Dead Lions: Slough House Thriller 2

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He may have been a washed-up operative, but he had been one of the family, so to speak, in the old days, and Lamb decides to investigate. River visits his grandfather, who reveals Hobden was blacklisted when his name appeared on a leaked donor list of the British Patriotic Party, and blamed MI5 for his troubles. Mick Herron’s six Slough House novels have been shortlisted for eight CWA Daggers, winning twice, and shortlisted for the Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year three times. This does invest the plot with a certain tension and with the exception of Lamb I am not sure I would put money on anyone surviving the next five books. River approaches Lamb, revealing that he knows about the cicada conspiracy and is going to Stroud to pursue the matter further.

For a moment Lamb has the uncomfortable sensation that this mouse is staring into a past he has tried to bury, or peering into a future he’d sooner forget. The strength of Dead Lions lies in Herron's development of his characters and their interactions because this novel is funnier and snarkier than its predecessor. The message hadn’t ended before coats were being pulled on and laptops folded; bags snapped shut and seats vacated. From this, Lamb spirals into recollections of ancient Cold War sleeper agents, the phantom Soviet figure of Alexander Popov, and conspiracy.The clues point to a Russian spy “legend” who inspired stories but was never thought to truly exist, Alexander Popov. Herron cleverly brings Cold War echos into the present Dickie Bow was a talented streetwalker once, good at following people and bringing home their secrets.

Standish begins having flashbacks to the death of a former colleague of hers and Lamb's, Charles Partner.Back then, he’d had his unreliable moments: drunk, he’d mistaken nuns for whores and policemen for friends; sober, he’d made eye-contact with ex-wives, no recognition on his side, and only relief on theirs. Lamb – I do feel I have to include him – there is much I dislike about him but he is also engaging and loyal when his team are threatened (by anyone other than himself) and yes he does, as The Guardian interview with Herron suggests, bear echoes of Falstaff, unlikeable but compelling in a horrible way. River and Guy escort Donovan and Ben into the file-storage facility, where Ben reveals that the Grey Books were a ruse and that he is seeking a different file. But now he is well over weight, chain smoking, hard drinking, renowned for his voluminous farting and the owner of the most acerbic tongue you are ever likely to encounter. Dickie Bow might have tailed his last target, but Lamb and his crew of no-hopers are about to go live.