The Catch

Slough House #6.5

by Mick Herron

If life in the Intelligence Service has taught John Bachelor anything, it's to keep his head down. Especially now, when he's living rent-free in a dead spook's flat.

So he's not delighted to be woken at dawn by a pair of Regent's Park's heavies, looking for a client he's not seen in years. John doesn't know what secrets Benny Manors has stolen, but they're attracting the wrong attention. And if he's to save his own skin, not to mention safeguard his living arrangements, John has to find Benny before those secrets see the light.

Benny could be anywhere, provided it serves alcohol. So John sets out on a reluctant trawl through the bars of the capital, all the while plagued by the age-old questions: Will he end up sleeping in his car? How many bottles of gin can he afford at London prices?

And just how far will Regent's Park go to prevent anyone rocking the Establishment's boat?

Genres: Fiction, Espionage, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Novella, Crime

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2020

About the author

Mick 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.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All right class, please take your seats. Today we’re going to continue learning about London Rules, the unwritten guideline for survival in Mick Herron’s world of spy vs. spy. I’m sure you recall #1: Cover your arse. In this novella we get an excellent example of #2: Always be a fair distance from a fuck-up. Words to live by.

Unfortunately, John Bachelor must have misplaced his copy of the rules. Otherwise, he’d never have agreed to track down wayward agent Benny Manors. He might not have contacted MI6 queen bee Diana Taverner. And he definitely wouldn’t have drank his weight in gin.

This novella is part of a series with close ties to Herron’s Slough House books. Like The Drop & The List, it features “milkman” John Bachelor, an aging spook with one foot out to pasture. He’s clinging to employment with a part time job babysitting retired agents. Because someone needs to make sure they don’t become too chatty in their old age.

John is down on his luck & needs to stay off MI6’s radar. But there’s life in the old guy yet & you can’t help pulling for him as things go from bad to FUBAR. The plot is a devious mix of hidden agendas wrapped in misinformation & smothered with lies.

These novellas have a different tone from the full length novels but you can always count on Herron’s dry wit as he delivers his sly & thinly veiled take on current events. It’s a shortie that concludes with an excerpt from his stand alone novel This Is What Happened. And a great little snack for fans as we impatiently wait for Jackson Lamb to reappear.

[Beata · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Jackson Lamb or his horses this time but still enjoyable, and with enough measure of twists and turns.
OverDrive, thank you!

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems Mick Herron is writing us a little subseries in his Slough House novellas as they continue with the story of John Bachelor and his downward slide.

Despite the fact that I know this author rarely lets anything good happen to any of his characters, I kept hoping John would have at least one small stroke of luck. Lady Di was her usual obnoxious self. Now she is a character who I hope will have a truly spectacular downfall one day.

I am not sure how he does it but every book I read by this author totally catches my attention. Said books are always smart, witty and devious. Concentration while reading is a must or you find you have inadvertently missed a vital part.

I am so looking forward to #7.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★
“It was all very alarming. If they’d been thugs, he’d have known he was in for a kicking. But they were suits, which suggested a more vicious outcome.”

Former spook John Bachelor is now a three-day-a-week ‘milkman’ who makes the rounds of retired spies to check on their welfare every month. How are they doing, what do they need, are they likely to divulge secrets? That sort of thing. (Old spies have no immunity to dementia.)

When he gets a knock on the door out of the blue early in the morning, he knows it can’t possibly be anything good. He may not be as clever as some, but he’s in no doubt about these guys.

Poor John is given an ultimatum to find the former agent whose flat he has been virtually squatting in for many months now, or he will be dobbed in to Regent Park (spook HQ). That would mean facing First Desk, the fearsome Diana Taverner, ‘Lady Di’. He has had run-ins with her in the past, before he was demoted to milkman.

“There were rumours she’d turned a man to stone once, with the power of her stare. Except, John now realised, they weren’t rumours, they were inter-departmental memos. He could feel his limbs solidifying. He’d never leave this spot: they’d have to fix a plaque to the pavement explaining who he’d been and warning people not to chain their bikes to him.”

Mick Herron has given us a few short reads to keep us thinking about his wonderful Slough House series, and I am not the only reader who appreciates them. This is connected to earlier stories but only loosely connected to the Slow Horses, so they aren’t critical to a continuing story.

While it isn’t necessary, it’s entertaining because it refers to a recent sex-trafficking scandal and how it might have been dealt with. Perhaps it was, who knows? (Somebody does, I’m sure.)

