A very good spy story, after a bit of a slow, wordy start. When Herron is on top of his game, the book is exciting and gripping, unputdownable. However, in several cases, Herron allows the dialogue to become repetitive and quite dull. I found myself skimming in several places. I think some of this is on-purpose to build tension, but that doesn’t really work.



One thing I’ve noted is the humour and general pacing improve substantially around the half-way mark. The plot is a bit outrageous and unlikely, and Lamb is a cartoon, but the other slow horses are interesting. Flyte is good, but needs to be expanded more as a character. I suspect in some future book she will end up as a slow horse. Molly-from-Smiley-World is always good. Some other recognisable characters from real life are acceptable plot devices.

I really, really love how Boris "the dangerous clown" Johnson (Gimball) is treated in this book. Brexit fans are trashed, Troy stupidity and greed is spotlighted, and the avarice and cowardice of the rulers of the Regent's Park facility are skewered again and again, as we expect.

One thing: Slow Horses are damaged, but Ho is seriously mentally ill... psychotic, almost.

The central terror plot seems quite absurd. I’ve never heard of anything like this in any western democracy from the [evil country] Herron has chosen.

Herron has not fallen into the megalomania of "Hollywood script writing" in this book, which is very good because he's terrible at it. His best work is in the dialogues and fast-paced action. Here, many of the dialogues are wonderful: Witty and sharp and surprising, deepening his characters and making the book deeper and more complex. However, there are too many places where the dialogue and/or description bog down. I found myself skimming pages at a time. Nothing worse that dialogue that does not inform, that does not drive the pacing, that does not deepen the characters. I suspect Herron was trying to "reach a page count" for his publisher. Far too many authors do this these days.

The climax and ending were terrific (bar some overwritten, overlong passages), and the epilogue and Lady Di interaction with Lamb at the end was very satisfying.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.




Notes and quotes:

It began to rain that morning, about the time London was coming to life; a series of showers that rolled across the city, reminding its inhabitants that summer wasn’t a promise, merely an occasional treat. The skies loomed grey and heavy, and buildings sulked beneath their weight. On the streets traffic played its wet-weather soundtrack, a symphony of hissing and slurring against a whispered backbeat of wipers ...

when you held a gun in your hands, the people around you lost definition. They became wraiths, and anything they carried of personality dropped away, no longer of consequence. If you wished to retain your human stamp, stay away from the battlefield.

‘Jackson Lamb,’ [Molly] said. ‘I hardly need to ask, do I? You’re after something.’
‘Would I be here otherwise?’
‘Pay the troll.’ He bent and kissed one over-powdered cheek.
For Welles, it felt like a moment that should have been preserved somehow, though not on a camera, not on a phone. It needed Goya, with a lump of charcoal.

Molly's lair was a long room lined with upright cabinets, set on tracks allowing them to be pushed together when not in use; like library stacks, and imbued with a similar sense that knowledge, information, words, never really died, but simply burrowed down out of the daylight and waited for curiosity to dig them up again.

Sooner or later he’d wind up swinging from it –nobody could be Jackson Lamb forever without paying the price –but the certain knowledge that aiding him would give Lady Di the screaming abdabs was good enough for Molly Doran.

17.0% ... kind of dull. Some very long-winded politics, especially concerning blow-hard clown Boris Johnson, thinly disguised as Dennis Gumball.

48.0% ... I must say I enjoy Herron's repeated trashing of all things Brexit and Tory.

61.0% ... fabulous dialogue in the office scene with Welles !

