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Slough House #5.5
The Marylebone Drop
Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone café, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality.
A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.
It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.
A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.
It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.
113 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2018
919 people are currently reading
3539 people want to read
About the author
Mick Herron
54 books5,386 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 413 reviews
November 17, 2018
So Mick Herron sets out to provide us dedicated fans of the 'slow horses' a short story that serves to keep us going until the next full length installment of Slough House, and which I suspect will provide us with juicy future storylines from the repercussions of what happens here. Old spies never forget their trade, as Solomon Dortmand proves when he visits his regular Marylebone cafe. Dortmund observes a 'drop', a now old fashioned practice amongst spies, taking place between a young woman and a man that is to set off a chain of unexpected events. Dortmund is not suffering from dementia, he knows what he has seen, as he reports to John Bachelor, a part time babysitter for retired spies. Bachelor’s only success in his now severely curtailed career was the recruitment of Hannah Weiss, aka Snow White. He is now skittering on the edges of homelessness in a London struggling to cope with snow. Having misgivings about reporting this officially, he calls in a favour from a man he met at a funeral, Alec/ Lech Wicinski. Wickinski is to learn the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. Always a pleasure to step into the world of Slough House, even if it is an all too brief visit. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.
August 26, 2019
This is an inbetween novella which introduces us to a new character who will be joining the Slough House team. Alec or Lech, poor guy, does a friend a favour and finds himself sent to the British Government equivalent of Siberia. I guess he is going to feature in #6 Joe Country which is sitting on my TBR pile.
Mick Herron writes such good stories, smart, satirical and always amusing. His characters are apparently losers but they always have hidden depths. I am really looking forward to getting back into Slough House and continuing the saga.
Mick Herron writes such good stories, smart, satirical and always amusing. His characters are apparently losers but they always have hidden depths. I am really looking forward to getting back into Slough House and continuing the saga.
July 21, 2019
In this tasty little snack between main courses, Mick Herron introduces us to a future member of the Slow Horses team. It was a minor favour for an almost acquaintance that caused Lech Wicinski's fall from grace and got him exiled to Slough House. All because a retired asset witnessed an old-fashioned drop in a restaurant and reported it to his handler.
This is a well constructed plot seasoned with Herron's customary dry wit, showing M15 in a rather cynical light, as one lesser spook lands in hot water and is sent to purgatory and another finds himself a new home. I'm looking forward to meeting Lech again in Herron's next book Joe Country.
This is a well constructed plot seasoned with Herron's customary dry wit, showing M15 in a rather cynical light, as one lesser spook lands in hot water and is sent to purgatory and another finds himself a new home. I'm looking forward to meeting Lech again in Herron's next book Joe Country.
May 21, 2023
4 ☆
Solomon Dortmund may be advanced in years, but his brain remains sharp. While treating himself to a hot chocolate at Fischer's, a restaurant specializing in Austrian cuisine, Solomon indulges in people-watching, a favored activity. He observes a young, pretty blonde and an older man, who is well-dressed despite wearing yellow socks, surreptitiously exchange envelopes under the guise of bumping into one another. Solomon resolves to alert Jonathan Bachelor.
For Solomon is from the former East Germany, and he is living in England courtesy of a pension for services rendered to the UK government during the Cold War. Employed by the British Security Service (ie. MI5), Bachelor is Solomon's "milkman," who makes the rounds performing welfare checks on retired "assets" such as Solomon.
Solomon's testimony about this exchange of information, or "drop" in spook parlance, sets off a series of unfortunate events. And Herron once again skewers the intelligence service for there are at least three persons who follow a variation of London rules and miss seeing what's in front of them.
The Marylebone Drop is the second of three short stories centered around John Bachelor and that is set in Herron's Slough House milieu. It's not necessary at all to read any of the full length novels, but they're fantastic and I highly recommend them. Chronologically, this short story takes place shortly before Joe Country #6 and gives the background story of a new character.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
2nd Reading -
As expected from a Mick Herron book, there's a clever plot, a devious Taverner and a MI5 employee way past his prime. With this re-read though I found it to be more sad than funny. John Bachelor is a pathetic character suffering the consequences of poor decisions and he inadvertently drags down a colleague, one whom readers will see more of later back in the primary series.
Slightly changed rating of 3.5 ☆ and rounded up.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Listed in GR sequence, but not necessarily in chronological order:
#1 Slow Horses 4 ☆
#2 Dead Lions 4 ☆
#2.5 The List 4 ☆
#3 Real Tigers 4.5 ☆
#4 Spook Street 5 ☆
#5 London Rules 4.5 ☆
#6 Joe Country 5 ☆
#6.5 The Catch 4 ☆
#7 Slough House 4.5 ☆
#8 Bad Actors 4 ☆
Spook Street runs backwards and forwards in time.
... all spies' lives end in failure. The best among them fade away with no one having suspected their true calling; for others, the end comes sooner, and that is all.
The game lasts forever.
Solomon Dortmund may be advanced in years, but his brain remains sharp. While treating himself to a hot chocolate at Fischer's, a restaurant specializing in Austrian cuisine, Solomon indulges in people-watching, a favored activity. He observes a young, pretty blonde and an older man, who is well-dressed despite wearing yellow socks, surreptitiously exchange envelopes under the guise of bumping into one another. Solomon resolves to alert Jonathan Bachelor.
For Solomon is from the former East Germany, and he is living in England courtesy of a pension for services rendered to the UK government during the Cold War. Employed by the British Security Service (ie. MI5), Bachelor is Solomon's "milkman," who makes the rounds performing welfare checks on retired "assets" such as Solomon.
