For River Cartwright, however, all of this plays second fiddle to the fact that not only is Sidonie Sid Baker still alive, but shes turned up at his dead grandfathers house in Kent because she needs his help. He deduces Katinsky is the spymaster behind the Cicada program (passing himself off as a junior bureaucrat when defecting to avoid suspicion) and was the handler of a traitor in the service. My carefully organized reading list just took a direct hit. I would have liked to have got a bit more emotion in the scenes between her and River given the flirtation between them in SLOW HORSES but Herrons very restrained, showing touches of Rivers guilt over what happened to her at the same time as gently indicating there could be something more here as well. His colleague Sidonie 'Sid' Baker has also been assigned to Hobden, discreetly copying the contents of his USB flash drive in a cafe. Lamb "returns" Duffy's car to Regent's Park Headquarters and demands to speak with Taverner. Only the intervention of his MI5-legend grandfather (Jonathan Pryce) kept him from being fired entirely. There is a lot going on in this book with two main plot lines why Slough House has been deleted from the Services records and the fallout from Lady Dis decision to sock it to Russias GRU. His deft and sympathetic characterisation affords the reader a connection with the slow horses (the Parks nickname for their castoffs) which grows with every triumph, every obstacle overcome, and their losses are felt keenly. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. Joy is unbridled when each new book is announced. The subject matter allows for some sophisticated satire and some notable current politicians are lampooned pseudonymously. In the books, it's briefly revealed that a mistake during her time at Regent's Park HQ led to some guns ending up on the black market. Driving out of London, Zeppo and Larry reveal that they never intended to go through with killing Ahmed, and entertain the idea of releasing him, becoming increasingly concerned with Curly's erratic behaviour and rhetoric. that ex-spy Claude Whelan, a tool in use by Taverner, is muddying all possible waters with a notion of payback on Lamb, and hes more effective than young Ashley: Where did Whelans loyalties lie? On a recent assignment, Lamb caught her following one of his spies. I'm totally invested in the world of the slow horses of Slough House since starting the series in 2017. These stories about a disparate group of underdogs coming together to beat the odds (and beat The Man) have struck a chord with readers. Slough House's cyber expert Roddy Ho discovers he cannot hack Hobden's laptop as it is air gapped, furthering everybody's suspicions. The gun threat is a joke, and Piotr invites Min to drink vodka with him and Kyril. She clawed her way to the top but was David Cartwrights choice to be the perpetual number two the smarter move? Although River hated him, I would still imagine him being dead might be something to work through psychologically. Lamb blackmails Nick Duffy to get him into the records department at Regents Park. He is due to be accompanied by Nick Duffy, leader of 'The Dogs', for added security, but demands Taverner join him instead. Spook Street is one of the darker novels and what little comic relief there is, is provided by Roddy Ho getting a girlfriend, a plot thread which is pulled in the follow up novel, London Rules. Duncan and Kelly find and untie River, and he is eventually able to convince them of Alexs true identity. Not crucial questions but worth thinking about . While she obsesses on punishing Lamb, the team is actually in crisis mode. The complete guide to Mick Herrons Slough House series, Irish crime drama North Sea Connection comes to BBC Four. And will Herron reveal this fact early in the book or leave us hanging throughout? River Cartwright who took centre stage in Slow Horses drops out of the limelight in this one, and no one really fills that centre stage position. I am not sure I can read any more. Catherine Standish 17 episodes, 2022-2023 Chris Reilly . Realizing he has been outmaneuvered, Katinsky goads Lamb to kill him. But we also see that she's deeply troubled by the suicide of her former boss, Charles Partner, which she discovered, and which we surmise has something to do with the founding of Slough House. He's a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. (SH) Cartwright, Isobel - River's mother. Set in 1950s Finland, during the Cold War, the books tell the story of a young police woman and budding detective who cuts against the grain when, John Fullertons powerful 1996 debut The Monkey House was set in war-torn Sarajevo and was right in the moment. River Cartwright, is away in Kent, mourning the death of the OB, short for the Old Bastard who was Cartwrights grandfather, surrogate father and was a service legend. This is my favorite type of book - clever humor (esp British) with a good story. - The