Standing by the Wall

The Collected Slough House Novellas

De: Mick Herron

Narrado por: Gerard Doyle

At last in one volume: the collected Slough House spy novellas, including the never-before-published Christmas interlude Standing by the Wall

Espionage. Blackmail. Revenge. Cunning. Slapstick. State secrets dating back to the fall of the Berlin Wall. All this and more in a tight package of five novellas by Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of Slow Horses. From the troubled recruitment of a new MI5 informant to a botched information transfer, Herron’s novellas capture the drama, humor, and high stakes of everyday life in the world of spycraft, a world rife with both legends and secrets, where thrillseeking and loneliness are ubiquitous and deadly, and where the lines between friends, enemies, and lovers are perpetually blurred by circumstance and subterfuge.

For fans new and old, Standing by the Wall is an excellent introduction to the extended literary universe of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses.

©2022 Mick Herron (P)2023 Recorded Books

Characters

Generally I don’t like short stories but this collection of short stories was some better because most of them included the same characters with a story line that moved ahead from one short story to the next.

Review

Herron is possibly the best in the genre. Wish there were more Slough House books
But I would read anything by him

Captivating Listen

The reader is outstanding and the novellas are excellent. All were great listens! Most highly recommended.

Spoiler alert

I wonder why Standing by the Wall contains such a big spoiler for The Secret Hours? I think I would have enjoyed the big twist in that book more than I enjoyed this short story.

Read Standing by the Wall (the story) after The Secret Hours, that’s my advice to you.

Nice accompaniment to previous books

I really enjoyed this. I think it would be most enjoyable for those who have already listened to the previous audiobooks as there are a lot of references to them and to their characters. As usual, the narration is excellent. I will listen to any of these books!

Excellent filling-in of details from the entire Slough House series

Gerard Doyle's mastery of subject and characters; gaps in prior stories beautifully explained; and the promise of more Slough House stories

The last two

Great storytelling, but the last two Novelas are less consistent. Still very enjoyable and full of great twists and turns.

Fills in all the blank spaces

I loved that it filled in all the blank spaces, but wish I’d have been able to listen to each novella in the proper sequence of the books.

The humor

I liked the back story info but this should be an adjunct read
Not the place to start

Exquisite vocabulary brings listening pleasure

Mick Herron's exquisite use of the English language is a pleasure in itself. Extra insight into the lives of his Slow Horses brings yet another pleasure. This is for those who are familiar with his characters from another book or two rather than novice readers.