My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for a copy of this book to review.
The word is Mick Herron is the new le Carré . Whilst I definitely agree Mick Herron is a very good writer and the ambience of his volumes evokes the days of Smiley I think John le Carré is still carrying the Olympic Torch. Mick Herron's strength to my mind is his fresh look at the underbelly of the security service. I suspect we have all met or worked with the types of characters who inhabit Slough House, not of course spooks, but those who carry grudges and fail always to really see who is really looking back in the mirror.
Lack of time is the sole reason why this review will be used for all the currently published Slough House series, from Slow Horses to London Rules. I try never to include spoilers in my reviews and there seem little point in repeating the blurb from a book's cover. So, I have concentrated in the authors style and transport of the books. The prose slides easily along and forms pictures in the mind and the plot turns the pages for you. Occasionally I had to re-read a chapter as I realised the story had evoked such a rich visions I had mentally wondered off. I did not find this an encumbrance for on the re-read I found more to enjoy. Had I had more of that illusive element Time, I would have enjoyed re-reading all the books immediately I turned the last page in London Rules. Put Mick Herron on your wish list, take a trip to your local bookshop and fill you carrier bag.

The Slough House series just keeps getting better and better. The first chapter of ‘London Rules’ is so cleverly crafted that I had to read it twice to see just how I had been led down the wrong path; Mick Herron is clearly harnessing some spy-like cunning in his writing, taking us down one track only for us to end up somewhere very different - very clever!
By Chapter 2, back from the countryside, the reader is once more climbing the stairs of grungy Slough House, presided over by the smelly, corpulent, sharp as needles Jackson Lamb who, in this story, even shows his brilliant in-the-field skills briefly before returning to take up residence as the whisky swilling sloth on the top floor of his office building. Most of the no-hoper detainees that we met in the previous novel ‘Spook Street’ are still around and JK Coe is only marginally more vocal, mostly pondering on whether or not he has psychopathic tendencies – once a profiler, always a profiler, although his action-man moments are on the rise with possibly dreadful consequences.
In this novel, the team have been roused to action because their nerdy computer geek Roderick Ho (or the Rodster as he calls himself online or when he is running through his fantasy conversations about his ‘babe magnet’ qualities) has unwittingly committed a treasonable action, aiding and abetting a North Korean terrorist gang, albeit a shambolic one! Those who have read Herron’s other Slough Street tales will know that it’s not from a sense of loyalty or any friendship that the group look to rescue Ho first from the Koreans and secondly from MI5 when he’s taken to the Park’s interrogation cells but, rather, that it’s better that staring at spreadsheets all day long.
Whilst this novel has all of the wit, excellent plotting, superb characterisation and pace of the previous Slough House stories, Mick Herron also reminds us of the underbelly of our democratic society in every chapter. There are terrorist atrocities, corrupt politicians, kidnapping, bribery and blackmail, as well as domestic tragedies. Sadly, not one of the plotlines seems entirely impossible!
The wait for Slough House 6 will seem interminable after the tenterhooks we are left hanging on at the end of ‘London Rules’’ final chapter. Surely this series must be a dead-cert for a BBC adaptation. Here’s hoping, as long as the characters, the dialogue and the plots are true to the originals.
My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray (Publishers) for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

With the latest in the Slow Horses series, Mick Herron shows no sign of slowing down the pace or narrowing the scope of his novels. Not as many new characters as previous books allows us to dig deeper into the ones we know and love. I am still excited by Jackson Lamb, and his band of misfits, as they try to prevent tragedy occurring, at the same time as trying to remain under the radar of the security service.

Mick Herron's continuing saga of the Slow Horses headed by Jackson Lamb that foul mouth sarcastic dishevelled intelligence officer of the failed brigade.
Uncouth Jackson Lamb might be but something in his disgusting humour gives it that humour that makes him a little bit likeable.
This fifth novel in the series is as good as the rest fast a bit quirky ,different but eminently readable.
Cannot wait for the next edition .

If you are interested in a 'spies, terrorists and traitors-type' novel, this would be for you. There are some excellent central characters, most notably Lamb, who is visually demanding to imagine. The opening gets the book off to a robust start, which then peters into a slower meander. For all that, the storyline requires focus, the interplay of characters absorbing and the outcome, perhaps unexpected!