I am a fan of short stories, whether they are standalones, linked like a novel, or connected because of recurring characters from a series. You don’t need to know who the characters are, Herron fills in any gaps, but it adds that little bit extra if you do.

I am about to read the latest in the series, but meanwhile, here is my review of the first one, Slow Horses, to tempt you to read them all. 😊

My review of Slow Horses

[Berengaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

short review for busy readers:
Fantastic novella – once again featuring side character John Bachelor – the subject of which was taken directly from the headlines of British newspapers a few years ago.

Wonderfully plotted and the reveal is a real cracker. We’re just as lost for most of the story as our protag is…even if there are a few things we pick up on faster than he does.

“Bachelor owes us rent,” says Taverner. And she’s definitely extracted it with this excellently planned and executed op! 😂👏

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ☆

Now on the wrong side of 60, John Bachelor is a sad sack of a figure for an employee of the British Security Service. He has spent his working lifetime with MI5 but he has been far from action, any action.

Reaching Desk level required drive, ambition, contacts, dress sense, and at least a glimmer of sociopathy.

Agents were joes. Desk jockeys were suits. They were different ways of fighting the same battle. But while each had been known to look down upon the other ... they shared a commonality neither would deny, a sense of purpose.

But Bachelor is neither, for his current position is as a milkman, or as Bachelor prefers, a "retirement needs evaluation counselor," thank you very much.

"Milkman" was a term of contempt, of course. A milkman though had failed to make a mark in either endeavor and could be trusted to do no more than to make weekly rounds, touching base with the pensioners and the walking wounded.

Bachelor has managed to abide by one London rule -- always be a fair distance from a f*ck up (see The Marylebone Drop for the bullet he dodged). But Bachelor is competent enough to screw up his life on his own. His work hours have been cut, his pay has commensurately been reduced, and his personal life has been moving downward in lockstep. In this novella, the consequences of Bachelor's bad decisions catch up with him.

If they'd been thugs, he'd have known he'd be in for a kicking. But they were suits which suggested a more vicious outcome.

"Whatever it is you've think I've done, I've done it. Can we go home now?"

But Bachelor is given one inkling of hope and the means to save himself. In The Catch, Herron uses real life headline news to satirize the corruption of the civil service and the powers-to-be as they undermine democracy. This novella is a warm-up exercise before Herron runs full tilt with these themes in his novel, Slough House, which follows this in chronological order. While The Catch is set in the same milieu as Herron's Slough House series, it can be read as a standalone or in conjunction with its preceding two short stories --The List and The Marylebone Drop. But if you want the full blast from the author's sly, sardonic humor, then by all means, read his series starting from the beginning with Slow Horses.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third novella featuring John Bachelor – not sure why it is listed on Amazon as, ‘Slough House Novella 2,” as it follows on from, ‘The Drop,’ and ‘The List.’ Also, although this takes place in the same world as Slough House, and characters from the series are mentioned, or can appear briefly, it is really a parallel world. Indeed, if you thought the characters at Slough House were on the losing side, it is possible that John Bachelor is beneath even them. At least they have full-time jobs, even if they often spend days just entering, or reviewing, data. Bachelor is a lowly ‘milkman,’ who does the milk round of those who have once done the Park a service, but who are now retired, or who were injured in service. It is the job of Bachelor to pop round and keep an eye on them which, while not exciting, at least paid him a living wage. Well, until he was made part-time and who can live in London on a part-time wage? Which is why Bachelor is living in the flat of one of his elderly ex-spies, whose demise he has neglected to tell the Service about, in order to have a roof over his head…

Bachelor also managed to forget to inform the Park that Benny Manners, one of the men he was supposed to visit, objected strongly to seeing Bachelor on a regular, or irregular, basis. Now Manners is missing and it is up to Bachelor to find him. The question is, of course, why the Park, with all their resources, cannot find Manners themselves? As his last sight of Benny Manners was in a pub, and Bachelor enjoys a drink, he sets out to look for him in London’s watering places. This features the wonderful Lady Di, who is, as always, up to something, in a topical story which leads the reader more worried about Bachelor’s uncertain future, than ever.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Catch is a novella in the popular Slough House series by award-winning best-selling British author, Mick Herron. A “retirement needs evaluation counsellor” is how John Bachelor refers to himself. But to the suits at Regent’s Park, he’s a milkman: “a term of contempt, of course. Agents were joes; desk jockeys were suits. They were different ways of fighting the same battles, and while each had been known to look down on the other, like characters inhabiting the same Escher staircase, they shared a commonality neither would deny; a sense of purpose. A milkman, though, had failed to make a mark in either endeavour, and could be trusted to do no more than his weekly round: touching base with the pensioners and the walking wounded; those who’d served behind whatever lines had been drawn in their day, and now required support in their evening. Not that all were elderly, or, if the truth mattered, entirely honourable.”