most shocking thing coming out of Slough House was the poisoning and apparent death of River Cartwright in the final moments of the novel. It is revealed that Moe (real name Alan Black) was Taverner's mole, but was found out and murdered by Curly, who then fled with Zeppo, Larry and Hassan. I am currently well into Bad Actors desperate to know if certain casualties from this book survived, and even hoping for a tiny spoiler so as to prepare myself for the worst, if that is to be the outcome. Ho is the computer nerd, a legend in his own mind; Dander is a brash cokehead; and Wicinski a desk analyst who was framed for paedophilia. And not just one cliff either; each thread I wanted wrapped up just stops. [3] Each season has been based on an individual book in the Slough House series. As far as Catherine is concerned, Charles shot himself, an event that apparently led to her renouncing alcohol and being sent to Slough House. Peter Judd, now home secretary, has plans to use the situation for his own ends, but his Tiger Team have motives of their own which dont necessarily ally with Judds. [1] Season two premiered on December 2, 2022. True, Ho and Standish managed to retroactively track the movements of Alan Black's alias and locate the van he had hired for the kidnapping. These are such fun books that I have to drop everything and read them as soon as each one comes out. As the slow horses try to work out whats going on, they find themselves caught up in events outside their control and in the cross hairs of a ruthless enemy who doesnt care about collateral damage . Regents Park has lost three cold bodies identities or legends in the trade worked up by the civil service from birth to provide rock-solid cover cover for a Joe in the field. History Season 1 At an airport, River Cartwright gets ready to board his flight while waiting for someone. All we know about her on the show is that she's lonely and misses being part of a team. Lamb suggests that Krymov lied about Pashkin being Nevskys representative, with the younger Russian likely being his competitor. The fun (and poignant bonding) of Bad Actors lies in watching all the others, at Slough House and beyond, gradually realize that only Lambs irreverent demands and plans are likely to get them out of a mess thats so absurd, so wracked with capers and collapses, then even Claude Whelan will say he cant tear his eyes away. Since the first book came out back in 2010, Mick Herron's Slough House series has been a favourite among fans of spy novels. Their boss, Jackson Lamb is still keeping his team busy with pointless and unproductive assignments: following up social media absconders (#gonequiet), failures to pay fines or potential safe-houses for non-friendlies. David discusses the cicada theory of Russian sleeper agents embedded in British society, which MI5 dismissed as a hoax after no sleepers were found and discovered that the programs alleged mastermind, Alexander Popov, did not exist. Dead Lions: When River Cartwright screwed up, he was sent to the Slough House. It is also revealed that Standish narrowly escaped a treason charge through her links with Partner and his death. Slough House is an administrative purgatory for MI5 service rejects who have bungled their job but somehow have not been outright fired. Your email address will not be published. Warning Spoilers ahead for all books in the series! River didn't know if he really believed that, but he knew for sure that he didn't know he didn't, and if River thought that way others might too, and act upon the possibility. Im skeptical. So chipper, so needy, so inept. Lamb executed him to protect MI5, and was given Slough House as a reward. What the Slow Horses did manage to do was foil Di Taverner's plan to mop up her mess by executing the remaining kidnapper. No wonder Jackson Lambs crew are feeling paranoid. With a seasoned spy for a grandfather, his star in MI5 was expected to ascend into the stratosphere. Joe Country was particularly bloody for some of them. Fans will scour Bad Actors for news of River Cartwright, . What seems a gutless response from the government has pushed the Services First Desk into mounting her own counter-offensive but shes had to make a deal with the devil fist. A handful of engaging spy thrillers followed before the author paused his novels to focus on journalism, although its also worth noting that he has freelanced. . And true, Min and Louisa managed to follow that van Until they ran out of petrol because Min was hungry and thinking about sex instead of filling up the tank. However, one of the business men behind the deal, looking to make contacts in Russia, passes on sensitive information to the GRU who are looking to escalate matters. River Cartwright aliases River Cartwright MI-5 agent in London, in his early 30s; grandson of MI-5 legend David Cartwright. figure, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - Xbox cross-gen bundle (EU & UK), Anker