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Slough House #9
Clown Town
Spies lie. They betray. It's what they do.
Chief of the intelligence service, Diana Taverner, doesn't appreciate threats. So, when a team involved in a double-agent operation during the height of the Troubles are threatening to expose the truth and lay bare the dark side of state security, Taverner turns this blackmail into an opportunity.
Slow horse, River Cartwright, is out in the cold waiting to be passed fit for work. To kill time, and with his grandfather - a former head spy - long dead, River investigates the secrets of his private library where a book has gone missing. Or perhaps it never existed.
Back at Slough House, the repository for failed spies, Louisa Guy is pondering her future. Shirley Dander is wondering if the new kid, Ash Khan, is as annoying as she seems. Roddy Ho wants the team to know that his tattoo is a hummingbird, and not, as Lech Wicinski claims, a platypus. Catherine Standish just wants everyone to play nice and as far as Slough House's master, Jackson Lamb is concerned, they should all be at their desks.
Because when Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions and fool around, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault.
But they're his clowns. And if they don't all come home, there'll be a reckoning.
Chief of the intelligence service, Diana Taverner, doesn't appreciate threats. So, when a team involved in a double-agent operation during the height of the Troubles are threatening to expose the truth and lay bare the dark side of state security, Taverner turns this blackmail into an opportunity.
Slow horse, River Cartwright, is out in the cold waiting to be passed fit for work. To kill time, and with his grandfather - a former head spy - long dead, River investigates the secrets of his private library where a book has gone missing. Or perhaps it never existed.
Back at Slough House, the repository for failed spies, Louisa Guy is pondering her future. Shirley Dander is wondering if the new kid, Ash Khan, is as annoying as she seems. Roddy Ho wants the team to know that his tattoo is a hummingbird, and not, as Lech Wicinski claims, a platypus. Catherine Standish just wants everyone to play nice and as far as Slough House's master, Jackson Lamb is concerned, they should all be at their desks.
Because when Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions and fool around, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault.
But they're his clowns. And if they don't all come home, there'll be a reckoning.
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First published September 9, 2025
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About the author
Mick Herron
54 books5,375 followersMick Herron was born in Newcastle and has a degree in English from Balliol College, Oxford. He is the author of six books in the Slough House series as well as a mystery series set in Oxford featuring Sarah Tucker and/or P.I. Zoë Boehm. He now lives in Oxford and works in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 766 reviews
September 16, 2025
5★
"Lamb was visible immediately, and it struck her that there were probably places on the globe where he might be taken for a figure of worship, like a giant toad in its grotto. Peasants would leave pebbles at his feet, in return for his pearls of wisdom. As she drew nearer, she heard him fart."
Diana Taverner, 'First Desk' at Regent's Park, (Herron's fictional MI5), is arriving at a clandestine meeting with Jackson Lamb, who runs Slough House under her watch. It's a fragile branch of the Park upon which are precariously perched the disgraced spies who can't be sacked but whom Lamb can make so miserable they will leave of their own accord.
These Slow Horses, as they are known, still believe they can win their way back into the good graces of the Park, so they refuse to flee their perch or their place on the payroll. Readers, of course, hope that bough never breaks.
Herron never guarantees us that they'll all make it to the end of any case, so in spite of the warmth and humour, be aware that the danger is real and things may end in tears. Slough House itself would be enough to deter most people.
"For if the murkiest of London’s depths are where its spooks congregate, Slough House – this being the name of the Aldersgate Street residence – is the lowest of the low; an administrative oubliette where the benighted moulder in misery. Their careers are behind them, though not all have admitted it; their triumphs are black laughter in the dark. Their duties involve the kind of paperwork designed to drive those undertaking it mad; paperwork with no clear objective and no end in sight, designed by someone who abandoned a course in labyrinth design in favour of something more uplifting, like illustrating suicide notes. The light in the building leaks away through cracks and fissures, and the air is heavy with regret."
It isn't the Slow Horses, but four pensioned-off old spooks who feel shabbily compensated for their service, who decide to blackmail Taverner over the failed Operation Pitchfork, which they ran back during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Herron has touched upon the fate of superannuated spooks before and the difficulties of keeping an eye on their whereabouts, their welfare, and their marble count.
If dementia sets in, as it did with favourite Slow Horse River Cartwright's late, esteemed grandfather, David Cartwright, (a Park hero, nothing slow about him), who knows what secrets could be let loose?
Taverner discusses the blackmail with Sid (Sidonie) Baker. She used to be a Slow Horse, but is now recovering from being shot in the head and left for dead, and is living with River Cartwright.
River is a favourite Slow Horse from the first in the series, but he's been out of action after being poisoned by a deadly nerve toxin on a doorknob.
He's convinced he's ready to go back to work – Taverner is not. But… she holds out the carrot to Sid that she will bring him back into the Slough House family if Sid acts as a go-between with the blackmailers.
" 'What does he want?'
'The clown in question is threatening to go public with one of the messier stories from our recent history. Unless we make his life a little more comfortable.'
'And you think he's a nutcase.'
'Trying to blackmail me, that's a medically recognised symptom.'"
Much later, Lamb, who misses nothing, especially a chance to insult, confronts Sid about her involvement.
" 'You're on Taverner's shilling, aren't you? Presumably because she promised she'd give young Uh-Oh Seven his Park privileges back if you did.' "
We meet the four old blackmailers. CC is the leader who is determined to do the extortion contact alone, but needs the others to work with him. Avril is one of them.
"[she] had given the best part of herself to her country, and in the giving had ensured that lives were saved and buildings stayed standing; that there were bombs that had never gone off. And in return, here she was; a damaged person allowed to become lost.
. . .
Avril herself had grown old in her own way; not so much a diminishment, more a concentration. Or so she hoped."
[I like the idea of becoming concentrated rather than diminished. But I digress.]
The others are equally 'concentrated'. About Alastair, she thinks:
"Danger, these days, was younger and faster than him, but that wouldn't stop him."
Alastair knows this.
" 'CC thinks he's running an op, that he's got his old crew back together, but we don't work like that any more. Christ, I need a piss break on a supermarket shop.'"
Daisy, the fourth team member, suffers PTSD and can't forget. She's a loose cannon with a short fuse. Or, more to the point (inadvertent pun, sorry), a sharp knife, looking for a fight.
"Pitchfork had coded this into her system: anyone not on her team was an enemy.
There was no need to check she had her blade. She always had her blade."
There's a lot of politics in the background and plenty of questionable characters to go around. Louisa Guy, another favourite Slow Horse, is approached by Devon Welles, a former Park operative who is headhunting for his new Personal Protective Services business.
Devon knows the score as far as the Park is concerned. There's no going back for her, but there could be a going forward. Can she be tempted?
"Whatever Devon was doing for money, he'd either climbed a ladder or crossed a line."
She discovers he's protecting Peter Judd, the smarmy ex-MP who, while he was an MP, was Taverner's frenemy, and the relationship has gone downhill from there.
The various dramas play out against the backdrop of Jackson Lamb's trademark repulsive behaviour and sarcasm.
"… he was engaged in the act of darning his socks while still wearing them, except for 'darning' read 'applying duct tape'.
=========
'And that was a brainstorm, was it? If brains were actual weather, none of you'd get wet.'
'Just bringing you up to speed,' River said.
'Yeah, right. You realise I have to decelerate when you do that?' Lamb looked round sourly."
==========
'… we're talking about Taverner, who if she tells you the time means she's faking an alibi.' "
==========
This is another exciting, dramatic episode in the lives of the Slow Horses. It's always hard for me, knowing that nobody is safe, and that being a character in a Herron novel is a risky business. But I admit to enjoying the new ones he brings in.
I heard him interviewed recently, where he said that Operation Pitchfork was loosely based on the Irish Operation Stakeknife that did, indeed, happen during the Troubles in the 80s. It sounds awful. But it made a great hook for this story.
Here's a link to The Guardian's interview with him.
"I love doing things that are against the rules" says Mick Herron in The Guardian
Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press / Baskerville for a copy for review.
"Lamb was visible immediately, and it struck her that there were probably places on the globe where he might be taken for a figure of worship, like a giant toad in its grotto. Peasants would leave pebbles at his feet, in return for his pearls of wisdom. As she drew nearer, she heard him fart."
Diana Taverner, 'First Desk' at Regent's Park, (Herron's fictional MI5), is arriving at a clandestine meeting with Jackson Lamb, who runs Slough House under her watch. It's a fragile branch of the Park upon which are precariously perched the disgraced spies who can't be sacked but whom Lamb can make so miserable they will leave of their own accord.