"A man who wears yellow socks is capable of anything."
Solomon's testimony about this exchange of information, or "drop" in spook parlance, sets off a series of unfortunate events. And Herron once again skewers the intelligence service for there are at least three persons who follow a variation of London rules and miss seeing what's in front of them.
The Marylebone Drop is the second of three short stories centered around John Bachelor and that is set in Herron's Slough House milieu. It's not necessary at all to read any of the full length novels, but they're fantastic and I highly recommend them. Chronologically, this short story takes place shortly before Joe Country #6 and gives the background story of a new character.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
2nd Reading -
As expected from a Mick Herron book, there's a clever plot, a devious Taverner and a MI5 employee way past his prime. With this re-read though I found it to be more sad than funny. John Bachelor is a pathetic character suffering the consequences of poor decisions and he inadvertently drags down a colleague, one whom readers will see more of later back in the primary series.
Slightly changed rating of 3.5 ☆ and rounded up.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Listed in GR sequence, but not necessarily in chronological order:
#1 Slow Horses 4 ☆
#2 Dead Lions 4 ☆
#2.5 The List 4 ☆
#3 Real Tigers 4.5 ☆
#4 Spook Street 5 ☆
#5 London Rules 4.5 ☆
#6 Joe Country 5 ☆
#6.5 The Catch 4 ☆
#7 Slough House 4.5 ☆
#8 Bad Actors 4 ☆
February 28, 2024
Started watching TV series. It is brilliant. Oldman is sublime in character. Checking this book on Goodreads I noticed review missing. Luckily saved on email.
After reading the first of the books ‘Slow Horses’ about a group of spies put out to grass. I was lucky to find this book. Two short novellas that feature some of the characters from the first.
The two short stories are linked. The first ( The List) has one of the seediest and saddest spies ever - John Bachelor - acting as a ‘milk man’ ie looking after retired assets. The death of one of his elderly assets results in a remarkable chain of events - I can’t say more.
In ‘The Drop’ Bachelor has now been moved to part time and looking for places to stay each night. This is a follow on to the first story.
The characters and writing are a delight. Just a couple of the observations I liked:
‘She laughed what sounded like a smoker’s laugh. Last time he’d heard anything quite like it, he (had) been sanding off the edge of a door.’
Lamb craned his head forward, caught the rim of his glass in his teeth, and easing his head back again, allowed the contents of the glass to pour into his mouth. He swallowed, then set the glass back on his chest. ‘When Daniel Craig can do that,’ he said, ‘tell him to give me a ring.’
John le Carre with delicious humour. A great author and read.
After reading the first of the books ‘Slow Horses’ about a group of spies put out to grass. I was lucky to find this book. Two short novellas that feature some of the characters from the first.
The two short stories are linked. The first ( The List) has one of the seediest and saddest spies ever - John Bachelor - acting as a ‘milk man’ ie looking after retired assets. The death of one of his elderly assets results in a remarkable chain of events - I can’t say more.
In ‘The Drop’ Bachelor has now been moved to part time and looking for places to stay each night. This is a follow on to the first story.
The characters and writing are a delight. Just a couple of the observations I liked:
‘She laughed what sounded like a smoker’s laugh. Last time he’d heard anything quite like it, he (had) been sanding off the edge of a door.’
Lamb craned his head forward, caught the rim of his glass in his teeth, and easing his head back again, allowed the contents of the glass to pour into his mouth. He swallowed, then set the glass back on his chest. ‘When Daniel Craig can do that,’ he said, ‘tell him to give me a ring.’
John le Carre with delicious humour. A great author and read.
January 31, 2022
4.5★
“Brexit negotiations. It wasn’t the world’s biggest secret that Britain had been handling these discussions with the grace and aplomb of a rabbit hiding a magician in its hat, but, on the slim chance that somebody had a master plan up their sleeve, the BND* wouldn’t have minded a peek...
* The Bundesnachrichtendienst was the German intelligence service.”
This novella carries on from The List, about which I don’t want to give any spoilers. The list was numbers which did lead to some names, and this story is about another old fellow from John Bachelor’s ‘milk run’, Solomon Dortmund, who is convinced he saw an old-fashioned, physical drop in his local coffee shop.
You know the kind – where two people bump into each other, papers are spilled, both pick them up, and one pockets an envelope belonging to the other. In this case, it’s a young woman and an older man.
Nobody, including Bachelor, believes that a young woman would be involved in using an old-school drop, but Dortmund is adamant and even has a name for the older man to chase up.
Meanwhile, John Bachelor has nowhere to live. He’s bouncing between friends and finally talks his way into Regent’s Park with some amusing and scary results.
“. . . the guardian of the gate had reluctantly verified, but ‘good’ simply meant he wasn’t currently on a kill-list. If he actually did bump into Di Taverner, she might have him dropped down a lift shaft just for the practice.”
He’s at the point of considering sleeping in his car. He knows just enough to be a nuisance.
Both this and The List are excellent short fixes for those of us missing the Slow Horses!
My review of The List is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Brexit negotiations. It wasn’t the world’s biggest secret that Britain had been handling these discussions with the grace and aplomb of a rabbit hiding a magician in its hat, but, on the slim chance that somebody had a master plan up their sleeve, the BND* wouldn’t have minded a peek...
* The Bundesnachrichtendienst was the German intelligence service.”
This novella carries on from The List, about which I don’t want to give any spoilers. The list was numbers which did lead to some names, and this story is about another old fellow from John Bachelor’s ‘milk run’, Solomon Dortmund, who is convinced he saw an old-fashioned, physical drop in his local coffee shop.
