Spook Street

Claude Whelan has just started as First Desk at MI5 and almost immediately has to deal with a devastating terrorist attack at a London shopping mall. Meanwhile, River is worried about his grandfather, who is showing worrying signs of dementia and feels threatened, culminating in a shocking death. When Jackson Lamb identifies the body as River's, it's just the beginning of a series of events that will leave the slow horses changed for ever.

I love Herron's writing: there is so much packed into a 300-page novel, from the characterisation of Slough House's ensemble cast to the acerbic dissection of British society and politics, and the very important espionage/action part. For Service employees who are supposedly deskbound, they are show more outdoors and exposed to the elements an awful lot, and of course usually do a better job bringing a resolution to the problem than the regular spooks at the Park. This fourth outing for the slow horses was fast-moving and in places rather terrifying, if a little too grim in places, though of course Jackson Lamb does his best to lighten the mood with his laconic and often inappropriate remarks. show less

Pay no attention to the star rating: at this point, I'm reading Mick Herron's "Slough House" series simply because I enjoy it. I'm a literary snob of the old school, so this is something of an uncomfortable admission to make. But while there's nothing exactly new about "Spook Street" — if you compare it to the other novels I've read in the Slough House series, anyway — that doesn't mean that the author's skills aren't still in evidence here. The characters who fill up the increasingly dilapidated building that gives this series its name are as entertaining — and, occasionally, as emotionally involving as usual. The novel's dialogue and the jokes are as whip-smart as ever. And, especially when introducing the setting, purpose, and show more denizens of Slough House to readers who might not know them from previous adventures, Herron displays a gift for analogy that might make Charles Dickens proud. And it rains a lot during this one. I can't really say how much rain falls between this one's first and last pages, but it goes beyond a mere joke at the expense of soggy British summers. "Spook Street" sometimes feels like a text-based equivalent to David Fincher's "Seven" or Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner", two other notably pluvial classics. If you choose to read this one, don't forget to bring your brolly.

Of course, Dickens had a minimum of shootouts and pretty policewomen in his novels, but, as usual, there's always one or two aspects of Herron's books that you suspect that he could have extracted from the text and built a real-deal literary novel around. In "Spook Street," the themes that most fascinates him seems to be permanence and impermanence, as we see River's esteemed grandfather, David Cartwright, fade into a gentle senescence while the choices that he made decades ago pose new and difficult problems for Britain's increasingly battered intelligence community. The past — whether it's River's feelings for the O.B. or Louisa Guy's painful memories of the departed Min — has a hold on everyone in this one, and while the threats are contemporary, there's nothing really new about heartache. It's the author's ability to balance these difficult themes with the plot twists, chases, and occasional firefights that you'd expect from a good spy thriller is why I keep coming back to this series. Well, that and the fact that my sister bought the entire set in paper for my dad. Still, I can't wait to start reading the next Slough House adventure, whatever it is. show less

When River Cartwright's grandfather shows signs of dementia River is not the only one worried. Grandfather David Cartwright was also a spook, First Desk in fact, and as a holder of secrets he could cause untold problems to current MI5 operations by accidentally spilling the beans. This was a fast moving, highly entertaining episode of Herron's Slough House series featuring terrific characters such as Jackson Lamb, said to be despicable but easily my favourite. This book had a Brave New World flavour, which nevertheless did not deviate from the special world of Herron's "slow horses", those spies relegated to the bottom of the heap that makes up Slough House. Brilliant, funny, clever: no one can write espionage like Herron.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“You want me to issue a shoot-to-kill order.”

“Well there’s no point shooting to wound. People would only get hurt.”

WHAT'S THE BACK COVER OF SPOOK STREET SAY?

What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don't remember they're secret? Or does someone take care of the senile spy for good? These are the paranoid concerns of David Cartwright, a Cold War-era operative and one-time head of MI5 who is sliding into dementia, and questions his grandson, River, must figure out answers to now that the spy who raised him has started to forget to wear pants.

