Once you start reading a book by Mick Herron, it’s very hard to stop. I did try rationing myself, so as to prolong the reading pleasure, but it was no good. London Rules is the fifth Jackson Lamb mystery, about the failed secret service agents, known as Slow Horses, who work in Slough House (great name), under the supervision of the superb Jackson Lamb, a man of repulsive habits and apparent laziness, who nevertheless is always in the right place at the right time. He constantly abuses his minions yet will defend them against the might of Regent’s Park, where the top spooks work.

This book, like the others, opens with a terrorist incident which totally misleads the reader about its perpetrators and their aims. It then moves, in what has become a familiar Dickensian trick in these novels, of positing some entity, perhaps a cat but in this case dawn, which explores and describes Slough House. This takes time and sets the pattern for the contradiction in the novels: the apparently slow narration of what are action-packed stories. Someone is out to murder Roddy Ho, the computer genius of Slough House, who is a walking deluded giant ego, generally loathed by his colleagues. What has he got mixed up in? The Slow Horses work out what it is and follow the trail but needless to say, they mess (euphemism) things up as usual. It’s so enjoyable to see Lamb yet again taking on ‘Lady Di’ and other grandees of the Service, and winning. As I’ve said before, one of the great pleasures of these books is that they are both exciting spy stories and funny; Lamb is very funny.

London Rules? They vary throughout the book but the first seems to be ‘cover your arse’. There’s a lot of covering to do, as the Service seems to be an institution based on back stabbing and looking after number one. If you’re new to these books, I recommend starting with the first, Slow Horses. What a treat it is to come to them for the first time. I read this book courtesy of the publishers and NetGalley and it’s out on 15th February.

Sadly I was not able to really get into these, lauded though they have been.  The odd quirky character is fine but going OTT on the bizarre characters filling this ensemble detracted from what could have been a great plot, really contemporary.

The premise is that flawed spies are no longer exiled to off-shore prisons, but are made to work out their careers sorting paperclips. What happens when these 'slow horses' feel they are called into action? And perhaps some of the slow horses are in this department for reasons of their own? Along with being laugh out loud funny, this spy thriller/drama series has built a tremendous back story for each (surviving) character. 
I am a huge fan of Mick Herron's Slow Horses series and this is one of the best. His political satire, slapstick and screwball conversations are all first rate, and he knows when to let go of some of the threads in favour of action.

Would be a five star review except I don't think you can jump into the series with London Rules, so please go back to Slow Horses to start. Oh, and don't be put off by the odd intros :-)

It was a recommendation from Sarah Hilary that set me on the road to reading Mick Herron, and goodness, am I grateful. London Rules is such a class act, I now have to go back and read others in this Slough House series.

I tend to be more of a crime than a spy reader, but Mick Herron has opened my eyes to the beauty of the contemporary spy series. It works perfectly well as a stand-alone, but I really do want to know more about the oddballs who make up the Slough House crew; the Slow Horses are a group of disreputable, dysfunctional misfits who have committed sins as spies that have caused them to be relegated to desk jobs in Slough House, presided over by the inimitable Jackson Lamb. Not, you understand, that they ever stay at their desks…

Herron’s writing is sublime. Rich, descriptive, dry and full of sarcastic wit, it has some extremely funny, laugh out loud moments, whilst simultaneously managing to make wry observations about the absurdities of MI5 and it’s interaction with politicians.

His plotting is astute, tight and intricate and some of the characters in this book are, well let’s just say, they may ring some recognition bells – especially the politicians and the media columnist.

In London Rules, there’s a Brexit background, lots of political machinations and an emphasis on the relationship between MI5’s Regent House, where all the real spies are housed and Slough House, where Jackson Lamb survives to rule his roost because of his skill and ingenuity in being able to predict, outthink and outmanoeuvre his masters.

Lamb is an outrageous character. Slovenly, scabrous, contemptuous, obnoxious – these are all his best character traits yet you can't help but like him.

London is on high alert. The public are unforgiving and seriously divided over Brexit. Politicians too are equally divided, jockeying for position and falling over themselves to implicate each other in the mire of whatever is the unpopular political issue of the day.

Into the midst of this, a group of armed men set off a hail of bullets in the small village of Abbotsfield, Derbyshire, killing several people. IS have claimed responsibility, but the motive for this attack is unclear.