You know the kind – where two people bump into each other, papers are spilled, both pick them up, and one pockets an envelope belonging to the other. In this case, it’s a young woman and an older man.
Nobody, including Bachelor, believes that a young woman would be involved in using an old-school drop, but Dortmund is adamant and even has a name for the older man to chase up.
Meanwhile, John Bachelor has nowhere to live. He’s bouncing between friends and finally talks his way into Regent’s Park with some amusing and scary results.
“. . . the guardian of the gate had reluctantly verified, but ‘good’ simply meant he wasn’t currently on a kill-list. If he actually did bump into Di Taverner, she might have him dropped down a lift shaft just for the practice.”
He’s at the point of considering sleeping in his car. He knows just enough to be a nuisance.
Both this and The List are excellent short fixes for those of us missing the Slow Horses!
My review of The List is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 14, 2022
I’m not a fan of short stories and this audio novella reminded me why. It lacks the full on humor of the Slough House series. Don’t go in expecting the normal gang. This basically tells the backstory of why Lech gets sent there. But no one else shows up, not even Jackson Lamb.
April 28, 2024
4.5 stars
short review for busy readers: a short connector/extra info story in Herron’s Slough House series.
in detail:
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this series? Mick Herron is a master. His prose is creative, his characters real and his insights into spycraft and the relationship between the suits and the people in the field is excellent (as far as we can tell, not being M15 ourselves).
With this piece that connects the novels London Rules to Joe Country, Herron proves he can also do shorter form fiction with the same level of quality, character richness and intrigue.
Once again, we have a decent, unwitting spook getting shafted in other people’s opaque games. Unlike other Slow Horse foibles, though, this one has some real explosive potential once it reaches Slough House!
Looking forward to seeing how the fur flies in Joe Country!
short review for busy readers: a short connector/extra info story in Herron’s Slough House series.
in detail:
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this series? Mick Herron is a master. His prose is creative, his characters real and his insights into spycraft and the relationship between the suits and the people in the field is excellent (as far as we can tell, not being M15 ourselves).
With this piece that connects the novels London Rules to Joe Country, Herron proves he can also do shorter form fiction with the same level of quality, character richness and intrigue.
Once again, we have a decent, unwitting spook getting shafted in other people’s opaque games. Unlike other Slow Horse foibles, though, this one has some real explosive potential once it reaches Slough House!
Looking forward to seeing how the fur flies in Joe Country!
October 28, 2024
Mick Herron's novella The Marylebone Drop is set between Books 5, London Rules, and 6, Joe Country. I am introduced to a few new characters and learn how the next new Slow Horse gets added to their numbers. It's a satisfying story for me, though if I was not invested in the series I don't believe it would have worked as well. Sadly, with Jackson Lamb and the Slow Horses absent, so is Herron's biting humor. There is one devilish scene with Lady Di that almost compensates for this lack.
If the purpose of this work is to prime the pump for Book 6, it has succeeded. I've just requested Joe Country from the library.
Publication 2018
If the purpose of this work is to prime the pump for Book 6, it has succeeded. I've just requested Joe Country from the library.
Publication 2018
January 22, 2022
Sublime. The Drop also features another novella: The List. Both stories are connected and while not being actual Slow Horse's tales are both set in that world. However, there are appearances from some of our favourite characters ; meet J.K Coe before he becomes a psychopath!
Wonderful and can't recommend this book highly enough .
Wonderful and can't recommend this book highly enough .
December 13, 2018
This novella follows on from the previous Slough House novella, “The List,” and features John Bachelor and the continuing story of agent, Hannah Weiss (code named ‘Snow White’).
After events in the previous instalment, this story sees Bachelor even more side-lined than before – having lost his task of handling Hannah, and still shuttling around on his ‘milk round,’ checking on the elderly ex-spooks who are slowly dying. This ever-decreasing task, which sees him being shunted to a part-time role, is rapidly losing him his, already tenuous, financial security. As always, Mick Herron is wonderful at highlighting the reality of people’s lives – and of un-glamorising the world of spies and espionage.
Meanwhile, Hannah Weiss, is spotted, taking part in a ‘drop’ by one of Bachelor’s elderly Joes – the gentlemanly Solomon Dortmund. His excited recognition of spycraft, on the streets of London, results in events which will see death (for danger is always present in Herron’s sly, dark writing) and at least one, hapless member of the park, about to be shunted sideways to join Slough House…
I like this alternative view of the Slough House series, which plays out in the novella’s, very much indeed. They are shorter, but equally as interesting – filling in gaps, showing us different aspects of the Park and the characters. I will happily continue reading about Bachelor, and the other characters, as long as Mick Herron will keep writing.
After events in the previous instalment, this story sees Bachelor even more side-lined than before – having lost his task of handling Hannah, and still shuttling around on his ‘milk round,’ checking on the elderly ex-spooks who are slowly dying. This ever-decreasing task, which sees him being shunted to a part-time role, is rapidly losing him his, already tenuous, financial security. As always, Mick Herron is wonderful at highlighting the reality of people’s lives – and of un-glamorising the world of spies and espionage.
Meanwhile, Hannah Weiss, is spotted, taking part in a ‘drop’ by one of Bachelor’s elderly Joes – the gentlemanly Solomon Dortmund. His excited recognition of spycraft, on the streets of London, results in events which will see death (for danger is always present in Herron’s sly, dark writing) and at least one, hapless member of the park, about to be shunted sideways to join Slough House…
I like this alternative view of the Slough House series, which plays out in the novella’s, very much indeed. They are shorter, but equally as interesting – filling in gaps, showing us different aspects of the Park and the characters. I will happily continue reading about Bachelor, and the other characters, as long as Mick Herron will keep writing.
