Where Nebraska Center for the Book board members share their thoughts about the books they are reading. This month’s review is by Richard Miller.
Review of Slow Horses by Mick Herron.
Slow Horses, by Mick Herron is a British fiction spy thriller about MI5 and Slough House, the agency’s dumping ground for agents who have failed in some way in their operations for the agency. The story begins with what appears to be a major blunder on the part of River Cartwright which resulted in damage done by a suicide bomber – millions in destruction, hundreds of train commuters killed, and transportation disrupted. Turns out that the explosion never occurred – it was an exercise. Nevertheless, River is blamed for the failure and is demoted to working with the other “slow horses” at Slough House.
This title is a fast read and packed with characters such as River’s grandfather known as O.B. (Old Bastard) who once was a super spy with MI5; and Jackson Lamb, the flatulent and disgusting head of Slough House. The main plot centers around a Pakistani hostage taken by a right-wing group threatening to cut off his head while online.
A fast read indeed, gifted to me by my daughter. Apparently there is a TV movie of the book starring Gary Oldman as the disgusting Jackson Lamb. Highly recommended.