But River, himself an agent at Slough House, show more MI5's outpost for disgraced spies, has other things to worry about. A bomb has detonated in the middle of a busy shopping center and killed forty innocent civilians. The "slow horses" of Slough House must figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.

THINGS I'M NOT GOING TO DEVELOP INTO PARAGRAPHS
(I just don't have the time or energy)
* Louisa makes a friend! A non-Slough House friend, it should be stressed. Which is great—and will hopefully help her deal with the events of Dead Lions. Sure, I pretty much like everything about Louisa, but this worked really well.
* This: "What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don't remember they're secret?" Yeah, it could be phrased a bit more skillfully, but really—what is done in these situations (I have to assume more and more of these happen all the time)
* This book is really all about the power behind the throne. Sure, all the attention is on the leader (of whatever), but being the guy behind them—almost all of the power, but with almost none of the accountability or scrutiny, you can get a lot done. And you can direct the person at the top with just the right kind of pressure or incentive.
* Yes, the "Slow Horses" are, by design (of both Herron and MI-5) disposable, and impermanent. But some are pretty much irreplaceable, as the poor woman who is brought in to fill Catherine Standish's shoes learns.
* Everything we learned about David Cartwright and his activities seems realistic. It's chilling and troubling in so many ways. He deserves to be called OB. Or just B.
* Back to the impermanent idea. Herron shows us that he's in the same league as authors like George R.R. Martin when it comes to the mortality of characters. I both admire that and am angered by it.
* Roderick Ho...what can I say about him? At the beginning of the book, I couldn't believe what I was reading about him—it was far more hard to believe than any of the outlandish things we've seen Jackson Lamb's team encounter. By the end, it all made sense. And I might have felt pity for the guy (although he makes it hard)
* Herron's prose is so delicious. It's mirthful without actually being funny (and only occasionally jokey). It's so well crafted, it's...I can't put it into words. I just love reading him.

They were south of the river, half a mile from the Thames, near one of those busy junctions which rely on the self-preservation instincts of the drivers using it; ether a shining example of new-age civic theory, or an old-fashioned failure of town planning. On one of its corners sat a church; on another, earth-moving monsters re-enacted the Battle of the Bulge behind hoardings which shivered with each impact. A tube station squatted on a third, its familiar brick-and-tile facade more than usually grubby in the drizzle. There was a lot of construction work nearby, buildings wrapped in plastic sheeting, some of it gaudily muralled with visions of a bright new future: the gleaming glass, the pristine paving, the straight white lines of premises yet-to-be. Meanwhile, the surviving shops were the usual array of bookmakers, convenience stores and coffee bars, many of them crouching behind scaffolding, and some of them book-ending alleyways which would be either dead-ends where wheelie-bins congregated, or short-cuts to the labyrinth of darker streets beyond. Once upon a time Charles Dickens wandered this area, doubtless taking notes. Nowadays the local citizenry’s stories were recorded by closed-circuit TV, which had less time for sentimental endings.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SPOOK STREET?
Once again, I couldn't stop asking myself why I am so behind in reading these? Why do I take breaks of months and months between them? Everything about this series is great.

I'm just happy the whole time I'm reading one of these books—despite the fact that the events are harrowing, the characters are generally despicable, and what the books suggest about humanity and Western security services (UK's in particular, but I can only imagine they function pretty similarly to the rest) doesn't fill one with optimism or confidence.

Spook Street is a solid winner from the horrible incident the book started with to the closing comforting paragraphs and all points in between. Herron planted more seeds than is typical for future installments—and I can't decide which I want to see first (on second thought, I want to see the Roddy Ho stuff come back to haunt him/Slough House as soon as is humanly possible).

If you're not reading these books—at my snail-like pace or at a rational pace—you are missing out. show less

5/5 on the Hoot-meter

I tried, I really tried. The plan was to make it last. Read a few chapters, put it down, then repeat. Right…..I read it in a day because I was just having too much fun. When a new Mick Herron book comes out I will beg, borrow & steal to get my hands on it & this just might be the best of the bunch.