These Slow Horses, as they are known, still believe they can win their way back into the good graces of the Park, so they refuse to flee their perch or their place on the payroll. Readers, of course, hope that bough never breaks.
Herron never guarantees us that they'll all make it to the end of any case, so in spite of the warmth and humour, be aware that the danger is real and things may end in tears. Slough House itself would be enough to deter most people.
"For if the murkiest of London’s depths are where its spooks congregate, Slough House – this being the name of the Aldersgate Street residence – is the lowest of the low; an administrative oubliette where the benighted moulder in misery. Their careers are behind them, though not all have admitted it; their triumphs are black laughter in the dark. Their duties involve the kind of paperwork designed to drive those undertaking it mad; paperwork with no clear objective and no end in sight, designed by someone who abandoned a course in labyrinth design in favour of something more uplifting, like illustrating suicide notes. The light in the building leaks away through cracks and fissures, and the air is heavy with regret."
It isn't the Slow Horses, but four pensioned-off old spooks who feel shabbily compensated for their service, who decide to blackmail Taverner over the failed Operation Pitchfork, which they ran back during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Herron has touched upon the fate of superannuated spooks before and the difficulties of keeping an eye on their whereabouts, their welfare, and their marble count.
If dementia sets in, as it did with favourite Slow Horse River Cartwright's late, esteemed grandfather, David Cartwright, (a Park hero, nothing slow about him), who knows what secrets could be let loose?
Taverner discusses the blackmail with Sid (Sidonie) Baker. She used to be a Slow Horse, but is now recovering from being shot in the head and left for dead, and is living with River Cartwright.
River is a favourite Slow Horse from the first in the series, but he's been out of action after being poisoned by a deadly nerve toxin on a doorknob.
He's convinced he's ready to go back to work – Taverner is not. But… she holds out the carrot to Sid that she will bring him back into the Slough House family if Sid acts as a go-between with the blackmailers.
" 'What does he want?'
'The clown in question is threatening to go public with one of the messier stories from our recent history. Unless we make his life a little more comfortable.'
'And you think he's a nutcase.'
'Trying to blackmail me, that's a medically recognised symptom.'"
Much later, Lamb, who misses nothing, especially a chance to insult, confronts Sid about her involvement.
" 'You're on Taverner's shilling, aren't you? Presumably because she promised she'd give young Uh-Oh Seven his Park privileges back if you did.' "
We meet the four old blackmailers. CC is the leader who is determined to do the extortion contact alone, but needs the others to work with him. Avril is one of them.
"[she] had given the best part of herself to her country, and in the giving had ensured that lives were saved and buildings stayed standing; that there were bombs that had never gone off. And in return, here she was; a damaged person allowed to become lost.
. . .
Avril herself had grown old in her own way; not so much a diminishment, more a concentration. Or so she hoped."
[I like the idea of becoming concentrated rather than diminished. But I digress.]
The others are equally 'concentrated'. About Alastair, she thinks:
"Danger, these days, was younger and faster than him, but that wouldn't stop him."
Alastair knows this.
" 'CC thinks he's running an op, that he's got his old crew back together, but we don't work like that any more. Christ, I need a piss break on a supermarket shop.'"
Daisy, the fourth team member, suffers PTSD and can't forget. She's a loose cannon with a short fuse. Or, more to the point (inadvertent pun, sorry), a sharp knife, looking for a fight.
"Pitchfork had coded this into her system: anyone not on her team was an enemy.
There was no need to check she had her blade. She always had her blade."
There's a lot of politics in the background and plenty of questionable characters to go around. Louisa Guy, another favourite Slow Horse, is approached by Devon Welles, a former Park operative who is headhunting for his new Personal Protective Services business.
Devon knows the score as far as the Park is concerned. There's no going back for her, but there could be a going forward. Can she be tempted?
"Whatever Devon was doing for money, he'd either climbed a ladder or crossed a line."
She discovers he's protecting Peter Judd, the smarmy ex-MP who, while he was an MP, was Taverner's frenemy, and the relationship has gone downhill from there.
The various dramas play out against the backdrop of Jackson Lamb's trademark repulsive behaviour and sarcasm.
"… he was engaged in the act of darning his socks while still wearing them, except for 'darning' read 'applying duct tape'.
=========
'And that was a brainstorm, was it? If brains were actual weather, none of you'd get wet.'
'Just bringing you up to speed,' River said.
'Yeah, right. You realise I have to decelerate when you do that?' Lamb looked round sourly."
==========
'… we're talking about Taverner, who if she tells you the time means she's faking an alibi.' "
==========
This is another exciting, dramatic episode in the lives of the Slow Horses. It's always hard for me, knowing that nobody is safe, and that being a character in a Herron novel is a risky business. But I admit to enjoying the new ones he brings in.
I heard him interviewed recently, where he said that Operation Pitchfork was loosely based on the Irish Operation Stakeknife that did, indeed, happen during the Troubles in the 80s. It sounds awful. But it made a great hook for this story.
Here's a link to The Guardian's interview with him.
"I love doing things that are against the rules" says Mick Herron in The Guardian
Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press / Baskerville for a copy for review.
September 16, 2025
This may be the best one yet. Review in the works. = )
August 17, 2025
'I'm going to burn her fucking house down,' he said.
We all have our favourite slow horses by now and mine don't include River, the straight man who takes his career seriously and who has little sense of humor. So storylines that home in on River and the OB are always a bit of a slog for me ('River's in Oxford, he's up to something and he won't say what' - again) as I'm dying to get back to the more eccentric characters of Slough House. Add to this the introduction of a 'Thursday Murder Club' quartet of pensioners with a shady past and I wasn't sure about this book in the first third.
But my trust in this series paid off and the political machinations and previous antagonisms of Diana Taverner and PJ come together with an archived case code-named Pitchfork and the tension shoots up a level.
There's not as much of Shirley and Lech as I would like but this is very much Catherine and Jackson Lamb's book with some intense exchanges between the latter two with Lamb seeming to let down his guard for a rare piece of emotional honesty: It's also fun to see Herron turn his sardonic eye on Keir Starmer's new government:
'In case of a sausage situation arising.'
'A... what?'
'Did I say sausage? I meant hostage,' said Lamb. 'Common error.'
The final third is unputdownable with Herron's unique combination of action, farce, tragedy and finger-on-the-pulse realpolitik, all orchestrated magnificently with a big set-piece in an empty club - as well as the terrifying spectacle of what happens when Jackson Lamb is pushed to his limits and sets the horses to work at his direction.
Given the ending, there's more change and a possible slight shift of direction to come in the next book - but there's still so much life in this series: 'just as empty white pages are a temptation to those with nothing better to do... stories wait to be told.' We fervently hope so.
Grateful thanks to John Murray for an ARC of one of my most highly anticipated books of the year!
October 5, 2025
Book nine in the Slough House series and still every bit as good as all the previous books. It was good to see River Cartwright back as well as most of those who featured in the last book. Always most and never all with this author since he has no fears about killing off his characters, and he does it again this time round.
There is plenty of humour, mostly black, and usually provided by Jackson Lamb. Never forget though that behind his foolish exterior there is an extremely smart man and despite everything he says he does care for his team. I enjoyed his conversations with the unpleasant Diana Taverner and loved watching her getting into difficulties again.
Another really smart, beautifully written excerpt in this series. No question that it deserves five stars and I really hope there is another book already in the pipe line. I have a huge question that I need the author to answer asap.
There is plenty of humour, mostly black, and usually provided by Jackson Lamb. Never forget though that behind his foolish exterior there is an extremely smart man and despite everything he says he does care for his team. I enjoyed his conversations with the unpleasant Diana Taverner and loved watching her getting into difficulties again.
Another really smart, beautifully written excerpt in this series. No question that it deserves five stars and I really hope there is another book already in the pipe line. I have a huge question that I need the author to answer asap.
October 17, 2025
CLOWN TOWN returns the reader to a world where hope and delusion are locked in an unending embrace.In this world, information is guarded more closely than integrity and virtue. The denizens of this off kilter universe populate Slough House, the repository of failed “ joes,” who are the detritus of the secret world.
