This is book 1 in the Zoe Boehm thriller series by Mick Herron. It was very exciting for me to discover this series, having devoured all of the Jackson Lamb Slough House books and been left wanting more. Down Cemetery Road was first published in 2003 so there is, hopefully, a long road ahead filled with more wonderful stories about Zoe Boehm.
Sarah Tucker is a middle class woman who stays at home, reluctantly, while her husband, Mark, goes out to work in the world of banking and high finance. Sarah wants a career of her own but hasn’t been able to find anything that suits her qualifications and abilities to this point.
Mark has asked Sarah to arrange a dinner party for prospective clients, Gerard Inchon and the Trophy Wife, and is unhappy that Sarah has invited her friend, Wigwam, and Wigwam’s weird new husband, Rufus, to join them. In the midst of this rather awkward evening a traumatic event occurs in their street which leads to a chain of strange, wild and dangerous events for Sarah and eventually everyone closely connected to her.
It is a terrific story of which Zoe Boehm becomes a significant part mid-way through. It involves the very dark side of the Security Service with nasty, scary, spooks who are charged with clean-ups and cover-ups and who will do anything and everything necessary to complete their missions. Mick Herron’s characterisations are spot on (Joseph Silverman BA is completely memorable); and the dialogue is, as expected, perfect. I will try and pace myself through this series, as I did with the Slow Horses, and read other books in between each one. I don’t want it to be over too soon!
This thriller has an intricate, interesting plot, suspenseful twists and turns and Mick Herron’s as ever brilliant wit. 5 out 5 for sure!
Published by John Murray
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