Sleep easy

Mick Herron is prescient. He has prophetic powers. He is also one of the most amusing, original and enlightening novelists working in the espionage genre today. In fact, he pushes almost all others into the deepest of shades. 

I could barely believe that this novel is not new, that it was written some years ago and yet has such contemporary relevance, given the current furore in the UK over the poisoning of a former Russian spy. 

A redundant English spy, very low grade, dies on a bus. Jackson Lamb smells a rat and decides to investigate. Lamb is as sly and cunning as in the first Slow Horses, but in this sequel it is ultimately clear there are other puppet masters at least as clever as him. There is a wonderfully complex plot involving Soviet sleepers planted at the height of the Cold War and perhaps now activated, internecine plotting in the present day MI5 and, of course, the potentially disastrous interventions of the Slow Horses team. This is a novel which combines wit, intelligence, action, tension and humour.

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.

Read this book out of turn of the series on the Slow Horses ,that bunch of misfits of the Intelligence Service .
Headed by an uncouth foul mouthed rude and sarcastic Jackson Lamb.
A Russia Oligarch arrives in London and needs to be baby minded . An echo from the Cold War rears its head and motives are very much mixed ,who is who and what are they? Questions on Jackson Lamb's mind as he send his troups  around the countryside to find out.
Great fast moving book with that touch of humour .Wonderful,enjoyed.

This the second instalment of the evolution of Slough House and its slow horses tells of the reported death of old retired colleague of Jackson Lamb that causes him to investigate. This reveals the cause of death being murder with the hall marks of assassination. Following the leads found there follows a complex labyrinth of red herrings, cold war sleepers, scare crows mixed up with Russian mafia exploitation and connivance in a scam to hoodwink MI5 coupled with a planned atrocity. A most interesting plot and exciting story of how the Slow Horses manages to extricate themselves with honour and so survive the machinations of their enemies within.

This is the second Slough House book and can’t wait for number three.  For a full review, go to tumblr https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/172426876211/dead-lions-by-mick-herron-this-is-the-second

Another excellent read from my favourite spy story writer.   Flawed, fragile and perfectly capable of f***ing up (which they do with alarming frequency) the Slough House crew are instantly recognisable as real people, just like us, but the sort brave enough to run towards danger when the rest of us turn tail.

I have read all five of this series.  This book is the second one.  The characters have me truly hooked now.  I love the intrigues, the stereotypes and the ingenuity of the author.  This particular plot is about the past, the Cold War and Russia - again it is well constructed and enjoyable, you do not need to have read the earlier book but the familiarity and interrelationships of the characters improves if the series is read in the order it was written.  I enjoyed Slow Horses but Real Tigers was, for me, a more enjoyable read.  I marvel again at Mick Herron's ability to develop such idiosyncratic characters as well as the humour and the bizarre that somehow works perfectly.  The intrigue continues to be worthy of John Le Carre.

Dead Lions is well written and constructed. The story-line and plot are full of twists and turns. The characters are well developed and believable.

Conclusion: I enjoyed this book which, even though it is part of a series, could be written as a stand alone.

An excellent continuation of a series which I hope will provide more titles. The character of Jackson Lamb starts to be made clearer in this follow on from "Slow Horses". The plot provides an all too believable story in the context of the new "cold war". A comic twist on the usual pattern of spy thrillers but this serves to emphasise the ordinary nature of the characters who inhabit Slough House - a supposed backwater for secret service rejects - from which they get the nickname "slow horses".

I preferred this to the first one in the series, perhaps as I was a little more used to the writing style which is, I suspect, something some readers might struggle with. Nobody is very likeable in the stories, and there are quite a lot of characters to try to get to grips with. But I enjoyed the extent of this story, which felt like it was full of plot and twists and intrigue. I still don't much like Jackson Lamb himself, but he isn't in it all that often, and I liked that some of the other characters played a bigger role this time around.

The second Slow Horse story, even better than the first.  The slow Horse team and their posher colleagues at "The Park" are all so incompetent its proabably true to real life  Fast paced, funny and topical, its a good read.

This book just didn't hit the spot for me.  I liked the general irreverent tone, and the quirky characters, but the plot was too slow, and took too long to get going.

Yet another great read in the Mick Heron series, which is  best read in order, I can speak from experience as I got the order wrong (not a serious problem, but the historical storyline of the characters is much easier to follow. Lots of  humour in all of these books, as well as serious storyline. A really enjoyable read, you have to ask yourself if MI5 could really be like this!!.

A good spy story with humour and plenty of action. A good read in a so far enjoyable series.

This is the second book in the ‘slow horse’ series and it was great to be back reading about the characters again, I’ve grown quite fond of them! 

Another great storyline which was action packed and had lots going on. There was a twist with a character which has disappointed me as I was hoping to see what happened next but clearly it’s not meant to be. 

I’m a fan of Mick Herrons writing style as it’s a fast paced read and I have a couple of laugh out loud moments usually courtesy of the main character Jackson Lamb.

Even though I toiled through the first 60 pages of each Jackson Lamb thriller before giving up, I was unable to find them in any way gripping or amusing and liked neither the characters nor the plots. Unfortunately, I had requested all four books of this series at once and was kindly given free copies by netgalley in return for an honest review.

Please see my review of Slow Horses, the first novel in the series about the inmates of Slough House.

The Slow Horses, MI5 rejects sent to do pointless tasks in Slough House in the hope they’ll quit without revealing their mistakes to the wider world, are back for another entertaining spy thriller. Jackson Lamb is no George Smiley but he’s definitely someone you want to be put there doing his bit to keep us safe. Once again the suits are so busy stabbing each other in the back as they climb the greasy pole that they fail to notice the dangers around them and it’s left to Jackson and his crew to save us, this time it’s River’s arch enemy Spider who gets them embroiled with Russian gangsters in the hope that they’ll take the blame for anything that goes wrong while he gets the credit for what goes right. With Lamb in charge, no chance of that, as long as he can control his flatulence long enough to organise his staff! !  Looking forward to reading the next one, luckily I came to the series late so there are a few already waiting for me. Thank you to netgalley for sending me this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Lions written by Mick Herron is another great book from this very talented author, he certainly knows how to tell a good story not only of mystery but one which was also entertaining.
A great book which I am happy to recommend.

I am working my way through the Jackson Lamb series on track to London Rules, number 5 of this non-stop adventure ride. Having loved the first book, Slow Horses, I believe Dead Lions, the follow-up, is even better! Such strong, smart and flawed characters are every reader's dream. You cannot help but feel jealous of the knowledge and skill Jackson and his compatriots weld with such blasé disregard, but, to super cool effect. Old school cold war tactics are making a big comeback and this is the place to enjoy it in all it's splendor!

I dare not speak a word of the contents of this novel and it is best experienced firsthand. I am loving it and cannot get enough. This is a treat I fully endorse with all my energy. I hope you love it just as much.