These Slow Horses in Herron’s universe trudge along performing mind numbing trivial tasks on a bureaucratic treadmill. They are determined to retain their place in exile while dreaming of a return to the mother house at Regent Park. Occasionally, mishaps at Regent Park intrude on the Horses’ doldrums and the gap between reality and yearning appears to shrink. The slow joes are then drawn into the serpentine machinations of First Desk Diana Taverner. They stumble into action under the lazily watchful eye of Jackson Lamb, their anachronistic, politically incorrect, incorrigible leader.
Heron employs this template to cast waspish aspersions on politics and institutions while creating complex,recognizable characters who extend the firmament of the secret world into our own emotional landscape. In this ninth iteration of the Horses, a missing book from the late David Cartwright’s library drives the action forward. The disappearance of a book from the deceased spymaster’s collection sends ripples of alarm throughout the secret world. David’s grandson River, on medical leave from a previous mishap, can not resist investigating the disappearance. As he springs into action, he is not mindful of his grandfather’s adage that old spies are no better than clowns. When River’s inquiries lead him to an old scandal rooted in Northern Ireland’s Troubles, he is indeed confronted by a group of old spies. Gradually, the Slow Horses are drawn into the fray and they joust with the Old Clowns.Their encounters take place on terrain located somewhere between political intrigue and bureaucratic absurdity.
The signature Herron elements are present in this latest novel.Information is slowly revealed in an almost begrudging fashion. Subtly disguised hints slip out well before backstories and essential facts reveal themselves. Different members of Herron’s ensemble cast step forward and then recede as the plot accelerates and then climaxes. We are left deploring the capriciousness of political exigencies while sympathizing with characters who are defined by institutions that do not value their efforts. In this way, Herron humanizes his characters and involves us in their lives while we await their next antics.
These Slow Horses in Herron’s universe trudge along performing mind numbing trivial tasks on a bureaucratic treadmill. They are determined to retain their place in exile while dreaming of a return to the mother house at Regent Park. Occasionally, mishaps at Regent Park intrude on the Horses’ doldrums and the gap between reality and yearning appears to shrink. The slow joes are then drawn into the serpentine machinations of First Desk Diana Taverner. They stumble into action under the lazily watchful eye of Jackson Lamb, their anachronistic, politically incorrect, incorrigible leader.
Heron employs this template to cast waspish aspersions on politics and institutions while creating complex,recognizable characters who extend the firmament of the secret world into our own emotional landscape. In this ninth iteration of the Horses, a missing book from the late David Cartwright’s library drives the action forward. The disappearance of a book from the deceased spymaster’s collection sends ripples of alarm throughout the secret world. David’s grandson River, on medical leave from a previous mishap, can not resist investigating the disappearance. As he springs into action, he is not mindful of his grandfather’s adage that old spies are no better than clowns. When River’s inquiries lead him to an old scandal rooted in Northern Ireland’s Troubles, he is indeed confronted by a group of old spies. Gradually, the Slow Horses are drawn into the fray and they joust with the Old Clowns.Their encounters take place on terrain located somewhere between political intrigue and bureaucratic absurdity.
The signature Herron elements are present in this latest novel.Information is slowly revealed in an almost begrudging fashion. Subtly disguised hints slip out well before backstories and essential facts reveal themselves. Different members of Herron’s ensemble cast step forward and then recede as the plot accelerates and then climaxes. We are left deploring the capriciousness of political exigencies while sympathizing with characters who are defined by institutions that do not value their efforts. In this way, Herron humanizes his characters and involves us in their lives while we await their next antics.
September 15, 2025
I love this series! This is the first book that has felt a bit awkward to me, mainly because Lamb is given far too many one-liners at the expense of plot. He also has a brand new affectation that makes him seem like the new Norm Crosby. The gimmick seemed overdone, and short shrift was given to the Joes as they did their work. I hope the characters do not become caricatures of themselves; I know this is satire, but it has always been self-aware, and this reader wants it to stay that way.
Want to read
October 25, 2024i read the series in four weeks and i gotta wait 10 MONTHS FOR THE NEXT?! nevertheless, cannot wait :)
September 18, 2025
The Clown that Roared
A review of the Soho Crime hardcover (September 9, 2025) released simultaneously with the Soho Crime eBook & the Recorded Books audiobook.
I will probably have to revisit this review and rating at some point in the future, but my first readthrough of Clown Town left me somewhat depressed, not only about the events it contained but also about the future of the series.
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb of Slough House. Image sourced from a screengrab from the trailer for Season 5 of the Slow Horses TV-adaptation.
I will try to keep this spoiler free but the various ensnarements, machinations and retributions build up here in such a way that further Slow Horses & major featured players either don't survive or are put a death's door. The conclusion is somewhat of a cliffhanger which either signals a possible end of the series or at least a drastic change of direction.
It is all brought on by the discovery that a volume from veteran spy David Cartwright's (the so-called O.B. (Old Bastard) in Slow Horses parlance) private library, donated to Oxford University at his passing, has gone missing. A quartet of old spies hope to increase their pensions by blackmailing First Desk with its contents. But First Desk does not play by any polite rules of engagement. Soon various ex- and current members of Slough House are pulled into the fray, eventually with some fatal results. Jackson Lamb may belittle his minions, but he takes it personally when his "joes" are killed. The conclusion finds him "burning down the house" in such a way that you are left at a loss.
As always, I enjoyed the antics of Slow Horse computer whiz/underdog Roddy Ho, the insults of Jackson Lamb and the banter among the Slow Horses along the way and I even troubled to transcribe some of them for the occasional status update.
But now I worry about the future of the book series. At least we have Season 5 of the Apple TV+ Slow Horses adaptation to look forward to starting on September 24, 2025 and then the further bonus of Season 1 of Down Cemetery Road on October 29, 2025. (based on Mick Herron's earlier Oxford Investigations (2003-2009) series).
Trivia and Links
In advance of its release, there was a book trailer posted for Clown Town. Watch the trailer on YouTube here.
A review of the Soho Crime hardcover (September 9, 2025) released simultaneously with the Soho Crime eBook & the Recorded Books audiobook.
"Your people were unlucky, but if they weren't unlucky to start with, they wouldn't have been your people. So let's write this off as a no-score draw, shall we?" She gave a faint smile. "I run a shop for serious people. You're in charge of a bunch of clowns." - First Desk Diana Taverner in a typical statement to Jackson Lamb of Slough House.
I will probably have to revisit this review and rating at some point in the future, but my first readthrough of Clown Town left me somewhat depressed, not only about the events it contained but also about the future of the series.
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb of Slough House. Image sourced from a screengrab from the trailer for Season 5 of the Slow Horses TV-adaptation.
I will try to keep this spoiler free but the various ensnarements, machinations and retributions build up here in such a way that further Slow Horses & major featured players either don't survive or are put a death's door. The conclusion is somewhat of a cliffhanger which either signals a possible end of the series or at least a drastic change of direction.
It is all brought on by the discovery that a volume from veteran spy David Cartwright's (the so-called O.B. (Old Bastard) in Slow Horses parlance) private library, donated to Oxford University at his passing, has gone missing. A quartet of old spies hope to increase their pensions by blackmailing First Desk with its contents. But First Desk does not play by any polite rules of engagement. Soon various ex- and current members of Slough House are pulled into the fray, eventually with some fatal results. Jackson Lamb may belittle his minions, but he takes it personally when his "joes" are killed. The conclusion finds him "burning down the house" in such a way that you are left at a loss.
As always, I enjoyed the antics of Slow Horse computer whiz/underdog Roddy Ho, the insults of Jackson Lamb and the banter among the Slow Horses along the way and I even troubled to transcribe some of them for the occasional status update.
But now I worry about the future of the book series. At least we have Season 5 of the Apple TV+ Slow Horses adaptation to look forward to starting on September 24, 2025 and then the further bonus of Season 1 of Down Cemetery Road on October 29, 2025. (based on Mick Herron's earlier Oxford Investigations (2003-2009) series).
Trivia and Links
In advance of its release, there was a book trailer posted for Clown Town. Watch the trailer on YouTube here.
August 9, 2025
Clown Town is the ninth book in the Slough House series by award-winning, bestselling British author, Mick Herron. At Slough House, Jackson Lamb’s slow horses are kept busy with mindless, pointless tasks, although Roddy Ho is diverted by thoughts of his first foray into being inked, while Louisa Guy has a job offer that could help her escape to something better.
River Cartwright and Sidonie Baker are still on sick leave, River hopeful of medical clearance soon, when a call from the young woman curating his grandfather’s library sends him to Oxford. There’s apparently a book missing, a book that, weirdly, doesn’t exist. The fact that River initially takes the explanation for it on face value shows he’s mentally not quite up to scratch yet.