February 20, 2020
Oliver Nash pressed a finger to his chin. ‘The Civil Service don’t like it when we stir their pot.’
- ‘But there’s a reason they are called servants.’
The novella The Drop nicely fills in a gap in the Slough House (Slow Horses) series starring MI5’s failed spooks - between London Rules and Joe Country. It introduces "Snow White" – a triple agent of the German intelligence BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst) – and her handler in London, inadvertently witnessed making ‘a drop’ – old time tradecraft for exchanging a message in a public place - by aging cold war spy put out to grass, Solomon Dortmund. The old man reports this to minor player John Bachelor, charged with looking out for pensioned off spies, and he passes it on to Alec Wicinski, an unwitting analyst at Regent’s Park.
None of the usual cast are present, with steely ‘Five’ Di Taverner in control. "Snow White" is seeking a more favourable posting, and the paperwork is signed for her transfer to the Brexit minister’s office, where her knowledge of German is expected to allow her greater access to European intelligence.
Taverner didn’t play favourites. She’s been known, though, to back winners. If Pynne handled his first joe without mishap he might find himself elevated above the shift manager on the hub, his current role…
Once more I am blown away by Mick Herron’s lyricism, the deceptions and intrigues. As a novella I could not put it down and breezed through it in a couple of hours. Well recommended.
- ‘But there’s a reason they are called servants.’
The novella The Drop nicely fills in a gap in the Slough House (Slow Horses) series starring MI5’s failed spooks - between London Rules and Joe Country. It introduces "Snow White" – a triple agent of the German intelligence BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst) – and her handler in London, inadvertently witnessed making ‘a drop’ – old time tradecraft for exchanging a message in a public place - by aging cold war spy put out to grass, Solomon Dortmund. The old man reports this to minor player John Bachelor, charged with looking out for pensioned off spies, and he passes it on to Alec Wicinski, an unwitting analyst at Regent’s Park.
None of the usual cast are present, with steely ‘Five’ Di Taverner in control. "Snow White" is seeking a more favourable posting, and the paperwork is signed for her transfer to the Brexit minister’s office, where her knowledge of German is expected to allow her greater access to European intelligence.
Taverner didn’t play favourites. She’s been known, though, to back winners. If Pynne handled his first joe without mishap he might find himself elevated above the shift manager on the hub, his current role…
Once more I am blown away by Mick Herron’s lyricism, the deceptions and intrigues. As a novella I could not put it down and breezed through it in a couple of hours. Well recommended.
May 7, 2023
Reread in May 2023. First read in 2019.
The Drop: A Slough House Novella is a brilliant Slough House novella from Mick Herron, the UK's current greatest spy fiction writer, and which made me even keener for the next proper Slough House instalment.
The Drop introduced a new character who goes on to feature in the sixth proper Slough House novel, Joe Country. This is possibly one for the completists and obsessives, and the story is slight, however it does provide interesting background to the series and fleshes out some of the regular characters.
Once you become invested in the series you will gratefully accept any morsel Mick Herron chooses to publish.
4/5
The Drop: A Slough House Novella is a brilliant Slough House novella from Mick Herron, the UK's current greatest spy fiction writer, and which made me even keener for the next proper Slough House instalment.
The Drop introduced a new character who goes on to feature in the sixth proper Slough House novel, Joe Country. This is possibly one for the completists and obsessives, and the story is slight, however it does provide interesting background to the series and fleshes out some of the regular characters.
Once you become invested in the series you will gratefully accept any morsel Mick Herron chooses to publish.
4/5
April 20, 2024
As with the other Slough House novella I’ve read, this is unlikely to be appreciated as a standalone. It continues to fill in gaps with regard to some of the characters and some of the plot lines in the full Slough House series. I don’t know where the next one will lead, but so far Herron seems to be presenting a sort of “shadow” series with a plot that runs in parallel to the main books and overlaps at times.
I enjoyed the tight presentation and once again, the ending that sets up the next entry in the novella series. Be warned, though, that few of the Slough House series regulars appear in this one, and with no Jackson Lamb, the humor is decidedly more subdued.
I enjoyed the tight presentation and once again, the ending that sets up the next entry in the novella series. Be warned, though, that few of the Slough House series regulars appear in this one, and with no Jackson Lamb, the humor is decidedly more subdued.
June 29, 2018
This is a short story from the author of the fabulous “Slow Horses” series. It’s in a similar vein but a little darker in tone & the only character from that series who features here is Diana Taverner, MI5’s own “Iron Lady”.
Instead we get reacquainted with John Bachelor, an old spook mentioned in a previous story by Herron. John’s in the process of being not so much nudged as pushed out to pasture. After years with British Intelligence, he has little to show except a part time job babysitting some third string spies left over from the good old (and “cold”) days.
John is preoccupied with finding somewhere to sleep tonight when he’s contacted by Solomon Dortmund, one of his ancient charges. Sol may be long retired but he knows a drop when he sees one & once he describes the people involved he’s got John’s attention. The woman sounds a little too like Hannah Weiss. She’s a German asset John turned into a double agent. Just what he needs….his one shining success turning into a train wreck.
And they’re off. As John quietly investigates Sol’s story he’s pulled back into the world of lies, favours & double crosses. It’s spy vs. spy as John’s actions set in motion a chain of events that have ramifications for all involved. But he still has a few tricks up his sleeve & you’ll be cheering for him to pull it off under the nose of Lady Di. A few nice twists will keep you guessing as you’re trying to figure out who’s on the same side.