Meanwhile, the computer genius at Slough House – Roddy Ho, is the subject of an attempted hit-and-run, foiled by his colleague Shirley. While Lamb could understand pretty much anyone wanting to kill Roddy, he can’t fathom what the reason for this attack might be. Roddy has a high opinion of himself, seeing himself as a combination of James Bond and Q. This is just as well, because no-one else of knows him thinks of him in anything like such a kind light. The Rodster, as he likes to call himself, is in reality an IT geek with an absence of personality and no social skills at all.

The Slow Horses become entangled in tracking down the terrorists in an effort to find out who was gunning for Ho and as they wreak their own brand of havoc throughout London and beyond, one or two of them find themselves for once in the right place at the right time.

What makes this book work is the way that the narrative is focused on the Slough House characters; how they are thinking and feeling, and how that impacts on their actions - though from Jackson Lamb you get none of that, which makes him altogether a more complex character.

From accidental killings to terrorist outrages, the Slow horses view everything through their own prism as they make it through another day at the coalface.

A terrific and addictive read with sparkling wit, satisfying dialogue and a great plot. Very highly recommended.

This is the fifth book in an exceptional series that just seems to get better with every title.

Originally perceived as a spoof on the intelligence services, the "slow horses" retain all their idiosyncrasies and weaknesses but still manage, perhaps despite themselves to get the job done.

Behind the humour a serious plot lurks with a number roof terrorist atrocities to be investigated.

The plot is credible and well-thought through but where the book really shines is in the sheer quality of the writing, and the interaction between the different characters as well as the politics between the various factions.

I read this through in one go and loved it.

Thanks firstly for the opportunity to read and review this book.
So the book starts with a terrorist atrocity, so what's new? So many run of the mill thrillers start with one. However this is a Jackson Lamb story by Mick Herron. the fifth in the series, so you know it will be far from 'run of the mill.'. It would be unfair to say the best so far, because they are all so good. The skulduggery between 'Regents Park' and 'Slough House', as well as up to date politics, thinly disguised politicians, twitter users with elaborate 'comb overs' are all there, but above all Jackson Lamb and his slow horses shine through. The conversations crackle and sparkle with humour and innuendo. As with all the Jackson Lamb stories, all is not what it seems and we learn a little more about Jackson's past with each new book.
Read it you will not be disappointed, in fact read all 5. Sadly time will no doubt drag, as it it does in Slough House, until story number 6 arrives, I will try to be patient!

Wonderful. The Slough House series of novels just gets better and better. London Rules is the fifth in the series.

When a friend suggested that Mick Herron was up there with John Le Carré, I was dubious. John Le Carré is an all time great, a titan, however she is quite correct. Not only does Mick Herron achieve similar levels of literary greatness, he has also managed to update Le Carré’s Cold War settings into a recognisable and contemporary 21st century. It’s an extraordinary achievement. Herron’s irreverent Slough House series breathes new life into the spying and espionage genre. 

Slough House is the dumping ground for MI5’s misfits and failures, rather than risk unfair dismissal, the hope and expectation is that the soul destroying work at Slough House will eventually result in resignation. Needless to say this makes for a marvellous collection of eclectic and memorable characters. Jackson Lamb, the Slough House boss, being the most memorable of the lot. What a magnificent creation. Think of a brutal Falstaff in charge of a bunch of misfits and losers: “I don’t think of you as a team, I think of you as collateral damage”. Instantly dislikeable, he wears his obnoxiousness, and disgusting personal habits, as a badge of honour. Underestimate him at your peril though. And, beneath that gruff exterior perhaps he does ultimately look out for each and every slow horse? They are all his "Joes" after all.

London Rules opens with a now familiar plot idea - a terrorist atrocity in the UK - with ISIS claiming responsibility, however it then veers off into a more unexpected direction. 

Although each of the Slough House books is a standalone novel, part of the pleasure (and pain) of these books is the ongoing narrative and character development. People can, and do, suffer and die during the course of these tales. 

London Rules (Slough House #5) continues the now familiar combination of clever prose, memorable characters, action, humour, and deftly handled, twist-laden plots. As usual, Mick Herron takes the world of John Le Carré's espionage, but updates it for a very contemporary story which, in this instance, includes Brexit, a Farage-esque politician, a Daily Mail columnist, a modern and moderate Muslim standing for major, security alerts, Twitter, and an incessant swirl of political manoeuvring. 

In common with the previous books in the series, London Rules is funny, dramatic, tense, and awash with wonderful, believable, and all too human characters.

London Rules (Slough House #5) will be published on 15 February 2018. I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

This is another absolutely brilliant book from Mick Herron.  It is rare for me to rave so unreservedly about a book, never mind a series, but Herron's Slough House series has been outstanding.  London Rules is the fifth; its predecessor, Spook Street, was perhaps not quite as good as the others (which still meant it was at least as good as anything else I read last year), but this is possibly the best so far.  It can be read as a stand alone book, but for maximum enjoyment I would recommend reading the books in order, beginning with Slow Horses.

