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A review by charles__
Slough House by Mick Herron
2.0
The Slow Horses get embroiled in deadly game of tit-for-tat assassinations between MI5 and the GRU.
The O.B’s Kentish Pile?
My audio edition was about 10 1/4 hours long. A dead tree copy would be about 310 pages. The original UK copyright was 2021.
Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist. He has about 20-books published, in two series and standalone. This is the seventh book in his Slough House series. This was the sixth book I’ve read by the author. The previous being the fifth book in the series' London Rules (my review).
With this audiobook, I’m becoming accustomed to Gerard Doyle being the series narrator. Earlier books in the series I’d listened to were narrated by Sean Barrett. Although I still prefer the later.
Its strongly recommended that the previous books in the series be read before this one. Otherwise, the important, long-term Slow Horses, series plotlines will not be easily understood. Having written that, I accidentally read this book out-of-order. I started this book instead of Herron’s Joe Country the next in my reading. Actually, it was the obvious, fragments of backstory that clued me in, about a quarter of the way through the book to my mistake.
In this story the Slow Horses get involved in a tit-for-tat British/Russian exchange of agent assassinations originating through Lady Di Taverner’s machinations. Jackson Lamb was forced to fight his Slough House corner and remind the GRU that London Rules never stopped applying, no matter who occupies the MI5 First Desk. This story wraps more ambiguously than previous books, and leaves the reader with a cliffhanger.
This book was very much like previous books in the series-- Joe’s (spys) vs. Bureaucrats. The writing was on-par with the previous books in the series. I always get more than a few chuckles out of the stories. Although, you need some knowledge of life in the UK to catch it all. This one likewise adheres to the broad themes found in the previous books. It will be by now very familiar to reader's of the series. I particularly liked the use of Beria's stiletto for Chekhov's Gun. (Although, I saw it coming from the first sentence.) Where it differs, is that it brings back Cartwright’s love interest from the first book and leaves the reader with a cliffhanger. The dysfunctional, MI5’s power struggles have also changed. With Taverner ascendant, the struggles are more between Her MI5 and Her Majesty's Government. Still this story had several problems not found in the better laid-out earlier books of the series. I had a real problem with the setup for the final hit of the GRU team. It did not fit their MO of plausible deniability. It would also have re-ignited the public furor that started the round of assassinations. It fit badly within the story, besides setting-up for the execrable, cliffhanger, ending.
Action scenes in this book take place in London and Cartwright’s grandfather’s home in Kent. I take issue with the short travel times of the many car trips made between EC1A and the O.B.’s Kentish pile.
This was yet another story of Herron’s Slow Horses series documenting Jackson Lamb’s conflict with the MI5 bureaucracy and the eventual success of his Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. Although, this book felt more like a ‘bridge’ story, in that more was set up for the next book in the series, than occurred between these covers. I also thought there were plot problems at the end. This book reinforces what I’m finding to be the too-predictable, series’ plot of Joe’s vs. Secret Service Bureaucrats. (Dare I write, formulaic?) I’m getting bored with the predictability of the series, despite Herron’s amusing narrative. In addition, it was a low blow to end the book with a cliffhanger. (A series first.) Now, I’m going to have to wait another year for [b:Bad Actors|57927145|Bad Actors (Slough House #8)|Mick Herron|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|90762479] (Slow Horses #8)? Fortunately, I have [b:Joe Country|38751779|Joe Country (Slough House #6)|Mick Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549054031l/38751779._SY75_.jpg|60343291] to go back to.
The O.B’s Kentish Pile?
My audio edition was about 10 1/4 hours long. A dead tree copy would be about 310 pages. The original UK copyright was 2021.
Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist. He has about 20-books published, in two series and standalone. This is the seventh book in his Slough House series. This was the sixth book I’ve read by the author. The previous being the fifth book in the series' London Rules (my review).
With this audiobook, I’m becoming accustomed to Gerard Doyle being the series narrator. Earlier books in the series I’d listened to were narrated by Sean Barrett. Although I still prefer the later.
Its strongly recommended that the previous books in the series be read before this one. Otherwise, the important, long-term Slow Horses, series plotlines will not be easily understood. Having written that, I accidentally read this book out-of-order. I started this book instead of Herron’s Joe Country the next in my reading. Actually, it was the obvious, fragments of backstory that clued me in, about a quarter of the way through the book to my mistake.
In this story the Slow Horses get involved in a tit-for-tat British/Russian exchange of agent assassinations originating through Lady Di Taverner’s machinations. Jackson Lamb was forced to fight his Slough House corner and remind the GRU that London Rules never stopped applying, no matter who occupies the MI5 First Desk. This story wraps more ambiguously than previous books, and leaves the reader with a cliffhanger.
This book was very much like previous books in the series-- Joe’s (spys) vs. Bureaucrats. The writing was on-par with the previous books in the series. I always get more than a few chuckles out of the stories. Although, you need some knowledge of life in the UK to catch it all. This one likewise adheres to the broad themes found in the previous books. It will be by now very familiar to reader's of the series. I particularly liked the use of Beria's stiletto for Chekhov's Gun. (Although, I saw it coming from the first sentence.) Where it differs, is that it brings back Cartwright’s love interest from the first book and leaves the reader with a cliffhanger. The dysfunctional, MI5’s power struggles have also changed. With Taverner ascendant, the struggles are more between Her MI5 and Her Majesty's Government. Still this story had several problems not found in the better laid-out earlier books of the series. I had a real problem with the setup for the final
Spoiler
novichok-basedAction scenes in this book take place in London and Cartwright’s grandfather’s home in Kent. I take issue with the short travel times of the many car trips made between EC1A and the O.B.’s Kentish pile.
This was yet another story of Herron’s Slow Horses series documenting Jackson Lamb’s conflict with the MI5 bureaucracy and the eventual success of his Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. Although, this book felt more like a ‘bridge’ story, in that more was set up for the next book in the series, than occurred between these covers. I also thought there were plot problems at the end. This book reinforces what I’m finding to be the too-predictable, series’ plot of Joe’s vs. Secret Service Bureaucrats. (Dare I write, formulaic?) I’m getting bored with the predictability of the series, despite Herron’s amusing narrative. In addition, it was a low blow to end the book with a cliffhanger. (A series first.) Now, I’m going to have to wait another year for [b:Bad Actors|57927145|Bad Actors (Slough House #8)|Mick Herron|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|90762479] (Slow Horses #8)? Fortunately, I have [b:Joe Country|38751779|Joe Country (Slough House #6)|Mick Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549054031l/38751779._SY75_.jpg|60343291] to go back to.