Book No. 42 of 2025
I’d be tearing through this series (every single book is a can’t-put-it-down page-turner) but am slowed down by the fact that, thanks to the immense popularity of the Apple TV series, the books have tremendously long holds at the LA Public Library. It’s probably for the best.
The quiet, implied problem with a series like Slow Horses is that after the first several books, the crises can’t be the same stakes or situations or before, else you run into the “Why does X keep happening and why are these people the only ones who can handle it” question. On the other side, if the crisis-of-the-month is significantly lower stakes, then it can be a lot less satisfying or pressing-feeling.
Herron, in the Slow Horses’ sixth outing, solves this problem by creating stakes that are both lowered and heightened; it’s very much a two-threaded family affair, so no sprawling international conspiracy, but one of the family threads is…well, a bit sprawling-international-conspiracy-ish, so Herron gets to have his cake and eat it too. He also creates a sense of dread-laden propulsion by teasing the most gutting part of the book in the beginning without giving it all away.
Suffice it to say that I’m still hooked on this series, and Mick Herron is an evil, hilarious genius.