Slow Horses by Mick Herron

 

 I recently found a new book, Slough House, by Mick Herron but discovered that is it the seventh in the Jackson Lamb series; so I thought I should start at the beginning to find out what they are about and that is when I found Slow Horses. Well, let me tell you if you like spies, nail-biting twists and turns and brilliantly witty repartee this is the book for you.

Slough House is a branch of MI 5 to which once would-be spies who have blotted their copybooks in some way or another find themselves exiled never to be promoted and, it is hoped, eventually resigning from the service and fading into obscurity. Young River Cartwright has landed there due to some dirty work on the part of his so-called friend, Spider Webb. Jackson Lamb, ex-joe (field operative) reigns supreme over all the other losers at Slough House.

I don’t ever give away the plot to a book but I will say that this absolutely ripping yarn contains white supremacists, underhanded bigwigs and politicians, an endearing victim and Joanna Lumley (almost). The writing is spellbinding with some of the best one-liners you’ll ever read and the book is an absolute joy from start to finish.

And there are another six of these waiting to be read! Life is good. 5 out of 5, of course!

Published by John Murray

an Hachette UK company