Lately, though, he’s been a bit distracted, what with being divorced, then homeless and taking a cut in hours and pay. No one could blame him for taking advantage of Solly Dortmund’s empty apartment, surely. But now the Park needs to locate one of their retired assets, and Bachelor is meant to know where he is. Two years ago, Benny Manors had had no intention of checking in with Bachelor once a month… Why does Benny need to be found? Another excellent little dose of spy fiction from Mick Herron, showing Di Taverner at her nasty best: twisty and very topical.

[Barbara K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third of the Slough House novellas, this is by far the most bleak. The sarcastic wit that is a mainstay of the actual Slough House series is more subdued (once again, no Roddy Ho with his Walter Mitty fantasies, no Shirley Dander ready to provoke a fight, and most of all, no Jackson Lamb).

I also found less overlap with the main series, but perhaps that's because I've only read through #6, Joe Country (although you'd think that 6.5 should be read after 6 and before 7).

All that aside, this is well and cleverly plotted. You knew from the start that it wouldn't end well for a number of the characters. You just didn't know how that would happen.

At this point I'm looking forward to getting back to the next in the main series. Hopefully the book's name, Slough House, signals a focus on the regular crew.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always had a soft spot for John Bachelor, one of the 'milkmen' of MI5. On the spectrum of Spook -> Slow Horse, he's definitely closer to the equine end, and slipping a little further every time we meet him. He just can't seem to catch a break. Malleable without being pitiable, he's really at the mercy of both the so-called goodies and the baddies. He knows when he's being played, but just can't tell which side is conducting the orchestra.

The Catch is the third Slough House novella featuring Bachelor, continuing the storyline that's been happening off to the side of the main series. It's a short, sharp dose of Herron at the top of his game, and with more to say about a certain grubby Royal scandal. It hasn't always been imperative to read the novels and novellas in the right sequence, but in this case it will make a lot more sense if you have read Joe Country first.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old John Bachelor. Still a tool for Lady Di. And in the larger picture, unwittingly protecting the monarchy.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One highlight of this novella, which is sandwiched between the regular sized volumes of the Slough House series, was learning more about the character that Jackson Lamb refers to as 'Lady Di' - Diana Taverner of First Desk. We learn that she lacks a sense of humor and runs rings around some of the lesser mortals. She can freeze a person into a solid immovable lump with a certain look.

When the murmurings of a possible romantic attraction "reached Taverner's ears, which they did with an immediacy suggesting the use of either advanced surveillance technology or the supernatural, she made it be known that random executions were her preferred methods for dealing with gossipmongers."

As usual, Mick Herron deftly weaves in current events of the time, in this case it involved the American financier and billionaire involved in sex trafficking in high circles. A certain member of the British Royal family was implicated and so the plot thickens. It was a good story and I my attention was held throughout. Great narration from Gerald Doyle as per usual for this series.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Catch is a novella in the popular Slough House series by award-winning best-selling British author, Mick Herron. The audio version is narrated by Sean Barrett. A “retirement needs evaluation counsellor” is how John Bachelor refers to himself. But to the suits at Regent’s Park, he’s a milkman: “a term of contempt, of course. Agents were joes; desk jockeys were suits. They were different ways of fighting the same battles, and while each had been known to look down on the other, like characters inhabiting the same Escher staircase, they shared a commonality neither would deny; a sense of purpose. A milkman, though, had failed to make a mark in either endeavour, and could be trusted to do no more than his weekly round: touching base with the pensioners and the walking wounded; those who’d served behind whatever lines had been drawn in their day, and now required support in their evening. Not that all were elderly, or, if the truth mattered, entirely honourable.”

Lately, though, he’s been a bit distracted, what with being divorced, then homeless and taking a cut in hours and pay. No one could blame him for taking advantage of Solly Dortmund’s empty apartment, surely. But now the Park needs to locate one of their retired assets, and Bachelor is meant to know where he is. Two years ago, Benny Manors had had no intention of checking in with Bachelor once a month… Why does Benny need to be found? Another excellent little dose of spy fiction from Mick Herron, showing Di Taverner at her nasty best: twisty and very topical.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella intertwining a couple of major characters and centered on one minor character - John Bachelor - from the Slough House series, and tying in a topical real life scandal - which Herron is adept at doing. Typically brilliant, if brief.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

'And democracy, anyway,' Nash said, 'isn't the PM's favourite institution.'