After his meeting with First Desk, Lamb has already worked out which of the three topics Diana Taverner raised are the distractors, if not quite exactly what they are distracting from and why. So he sets Ho a task, not the one First Desk wanted him kept busy with, and sets the cat amongst the slow horses with a few gossipy items.
Diana Taverner is dealing with a blackmail threat from an old spy about something nasty that happened over three decades earlier, but in her inimitable manner, has seen how to turn it to her advantage, using a promise Sid Baker should know better than to believe, to get her own blackmail message out.
As always, Herron gives the reader a tightly-plotted, topical tale that keeps the reader enthralled and entertained. Lamb continues to be obnoxious, even while jumping to the defence of his hopeless joes, and the dialogue never fails to be a source of humour. By now, fans know that Herron doesn’t hesitate to kill off regular characters, and the offices of Slough House are looking emptier, but the total body count is actually less than usual. Clever, also sad, and deliciously, darkly funny.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and John Murray Press.
River Cartwright and Sidonie Baker are still on sick leave, River hopeful of medical clearance soon, when a call from the young woman curating his grandfather’s library sends him to Oxford. There’s apparently a book missing, a book that, weirdly, doesn’t exist. The fact that River initially takes the explanation for it on face value shows he’s mentally not quite up to scratch yet.
After his meeting with First Desk, Lamb has already worked out which of the three topics Diana Taverner raised are the distractors, if not quite exactly what they are distracting from and why. So he sets Ho a task, not the one First Desk wanted him kept busy with, and sets the cat amongst the slow horses with a few gossipy items.
Diana Taverner is dealing with a blackmail threat from an old spy about something nasty that happened over three decades earlier, but in her inimitable manner, has seen how to turn it to her advantage, using a promise Sid Baker should know better than to believe, to get her own blackmail message out.
As always, Herron gives the reader a tightly-plotted, topical tale that keeps the reader enthralled and entertained. Lamb continues to be obnoxious, even while jumping to the defence of his hopeless joes, and the dialogue never fails to be a source of humour. By now, fans know that Herron doesn’t hesitate to kill off regular characters, and the offices of Slough House are looking emptier, but the total body count is actually less than usual. Clever, also sad, and deliciously, darkly funny.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and John Murray Press.
October 18, 2025
This was not my favorite book of the series (but the series itself is a favorite, so it's still miles ahead of most books). Perhaps I need to reread it as a print book rather than an audiobook, because I might not have followed it as well as I want. It seemed like a lot was happening, but some of it wasn't as complete as it could have been. Or maybe there should be a "to be continued" at the end.
It seemed like some of Lamb's lines were overdone, with his using the wrong words a lot, or using the phrase "I can read you like a ...", leaving out the final word temporarily. Or maybe it was just the author trying out a form of humor where you repeat a lame joke enough that it somehow becomes funny. It does kind of work.
The main characters were a bit one-sided in this one, with Lamb and Tavener playing major roles, And River playing a big part, again. He's not the most interesting character to me, although he makes a good scapegoat, or butt-monkey. But as a character, he's a bit too serious and driven, where nothing seems to come between him and his goal. But Lamb and Tavener are a pretty strong couple to carry the bulk of the story.
It seemed like some of Lamb's lines were overdone, with his using the wrong words a lot, or using the phrase "I can read you like a ...", leaving out the final word temporarily. Or maybe it was just the author trying out a form of humor where you repeat a lame joke enough that it somehow becomes funny. It does kind of work.
The main characters were a bit one-sided in this one, with Lamb and Tavener playing major roles, And River playing a big part, again. He's not the most interesting character to me, although he makes a good scapegoat, or butt-monkey. But as a character, he's a bit too serious and driven, where nothing seems to come between him and his goal. But Lamb and Tavener are a pretty strong couple to carry the bulk of the story.
October 3, 2025
Halloween Bingo 2025
Book 9 of the Slough House series and Herron hasn't lost his touch. I read an interview with him where he claimed that what he most enjoyed writing was dialogue, but unfortunately then he had to invent situations for that dialogue to take place in. I find his characters up to the challenge.
Finally, River Cartwright is semi-back in action. He feels mostly recovered from the Novichok on the door knob of his grandfather’s house, but David Cartwright is the dangerous gift that keeps on giving. The O.B.’s library has been donated to the Spooks’ College and a book has gone missing. The graduate student in charge of the donation has identified the book in a video of the collection and it isn't a real title. River isn't yet back at Slough House from medical leave, so he has time to pursue the matter.
Meanwhile, Diana Taverner, the First Desk, is busy trying to get several problems to solve each other and has drafted Jackson Lamb and the slow horses to achieve this goal. Whether this is a wise decision is very questionable. As usual, the past has come back to haunt the present, plus a present day annoyance has reared its head again. Lady Di is determined to slap them all into place.
It's hard to believe that Herron has never been involved in the spy biz. He writes it so well, proving the old axiom that it's the quiet people that you have to watch. He obviously keeps a weather eye on the news of the day, incorporating aspects of current events to give his fictional creation a feeling of reality. There's no shortage of fodder these days, so I assume that Herron has another book percolating in his brain. I'll be thrilled to read it.
I read this book for the Genre: Mystery square of my Halloween Bingo card.
Book 9 of the Slough House series and Herron hasn't lost his touch. I read an interview with him where he claimed that what he most enjoyed writing was dialogue, but unfortunately then he had to invent situations for that dialogue to take place in. I find his characters up to the challenge.
Finally, River Cartwright is semi-back in action. He feels mostly recovered from the Novichok on the door knob of his grandfather’s house, but David Cartwright is the dangerous gift that keeps on giving. The O.B.’s library has been donated to the Spooks’ College and a book has gone missing. The graduate student in charge of the donation has identified the book in a video of the collection and it isn't a real title. River isn't yet back at Slough House from medical leave, so he has time to pursue the matter.
Meanwhile, Diana Taverner, the First Desk, is busy trying to get several problems to solve each other and has drafted Jackson Lamb and the slow horses to achieve this goal. Whether this is a wise decision is very questionable. As usual, the past has come back to haunt the present, plus a present day annoyance has reared its head again. Lady Di is determined to slap them all into place.
It's hard to believe that Herron has never been involved in the spy biz. He writes it so well, proving the old axiom that it's the quiet people that you have to watch. He obviously keeps a weather eye on the news of the day, incorporating aspects of current events to give his fictional creation a feeling of reality. There's no shortage of fodder these days, so I assume that Herron has another book percolating in his brain. I'll be thrilled to read it.
I read this book for the Genre: Mystery square of my Halloween Bingo card.
September 25, 2025
I honestly thought (when I reached a quarter of the way through) that I might not finish this episode. It took so long to get going. And yes, I do know there will be some who read this without having read books 1-8 or Secret Hours. I dp acknowledge that its been a while since Bad Actors so some form of catch-up was useful, I suppose, but it went on for so long. It felt like we were never going to have any action.
In Clown Town, the Horses are coopted by the demonic Diana into finding some information left behind by David Cartwright along with getting back at Peter Judd, who has been a thorn in Diana's side for a while. Of course Diana doesn't care who gets the results or who the casualties are and she's not above using even older spies to help out.
You just keep hoping that Diana will, eventually, get her much deserved comeuppance.
As usual, you've not to get attached to anyone who ends up at Slough House because you're never sure who will be standing (or even just in one piece) by the end.
The best bits, for me, are the interactions between the Horses - Shirley is a danger to everyone, Ho is still self-obsessed and wildly deluded, Louisa is contemplating her future, Lech is simply funny. Jackson will thankfully never change and nor will Catherine.
It started slow, gathered pace and left us all on yet another cliff hanger. I just want Mr Herron to write faster - 3 years is far too long to wait for another foray into the underbelly of the UK.
In Clown Town, the Horses are coopted by the demonic Diana into finding some information left behind by David Cartwright along with getting back at Peter Judd, who has been a thorn in Diana's side for a while. Of course Diana doesn't care who gets the results or who the casualties are and she's not above using even older spies to help out.
You just keep hoping that Diana will, eventually, get her much deserved comeuppance.
As usual, you've not to get attached to anyone who ends up at Slough House because you're never sure who will be standing (or even just in one piece) by the end.