This is a really odd book. I can't decide whether it is utterly brilliant, or complete farce. Or chillingly realistic. I think I'm siding towards a preference and I'm intrigued enough by the totally unique writing style to want to read another book. Like nothing I've ever read before.

https://www.librarything.com/work/20604801

Couldn't follow the story, lost track of who was who but it was laugh out loud funny!

4 stars

This is the latest of the Jackson Lamb series. I have now read all five and can call myself truly hooked. My preferred book is the fourth, Spook Street, but books 2-5 all build and improve on the first book Slow Horses. After my interest was piqued by Slow Horses I have enjoyed the books not only because of their excellent stories and plots but because of the bizarre characters. The books are genuinely funny. The characters change through the series for various reasons but this adds sufficient interest with enough characters running through for the reader to feel comrotable. All the characters are well developed, I won't call them realistic because that is a stretch too far but they are the product of an ingenious mind. I have learnt to love to hate Jackson Lamb. Whilst the main plot is for me secondary to the characters I still want a really good story and this is what we get. This particular book is a story of political intrigue featuring an uptodate plot featuring the Islamist. I could not put it down, I hope there is more to follow.

I read very slowly trying to savor this, the most current book in the Slough House series, for as long as possible. As much as I want to catch up, and be current, I dread the wait for book 6. Fingers crossed the wait isn't too long, eh?

London Rules, like all its predecessors, is a great read. It starts off relatively peacefully, like any run of the mill day but ramps up quickly as events take shape. The Slough House crew, having suffered a loss in the previous book, rally around to support an unlikely target within their ranks. As is the way, one thing leads to another and the team are in hot water on a number of fronts. It takes a bit of Jackson Lamb magic to extricate them along with help found from unexpected, rather unwilling, allies.

What makes this series such a gem for me is the high level of sarcasm. It comes fast and furious and brings a smile to my face. Sharp wit humanizes even the fierce Lady Di. I also enjoy the back-stabbing treachery that takes place in the political realm, and at The Park, and seeing how that ripples down to affect River, Louisa, Catherine, Shirley, Coe and even Roddy, bless his silly little heart. I'm loving the addition of head Dog Emma Flyte and Welles, her right hand man. This book just feels so well rounded regarding characters. So many diverging points of power, intelligence and intrigue make a meaty story that is sure to impress. And, with Jackson Lamb maneuvering in his stealthy, uncouth manner things are bound to work out...right?

I had the pleasure of being able to read this entire great series on the trot (see what I did there).
London Rules was another great addition to the Slough House series we have come to love. It has come to a point where I feel a connection with all the characters (and I’m a little concerned to say that about our friend JK Coe). So much so that I feel a little sad to have to say goodbye until book 6 arrives.

Thank you NetGalley and Mick Herron for a review copy.

What a great series that has grown on me with each new book. I enjoyed the first one; I thought the story was interesting but wasn’t sure what to make of the characters. Having just read the rest of the series back to back, I surprisingly find that I’m really rooting for the slow horses. The slow revelation of each of their back stories is cleverly done. Their ability to attract disaster and exacerbate said disaster is second to none. The verbal sparring is razor sharp and some of the one-liners are hilarious. Maybe a bit too much information about Lamb’s digestive system, but this seemed to be less apparent by the fifth book. Looking forward to the next instalment, although I am worried who will be killed off next.

This is the fifth book of a series that keeps getting better. I love the personification of dawn at the beginning of the book and dusk at the end, The story once again revolves around a crisis for MI5 which a group of incompetent agents working out of Slough House become involved in. Roderick Ho is such a splendidly awful person but you can rally imagine knowing him and the other characters, all of whom occasionally have good ideas but have too many character flaws to ever do anything really useful. They are saved from themselves by the foul but brilliant Jackson Lamb who always seems to outwit people whilst being too unhealthy from self inflicted vices to get up out of his chair. The mistake made by River and the newcomer Coe beats everything so far. There are also definite nods to current political characters which made me smile and despair equally.

The latest instalment in Mick Herron’s Slough House series of novels sees the author on great form once again.