Herron is one of my favourite authors & I expect his stuff to be smart & intricately plotted. It’s amazing how much he weaves together in such a small space (the last 30% is actually a preview for London Rules). It’s always a loooong wait between books so it was a pleasure to have a little snack to help tide me over.
Instead we get reacquainted with John Bachelor, an old spook mentioned in a previous story by Herron. John’s in the process of being not so much nudged as pushed out to pasture. After years with British Intelligence, he has little to show except a part time job babysitting some third string spies left over from the good old (and “cold”) days.
John is preoccupied with finding somewhere to sleep tonight when he’s contacted by Solomon Dortmund, one of his ancient charges. Sol may be long retired but he knows a drop when he sees one & once he describes the people involved he’s got John’s attention. The woman sounds a little too like Hannah Weiss. She’s a German asset John turned into a double agent. Just what he needs….his one shining success turning into a train wreck.
And they’re off. As John quietly investigates Sol’s story he’s pulled back into the world of lies, favours & double crosses. It’s spy vs. spy as John’s actions set in motion a chain of events that have ramifications for all involved. But he still has a few tricks up his sleeve & you’ll be cheering for him to pull it off under the nose of Lady Di. A few nice twists will keep you guessing as you’re trying to figure out who’s on the same side.
Herron is one of my favourite authors & I expect his stuff to be smart & intricately plotted. It’s amazing how much he weaves together in such a small space (the last 30% is actually a preview for London Rules). It’s always a loooong wait between books so it was a pleasure to have a little snack to help tide me over.
April 26, 2019
A superb novella.
5-stars again. Herron is on a roll.
One thing I love about Herron is his disheartening depiction of modern intelligence services as very tightly controlled operations of poorly trained staff... Tightly controlled by political self-servers and shortsighted incompetents, often cruel.
With the previous novella, The List , Herron is showing his finest prose to date. Smooth, rich, with lovely complexities. Pacing is assured and effective, driving the characters forward to their fates.
Here we see Hannah in a cafe, and an old hand retired spy observes something exciting and clear, and reports it into the creaking and cruel modern intelligence service, where it goes astray due to political expediency and incompetence. All this wonderfully presented by Herron.
Delicious! I could read one of this series every day.
.
5-stars again. Herron is on a roll.
One thing I love about Herron is his disheartening depiction of modern intelligence services as very tightly controlled operations of poorly trained staff... Tightly controlled by political self-servers and shortsighted incompetents, often cruel.
With the previous novella, The List , Herron is showing his finest prose to date. Smooth, rich, with lovely complexities. Pacing is assured and effective, driving the characters forward to their fates.
Here we see Hannah in a cafe, and an old hand retired spy observes something exciting and clear, and reports it into the creaking and cruel modern intelligence service, where it goes astray due to political expediency and incompetence. All this wonderfully presented by Herron.
Delicious! I could read one of this series every day.
.
July 14, 2024
Favorite quotes:
"A man who wears yellow socks is capable of anything." This made me laugh, as my husband had a pair of fluorescent yellow socks he wore when we were newly married! He no longer has them, but I will say that he is a very capable person who thinks outside the box and can fix most anything.
"Moments later he was home: in his own warm flat where all his possessions waited, his comfortable chair, his small library, his slippers, his life." My heart always skips a beat when I learn about someone having their own personal library.
"He closed the door, and would have taken the bags through to the kitchen had something not struck him: not a thought, not a sound, a smell; a stranger's smell - there had been, possibly still was, someone in his flat who should not be there; someone who carried, as Solomon did, his own odour: sweat, soap, all the undefinables we muster along the way."
"For a moment or two he lingered on the threshold of himself, but the possibility of rejoining his loved ones proved too beguiling to resist, so Solly stepped across whatever the boundary was, and closed the world behind him."
"A man who wears yellow socks is capable of anything." This made me laugh, as my husband had a pair of fluorescent yellow socks he wore when we were newly married! He no longer has them, but I will say that he is a very capable person who thinks outside the box and can fix most anything.
"Moments later he was home: in his own warm flat where all his possessions waited, his comfortable chair, his small library, his slippers, his life." My heart always skips a beat when I learn about someone having their own personal library.
"He closed the door, and would have taken the bags through to the kitchen had something not struck him: not a thought, not a sound, a smell; a stranger's smell - there had been, possibly still was, someone in his flat who should not be there; someone who carried, as Solomon did, his own odour: sweat, soap, all the undefinables we muster along the way."
"For a moment or two he lingered on the threshold of himself, but the possibility of rejoining his loved ones proved too beguiling to resist, so Solly stepped across whatever the boundary was, and closed the world behind him."
May 8, 2022
A Slow Horse Novella
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook edition (June 4, 2019) of the original Soho Crime paperback (October 30, 2018)
The Slough House aka 'Slow Horse' novellas are running a parallel plot to the full novels of the series. I've previously read The List (#2.5 2015) and now The Marylebone Drop aka The Drop (#5.5 2018). These are currently followed by The Catch (#6.5 2020).
The main characters of the series make only cameo appearances in the novellas. Second Desk Diana Taverner is the only one of the regulars in this case, which continues the story of John Bachelor and Hanna Weiss, who were introduced in The List.
I'm keeping a record here of most of the plot as I'll need a refresher when I get to the later novels and novellas of the series. So I've blocked this section as:
The narration by the series regular reader Gerard Doyle was excellent as always.
