The Slow Horses return in this second adventure from the ragtag bunch of MI5 spies based at Slow House. The suspicious death of a veteran ex-colleague leads Jackson Lamb to suspect the Russians are up to no good. Darkly comic and seriously entertaining.

An excellent book, a worthy successor to Slow Horses. Herron combines exciting thriller elements with realistic characterisation, low-key humour and evocative settings. I am very much looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Great book. Well written. I've enjoyed all the books I've read by this author and will be looking out for more in the future.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

slough house is where the naughty disgraced end up, they are given mundane jobs with the hopes that they will leave

jackson lamb is in charge but even he is avoided by everyone

only this day he isnt where he is suppose to be

dickie bow a lowly ex spy is dead found on a bus just dead and why has it got jackson lamb leaving his office....

found this one a little hard going and nearly gave up the will the to live a few times but every so often a nugget kept me reading and i have to say that ending was worth it...

This is a great read in a great series, the hero? Jackson Lamb is grotesque, but likeable and his 'crew' are both vulnerable and believable, highly recommended.

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

The second book in the series and I’m remembering how much i enjoyed the first one too.

The characters, ‘slow horses’, are being fleshed out and you learn more and more about why each of them has ended up at Slough House. You also realise that the other spooks are just as messed up and it’s only time before they will probably end up in the same boat.

Once again, the slow horses rescue the day and the Parker’s take the credit and get off scot free. Typical.

Great book. Well written and the characters are believable and less James Bond and more flawed and flakey.

On to book 3.

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. I read the 5th one first and then couldn't really face the others, so one it is.

Another amazing book from Mick Herron. Though a bit less pacey than the previous, Dead Lions builds to a satisfying climax and the characters are to die for, a motley crew that you can't help but root for.

Consigned to Slough House, the dumping ground for the British Intelligence service, the intention is to keep those agent who have screwed up in the past out of harm's way. Any yet, Jackson Lamb's sorry little unit can't seem to keep out of trouble. Even more improbably in Dead Lions, someone back at headquarter in Regents Park has decided to involve them in an operation, taking them away from their tedious administrative tasks and actually set them loose in the field.

You'd think that Min Harper and Louisa Guy might be just a bit suspicious, particularly as their previous dealings have shown that James 'Spider' Webb is not someone to be trusted, but and op is an op, and it beats rotting away doing mundane time-wasting tasks in Slough House. All Webb he wants is for them to 'vet' and look out for a Russian Oligarch and oil businessman Arkady Pashkin, who is due to visit London.

Webb has his own reasons for the meeting, and involving Slough House, he obviously wants to keep it off the books. For Min and Louisa, it's a risk worth taking, as it could be a way back to Regents Park, all previous mistakes forgotten if this turns out well. The odds of returning to Regents Park from Slough House are slim - it's never happened - but the odds of things turning out well are just as unlikely.

Particularly as there is something else worrying their boss, Jackson Lamb. An old spook, not a major player by any means, has been found dead on a bus transfer from Reading to Oxford. There's nothing much to suggest it was anything suspicious, but Lamb has found some clues pointing to an old Soviet bogeyman, Alexander Popov. But why has this come up now, and is it not a bit too convenient? Well, there's only one way to find out what is going on and that's to follow it up.

Bluff and double-bluff is often the way in the spook game, agents and double agents, and even more so in Mick Herron's comedy espionage thrillers, where it's often a case of screw-ups and double screw-ups. Are Lamb's Slough House team being playing the game or being played? Herron plays to the conventions with an eye towards humour and grotesque characters, but also with an eye to topicality in political screw-ups that makes this series realistic and entertaining.

As far as Dead Lions is concerned - the second book in the Slough House/Jackson Lamb series - it takes a while to get moving, Herron only starting to really hit his stride mid-way through, having laid the ground work, dropped hints and distractions like a good spook. Once it kicks off however, it's thrilling and witty, filled with the kind of one-liners that would take the series even further into humour in its follow-up Real Tigers. Dead Lions however has a good blend of espionage intrigue, old school cold war paranoia, contemporary terror alert situations, all mixed in with the peculiarities of English people and officialdom; a combination that ensures a healthy dose of satire and humour.

Dead Lions by Mick Herron is the 2nd book the Slough House series - another fantastic story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

DNF at 16%.

Well, this book was far better than book 1 of the series. However, it still suffers from the same problems as book 1. It was slow and boring and it felt like every character in the book was introduced in the first 25 pages. I mostly switched off after that point.

Another brilliant outing for the Slow Horses. This time the focus is on Russia, as the death of a Soviet-era spy and the visit of a Russian oligarch disturb the monotony of their days. Great characters, wonderful prose and a darkly humorous take on contemporary politics and culture.

I loved the entire series of Slough House books from Mick Herron, and this doesn't disappoint. More shenanigans from Jackson and his team of misfits. Excellent read.

I enjoyed this - the second book in Mick Herron's "Slough House" series - even more than the first book.

Once again the plot is well constructed, and we learn more about the characters introduced in "Slow Horses", putting flesh on the bones and providing insights in to what has made them who they are today.

Jackson Lamb is, as ever, a darkly comic character - but again, I got the feeling that there is a whole lot more to him than his surface attributes would suggest.

The writing is snarky, at times dark, but always entertaining and keeps the reader wanting to read "just one more chapter" - always a good sign.

So, on to the next book... I am truly hooked.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in return for my honest review.

This is Mick Herron’s second book about Jackson Lamb and his misfit team of low achievers and disaster prone second raters. Hardly a recipe for a great story - but do not be mislead this book follows on beautifully from Slow Horses and is an absolute not put- down able cracker of a story. Jackson Lamb is portrayed as a slovenly tramp like character but with a sharp mind and acerbic wit. Cannot wait to read the next Mick Herron book be it in the Jackson Lamb series or not.

I love my John LeCarre style spy stories, and this one is up with the best of them but with Mick Heron’s unique style.

After reading the first book in the series I found the others to be just as good. Highly recommended.

Another fantastic Jackson Lamb novel! The humour, fast-pacing and imaginative storylines make these books unputdownable.

Thankyou to NetGalley, John Murray Press and Mick Herron for the opportunity to read a copy of Dead Lions in exchange for an honest opinion.
I thought the characters were quirky and relatable. Was a bit disappointed that the storyline seemed to take a while to get going ( for me ) but I still thought it was a good read.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.