In London Rules, the country is being rocked by a series of terror attacks and once again it falls to Jackson Lamb and his team at Slough House (a branch of the secret service reserved for no hopers) to try to save the day. The book sees the return of a number of characters from previous books, including politicians and the secret service, and while it isn’t necessary to have read them all in order it would help a reader to fully understand the characters and their motives. The plot ticks along at a rapid pace, with plenty of action, politics, double crossing and surprises, and while (as in some of the previous books) the bad guys’ plan does stretch credibility, the book is so much fun that it doesn’t matter at all.

The Slough House books would probably be classed as spy thrillers but that doesn’t fully do justice to the witty narrative and laugh out loud one liners that run throughout.

In Jackson Lamb the author has created a wonderful character that, for me, is equally as funny as Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and, on television, Gene Hunt. Although he is central to the stories the other characters are great, have their own sub plots, and all play their parts well – as an aside the author seems happy to kill off recurring characters so you never get the impression that they are all guaranteed to make it to the end of the story.

In summary I would recommend this book to anyone. The biggest compliment I can pay is that having started reading I was still going well past midnight and wasn’t prepared to stop until I got to the end. Great stuff and look forward to the next one.

Oh my goodness i have loved this series of not-quite-what-you-expect spy thrillers! So much so that I read the entire series back to back and had a full day of mourning that there weren't more already written.

Our motley crew of broken and battered spies and Service support staff once again find themselves in the middle of an operation that they have no business being involved in - well,, if it weren't for the fact that one of their own has been targeted - by both sides.

The truly horrible, yet mesmerizing, Jackson Lamb, who oversees Slough House and its rejected inhabitants, knows how to break a rule or two, and always has his team's backs, even when they do really stupid things. He is rapidly becoming my favourite anti-hero, with all his disgusting habits simply adding to the mystery of his past. I hope we learn more of him as Herron develops the series.

Each character is so well constructed there's a real feeling of loss when any are killed and pleasure when they succeed. I can't wait to see how each of them fulfill their roles going forward.

A great series, easy to read and all to easy to become completely addicted too. Herron, you owe me at least a night's sleep!

Funny in places with plenty of action. A good read.

I found this quite difficult to get involved in the story. I don’t know if I would recommend the book but suggest others read it to decide for themselves.

A group of gunmen drive into a rural English village and go on a shooting spree. Various other terrorist outrages follow. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, the populist MP who led the Brexit charge is looking to usurp the Prime Minister, while a Muslim politician with the popular touch is looking to become Mayor of a major city in the West Midlands - but does he have something to hide?

This is the fifth in Herron’s series of satirical spy thrillers based around the activities of the slow horses of Slough House. I’ve read all the previous novels int he series, though this is just the second I’ve reviewed. It can be read as a standalone, though reading the series is so much better. The novels centre around Slough House, a satellite station of MI5 where the Service’s misfits and disgraced members - so called Slow Horses - are sent to serve out their time until they retire or resign. Lording it all over them is Jackson Lamb, an overweight, flatulent bully of a man, albeit one who deep down cares for his underlings. The Slow Horses themselves are a selection of well-drawn characters, who the author imbues with individual character flaws and foibles. Each is loveable and repellent in his or her own way.

Once more, the Slow Horses are thrust into the centre of things, becoming embroiled in the various strands of the plot. As with the previous books it’s all good fun, though once again the plot is rather weak. It’s something I’ve noticed about this series of novels, the plots are pretty forgettable. What makes the books enjoyable and well worth reading are the character’s antics and the fact that this is subtle satire; it’s not laugh out loud funny, but it makes the intelligence services and the whole war on terror seem slightly ridiculous. As with all the best satire this is subversive stuff and one can’t help but wonder how accurate it might be- after all, while most of what the intelligence services get up to is hidden from view, what little gets into the public domain isn’t always so complementary and the spies aren’t strangers to blunder.

4 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly and darkly funny. Mick Herron’s writing is an utter joy. His perfectly constructed sentences remind me at times of Graham Greene or even Dickens.