The Last Dead Letter

by Mick Herron

Bonus short story in the Slough House series included in deluxe tenth anniversary edition of Slow Horses.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery, Espionage, British Literature

28 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Mick Herron was born in Newcastle and has a degree in English from Balliol College, Oxford. He is the author of nine 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.

Reviews

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much to my delight this short story by Mick Herron brought together two of my favorite characters from the Slough House series, Jackson Lamb and Molly Doran. Molly has invited Jackson to meet her at St Leonard's church, often called the Spook’s Chapel, where the spies are buried. He comes because he owes her. There she tells him a story that she has unearthed but that Jackson already knows because he is part of it. A background story on Jackson is always welcome, but the twist at the end provides both surprise and insight into who Jackson Lamb is.

[John Horrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed a look back into Lamb when he was behind the wall. I assumed he was part of the story being told, but I figured he was Cross and not the mirror man! Shows that he’s always protected his joes at all costs, even if it led them to hating him and not understanding why he did the things he did. (8.5/10)

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold, short, and sharp—this story cuts deep. Two old spies talk while the world moves on without them. The past hangs heavy, like wet clothes in winter. Nothing explodes, but everything matters. It’s quiet, sad, and true—the kind of story that stays with you.

[Mark Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty standard spy story narrated by Molly Doran who's used her wheelchair to block Jackson Lamb in a pew in the Spooks' Chapel at St Leonard's church. Well-told, but not too interesting until the end when Molly gets Lamb to admit to the cold heartedness of his personal rules about "joes". Provides context to some of Lamb's actions in the main Slough House books.

[Tanja Elín Sigurgrímsdóttir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fyrsta smásagan í seríunni sem sneri að aðalkarakterum seríunnar en ekki hliðarkarakterum. Mjög skemmtilegt concept og ótrúlega gaman að fá sögu sem er í raun prequel frá kalda stríðinu. Væri til í heila bók um spook daga Jackson’s. Hún virðist (enn sem komið er) ekki framfleyta megin söguþræðinum neitt og vera bara stutt skemmtileg saga. Mjög ánægð með þessa.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

Always good to have Jackson Lamb and Molly in the same room, but this short story felt a tad underwhelming.

[Amy Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun short story! I’m so curious to know more about Lamb’s backstory. I loved the twist at the end, and I loved what it shows about Lamb’s character.

[Edgar Allan Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed. Love how Mick Herron weaves between the past and current.

He’s quickly become one of my favourite story tellers.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Last Dead Letter" is a short story by Mick Herron, included in the anniversary edition of Slow Horses," the first Slough House novel, and despite being a 28-page short, Herron packs this glimpse of Jackson Lamb's past with enough misdirection and mystery to satisfy

[Jonathon Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice. This isn’t a John Bachelor novella, but instead focuses on a conversation between Jackson Lamb and Molly Doran that fleshes out the former’s backstory a bit and includes a neat twist at the end. It’s very short, even by the usual standards, but it’s a great addition to the canon.

[nicole_isreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice short story to give some background about Lamb’s character. But it did feel a little out of place after reading book 1 since the only character in this story we know anything about is Lamb.

[Julianne O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a big short story fan, but this one being tied to longer books was good. It appears though it's a little out of place at the end of the 1st book in the series and should instead have been read later.

[Simon Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating snippet of Jackson Lamb back story

[Jimgosailing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading these head-to-heads between Jackson and Molly where they, with a mixture of contention and understanding, explore the past, which Herron reveals to us like an onion being peeled

[Secondvision · Rating 3 out of 5]

short story between lamb and molly during lambs berlin time.

[Joseph Caprile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story that follows up on Slow Horses his first book of the Slough House novels

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short read. Really loved the crisp storytelling.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brief and entertaining story about spies in Berlin during the Cold War. It gives insight into the past of Jackson Lamb and is a great interlude in between the main Slough House books.

[Christian Jebsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet little spy story with a brief glimpse into the past life of Jackson Lamb.

[Neisha Dahlstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The archivist Molly always has something to say and is one of the few people Who don’t have to take crap from
Jackson Lamb

[Shary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story that was included with my edition of Slow Horses. Good writing and good background of a major character in the series.

[Zach]

Hard to rate since it's so slight. Liked learning more about Lamb. Always nice to see Molly Doran.

[David Hallstrom]

A wonderful vignette featuring only Jackson Lamb and Molly Doran discussing on old joe from Berlin at St. Leonard's. A most charming addition to the body of work.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed!

SPOILER:



























We are meant to think that Dominic Cross is Jackson. It isn’t. Molly is the woman in the photo.