In London Rules, the Slow Horses become semi-officially involved in trying to track down a terrorist cell on the loose following a number of outrages committed by them.  Slough House is recovering from its own bloodbath, including Lamb's expense returns for repairs: "Catherine waded through the day's work…replacing his justifications ("because I blanking say so") with her own more diplomatic phrasing."  (I have substituted the word "blanking" for a considerably more robust copulatory term which would be unacceptable in an review here.)  This sets the tone for the first half of the book, with Jackson Lamb in magnificently offensive, repellent form.  I highlighted lots of gems; this is one of the more printable ones:
Flyte looked at Lamb. 'Ever consider disciplining your staff?
'All the time.  I favour the carrot and stick approach.'
'Carrot or stick'
'Nope.  I use the stick to ram the carrot up their arses.  That generally gets results.'

It is truly laugh-out-loud funny in lots and lots of places; I read some of it over breakfast and nearly did myself some serious internal damage trying not to spray mouthfuls of muesli over my Kindle.  Herron also creates a very good, tense story which he develops with skill, wit and real tension in the second half.

What makes Herron's books so good is this brilliant combination of excellent storytelling, a lot of genuinely hilarious moments and a very shrewd skewering of many of the absurdities and hypocrisies of our time.  The tense internal politics of MI5, political opportunism, ludicrous Twitter theories based on no knowledge and so on all come in for excoriating comment, often from Jackson Lamb whom I regard as one of the truly great creations of 21st-Century literature.

I don't think I can give London Rules any higher praise than to say it is one of Herron's best.  Very, very warmly recommended.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)

I would like to thank Netgalley and John Murray Press for an advance copy of London Rules, the fifth novel to feature Jackson Lamb and his team of MI5 misfits, the Slow Horses.

It's all go at Slough House or maybe not as the team get on with their busy work which probably won't help the Service save the nation but even they are puzzled as to why anyone except them would want to kill the obnoxious Roddy Ho, not once but twice. Still it takes their minds off not being involved in the hunt for the terrorists who shot up a Derbyshire village, killing 18. In the meantime MI5's First Desk, Claude Whelan is allowing his deputy "Lady Di" Taverner run rings round him.

I thoroughly enjoyed London Rules which had me laughing out loud in parts and marvelling at the cleverness and slapstick of the plot in others. The first and main unwritten London Rule is "cover your arse". The hows and whys of this rule form the meat of the novel but Jackson Lamb's ability to manipulate it to his own ends are breathtaking in their imagination and scope. 

It would be really easy to dismiss London Rules as a figment of Mr Herron's vivid imagination but, unfortunately, much of it has the ring of if not authenticity very likely to bear some resemblance to actuality. The self interest and efforts to further it by both the spooks and politicians is staggering as they weigh up the pros and cons of every situation but very accurate if the past few years are to be believed. These are definitely not waters for the naïve. The incompetence of the Slow Horses is in stark relief to these machinations and while extremely funny the net result is the same, it all gets covered up.

London Rules is another excellent addition to a must read series so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Opening with a terrorist atrocity claimed by ISIS, we think we're on what has become increasingly familiar fictional territory - but, ah, this is Mick Herron, so nothing is ever what it seems...

This whole series is fabulous but I think this is my favourite to date: a contemporary plot that involves terrorism, Brexit, a Nigel Farage-alike politician, a Muslim almost-mayor, the usual Machiavellian maneuverings amongst the security service apparatchiks - and Roddy Ho seems to be the target of an assassination squad.

With all the plot complexity and political astuteness of le Carré, what really makes this series so outstanding is Herron's brilliant writing and the ensemble of wonderful characters. J.K. Coe, the 'slow horse' introduced in the last book, takes more of a central role (*that* paint can scene - oh my!) and has become one of my favourites (" Shirley said, 'It's true, isn't it?' 'What is?' 'You get a lot perkier after killing someone.' ")

But Herron should win some kind of prize for Jackson Lamb who brings Dickensian characterisation slap-bang into the 21st century. No-one is sharper, snarkier, fouler, more protective or quicker that Lamb - and in this book we find out how he ended up in Slough House. 

If someone had told me that a novel about terrorism, killings, death and fear could also be outrageously, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, I'd never have believed them - but that's what Herron achieves. And he's one of the most biting, incisive political commentators writing today - another excellent entry in a must-read-now series.