Joe Country
The sixth book in the series behind SLOW HORSES, an Apple Original series now st reaming on Apple TV+
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4.3 • 85 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
THE SIXTH BOOK IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES BEHIND SLOW HORSES, AN APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES NOW STREAMING ON APPLE TV
If Spook Street is where spies live, Joe Country is where they go to die.
“Suspense, spycraft, dry wit and vulgar humor are all well-deployed in this satisfying work by Mr. Herron, whose style can accommodate everything from a tough action scene to a lyrical elegy.”—Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal
In Slough House, the London outpost for disgraced MI5 spies, memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him an outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.
Meanwhile, in Regent’s Park, Diana Taverner’s tenure as First Desk is running into difficulties. If she’s going to make the Service fit for purpose, she might have to make deals with a familiar old devil . . .
And with winter taking its grip, Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can’t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible for killing a slow horse breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
As winter closes in on Slough House, its misfit spies find themselves chasing ghosts and heading into danger. The funeral of a legendary spy draws old enemies into the open, stirring memories best left buried. A grieving Louisa Guy gets pulled into a compelling missing-person search, River Cartwright contends with family shadows, Catherine Standish fights old temptations, and new recruit Lech Wicinski digs at the enthralling mystery that destroyed his career. But things really kick into high gear when the man responsible for killing a slow horse resurfaces, prompting Jackson Lamb to rally his battered team for one more pursuit. Mick Herron ratchets up tension with icy precision, blending wry humour with grief and loss. The slow horses now carry real pathos, even as Lamb remains gleefully foul. Bleak, biting, and unexpectedly moving, Joe Country shows Herron’s spies at their most human.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Herron's enjoyable sixth Slough House novel (after 2018's London Rules) offers a jaundiced look at espionage in the Brexit age. Jackson Lamb is in charge of Slough House, the decrepit London building where MI5 operatives end up because of a botched mission, alcohol abuse, or simply stepping on the wrong toes. At one point, Lamb tells his crew of misfits: "You lot keep your heads down, do what you're told, and quietly die of boredom, and everyone's happy as an Oxfam worker at a sex party. But start making waves and there are shit storms waiting to happen." Lamb is proven right when Louisa Guy, one of his staff, is contacted by Clare, the widow of Min Harper, Louisa's former colleague and lover. Clare asks Louisa to find her missing 17-year-old son, Lucas. This simple task turns into a deadly game of blackmail, treachery, and spy vs. spy, played out in the freezing Welsh countryside. Droll dialogue, characters who wear their foibles proudly, and observations on the politics of potential vested interest in national security keep the pages turning. Herron solidifies his place as one of Britain's top spy novelists.
Customer Reviews
Another great read
Joe Country is very good - darker than London Rules
Can’t wait for the next one. I’m thoroughly addicted to Slough House.