Soho Crime
Clown Town
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"May be the best Slow Horses book to date."--The Wall Street Journal
THE NEW NOVEL IN THE SERIES BEHIND SLOW HORSES, AN APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES NOW STREAMING ON APPLE TV+
Jackson Lamb and the bad spies of Slough House are caught in a deadly battle between MI5's secret past and its murky future in this gripping, hilarious, and heartbreaking thriller by Mick Herron, "the le Carré of the future" (BBC).
"Old spies grow ridiculous, River. Old spies aren't much better than clowns." Or so David Cartwright, the late retired head of MI5, used to tell his grandson. He forgot to add that old spies can be dangerous, too, especially if they've fallen on hard times--as River Cartwright is about to learn the hard way.
David Cartwright, long buried, has left his library to the Spooks' College in Oxford, and now one of the books is missing. Or perhaps it never existed. River, once a "slow horse" of Slough House, MI5's outpost for demoted and disgraced spies, has some time to kill while awaiting medical clearance to return to work, and starts investigating the secrets of his grandfather's library.
Over at the Park, MI5 First Desk Diana Taverner is in a pickle. An operation carried out during the height of the Troubles laid bare the ugly side of state security, and those involved are threatening to expose details. But every threat hides an opportunity, and Taverner has come up with a scheme. All she needs is the right dupe to get caught holding the bag.
Jackson Lamb, the enigmatic and odiferous head of Slough House, has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault. But they're his clowns. And if they don't all make it home, there'll be a reckoning.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9781641297264
EAN:
9781641297264
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
352
Authors:
Mick Herron
Publisher:
Soho Crime
Published Date: 2025-09-09
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As usual..Mick Herron writes a funny, chaotic, and slightly soulful chapter in the Slough House series. I don’t know ifthis is his best, but i was engaged to the end. (Last half of the book really took off.) I cannot believe I’ve read allnine books! They really are very very good in the Spy genre. And Just love his humor.
I don’t know of anyone else that writes as well as Mick Herron. His turn of phrase had me smiling at every page and laughing out loud at many, even while dealing with grim subject matter. This was his ninth Slough House novel and I am already wanting the tenth.
Another great send up of British MI5 and British politics in general. Often central to the Slough House novels is a standoff between Lady Di, First Desk (Head) of Britain's spydom and Jackson Lamb exiled head of Slough House where spy professionals who have marred their records in one way or the other reside, hopelessly waiting for restoration to the main office or eventual permanent banning from the service. In Clown Town, the First Desk is locked in continual battle with a former Prime Minister, crooked as a mafioso, but holding evidence of malfeasance by FD in an earlier espionage caper gone bad. The bulk of the story is the unfolding of a labyrinth of plotting by Lady Di to rid herself of her blackmailer by using the throwaways of Slough House to carry out the objective. Enter Jackson Lamb, Lord Protector of the losers under his supervision and visceral opponent of the First Desk. lThe plot is imaginative and mostly translucent and moves toward a bloody ending that holds the promise of another Slough House book with a cast of characters slightly changed (not definitive at the end of this novel) but promising more intra-service warfare that comes with plenty of laughs and admiration for ultra-clever writing.
I had low expectations, frankly. After so many excellent books, how could Herron nail it again. But he has. In fact, I think this may be the best one yet. Just amazing. And that is just the plot. When not swept away by the plot, when I could catch my breath and notice the writing, it was stunningly good. The guy is a prose poet.
A few years ago, I came across Herron’s first Slough House book. I was hooked, and because I was late to the party, another three awaited me. With the series televised here on Apple TV+, I couldn’t tell my husband— who loves the show—what would happen next, even though I, too, was on the edge of my seat in anticipation. It will be the same for seasons 5, and 6.I just finished devouring ‘Clown Town,’ catching up with Jackson Lamb and his crew. Like Herron’s earlier books, it leaves the reader breathless. I’m not going to give away anything. Suffice it to say, Jackson, River, Sid, Lech, Catherine, Louise, Shirley, and Roddy, many newcomers, some old-comers, and, of course Tavener and Judd and a new PM are here. For me, it is full of many surprises.I think it’s the best one ever—and I love everything that came before. I only hope I live long enough to read what comes next.
