Tim Shipman * Sunday Times Culture *Anyone who enjoys Mick Herron's masterful political satires and fantastical spy fiction must be afraid that one day his powers of invention will falter. It hasn't happened yet. Bad Actors is as good as ever . . . This novel contains some serious, hard-hitting emotions alongside the wit, neat plotting, great action scenes, beautiful descriptions and wonderful schoolboy smut (placed in the mouth of Lamb) we have come to associate with Herron's writing. This is entertainment of the highest class * Literary Review *This highly topical, beautifully written, indecently entertaining book maintains the impeccably high standards Herron has set for this essential series * Irish Times *What spurs me to keep reading each new instalment is Herron's absurdist voice, which could devolve into cheap cynicism but never does * New York Times *Written with the gifted Herron's typical wit, and with Lamb's personality pervading every page, this is the antithesis of the discreet George Smiley * Daily Mail *One of the best entries in an outstanding series * Daily Express (Scotland), Daily Mirror *What we're reading * i Paper *It's beautifully written with a satisfyingly complex plot and an explosive finale * Daily Record *Like all of Herron's enthralling series, Bad Actors is both thriller and anti-thriller, subverting and denying the treats you expect from the genre, but then sardonically providing them in a twisted form after all * Sunday Times, Thriller of the Month *Anyone who tries to understand modern Britain through its fiction but overlooks Mick Herron's satirical thrillers merits a punishment posting to the critics' version of Slough House . . . Snappily paced, his comic prose fizzes with an epigrammatic chutzpah, softened by elegiac grace notes. . . Herron, in Wodehouse or Pratchett mode, fashions a self-sustaining comic realm . . . it's the line-by-line hits of patter and backchat - part-Noël Coward, part-Joe Orton - that spritz every page * The Spectator *Beautifully written with a satisfyingly complex plot and an explosive finale. Herron remains Britain's finest living thriller writer . . . [A] remarkable talent * Sunday Express *New readers attracted by the TV version of Slow Horses will find Herron at his very best * Mail on Sunday, Mail Online *The foremost living spy novelist in the English language -- John Gray * New Statesman *I roared through Mick Herron's new Slough House novel, Bad Actors, with the odious, odorous genius Jackson Lamb at its heart, and a couple of loathsome main characters who surely only coincidentally resemble well-known British political figures of our time * Robert Macfarlane *The man is a genius * The Spectator *One of the most consistently enjoyable literary achievements of the past decade * The Times *Mixes his trademark black comedy with insights into the tangled moral universe we inhabit . . . Herron at his very best * Mail on Sunday *Herron stands firmly in the line of descent from Ian Fleming. It is fitting that he has been given the broadcast treatment because - following the death of John le Carré - he is at the summit of what I believe is a new golden age of spy fiction . . . Herron began writing about a private detective and switched to spy thrillers in 2010, but it was eight years before he made it big. While he won awards, his books barely sold. His second, Dead Lions (2013), did not even secure a hardback release in the UK. It was only when the publisher John Murray rescued him from obscurity that he began to enjoy commercial success - he recently topped one million sales for the Slough House series -- Tim Shipman * Sunday Times *I love Mick Herron's books, both for what they are - which is: pitch-perfect, fantastically-written, hilariously-funny spy capers - and also for what they say about Britain . . . Herron is not just a top-notch thriller writer, but a satirist of the first order -- Oliver Bulloughs, WaterstonesMick Herron's Slough House spy thrillers, about a duff MI5 unit, got me through journeys, despite egregious politicking (the latest, Bad Actors, is in paperback) -- John Lewis-Stempel * Country Life books of the year *

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Book SynopsisTHE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF SLOW HORSES, THE APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES STARRING GARY OLDMAN IN HIS EMMY-NOMINATED ROLE AS JACKSON LAMB. 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,” 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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Book SynopsisFrom CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron comes a shocking, twisted novel of psychological suspense about one woman's attempt to be better than ordinary. Twenty-six-year-old Maggie Barnes is someone you would never look at twice. Living alone in a month-to-month sublet in the huge city of London, with no family but an estranged sister, no partner, and not much in the way of friends, Maggie is just the kind of person who could vanish from the face of the earth without anyone taking notice. Or just the kind of person MI5 needs to infiltrate the establishment and thwart an international plot that puts all of Britain at risk. Now one young woman has the chance to be a hero—if she can think quickly enough to stay alive.

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Book SynopsisTHE FIFTH BOOK IN THE SERIES BEHIND SLOW HORSES, AN APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES NOW STREAMING ON APPLE TV+ Ian Fleming. John le Carré. Len Deighton. Mick Herron. The brilliant plotting of Herron’s twice CWA Dagger Award-winning Slough House series of spy novels is matched only by his storytelling gift and an ear for viciously funny political satire. “Mick Herron is the John le Carré of our generation.”—Val McDermidAt MI5 headquarters Regent’s Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning the ropes the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he’s facing attack from all directions: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat’s wife, a tabloid columnist, who’s crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM’s favorite Muslim, who’s about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite the dark secret he’s hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who’s alert for Claude’s every stumble. Meanwhile, the country’s being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks.  Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they’re about to rediscover their greatest strength—that of making a bad situation much, much worse.   It’s a good thing Jackson Lamb knows the rules. Because those things aren’t going to break themselves.

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