The third of Herron's novellas (following The List and The Drop), this continues the misadventures of hapless John Batchelor , victim of both The Park and an ex-burglar he's babysitting.

It takes place eight months after The Drop and the Hanna Weiss story has been wound up off-stage. A ripped-from-the-headlines story featuring a billionaire paedophile and a royal offers Herron the opportunity for some sly criticism of the Establishment and the way the press can be manipulated. It's fun but short, can be read in about an hour, and offers a quick fix of the Slough House universe between the novels proper.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella continues the story of John Bachelor and his downward slide. There are enough twists and hidden motives that all the characters and this reader are kept on their toes. While I miss the Slow Horses and the humor they afford, I do enjoy seeing this side of Herron's wit. He continues to poke fun at politics, politicians, and the civil service. A must read if you have read The List and The Marylebone Drop.

There's a short story, "The Last Dead Letter," that is unofficially circulating. If you're a scofflaw, look for it to see a sliver of Jackson Lamb's past life in Berlin.

Publication 2020

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely prefer the longer stories but the Slough House stories simply prove that Mick Herron can also write a tautly plotted, clever, funny and relevant novella? Either way it was fun.

John Batchelor, who I last encountered helping out his chum Lech, appears to have dropped himself in a lot of trouble. He wakes to find two men in his bedroom. They threaten him with all types of retribution unless he finds one of his agents - fast!

Trouble is that John is so averse to any type of work that he's taken another easy way out. The trouble keeps on piling up and where else can John turn but to The Park. And we all know that's not going to end well.

Nothing is as it seems in this novella, which should be expected of a Herron story. These spies really do spend way more time and effort trying to get one over on each other than doing any real work.

[Marty Fried · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual shenanigans from Mick Herron and his Slough House universe. A fun read while waiting for the real thing. I'd advise paying attention, but unfortunately I didn't take my own advice and got a little lost at the end, but still enjoyed a brief visit with some old friends such as Lady Di, and John Bachelor from an earlier novella, The Drop. Hope this will last me until the next one comes out, but I'm tempted to reread the first one or two.

[Deb Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Herron's style and substance that I tend to gush when I talk about any of his books. His dry wit and cynicism delight through his tales of "spooks" (spies) who find themselves washed up, or nearly so, totally of their own doing.

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella complements Herron’s Slough House series. It picks up eight months after the end of a previous novella, The Marylebone Drop. There are characters, particularly John Bachelor, that carry over and characters from the Slough House series. It is different from the Slough House series and previous novellas in that Diana Taverner and Regents House are depicted as more successful, although certainly not in an admirable light. Intriguing in that it shows a security service manipulating the media in a democratic country.

The Catch would be understandable as a standalone read but is much richer if you know the storyline that carries through the novellas and the history of the characters that are central to the Slough House series. Unlike previous novellas, this novella does not appear to introduce new characters that will show up in the Slough House series, but I may be mistaken. An enjoyable little story but without the connectivity to the other novellas and the Slough House series, it would probably be a bit boring.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bachelor Caught in the Catch
Review of the Soho Crime paperback edition (January 28, 2020) of the John Murray hardcover original (January 14, 2020)

Anyway, never let it be said that the Service turns its back on those wounded in its employ, even when the employ is unofficial, and especially when the wounded suggests appealing to the court of public opinion, or Twitter, as it’s now known.

Actor Kristin Scott Thomas as MI5 Second Desk Diana Taverner in the Apple TV+ adaptations of the Slough House/Slow Horses series of books. Image sourced from JustJared.

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 The Marylebone Drop aka The Drop (#5.5 2018). These are currently followed by The Catch (#6.5 2020), which may be the finale of the sub-series.

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, the 'milkman'* introduced in the previous novellas.

We last saw Bachelor at the end of The Drop as he settled into deceased spy Solomon Dortmund's apartment in order to avoid becoming homeless due to his own financial downturn. He has maintained the front ever since, but is now blackmailed into looking up one of his 'retirees' from his 'milk-run'. Benny Manors is a burglar/blackmailer that the Service used only as a one-off, but who suffered an injury in the process and was given a pension in recompense. Bachelor has actually lost touch with Manors who only wanted the monthly cash but no actual contact. The pair of heavies from Regent's Park head office who seek Manors appear to be moonlighting, but Bachelor suspects that someone higher up is pulling the strings.