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook edition (June 4, 2019) of the original Soho Crime paperback (October 30, 2018)
The Slough House aka 'Slow Horse' novellas are running a parallel plot to the full novels of the series. I've previously read The List (#2.5 2015) and now The Marylebone Drop aka The Drop (#5.5 2018). These are currently followed by The Catch (#6.5 2020).
The main characters of the series make only cameo appearances in the novellas. Second Desk Diana Taverner is the only one of the regulars in this case, which continues the story of John Bachelor and Hanna Weiss, who were introduced in The List.
I'm keeping a record here of most of the plot as I'll need a refresher when I get to the later novels and novellas of the series. So I've blocked this section as:
The narration by the series regular reader Gerard Doyle was excellent as always.
July 23, 2019
4.5 stars
Another satisfying between-novels Slough House story about the London-based spies who have stumbled too hard to be kept around but for various reasons can’t quite be dumped back onto the street. Herron writes no-frills flesh and blood characters you can’t turn your back on, and story lines that are never repetitive or predictable.
Another satisfying between-novels Slough House story about the London-based spies who have stumbled too hard to be kept around but for various reasons can’t quite be dumped back onto the street. Herron writes no-frills flesh and blood characters you can’t turn your back on, and story lines that are never repetitive or predictable.
November 26, 2022
The Drop aka The Marylebone Drop is a novella in the popular Jackson Lamb series by British author, Mick Herron. It takes place after the events in London Rules and features characters from the previous novella in this series, The List. The audio version is narrated by Sean Barrett.
Solomon Dortmund is an ageing asset, but he hasn’t lost his ability to spot a spook. And in the Fischer café in Marylebone High Street, while enjoying a divine hot chocolate, he sees a drop taking place. He gives all the details to his minder, John Bachelor. But Bachelor’s a bit distracted right now. Meanwhile, Bachelor’s one recruitment success, Hannah Weiss will soon be moved to a position where she will be more useful to Regent’s Park (and maybe the BND too?) at the Brexit Secretary’s office.
Once again, the characters are all credibly flawed (Lady Di excels in nastiness, Jackson Lamb being absent from this one), their dialogue is full of dry wit, and there is humour, and a twist or two for good measure. Herron’s last Slough House novella introduced the reader to J.K.Coe before his proper debut in Spook Street. This one sees a spook attract the wrong sort of notice from the wrong sort of people, ensuring a new face at Slough House in the next full-length novel. It’s short, very true, just over 100 pages, but it’s something to tide the reader over until Jackson Lamb #6 comes out: an excellent little dose of British spies, Herron style.
Solomon Dortmund is an ageing asset, but he hasn’t lost his ability to spot a spook. And in the Fischer café in Marylebone High Street, while enjoying a divine hot chocolate, he sees a drop taking place. He gives all the details to his minder, John Bachelor. But Bachelor’s a bit distracted right now. Meanwhile, Bachelor’s one recruitment success, Hannah Weiss will soon be moved to a position where she will be more useful to Regent’s Park (and maybe the BND too?) at the Brexit Secretary’s office.
Once again, the characters are all credibly flawed (Lady Di excels in nastiness, Jackson Lamb being absent from this one), their dialogue is full of dry wit, and there is humour, and a twist or two for good measure. Herron’s last Slough House novella introduced the reader to J.K.Coe before his proper debut in Spook Street. This one sees a spook attract the wrong sort of notice from the wrong sort of people, ensuring a new face at Slough House in the next full-length novel. It’s short, very true, just over 100 pages, but it’s something to tide the reader over until Jackson Lamb #6 comes out: an excellent little dose of British spies, Herron style.
April 1, 2020
Continuing on from the previous novella, The List, this is a story that takes place off to the side of our regular Slough House shenanigans.
Despite his still relatively recent career highlight of recruiting Hannah Weiss - now codenamed Snow White - MI5 milkman John Bachelor's role has been further diminished, rendering him essentially homeless. As an irregular (something less than part-time) he still has a small group of retired assets that he's responsible for, including Solomon Dortmund, advanced in age but still very sharp-eyed. So when Solly reports to Bachelor that he has seen a drop take place in a Marylebone High St cafe, John agrees to look into it, thinking it might earn him a night or two on Solly's couch. He enlists the help of an acquaintance, MI5 analyst Alec/Lech Wicinski, but when a basic search raises a flag in the system, events spiral out of control.
This novella has all the wit and cynicism we expect from Herron, tempered this time with a slightly melancholic tone, I thought (in keeping with a major plot point). It's a good story, and importantly, it introduces us to a new Slow Horse, as Lady Di relegates Lech over to Slough House before the last page. I look forward to meeting him again in #6 and finding out what the rest of the team thinks of his misdemeanours.
Despite his still relatively recent career highlight of recruiting Hannah Weiss - now codenamed Snow White - MI5 milkman John Bachelor's role has been further diminished, rendering him essentially homeless. As an irregular (something less than part-time) he still has a small group of retired assets that he's responsible for, including Solomon Dortmund, advanced in age but still very sharp-eyed. So when Solly reports to Bachelor that he has seen a drop take place in a Marylebone High St cafe, John agrees to look into it, thinking it might earn him a night or two on Solly's couch. He enlists the help of an acquaintance, MI5 analyst Alec/Lech Wicinski, but when a basic search raises a flag in the system, events spiral out of control.
This novella has all the wit and cynicism we expect from Herron, tempered this time with a slightly melancholic tone, I thought (in keeping with a major plot point). It's a good story, and importantly, it introduces us to a new Slow Horse, as Lady Di relegates Lech over to Slough House before the last page. I look forward to meeting him again in #6 and finding out what the rest of the team thinks of his misdemeanours.