The best bits, for me, are the interactions between the Horses - Shirley is a danger to everyone, Ho is still self-obsessed and wildly deluded, Louisa is contemplating her future, Lech is simply funny. Jackson will thankfully never change and nor will Catherine.
It started slow, gathered pace and left us all on yet another cliff hanger. I just want Mr Herron to write faster - 3 years is far too long to wait for another foray into the underbelly of the UK.
August 9, 2025
Why must life conspire to throw so many obstacles blocking my reading path since being, kindly, granted the ARC of Clown Town?!? I was up 'til 2am having reached a crucial plot point and needed to carry on until I knew what happened after. I didn’t make it and started my day with 15% left to read. Every person in my village has popped ‘round for a chat today just as I sit down to finish it!
Well, now I have finished and I feel bereft at its close. Clown Town was superlative, as ever, but it took some time to reacquaint myself with this amazing world. I loved the Secret Hours, and the time spent in the Cold War with Jackson and Molly makes me want more, but it feels an age since we last visited with our beloved, downtrodden Slow Horses. Quite a lot left hanging. In Mick Herron’s wisdom, we were granted a gentle start to reaffirm our friendship with each Slow Horse. Time well spent even if Jackson didn’t give us much at the beginning. I would expect nothing less, from him.
The synopsis you already know, so I will save you the bother of regurgitating it now. Needless to say, events occur and the build up is what kept me glued to the novel until 2am. The not knowing is both a blessing and a curse but in my heart I knew and, strangely, that left a mark on me. I feel I know these characters so well. I’ve read all the books and novellas, enjoyed the ups (few) and the downs (many). Shared the jokes and been put off by the unsavoury humour (loads in this novel so not for those with a delicate disposition!). I’ve listened to the books numerous times whilst painting a room or gardening and find I learn something previously overlooked each time. This is a world I happily inhabit whilst reading, listening or watching Slow Horses on AppleTv for the umpteenth time. It is quality that has an enduring power.
There is a moment in the book when Shirley reflects on past events. We know them well but it’s easy to let the scope of the series as a whole fall from recollection. Each book doesn’t need to be bigger and grander than the last. It’s the thread of the main story arc that matters most. Here, we have a gentler start but the end is just as powerful as anything that’s gone before, more so, in some regards. It feels meaningful. The Fates have spun the thread of the series and it feels urgent, foreboding darkly. A page has been turned and things feel sure to change. For good or ill, I couldn’t say, only Mick Herron knows. But I will be there for every moment and cheering our Slow Horses on whatever comes. I feel as protective over these joes as Jackson Lamb. Clown Town is a worthy successor that carries the story forward whilst giving us all the laughs, tension, drama and tender moments we’ve come to expect.
Thank you, Mick Herron and John Murray Press, for these seminal (insert Jackson Lamb joke here) works past, present and future. This is British literature at its best.
Well, now I have finished and I feel bereft at its close. Clown Town was superlative, as ever, but it took some time to reacquaint myself with this amazing world. I loved the Secret Hours, and the time spent in the Cold War with Jackson and Molly makes me want more, but it feels an age since we last visited with our beloved, downtrodden Slow Horses. Quite a lot left hanging. In Mick Herron’s wisdom, we were granted a gentle start to reaffirm our friendship with each Slow Horse. Time well spent even if Jackson didn’t give us much at the beginning. I would expect nothing less, from him.
The synopsis you already know, so I will save you the bother of regurgitating it now. Needless to say, events occur and the build up is what kept me glued to the novel until 2am. The not knowing is both a blessing and a curse but in my heart I knew and, strangely, that left a mark on me. I feel I know these characters so well. I’ve read all the books and novellas, enjoyed the ups (few) and the downs (many). Shared the jokes and been put off by the unsavoury humour (loads in this novel so not for those with a delicate disposition!). I’ve listened to the books numerous times whilst painting a room or gardening and find I learn something previously overlooked each time. This is a world I happily inhabit whilst reading, listening or watching Slow Horses on AppleTv for the umpteenth time. It is quality that has an enduring power.
There is a moment in the book when Shirley reflects on past events. We know them well but it’s easy to let the scope of the series as a whole fall from recollection. Each book doesn’t need to be bigger and grander than the last. It’s the thread of the main story arc that matters most. Here, we have a gentler start but the end is just as powerful as anything that’s gone before, more so, in some regards. It feels meaningful. The Fates have spun the thread of the series and it feels urgent, foreboding darkly. A page has been turned and things feel sure to change. For good or ill, I couldn’t say, only Mick Herron knows. But I will be there for every moment and cheering our Slow Horses on whatever comes. I feel as protective over these joes as Jackson Lamb. Clown Town is a worthy successor that carries the story forward whilst giving us all the laughs, tension, drama and tender moments we’ve come to expect.
Thank you, Mick Herron and John Murray Press, for these seminal (insert Jackson Lamb joke here) works past, present and future. This is British literature at its best.
September 15, 2025
Has the Slow Horses series jumped the shark? (Has "jumped the shark" jumped the shark? Yes, long enough ago that I feel comfortable bringing it back for effect.)
For the first part of the book, I was convinced that yes, it had. The second half almost convinced me otherwise, but I was still very disappointed by this effort, which seemed perfunctory, almost as if Herron had gone down a checklist to get in points about the characters and back stories and just didn't care about anything else.
The jumping piecemeal from character to character, particularly in the big, chaotic action scene, was ultimately just awkward instead of a successful way to propel the plot. The cliff-hanger lost its power by being dragged out too long -- it made me feel resentment instead of a desire to continue with the series (if it continues). And speaking of cliff-hangers, wasn't the OB's house supposed to be contaminated beyond any chance of salvage?
I was an early-ish fan of the Slow Horses, and have read all (I think) of Herron's other books. I worked at a public library, and often recommended the series to patrons, most of whom liked them as much as I did. If this had been the first one, I wouldn't have. It's missing that indefinable element that made the earlier books so engaging.
Such a disappointment after The Secret Hours, which I loved so much that I reread it as soon as I was finished. It had that je ne sais quoi in abundance. Maybe Herron should have used it as a worthy finale.
For the first part of the book, I was convinced that yes, it had. The second half almost convinced me otherwise, but I was still very disappointed by this effort, which seemed perfunctory, almost as if Herron had gone down a checklist to get in points about the characters and back stories and just didn't care about anything else.
The jumping piecemeal from character to character, particularly in the big, chaotic action scene, was ultimately just awkward instead of a successful way to propel the plot. The cliff-hanger lost its power by being dragged out too long -- it made me feel resentment instead of a desire to continue with the series (if it continues). And speaking of cliff-hangers, wasn't the OB's house supposed to be contaminated beyond any chance of salvage?
I was an early-ish fan of the Slow Horses, and have read all (I think) of Herron's other books. I worked at a public library, and often recommended the series to patrons, most of whom liked them as much as I did. If this had been the first one, I wouldn't have. It's missing that indefinable element that made the earlier books so engaging.
Such a disappointment after The Secret Hours, which I loved so much that I reread it as soon as I was finished. It had that je ne sais quoi in abundance. Maybe Herron should have used it as a worthy finale.
October 27, 2025
Another great story in this series! The Rodster had me laughing out loud!
August 9, 2025
We’re nine books in at this point, you’re not reading this to see if Slough House is for you, you just want to know if the latest one is any good. And of course it is. It might even be the funniest one yet, which is a big claim, but I laughed out loud several times reading this, and I’m usually super grumpy so there you go. There’s the usual twisty plot, where Jackson lamb and Diana Taverner are always a mile’s worth of steps ahead of the reader, and a climax that could well radically alter the future direction of the series, but the real pleasure is just spending time with this characters and this setting. Gold.
September 16, 2025
To me, this Slough House episode is more of a miss. I've waited eagerly for a new installment in Mick Herron's amazing serial on spies with special needs (slow horses), and had high hopes when I finally opened Clown Town. But there's something less than excellent here, something about pace and scale and even density of dry humor.
The story is paced somewhat unevenly. The first 128 pages are very slow, filled with a setup that didn't need the room and not much else. This is the part that could have been improved the most. The book then slowly kicks into gear, but the hook (the goal of the spy business) is less than exciting, maybe even trivial - a petty squabble between former partners, albeit, high-powered partners. There's also some reference to China, but it stays as a mere reference; an opportunity missed.
The characters are the strong positive, as in the other parts of the series, but in this installment the environment is such that it's more like watching an episode of Friends.
