Wow, this series of books is addicting! It is about a department of MI5 which is used as a holding pen for agents and staff who have screwed up or are screwed up and can't be fired for one reason or another. They are given mind-numbing, pointless tasks in the hope that they'll quit. None of them do, mostly because they're hoping to be reinstated to the "A" team, even though they know that is unlikely.
The man in charge of Slough House, Jackson Lamb, is one of the most entertaining characters ever. He is a legendary former "joe," or field agent, who worked behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. The Cold War being over, he now mans a desk. That he mans this particular desk (managing a group of screw-ups) relates to a job he did at the end of his tenure as a field agent.
Jackson Lamb is a rude, farting, belching, genius at reading people, interpreting events, and spotting weak points. His sarcastic remarks frequently have me laughing out loud.
While the staff of Slough House (nicknamed "Slow Horses," in a punning reference to their headquarters) are not supposed to be active agents, in each volume of this series action somehow finds them, and a huge part of the pleasure of the book is watching these persistently depressed and underestimated people blossom as they exercise their talents.
I have seen Mick Herron referred to as a new Le Carre. I don't know if I buy that comparison. But Herron's sharp observations of agency politics and office interactions are a pleasure to read, and the twisty plots are also great fun.
The man in charge of Slough House, Jackson Lamb, is one of the most entertaining characters ever. He is a legendary former "joe," or field agent, who worked behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. The Cold War being over, he now mans a desk. That he mans this particular desk (managing a group of screw-ups) relates to a job he did at the end of his tenure as a field agent.
Jackson Lamb is a rude, farting, belching, genius at reading people, interpreting events, and spotting weak points. His sarcastic remarks frequently have me laughing out loud.
While the staff of Slough House (nicknamed "Slow Horses," in a punning reference to their headquarters) are not supposed to be active agents, in each volume of this series action somehow finds them, and a huge part of the pleasure of the book is watching these persistently depressed and underestimated people blossom as they exercise their talents.
I have seen Mick Herron referred to as a new Le Carre. I don't know if I buy that comparison. But Herron's sharp observations of agency politics and office interactions are a pleasure to read, and the twisty plots are also great fun.
