Review: Dead Lions (Slough Horses book 2) by Mick Herron
The CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning British espionage novel about disgraced MI5 agents who inadvertently uncover a deadly Cold War-era legacy of sleeper cells and mythic super spies.
The disgruntled agents of Slough House, the MI5 branch where washed-up spies are sent to finish their failed careers on desk duty, are called into action to protect a visiting Russian oligarch whom MI5 hopes to recruit to British intelligence. While two agents are dispatched on that babysitting job, though, an old Cold War-era spy named Dickie Bow is found dead, ostensibly of a heart attack, on a bus outside of Oxford, far from his usual haunts.
But the head of Slough House, the irascible Jackson Lamb, is convinced Dickie Bow was murdered. As the agents dig into their fallen comrade’s circumstances, they uncover a shadowy tangle of ancient Cold War secrets that seem to lead back to a man named Alexander Popov, who is either a Soviet bogeyman or the most dangerous man in the world. How many more people will have to die to keep those secrets buried?
Review:
Dear Mick Herron,
I hesitated a little (not much!) about continuing to read this series, because as much as I enjoyed the first book, a good part of it was sloooow. But I liked the characters a whole lot, I suspected that they will continue to develop and grow and at times the first book was just so unexpectedly funny (touches of humor obviously – this series is a not a comedy), that I spent ten dollars and bought this one.
I liked this one quite a bit too and I think more than a first one, because even though the writing does remain a little slow (I think this is just this writer’s style), the suspense storyline starts much earlier and even though slow bits come and go throughout the story, all together it just worked really well for me. I mean, it was clear enough for me in the first book that as much as Jason Lamb loves to verbally destroy some of his fellow “screw ups” (and at least some of them give back as good as they get!) who work under him in the Slough House, he considers all of them members of his team and clearly “one of our own” means something to him.
I also wondered how the rest of the characters that we met in the first book will continue to interact in this book, whether they will start to develop something like friendly ties and, call me an endless optimist, but I think they clearly did :), they just don’t always show it.
The murder described in the blurb happens very very early in the book and Jason starts conducting his own investigation very early in the book as well, but the rest of the Slow Horses get involve in the action a little later in the book and I really enjoyed watching the spy games taking place, seemingly different pieces of action coming together and I had no idea how the storyline will end. The babysitting of the Russian oligarch certainly ended with unexpected results. I have to say though, please do not get too attached to any member of Jason’s team, because the author does not seem to have any problems with killing them. Not randomly mind you, and so far none of my favorite characters died, but who the heck knows what will come later.
Grade: B+
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I am so happy that you enjoyed this book. I really liked it – the story made me laugh, kept me engaged and I started to become more familiar with and attached to the characters.
Two for two! I’m trying to think of any of his books I didn’t care for … and, nope, every single one was good. The long descriptive passages about Slough House, usually in the beginning iirc, are part of every story. I make myself slow down and absorb those words because they are so masterful at making the scene another character. Pace yourself, Sirius. We don’t want you to burn out on this series; there is much to come.
If you liked Dead Lions devouring Jackson Lamb you will enjoy reading fact based espionage thrillers, of which there are only a handful of decent ones, so do try reading Bill Fairclough’s Beyond Enkription. It is an enthralling unadulterated fact based autobiographical spy thriller and a super read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots.
What is interesting is that this book is so different to any other espionage thrillers fact or fiction that I have ever read. It is extraordinarily memorable and unsurprisingly apparently mandatory reading in some countries’ intelligence agencies’ induction programs. Why?
Maybe because the book has been heralded by those who should know as “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”; maybe because Bill Fairclough (the author) deviously dissects unusual topics, for example, by using real situations relating to how much agents are kept in the dark by their spy-masters and (surprisingly) vice versa; and/or maybe because he has survived literally dozens of death defying experiences including 20 plus attempted murders.
The action in Beyond Enkription is set in 1974 about a real maverick British accountant who worked in Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in London, Nassau, Miami and Port au Prince. Initially in 1974 he unwittingly worked for MI5 and MI6 based in London infiltrating an organised crime gang. Later he worked knowingly for the CIA in the Americas. In subsequent books yet to be published (when employed by Citicorp, Barclays, Reuters and others) he continued to work for several intelligence agencies. Fairclough has been justifiably likened to a posh version of Harry Palmer aka Michael Caine in the films based on Len Deighton’s spy novels.
Beyond Enkription is a must read for espionage cognoscenti. Whatever you do, you must read some of the latest news articles (since August 2021) in TheBurlingtonFiles website before taking the plunge and getting stuck into Beyond Enkription. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world which you won’t want to exit. Intriguingly, the articles were released seven or more years after the book was published. TheBurlingtonFiles website itself is well worth a visit and don’t miss the articles about FaireSansDire. The website is a bit like a virtual espionage museum and refreshingly advert free.
Returning to the intense and electrifying thriller Beyond Enkription, it has had mainly five star reviews so don’t be put off by Chapter 1 if you are squeamish. You can always skip through the squeamish bits and just get the gist of what is going on in the first chapter. Mind you, infiltrating international state sponsored people and body part smuggling mobs isn’t a job for the squeamish! Thereafter don’t skip any of the text or you’ll lose the plots. The book is ever increasingly cerebral albeit pacy and action packed. Indeed, the twists and turns in the interwoven plots kept me guessing beyond the epilogue even on my second reading.
The characters were wholesome, well-developed and beguiling to the extent that you’ll probably end up loving those you hated ab initio, particularly Sara Burlington. The attention to detail added extra layers of authenticity to the narrative and above all else you can’t escape the realism. Unlike reading most spy thrillers, you will soon realise it actually happened but don’t trust a soul.
@Darlynne: Next two I put on holds in the library so won’t be as fast :)@Jim Brown: Yes, thank you, I recall you mentioning these books before.@MEB: Me too!