Finally, the book ends with a Hollywood-like sputter, so not a positive, but leaves room for another installment, so - probably like everyone else - I'm looking forward to the next adventures of Jackson Lamb, River Cartwright, and the troop. (Chances are we'll not see Lady Di anytime soon, but we can all live with another high-placed antagonist.)
The story is paced somewhat unevenly. The first 128 pages are very slow, filled with a setup that didn't need the room and not much else. This is the part that could have been improved the most. The book then slowly kicks into gear, but the hook (the goal of the spy business) is less than exciting, maybe even trivial - a petty squabble between former partners, albeit, high-powered partners. There's also some reference to China, but it stays as a mere reference; an opportunity missed.
The characters are the strong positive, as in the other parts of the series, but in this installment the environment is such that it's more like watching an episode of Friends.
Finally, the book ends with a Hollywood-like sputter, so not a positive, but leaves room for another installment, so - probably like everyone else - I'm looking forward to the next adventures of Jackson Lamb, River Cartwright, and the troop. (Chances are we'll not see Lady Di anytime soon, but we can all live with another high-placed antagonist.)
November 1, 2025
The Slow Horses once again get caught up in the “off-the-books” machinations of The First Desk. Ninth novel in the Slough House series.
Oxford, home of “Spook College,” where David Cartwright, a legendary former head of MI5, left his papers.
My dead tree copy was a modest 337 pages with a US 2025 copyright.
Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist with more than 20 books published across two series and several standalones. This book was set in his Slow Horses universe. I have read many of his books, the most recent being The Secret Hours (my review).
Its recommended that earlier books in the Slough House (AKA Slow Horses) series be read first; otherwise, the long-term plotlines found here would be difficult to follow. In particular, the seeds of this book's plot grew out of Slough House (Slough House #7).
TL;DR
As in the IRL Stakeknife Scandal, Herron’s MI5 had IRA bodies it wanted to keep buried. However, River Cartwright’s spymaster grandfather injudiciously left documentary evidence of the operation codenamed Pitchfork. The aging handler for the Pitchfork operation and his agents, some damaged by the service experience, decided to use that evidence to renegotiate their pensions and benefits. Like old dynamite, they could still be dangerous, and even more volatile.
Blackmailing MI5 is never wise. First Desk “Lady Di” Taverner used the attempt to kill two birds with one stone—quite literally. Her scheme drew in a pair of the Slow Horses with promises of re-employment at The Park and forced Jackson Lamb to defend his Slough House corner once again.
This was one of the better “Slow Horses” stories in the series. The series had grown predictable, but with this book Herron brought it back to life with a new insight into the series and a shift in the author's narrative style. The revelation was that Herron wasn’t writing about spies so much as about work in a bureaucracy whose business happened to be spying—a modern devolution. Herron kept his trademark humor but changed how points of view were presented, making the story move more quickly. However, readers still need a deep familiarity with the characters to fully appreciate this one.
The Review
The writing of this book was somewhat better than with the previous books in the series. Also, having eye-read the book (versus ear-reading), it gave me greater oppurtunity to appreciate the prose. Herron has a vaguely verbose writing style that demands attention. I never fail to be amused by his wit. This story contained a dollop more of his wry humor than in previous books.
With “Lady Di” Taverner ascendant at MI5 as First Desk, the story focused on the abuse of power by a civil service Mandarin. Taverner could be as ruthless as a Borgia. In this book, she made the mistake of manipulating Lamb’s joes, triggering the familiar dynamic of Lamb and his misfit team outmaneuvering the Park, but not the elderly Pitchfork joes.
The characters were the usual suspects. The flatulent, Falstaffian, Machiavellian Lamb remained the central figure, here revealing a new streak for vengeance. His co-protagonist River Cartwright played a major role, though not fully recovered from the events of Slough House (#7). Sid Baker, now firmly his love interest, was too competent to be a Slow Horse. Louisa Guy continued as the most stable and capable of the group—an advantage and now a burden. Shirley Dander appeared in a smaller, but still volatile, role. My favorite character, Roddy “The Rodster” Ho, had a major part, though his Hollywood hacking and deus ex machina usage have grown progressively tiresome. Ashley Khan, the Gen-Z, Pakistani dentist’s daughter with attitude, remained "Whatever". Lech Wicinski, the facially disfigured agent, was still learning to be a Slow Horse. Catherine Standish, still sober, remained the only adult in the room.
Diana Taverner, the “wicked witch” of MI5, served as the antagonist. She was aided by Peter Judd, a corpulent, ruthless, ambitious, Conservative MP and series regular—rumored to be based on Boris Johnson. Herron always takes the opportunity to lampoon pols. Look for a Keir Starmer-like PM in the story.
The story unfolded mainly in London and Oxford. The author happens to live in Oxford. The Slow Horses held many meetings in the open air of the Barbican Centre across from Slough House—perhaps suggesting the office had been bugged?
Summary
This was one of the better Slough House novels I’d read in a while. I write this, despite its Serial Fiction, forcing the reader to buy and read the books in lockstep with the author. However, the story still revolved around Jackson Lamb’s conflict with MI5’s bureaucracy but finally brought his long-running feud with Diana Taverner to a head. As usual, it ended with the success of Lamb’s ragtag band of misfits, but at a steep cost.
I had found it challenging to sustain interest in the series. Recently, someone suggested that these books should be viewed less as a “spy series” and more as a “workplace comedy.” Herron’s humor certainly supported that view. Taverner and Lamb are, in many ways, the bosses from hell—but also the series’ flawed heroes. Their direct conflict made this book for me.
Recommended for fans of the series.
Oxford, home of “Spook College,” where David Cartwright, a legendary former head of MI5, left his papers.My dead tree copy was a modest 337 pages with a US 2025 copyright.
Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist with more than 20 books published across two series and several standalones. This book was set in his Slow Horses universe. I have read many of his books, the most recent being The Secret Hours (my review).
Its recommended that earlier books in the Slough House (AKA Slow Horses) series be read first; otherwise, the long-term plotlines found here would be difficult to follow. In particular, the seeds of this book's plot grew out of Slough House (Slough House #7).
TL;DR
As in the IRL Stakeknife Scandal, Herron’s MI5 had IRA bodies it wanted to keep buried. However, River Cartwright’s spymaster grandfather injudiciously left documentary evidence of the operation codenamed Pitchfork. The aging handler for the Pitchfork operation and his agents, some damaged by the service experience, decided to use that evidence to renegotiate their pensions and benefits. Like old dynamite, they could still be dangerous, and even more volatile.
Blackmailing MI5 is never wise. First Desk “Lady Di” Taverner used the attempt to kill two birds with one stone—quite literally. Her scheme drew in a pair of the Slow Horses with promises of re-employment at The Park and forced Jackson Lamb to defend his Slough House corner once again.
This was one of the better “Slow Horses” stories in the series. The series had grown predictable, but with this book Herron brought it back to life with a new insight into the series and a shift in the author's narrative style. The revelation was that Herron wasn’t writing about spies so much as about work in a bureaucracy whose business happened to be spying—a modern devolution. Herron kept his trademark humor but changed how points of view were presented, making the story move more quickly. However, readers still need a deep familiarity with the characters to fully appreciate this one.
The Review
The writing of this book was somewhat better than with the previous books in the series. Also, having eye-read the book (versus ear-reading), it gave me greater oppurtunity to appreciate the prose. Herron has a vaguely verbose writing style that demands attention. I never fail to be amused by his wit. This story contained a dollop more of his wry humor than in previous books.
Famously, it was once suggested that anyone over thirty using a bus could be deemed a failure. A more severe metric might be: anyone uncushioned by driver and armoured glass was a has-been or never was.When I go up to London, I prefer getting about on the bus over The Tube. Some knowledge of British life and politics are needed to catch all the nuances. The book also differed stylistically from earlier ones, with more interwoven first-person points of view, which Herron handled better than before, though his shifting third-person narration still dominated. Jackson Lamb, notably, never has a first-person POV.
With “Lady Di” Taverner ascendant at MI5 as First Desk, the story focused on the abuse of power by a civil service Mandarin. Taverner could be as ruthless as a Borgia. In this book, she made the mistake of manipulating Lamb’s joes, triggering the familiar dynamic of Lamb and his misfit team outmaneuvering the Park, but not the elderly Pitchfork joes.