September 16, 2022
A short filler from Herron which follows straight on afterThe List and which doesn't feature the 'Slow Horses' - but which does offer the backstory to what will be a new member of the Slough House team. The story here is slight but informed, with some scathing commentary on Brexit and its implementation and lit by Herron's usual sly humour. Think of this as parallel to the main Slough House series and as something to keep us going till the next Jackson Lamb novel...
November 26, 2018
The Drop aka The Marylebone Drop is a novella in the popular Jackson Lamb series by British author, Mick Herron. It takes place after the events in London Rules and features characters from the previous novella in this series, The List. Solomon Dortmund is an ageing asset, but he hasn’t lost his ability to spot a spook. And in the Fischer café in Marylebone High Street, while enjoying a divine hot chocolate, he sees a drop taking place. He gives all the details to his minder, John Bachelor. But Bachelor’s a bit distracted right now. Meanwhile, Bachelor’s one recruitment success, Hannah Weiss will soon be moved to a position where she will be more useful to Regent’s Park (and maybe the BND too?) at the Brexit Secretary’s office.
Once again, the characters are all credibly flawed (Lady Di excels in nastiness, Jackson Lamb being absent from this one), their dialogue is full of dry wit, and there is humour, and a twist or two for good measure. Herron’s last Slough House novella introduced the reader to J.K.Coe before his proper debut in Spook Street. This one sees a spook attract the wrong sort of notice from the wrong sort of people, ensuring a new face at Slough House in the next full-length novel. It’s short, very true, just over 100 pages, but it’s something to tide the reader over until Jackson Lamb #6 comes out: an excellent little dose of British spies, Herron style.
Once again, the characters are all credibly flawed (Lady Di excels in nastiness, Jackson Lamb being absent from this one), their dialogue is full of dry wit, and there is humour, and a twist or two for good measure. Herron’s last Slough House novella introduced the reader to J.K.Coe before his proper debut in Spook Street. This one sees a spook attract the wrong sort of notice from the wrong sort of people, ensuring a new face at Slough House in the next full-length novel. It’s short, very true, just over 100 pages, but it’s something to tide the reader over until Jackson Lamb #6 comes out: an excellent little dose of British spies, Herron style.
November 24, 2018
Hailing Herron.
What a terrific writer Mick Herron is. In this slender novella – just 112 pages – he conjures up his whole Slough House world, peoples it with three-dimensional characters, provides a superb plot, gives it a credible Brexit slant, dispenses smart dialogue and delivers an abundance of enjoyable, even thought-provoking, quotes.
Here’s one to whet your appetite describing the Marylebone restaurant Fischer’s where ‘the drop’ takes place:
"So Fischer’s was the starting point; as good a place as any, and better than most. To quote from its website, ‘The menu includes an extensive choice of cured fish, salads, schnitzels, sausages, brötchen and sandwiches, strudels, biscuits, ice-cream coupes, hot chocolates and coffees with traditional tortes mit schlag.’ How could that not set the heart racing with its enticing umlauts, its brazen italics, its artfully roman ‘coupes’"?
Only Mick Herron could come up with enticing umlauts. Treat yourself to a couple of hours of first-class entertainment.
A big thank you to John Murray for the review copy courtesy of NetGalley.
What a terrific writer Mick Herron is. In this slender novella – just 112 pages – he conjures up his whole Slough House world, peoples it with three-dimensional characters, provides a superb plot, gives it a credible Brexit slant, dispenses smart dialogue and delivers an abundance of enjoyable, even thought-provoking, quotes.
Here’s one to whet your appetite describing the Marylebone restaurant Fischer’s where ‘the drop’ takes place:
"So Fischer’s was the starting point; as good a place as any, and better than most. To quote from its website, ‘The menu includes an extensive choice of cured fish, salads, schnitzels, sausages, brötchen and sandwiches, strudels, biscuits, ice-cream coupes, hot chocolates and coffees with traditional tortes mit schlag.’ How could that not set the heart racing with its enticing umlauts, its brazen italics, its artfully roman ‘coupes’"?
Only Mick Herron could come up with enticing umlauts. Treat yourself to a couple of hours of first-class entertainment.
A big thank you to John Murray for the review copy courtesy of NetGalley.
June 20, 2025
This was one of Mick Herron’s interludes in the Slough House series, and I quite enjoyed it. In fact, I found it better than a couple of the regular additions to the series. It is novella in length and a sequel to the previous novella, The List. It involved none of the standard array of characters except for Diana Taverner and produced, as its outcome, a new member of Slough House. The resounding theme was incompetence. Incompetence on the part of Hannah’s handler, Richard Prynne; the incompetence of Diana Taverner in not recognizing Richard’s incompetence and seeing a bright future for him at Regent’s Park. Of course, Alec (Lech) Wizinski, the analyst who gets demoted to Slough House, is not incompetent, just unlucky. This was a great sequel to The List, an enjoyable story on its own and a nice set-up for the next addition to the series, Joe Country.
November 21, 2018
The Drop is a very brief “novella” (an extended short story, really) which is in parallel to the Slough House series and continues the story of Hannah Weiss which began in The List. I suspect that this story may become an important feature of future Jackson Lamb books, but for now it’s a sidelight on goings on elsewhere in the Service and an introduction to a new character for Slough House.
Be aware that Jackson Lamb does not appear at all in The List, so his brilliant, hilarious cynicism is absent here and this is a much more straight-down-the-line spy story. It’s good, if not fantastic. I have to say that charging as much as many full-length books for a story of well under 100 pages does seem wrong to me, but I enjoyed reading it very much and can recommend it.
