Slough House

 

Slough House by Mick Herron (2020 John Murray softcover 309pp)

 

 

First of all, I’ll state that I loved this book. I tore through it at high speed and had it done in 2 sittings. It was great to be back in this world again and catching up with the same old characters once more. So, this the point I have to add that if you’ve never read anything in this series before, definitely DO NOT start here – “Slough House” is the seventh novel in Herron’s Slough House series, also known (by its UK publisher) as the “Jackson Lamb Thriller” series. There are also 3 or 4 short stories/novellas set in the same universe, none of which I have actually read yet.

The eponymous Slough House is a run-down office owned by the UK secret services. It is where it places the ‘slow horses’, agents which have screwed up, made terrible mistakes or otherwise failed on the job. Too dangerous to fire outright, they spend their days doing menial and meaningless desk jobs for the service. Ringmaster to this motely crew is Jackson Lamb, a veteran field agent of disgusting habits and dubious personal hygiene. Outwardly disinterested, Lamb is actually very protective of his team and will take direct action if they’re threatened. Despite their failings the slow horses always seem to be first to come up against threats both external and internal. Some of them pay the ultimate price – there’s something of a revolving door of characters with Herron adding new team members every couple of books. The books also delve into the back-stabbing world of those who run the services and their political masters.

In this book, as in reality, Russian agents have carried out attacks in the UK using nerve agents. Diana Taverner, head of the secret service has gone off the books and organised a revenge attack funded by private interests and then finds those interests want more say in her operations. Peter Judd, Herron’s analogue of Boris Johnson has left politics and is trying to manipulate events from behind the scenes. He has his eyes on a growing populist movement which has begun to take to the streets of London. Meanwhile the Russians think they’ve discovered details about a top-secret British assassination team and start taking revenge for the British revenge. The bodies start piling up and soon Slough House becomes directly involved.

The overall tone of this instalment is somewhat darker than some of the earlier books. There’s frequent reference to ‘troubled times' and Herron seems to be no fan of the Brexit era. However, whenever Jackson Lamb takes the stage things lighten up. He has the best lines and oozes sarcasm and world-weariness. The banter between team members also is a highlight. Sometimes it seems that the looming threats are just an excuse to have the slow horses mix and mingle more with the world and show off their distinctive characters.

There are crosses and double crosses. Its probably no spoiler to say that Lamb comes out on top again but there’s something of a sting in the tail of this novel – an uncertain cliff-hanger ending for one long-term character. If you’re already a fan of the series don’t hesitate to pick this one up, otherwise start with “Slow Horses” and enjoy the ride.