The characters were the usual suspects. The flatulent, Falstaffian, Machiavellian Lamb remained the central figure, here revealing a new streak for vengeance. His co-protagonist River Cartwright played a major role, though not fully recovered from the events of Slough House (#7). Sid Baker, now firmly his love interest, was too competent to be a Slow Horse. Louisa Guy continued as the most stable and capable of the group—an advantage and now a burden. Shirley Dander appeared in a smaller, but still volatile, role. My favorite character, Roddy “The Rodster” Ho, had a major part, though his Hollywood hacking and deus ex machina usage have grown progressively tiresome. Ashley Khan, the Gen-Z, Pakistani dentist’s daughter with attitude, remained "Whatever". Lech Wicinski, the facially disfigured agent, was still learning to be a Slow Horse. Catherine Standish, still sober, remained the only adult in the room.
Diana Taverner, the “wicked witch” of MI5, served as the antagonist. She was aided by Peter Judd, a corpulent, ruthless, ambitious, Conservative MP and series regular—rumored to be based on Boris Johnson. Herron always takes the opportunity to lampoon pols. Look for a Keir Starmer-like PM in the story.
The story unfolded mainly in London and Oxford. The author happens to live in Oxford. The Slow Horses held many meetings in the open air of the Barbican Centre across from Slough House—perhaps suggesting the office had been bugged?
Summary
This was one of the better Slough House novels I’d read in a while. I write this, despite its Serial Fiction, forcing the reader to buy and read the books in lockstep with the author. However, the story still revolved around Jackson Lamb’s conflict with MI5’s bureaucracy but finally brought his long-running feud with Diana Taverner to a head. As usual, it ended with the success of Lamb’s ragtag band of misfits, but at a steep cost.
I had found it challenging to sustain interest in the series. Recently, someone suggested that these books should be viewed less as a “spy series” and more as a “workplace comedy.” Herron’s humor certainly supported that view. Taverner and Lamb are, in many ways, the bosses from hell—but also the series’ flawed heroes. Their direct conflict made this book for me.
Recommended for fans of the series.
November 4, 2025
The Slow Horses are in fine form once again. Herron has a knack for tapping into topical politics and events and dissecting them with humour - usually in the form of Jackson Lamb. As always, the team of loveable misfits find themselves in danger they are ill equipped to deal with, and part of the fun of the series is that no main characters are safe. Looking forward to the next one already.
September 18, 2025
'Clown Town' delivers everything I expect of a Slough House novel: lyrical prose twisted into a self-mocking sneer, a sense of having an insider view on contemporary British politics, a twisty mystery with deep roots, intrigue, betrayal, violence, death and disappointment that verges on despair.
The book opens with a dramatic and graphically violent, but mostly unexplained, execution that hangs over the plot like a threat or a blood stain slowly seeping through a ceiling.
The first third of the book is split between re-engaging the reader with the main characters in Slough House and The Park and charting the emergence of a whirlpool of chaos that the reader knows they will all be dragged into.
The middle section demonstrated Mick Herron's skill in getting me to care about the Slow Horses while making it clear that it's unlikely that all of them will survive to the end of the book. His pacing and exposition kept me engaged, while slowly ratcheting up the tension.
The last third of the book consists of two carefully orchestrated descents into chaos, each culminating in violent and unexpected outcomes.
As a thriller, 'Clown Town' is hard to fault. It kept pressing my buttons and pulling me along into the complex and depressing mess that the plot creates.
And yet....
...to my surprise, my overall reaction when i finished the book was weariness.
I have grown weary of the purgatorial nature of Slough House. Weary of Jackson Lamb's abuse of himself and everyone around him. Weary of Taverner's endless self-serving machinations. Weary of the losses the Slow Horses always suffer. Even weary of Mick Herron's heavily embroidered prose, which starts to feel as manipulative and depressing as Jackson Lamb's dialogue.
This is not like the fatigue I sometimes get when a series has been going on for too long and is starting to lose its power.
It's almost the opposite of that. This is a weariness that comes from believing in the world and the people that Mick Herron has created, seeing them as a commentary on where my country is going and knowing that things do change butthey never get better.
The dramatic events that conclude 'Clown Town' seem to throw everything up in the air and to place everyone in Slough House at risk. The story ended before the fallout became clear, yet I didn't feel it was a cliff-hanger ending, but rather that it reflected the reality that the messes never end.
It seems to me that, if there is a tenth Slough House book, it may well be the last.
The book opens with a dramatic and graphically violent, but mostly unexplained, execution that hangs over the plot like a threat or a blood stain slowly seeping through a ceiling.
The first third of the book is split between re-engaging the reader with the main characters in Slough House and The Park and charting the emergence of a whirlpool of chaos that the reader knows they will all be dragged into.
The middle section demonstrated Mick Herron's skill in getting me to care about the Slow Horses while making it clear that it's unlikely that all of them will survive to the end of the book. His pacing and exposition kept me engaged, while slowly ratcheting up the tension.
The last third of the book consists of two carefully orchestrated descents into chaos, each culminating in violent and unexpected outcomes.
As a thriller, 'Clown Town' is hard to fault. It kept pressing my buttons and pulling me along into the complex and depressing mess that the plot creates.
And yet....
...to my surprise, my overall reaction when i finished the book was weariness.
I have grown weary of the purgatorial nature of Slough House. Weary of Jackson Lamb's abuse of himself and everyone around him. Weary of Taverner's endless self-serving machinations. Weary of the losses the Slow Horses always suffer. Even weary of Mick Herron's heavily embroidered prose, which starts to feel as manipulative and depressing as Jackson Lamb's dialogue.
This is not like the fatigue I sometimes get when a series has been going on for too long and is starting to lose its power.
It's almost the opposite of that. This is a weariness that comes from believing in the world and the people that Mick Herron has created, seeing them as a commentary on where my country is going and knowing that things do change butthey never get better.
The dramatic events that conclude 'Clown Town' seem to throw everything up in the air and to place everyone in Slough House at risk. The story ended before the fallout became clear, yet I didn't feel it was a cliff-hanger ending, but rather that it reflected the reality that the messes never end.
It seems to me that, if there is a tenth Slough House book, it may well be the last.
September 10, 2025
much better than Bad Actors but mick herron is still on thin ice in my book. this one has me torn because the pacing is a disaster. if you're struggling to get through part 1, stick with it. part 2 is much better though the general plot has me feeling conflicted. i'm not sure if it's because herron's involved with the tv adaptation, but a lot of the dialogue in this felt off - when roddy is the most ic, you know we have a problem xD
overall, a decent addition to the series. there were a lot of missed opportunities in this one with character development, and if you were worried in the previous books with lamb coughing up blood into a hankie, it turns out that was hardly an inconvenience. river's still alive so all in all, i can't complain.
overall, a decent addition to the series. there were a lot of missed opportunities in this one with character development, and if you were worried in the previous books with lamb coughing up blood into a hankie, it turns out that was hardly an inconvenience. river's still alive so all in all, i can't complain.
September 10, 2025
Loved laughed kept pages turning. Winner.
September 13, 2025
Ah, the more eagerly I look forward to a book, the more disappointed I can be.
This is not as weak as Joe Country (#6) and Slough House (#7) but it’s a slide backward from Bad Actors (#8).
The plot isn’t as complicated, and the threads don’t intertwine as intricately as in books 1-5.
Worse, the author seems to have given up on his core characters. Their banter is labored and stale. Predictable. And they barely do anything! (There’s a big set-up about Ho’s new tattoo that goes nowhere...also, since when does everyone call him “Roddy”?) Relationships don’t evolve. The “Lady Di vs Judd” element is stale, too.
The new characters were intriguing at first but didn’t develop or play as interesting a role as I’d hoped. I think Herron has overindulged his affection for grubby, melancholy, not-quite-forgotten old spies - we have the John Bachelor and Bad Sam Chapman type x4.
Too many scenes of long-winded philosophizing about the nature and ethics of spy life. And sophomoric meditations on Stories and Books and Reading (sigh).
The plotting is rather… plodding.
Usually Herron sets up confrontations and chases and twists that seem to come out of nowhere and unfold at a breakneck pace. This was more like a kids’ board game where each move is carefully counted out and it takes forever to get the pieces into place.
Herron’s drollery is wearing thin: “The sky was as blue
as an egg, provided the egg was blue.” (Sigh)
Guess for me the series peaked at London Rules (#5).
This is not as weak as Joe Country (#6) and Slough House (#7) but it’s a slide backward from Bad Actors (#8).
The plot isn’t as complicated, and the threads don’t intertwine as intricately as in books 1-5.