Be aware that Jackson Lamb does not appear at all in The List, so his brilliant, hilarious cynicism is absent here and this is a much more straight-down-the-line spy story. It’s good, if not fantastic. I have to say that charging as much as many full-length books for a story of well under 100 pages does seem wrong to me, but I enjoyed reading it very much and can recommend it.
January 5, 2023
I should have listened to other readers who recommended reading this with, 2.5, The List. It follows that book more naturally. Actually at 71 pages, I don't know why Herron didn't just combine the two. Haven't decided how I'll read The Catch 6.5 story. Then there's the standalone 6.4 ?!?, Dolphin Junction. But, make no mistake, I'll read them all.
November 1, 2018
A delightful addition to the "Slough House" series, this is a follow-up to "The List" which introduced us to the "milkman" John Bachelor who babysits retired spies and Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was Bachelor's only success when he was more active in MI5, Britain's secret service. One of Bachelor's current charges, Solomon "Solly" Dortmund is witness to "a drop" - an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a London cafe. A drop is a legacy of old time spying - and when Solly informs John Bachelor of what he saw, Bachelor feels obliged to act on the information.
Between them, Solly & Bachelor set wheels in motion which will cause ripples within "The Hub", MI5's HQ located at London's Regent Park, where the boss, Diana "Lady Di" Taverner is doing her utmost to ensure that nothing disturbs the smooth running of the service. Slough House and its' ubiquitous boss, Jackson Lamb get only the briefest of brief mentions in this story. Along the way, author Mick Herron takes some delightful digs at Brexit and London's failure to cope with snowfalls in winter. This tale will keep fans of "Slough House" temporarily happy until the next full novel due in June 2019.
Between them, Solly & Bachelor set wheels in motion which will cause ripples within "The Hub", MI5's HQ located at London's Regent Park, where the boss, Diana "Lady Di" Taverner is doing her utmost to ensure that nothing disturbs the smooth running of the service. Slough House and its' ubiquitous boss, Jackson Lamb get only the briefest of brief mentions in this story. Along the way, author Mick Herron takes some delightful digs at Brexit and London's failure to cope with snowfalls in winter. This tale will keep fans of "Slough House" temporarily happy until the next full novel due in June 2019.
January 19, 2020
This was a library book highly recommended by my husband. As it was short, and I had just come to the end of another, I decided to give it a go. It is part of a long series of spy thrillers – the “Slough House” series – of which I had not read any other book. But that did not matter, as this book works very well as a stand-alone, and whetted my appetite for the rest of the series.
The back cover lauded the author as “the greatest comic writer of spy fiction”, but I found the book quietly amusing, rather than laugh-out-loud comedy. Unlike so many spy series (especially on TV and film), that prioritise adventure, danger and hectic pace – this book ambled along at a gentle, but determined pace – reflecting the personality of the first character met in the book, Solomon Dortmund. Solomon is an old, retired British spy, who has never lost his talent for closely observing all around him. While enjoying a hot chocolate at his favourite café, he notices a brief interaction between two seeming strangers, that – with all his years of spy-craft – he identifies as a ‘Drop’, a passing of information from one agent to another. He alerts a former colleague, who promises to look into it to humour the old man – and sets the whole ball rolling (or so we are led to believe).
“When the time came for the whole business to be black-ribboned and consigned to the archive, nobody would care that a strip-lit office with functional furniture had been where the starting pistol was fired. No, once the facts were safely recorded, they’d print the legend instead. And legends thrive on local colour. ”
The writing is beautiful and worth savouring. The plot is convoluted – as any good spy story should be – and the requisite number of loose ends remain for the general story to continue elsewhere.
I would highly recommend this book as a quick and very enjoyable read, that leaves a lovely taste in your mind – like Solomon’s hot chocolate.
The back cover lauded the author as “the greatest comic writer of spy fiction”, but I found the book quietly amusing, rather than laugh-out-loud comedy. Unlike so many spy series (especially on TV and film), that prioritise adventure, danger and hectic pace – this book ambled along at a gentle, but determined pace – reflecting the personality of the first character met in the book, Solomon Dortmund. Solomon is an old, retired British spy, who has never lost his talent for closely observing all around him. While enjoying a hot chocolate at his favourite café, he notices a brief interaction between two seeming strangers, that – with all his years of spy-craft – he identifies as a ‘Drop’, a passing of information from one agent to another. He alerts a former colleague, who promises to look into it to humour the old man – and sets the whole ball rolling (or so we are led to believe).
“When the time came for the whole business to be black-ribboned and consigned to the archive, nobody would care that a strip-lit office with functional furniture had been where the starting pistol was fired. No, once the facts were safely recorded, they’d print the legend instead. And legends thrive on local colour. ”
The writing is beautiful and worth savouring. The plot is convoluted – as any good spy story should be – and the requisite number of loose ends remain for the general story to continue elsewhere.
I would highly recommend this book as a quick and very enjoyable read, that leaves a lovely taste in your mind – like Solomon’s hot chocolate.
December 11, 2019
This novella was not as enjoyable to me as the other full-length novels in the series. It didn't really have much about Slough House at all, although some of the characters appear in the other books. But without Jackson Lamb, the book suffered and was not as interesting. There wasn't as much of the dry humor that I like so much.
For some reason, at the end of the book, I wasn't sure whose side one of the main characters was on. But I think I may actually read this series again at some point, or at least the first few books. If I get as far as this one, I'll have to try to pay more attention.
For some reason, at the end of the book, I wasn't sure whose side one of the main characters was on. But I think I may actually read this series again at some point, or at least the first few books. If I get as far as this one, I'll have to try to pay more attention.
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