This was a more serious espionage plot than some of the more dark-humoured efforts in the Slough House full novels and it also added a touch of real-world crossover with the Service manipulating events in order to provide cover for a possible scandal in the Royal Family. No specific names are mentioned, but the story is obviously inspired by the Jeffrey Epstein/Prince Andrew connections.

Trivia and Link
* In Mick Herron's invented spy jargon a 'milkman' is "a retirement-needs evaluation counselor, otherwise known as a babysitter of former spies living out their remaining lives wherever MI5 resettled them," according to the Slough House glossary at SpyWrite.com.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the off chance you've yet to read anything by Mick Herron then do yourself a favour and start reading his Slough House series pronto.

Such is the ludicrously addictive nature of Mick Herron's writing that I read The Catch (Slough House #6.5) in about an hour, admittedly it's a novella, and only about 100 pages in a smaller than average book but, more significantly, it's the latest instalment from the UK's current greatest spy fiction writer

This is the third Slough House novella from Mick Herron which he publishes between the main novels and which feature some of the same characters.

The Catch is very enjoyable, despite being quite slight. It's also very topical.

Is this the last we'll see of John Bachelor? I must confess I'm a tad worried about his welfare because he seems to lack even the most basic survival instinct.

4/5

PS: Dear Mick Herron, please hurry up with Slough House #7

[Katya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fishing in the same waters as Slow House. An appetiser really at just over 100 pages. Fast paced thriller as a fringe spook is given a task that he cannot refuse. Layers upon layers of motives and intrigue, double crossings and falsity. Just what I want in a thriller.

Marked down a star because - no Jackson Lamb

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sparkling, witty dialogue and a plot that's convoluted in the best possible way - exactly what Herron's fans have come to expect from his darkly comic Slough House series. I especially love the noir feel that Herron gives to espionage: "On the other hand, if Edward didn't look precisely like someone who'd killed people before, he did look like someone who'd received news of other people having been killed with perfect equanimity" (20). I also love the cynicism of the agents, the sense that everyone is betraying everyone else and expecting them to do so. The bewildered underdog, John Bachelor, who has secrets of his own, has to work his way out of his dilemma without really being clued into the overarching scheme; he's just a low-level cog in the wheel, being manipulated. As First Desk Lady Diana Taverner once told him, as "she'd outlined his role in life, the full ambit of his experiences[:] It's hardly Tinker Tailor, John. You wipe their noses, feed their cats, and make sure they're not blowing their pensions on internet poker" (36). As someone the spies call a 'milkman,' basically a flunky designated to look after retired spooks, Bachelor is at once the most interesting character in the novella, and the most victimized, all in service of his "service". A funny and fascinating look at political and intelligence machinations, and a wonderful taste of Herron's talent while waiting for the next full-length Slough House novel.
Second readthrough in October 2024: just as witty and wise, but I understood the connections between the three John Bachelor stories (this one, The List, and The Marylebone Drop) much better, reading them closer together in time and having more familiarity with the characters and Bachelor's trajectory.

[Julia Buckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short books-between-books deal only peripherally with Sough House and involve none of its main characters. They always do, however, involve Diana Taverner, the spider-like La Belle Dame Sans Merci and current head of MI-5. Diana, known as "Lady Di" to her underlings, is wonderfully characterized by Mick Herron. She is always scheming, ever ambitious, incredibly competitive, and supremely confident. She is elegant and sexy but generally scorns the advances of men, whose moves she can see coming from miles away. Diana is horrible but fun, and an enjoyable Nemesis for Jackson Lamb, himself a layered and often unbelievable character.

This book brings back the story of John Bachelor, an MI5 forgettable first introduced in The Marylebone Drop.

A fun read.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Mick Herron’s Slough House novellas, and the third in a loose trilogy with The List and The Drop. The Catch is the best of the three: pacy, witty, and all too believable, demonstrating, even in this short format, why Herron is without equal in contemporary British spy fiction. Old spook, John Bachelor, reduced to a part-time job as a ‘milkman’ for retired spies and other assets, is on the trail of Benny Manors, once used by MI5 for a special operation and now in possession of some photographs that could threaten the future of the state. Bachelor’s career (what’s left of it) and the roof over his head are on the line, but things don’t go according to plan…

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great short story within the Slow Horses’ universe. Plenty of twists, turns and drunken misadventures in this one.

[Jonathan Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short sojourn into the world of Slough House. Expertly plotted and with plenty of cleverness. I’m starting to become very fond of John Bachelor in all his uselessness.

[cool breeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good novella set in the Slough House universe, but not featuring any of the Slow Horses. Mercifully, Herron leaves his woke politics at the door for this one, so it is an unadulterated 4-star read.