The prologue yanks you into a typical mall somewhere in London. It’s full of busy shoppers & bored teens lounging around the fountain. Then the unspeakable happens. A man steps into the crowd & detonates his vest. In the horrific aftermath, MI5 is called in to investigate & calm the public but things really hit the fan when the bomber is identified.

Meanwhile over at Slough House, River Cartwright worries about his show more grandfather. David Cartwright is a former spook who’s a legend in the spy world. But lately he seems a bit confused & doesn’t always recognize his grandson. He’s also dropping details about the old days that would best remain unsaid. What happens when a man full of state secrets begins to lose the plot? River has heard rumours about MI5 having an ”enhanced retirement package” for employees who become a problem & he’s determined to protect the man who raised him. That becomes a challenge when his next visit ends with a dead man in David’s bathroom.

Eventually these 2 threads intersect in ways that have the bigwigs at Regent Park scrambling to save their own skin. They’ve elevated backstabbing to an art form in an environment where “The Art of War” is probably required reading.

Book #4 of the “Slow Horses” series picks up in the aftermath of the last one & there have been some changes. Herron doesn’t hesitate to bump off establish characters so there are a few new faces at Slough House where MI5 agents labelled as screw-ups are sent to shift endless stacks of paper until they quit (or die, whichever comes first). But most of the original cast is back & they’re in fine form.

IT genius Rodney Ho continues to live in an alternate universe where everyone likes him & chicks think he’s hot. Shirley Dander has surrendered to HR requests to deal with her volatile personality & is faithfully attending AFM (anger fucking management) classes. Marcus Longridge still has that pesky little gambling problem & is so bored he’s water boarding Shirley.

Presiding over the crew is cold war relic Jackson Lamb. He’s never met someone he couldn’t offend & many would pay to see him gone but when you’ve been around a long time, you tend to know where the bodies are buried, literally.

These stories are always a great mix of smart intricate mystery & dry black humour. It’s full of moments that make you gasp, frequently followed by inappropriate laughter. Herron is a keen observer of the human condition & his depiction of David Cartwright’s battle with dementia somehow manages to be both poignant & hilarious. Even in his screwed up fictional world, you’ll recognize more than a kernel of reality as he satirizes politicians, government bureaucracy & public perceptions.

This one earns a spot on my “Top Ten” for 2016 (so far…) & I begin the long wait for book #5. If you’re a fan of Stuart MacBride or Jay Stringer, do yourself a favour & pick up “Slow Horses”. show less

Herron is one of those authors where you can never really tell how far he'll push you as a reader. Already he's shown that he has no compunctions about killing off main characters so when he immediately (like right out of the gate) puts you on edge in this book you have no recourse but to grit your teeth and carry on with fingers crossed. Each volume of this series scrapes away at the pasts of each agent in Slough House (although its exalted leader Jackson Lamb still remains shrouded in darkness) and interestingly this one delves into the background of the O.B. (if you know you know). Spook Street felt ramped up in action from start to finish so I zipped through it lickety-split.

Looking for dark humor, farts, and gritty detectives? show more Congrats, you've hit the jackpot! Herron is imminently readable so if you're looking for a quick mystery series I highly recommend this one (but start with Slow Horses or you will be L-O-S-T). show less

This series almost defies categorization - it's very funny at times, and then someone gets killed and it's suddenly serious for a while. It's supposed to be about the screwups, but then they seem to be the only ones who know what's going on, in spite of the best efforts of those in charge to keep them down. Jackson Lamb, the leader, acts like they're all a bunch of losers, but then he comes through for them when they need him, except when he's firing them suddenly for little reason. Lamb is a boss from hell if you take him seriously. I don't know if I could, but I suppose you need to when he's the boss. But he always seems to go well above and beyond any thoughts of good manners or political correctness, so far beyond that he has to be show more doing it on purpose - but is he?

I'd hate to work for Jackson Lamb, but he sure does make things interesting to read about.

This one seems to have a more exciting story than many of the others, but there is still the trademark craziness that makes the series so much fun. show less