Reading the Detectives discussion

The latest Slough House novel is much anticipated by many in this group. Welcome to our buddy read - mid July/mid-August, 2019.

'We're spies,' said Lamb. 'All kinds of outlandish shit goes on.'

Like the ringing of a dead man's phone, or an unwelcome guest at a funeral . . .

In Slough House 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 outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.

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 breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score.

This time, they're heading into joe country.

And they're not all coming home.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

Although there are really only two real chapters, this book was full of cliff-hangers all the way through, which made it absolutely gripping. A completely fast paced book, full of action. The "baddies" did seem a bit amateurish at times , but then sometimes the slow horses can seem like that.
Am I right in thinking that the two who infact that were portrayed are the beginning , and then were at the end were not of this world any longer?


I'm still playing the yellow car game, which can be annoying to my travel companions. I just can't help it!

Yes, we definitely lost a major Slow Horse in this book...

I also play yellow car with my kids now, Jill :)

Thanks I did think that with the torn jacket it would be Louisa that would die and was annoyed that Herron had given that away, however, with the coat swap everything became clear. I knew Coe was messed up but hadn't realised just how much until this book

I was distraught when Guy tore her jacket. As I was over River at the opening of a prior book. Herron is not good for my nerves.

There is always a sense of real danger, isn't there?

There really is! I was so worried about Catherine buying wine too. Mick Herron really knows how to keep you guessing.

Oh yes! I assumed all that Herron wanted me to worry about Catherine and was so very happy to find out he had fooled me yet again.

The Catherine storyline, oh, my goodness..

Poor Alec/Lech from The Drop. I thought computer whizkid Ho would have been able to sort out the computer problem.

He probably could have. Yes, poor Lech, I felt so sorry for him.

So I am very late to the discussion as it took this long for my library book to arrive.

Again, a very exciting and enjoyable read, and already looking forward to the next one.

While I get that the deaths make the novels more realistic, I was so disappointed by Emma Flyte not surviving to become a Slow Horse. I was really hoping that for once there might actually be a strong female friendship based on two tough women working together without backstabbing or competing for male attention. I also really appreciated that Herron wrote a stunningly attractive and super-competent female character without having her sexually assaulted or ending up in an abusive relationship-that seems to be almost a given in so many mystery novels or shows that I've kind of given up on "modern" thrillers for the most part. Really grateful for that.

Ho's cluelessness combined with his tech-savvy is rather over the top, but it is written in such a funny way that all is forgiven.

Glad you enjoyed it, Frances. Yes, Emma Flyte was a great character, I agree.

Ho is, superbly over the top, but just such a wonderful character. The storyline, where he was previously arrested by the dogs and felt he was being protected, was pure genius!