Worse, the author seems to have given up on his core characters. Their banter is labored and stale. Predictable. And they barely do anything! (There’s a big set-up about Ho’s new tattoo that goes nowhere...also, since when does everyone call him “Roddy”?) Relationships don’t evolve. The “Lady Di vs Judd” element is stale, too.
The new characters were intriguing at first but didn’t develop or play as interesting a role as I’d hoped. I think Herron has overindulged his affection for grubby, melancholy, not-quite-forgotten old spies - we have the John Bachelor and Bad Sam Chapman type x4.
Too many scenes of long-winded philosophizing about the nature and ethics of spy life. And sophomoric meditations on Stories and Books and Reading (sigh).
The plotting is rather… plodding.
Usually Herron sets up confrontations and chases and twists that seem to come out of nowhere and unfold at a breakneck pace. This was more like a kids’ board game where each move is carefully counted out and it takes forever to get the pieces into place.
Herron’s drollery is wearing thin: “The sky was as blue
as an egg, provided the egg was blue.” (Sigh)
Guess for me the series peaked at London Rules (#5).
September 20, 2025
Disappointing. The pace in the first half was glacial. There’s a high body count, and I found one of the losses particularly upsetting. And unnecessary. This entire entry felt sort of contrived, like the goal was just to move a bunch of players into position for the next book.
The inciting incident, involving the Troubles in Northern Ireland and an elderly group of neglected spies, could have been better as a separate Slow Horses adjacent story (like Secret Hours and Nobody Walks). I’ve seen more than one reviewer describe it as Slow Horses meets the Thursday Murder Club, and if that sounds like a jarring combination to you—you’re not wrong.
I was an early devotee of this series, and I loved the previous entry, Bad Actors, so maybe my expectations were this entry were a little too high.
The inciting incident, involving the Troubles in Northern Ireland and an elderly group of neglected spies, could have been better as a separate Slow Horses adjacent story (like Secret Hours and Nobody Walks). I’ve seen more than one reviewer describe it as Slow Horses meets the Thursday Murder Club, and if that sounds like a jarring combination to you—you’re not wrong.
I was an early devotee of this series, and I loved the previous entry, Bad Actors, so maybe my expectations were this entry were a little too high.
Read
September 11, 2025Not ready to rate. Not ready to write a review. Just not ready.
September 26, 2025
This is my ninth outing with Mick Herron's 'slow horses,' I am now up to date with this series and will have to wait with bated breath for the next one. This series is truly excellent, I suspect some time in future I will have to begin all over again and listen with Simon. I know he would love it and the writing is so good it's worth reading again and again.
Anyway, back to this volume, 'Clown Town,' as usual, the toe curling descriptions of Jackson Lamb are truly amazing! Take for instance the description of how he "was engaged in the act of darning his socks while still wearing them, except for 'darning' read 'applying duct tape.'"
Or this description of his malodorous and slovenly presence: "Already she can smell Lamb's presence - the damp dog in a dumpster odor of his coat wafting down the stairs. He's behind his desk unshod, a drink in front of him and instead of smoking, he's shredding an empty cigarette packet - his equivalent of a health kick."
Then, Catherine Standish just about despairs of Lamb's bathroom etiquette at Slough House, "She'd once put up a sign reading, 'please leave this toilet as you would like to find it,' and by the following morning he had installed a stack of pornographic magazines and a dart board."
Possibly Jackson Lamb is rubbing off on his team members:
When Louisa delivers some bad news in a blunt manner without regard to the feelings of the person receiving the news River ponders, "A drunk monkey with a water pistol could have been more tactful." Further, he wonders "if this is what working for Lamb did to you - wore away your gentler instincts leaving you pumice rough when breaking bad news."
Regarding aging spies:
"There were no precautions you could take against growing old, no trade craft that would keep you out of senility's clutches."
River's grandfather David Cartwright had told him, "'Old spies can grow ridiculous, River.' He'd meant if they hold on too long. Old spies outgrew their covers, their sleeves become tattered and worn, they forget which lies they're meant to tell, which truths they ought to conceal and that was without the added pain of dementia."
Indeed, perhaps it's "best to tune out gracefully and accept retirement's package of slip-ons and slacks and slow movements. Better the boredom of the afternoon nap than to stay on the road too long and end up a laughing stock."
"Old spies can grow ridiculous. Old spies aren't much better than clowns."
Judd talks down to Lamb:
"She [Diana] and I, we are insiders, always have been, brought up to it, dined out on it, slept in all of its bedrooms, while you, put simply, are not."
Further - "You are one of the engine room lot, you know how it works and you can make it go, but you don't get to decide the direction of travel because that's not how things are done. The big decisions are made up in the wheel house. The only time you get up there is when you're invited."
A couple of quotes that made me smile:
"My day isn't going to plan either, I'd intended to return a library book."
I was truly delighted to learn: "They have an underground train here taking books from one library to another."
Anyway, back to this volume, 'Clown Town,' as usual, the toe curling descriptions of Jackson Lamb are truly amazing! Take for instance the description of how he "was engaged in the act of darning his socks while still wearing them, except for 'darning' read 'applying duct tape.'"
Or this description of his malodorous and slovenly presence: "Already she can smell Lamb's presence - the damp dog in a dumpster odor of his coat wafting down the stairs. He's behind his desk unshod, a drink in front of him and instead of smoking, he's shredding an empty cigarette packet - his equivalent of a health kick."
Then, Catherine Standish just about despairs of Lamb's bathroom etiquette at Slough House, "She'd once put up a sign reading, 'please leave this toilet as you would like to find it,' and by the following morning he had installed a stack of pornographic magazines and a dart board."
Possibly Jackson Lamb is rubbing off on his team members:
When Louisa delivers some bad news in a blunt manner without regard to the feelings of the person receiving the news River ponders, "A drunk monkey with a water pistol could have been more tactful." Further, he wonders "if this is what working for Lamb did to you - wore away your gentler instincts leaving you pumice rough when breaking bad news."
Regarding aging spies:
"There were no precautions you could take against growing old, no trade craft that would keep you out of senility's clutches."
River's grandfather David Cartwright had told him, "'Old spies can grow ridiculous, River.' He'd meant if they hold on too long. Old spies outgrew their covers, their sleeves become tattered and worn, they forget which lies they're meant to tell, which truths they ought to conceal and that was without the added pain of dementia."
Indeed, perhaps it's "best to tune out gracefully and accept retirement's package of slip-ons and slacks and slow movements. Better the boredom of the afternoon nap than to stay on the road too long and end up a laughing stock."
"Old spies can grow ridiculous. Old spies aren't much better than clowns."
Judd talks down to Lamb:
"She [Diana] and I, we are insiders, always have been, brought up to it, dined out on it, slept in all of its bedrooms, while you, put simply, are not."
Further - "You are one of the engine room lot, you know how it works and you can make it go, but you don't get to decide the direction of travel because that's not how things are done. The big decisions are made up in the wheel house. The only time you get up there is when you're invited."
A couple of quotes that made me smile:
"My day isn't going to plan either, I'd intended to return a library book."
I was truly delighted to learn: "They have an underground train here taking books from one library to another."
November 26, 2025
Really enjoyed this one! I haven’t read any of the previous books but I have watched and loved the TV series so it was good to find the characters recognisable on the page. And what great characters! I’ll definitely read more of the series.
October 3, 2025
Nine books in, and Mick Herron’s Slough House series continues to go from strength to strength. Its predecessor, Bad Actors, was a tough act to follow, but Clown Town is just as good, if not better. It’s packed full of Herron’s writerly tradecraft: pace, masterly plotting, a multi-stranded narrative that the reader can be sure will ultimately be woven together in an immensely satisfying way, jeopardy (both physical and moral), wit, dark humour, character, action and acerbic social commentary. What more could a reader possibly want? Well, just possibly, a plot twist towards the end that throws one of the key drivers of the series on its head and leaves said reader wondering where on earth book 10 will take Jackson Lamb and his Slow Horses.
September 13, 2025
Clown Town is another solid outing in the Slough House series. The dark humor and sharp dialogue are still here, and it’s always a joy to spend time with these characters—Jackson Lamb especially remains gloriously awful. Parts of the plot felt uneven, and the pacing in the first section dragged for me, but things picked up in the second half. It’s clever, funny, and very readable. Fans will find plenty to enjoy.
October 8, 2025
I hesitate to review this book but must say the author continues to deliver the wit, humor and outlandish action as well as language the reader has come to expect.
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