Slough House

By: Mick Herron

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

At Slough House - MI5’s London depository for demoted spies - Brexit has taken a toll. The “slow horses” have been pushed further into the cold, Slough House has been erased from official records, and its members are dying in unusual circumstances, at an unusual clip. No wonder Jackson Lamb’s crew is feeling paranoid. But are they actually targets? 

With a new populist movement taking hold of London’s streets and the old order ensuring that everything’s for sale to the highest bidder, the world’s a dangerous place for those deemed surplus. Jackson Lamb and the slow horses are in a fight for their lives as they navigate dizzying layers of lies, power, and death. 

In his best and most ambitious novel yet, Mick Herron, “the le Carré of the future” (BBC), offers an unsparing look at the corrupt web of media, global finance, spycraft, and politics that power our modern world.

©2021 Mick Herron (P)2021 Recorded Books

I love this series, BUT

This edition has several themes running, each interesting. My complaint is nothing is resolved. There is more than one cliffhanger. To me, Herron is setting the scene for the next book. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have waited for the next book to be released and listened to this one and right on to the next, hopefully with all the answers.

Cliffhanger Ending

I mention that Slough House leaves us in shreds waiting for what comes next because that means something - another Slow Horses book - will come. That's important. This series MUST continue! Slough House moves faster than previous books in the series. The corrosive, profane elegance of its plot and writing dazzle like exploding Molotovs. Its hapless characters fight their ways through endless double, triple and quadruple crosses with existential giddiness and dread. Herron plays merciless, ingenious riffs on class warfare, cold wars, spy vs spy, and le Carre's People. I want to listen to Doyle perform it again right now, even though I just finished. Tough, exquisite, morbidly funny, gripping, gross, exciting. Since we are living through this historical mess, we should be grateful that Herron is making such stellar use of its raw materials.

As good as it gets

Another terrific audiobook from Mick Herron. And well performed.

But here's a spoiler - (I hope) it's only the first half of a two part novel. The cliffhanger at the end could be the end of the first part, or the end of the series. As one reviewer wrote: "Brilliant."

My main problem with this book is that I'm probably going to have to wait another year for the next one. I'm an old man - it's enough that I have to hope that Robert Caro doesn't die before his final Lyndon Johnson book comes out. Now I have to hope that I don't die before Mick Herron finishes his series.

Hoping for a long life...

Slough House is Back!

Slough House is another great installment in the Slow Horses series. Herron delivers everything that fans of the series love, including the usual or rather the unusual characters and suspenseful plot - because you just never know who Herron might decide to whack. I'm still mad that Marcus is gone. Herron writes with an abundance of comedic gems embedded in the dialogue and imagery which makes this unique spy series so entertaining and lol funny. Gerard Doyle's narration is perfect as always.

Great characters

The character of Jackson Lamb ie the connection throughout... dialogue is captivating... all of the characters are well defined.

The story is there, the narration is not

It's most likely a matter of taste, but Gerard Doyle's narration is just impossible to listen to. It's so monotone and lacking in character that I find it difficult to follow the story. Sean Barrett's narrations (at least of the Slough House series) are much better.

Very difficult to follow

The narrator uses the same voice for all of the characters and doesn’t express emotion well. The story is very hard to follow. Do not recommend

Wonderful as always

Mick Herron is in John LeCarre’s class. Characters deep, dysfunctional, and oddly charming. Plot tied to the times. Narration is also brilliant. I’d listen for awhile if Gerard Doyle was reading the phone book. Best to start at beginning of series. You won’t be sorry.

Disappointing

I loved Slow Horses. So I bought this audio book, Slough House, with very high hopes. I have listened to 3.5 hours of it and I am giving up. There has been almost zilch plot advance. The author writes well and has nice turns of phrase. But please tell me a story. Please hold my interest and build some dramatic tension. I’ve given up and consider my 3.5 hour investment in this book a complete loss. This is the first negative book review I have ever written — I’m hoping it will prompt a better-told story in the author’s next.

not so good

I have read or listen to almost every Mick Herron novel that is available on Kindle or Audible. this one was so bad and pointless that I don't think I will purchase