PowerCore Essential 20,000 PD Power Bank, Nope explained: Jean Jacket, Gordy's Home and more. BTW I suspect Mack who left the first comment on 12th February last year was more than happy with Garry Oldmans portrayal of Jackson Lamb. Ho notifies River that Chernitsky's destination is Tunbridge Wells, where his grandfather lives. Standish beats Krymov in a game of chess, and he reveals it was Katinsky, not Pashkin he met with to set up the Webb meeting. She was announced as having died, but Roddy Ho inferred from her sudden online invisibility that she had been 'disappeared'. However, they cant afford to ignore the assassination, on UK soil, of a Russian defector. Louisa Guy goes to Pembrokeshire to find him; after all she had been in a relationship with Min, another slow horse and Lucas father. We soon discover that Lamb is playing a deception game and that River has instead brought the O.B. This is yet another winning book from the series featuring the "slow horses" of Britain's intelligence world. The seventh entry to the Slough House series is as thrilling and bleeding-edge relevant as ever. Meanwhile, Claude Whelan, current First Desk, is caught between a weak PM and a populist MP flushed from a successful Brexit referendum. Blonde, handsome, smart, passionate, and the grandson of an MI5 legend (played by Jonathan Pryce), he is obviously meant to be the . What didn't become clear till later was that Webb had misled Cartwright on Di Taverner's instructions in order to discredit him, because River had previously tailed Taverner on his own initiative and seen her talking with Black. I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. Min wasnt killed by her car, and she was not driving. River was there ostensibly because he messed up a training exercise at Stansted Airport that killed 149 hypothetical people. [3] It has received critical acclaim. But if you've read any others, and liked them, you'll like this one. Now, like his fellow slow horses, he keeps looking for new ways to revive his career. Isnt he explicitly compared to Spall in of the of the early books? Slough House has been compromised, and now a new team of killers is in the UK. Your email address will not be published. Jackson Lamb wasnt demoted to Slough House he was given the post, at his request, after Charles Partner died. River Cartwright was sent to Slough House after a training exercise left King's Cross crashed. Herron won the prestigious CWA Gold Dagger for this novel, though for my money his debut is a better book.Buy now on Amazon, Catherine Standish is abducted by a disgraced soldier with service connections in his past. If I was being nit-picky, then Id question why Lady Di didnt do her due diligence before getting back in withJudd given how careful she usually is, but equally Herron does make clear they had history together and the nature of the revelation does hold a lot of delicious possibilities for future books given how ensnared Lady Di now is. Hes also ruthlessly effective. Get ready for some book spoilers that may affect future seasons of Slow Horses. Well that was an experience: high-speed foot chases, unexpected decapitations, incompetent spies and a lot of middle-aged flatulence. River calls in a Code September, prompting Taverner to evacuate Judd from his speech at The Royal Exchange and the immediate area around The Glasshouse. . Slow Horses, based on the first of Mick Herron's Slough House novels, follows the fortunes of a bunch of Security Service exiles under Gary Oldman's grotesquely seedy, unsupportive leader Jackson Lamb, as they attempt to untangle an ongoing act of domestic terrorism. Sparrows ambition doesnt end there though. Cartwright, David - Known as the power behind the throne in his time at MI5 in the 70's and 80's. Now known as the "OB", Old Bastard. Because I already know that lurking inside is an intricate plot wrapped around plenty of wit & humour. The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal on season 3, Neighbours announces seven more returning cast. Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.Buy now on Amazon. Herron uses the plot to make some biting comments about the use of private money in security operations and the importance of standing up to bullies. Hes a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. I would also love to know whats happening with Sid as well as how River is dealing with his fathers death! And this series is one of my favorites. At the head of this seeming hodgepodge of debris stands the Falstaffian Jackson Lamb. "The Dogs" arrive, but the group prevent them from killing the detained Curly. Being a non-native speaker, reading this series is more than a pleasure, it's an invaluable treasure chest with the modern English, seasoned with wit, sarcasm and Englishness. Slough House is the seventh book in the Slough House/Jackson Lamb series by award-winning British author, Mick Herron. He was a connection to the O. Hes ineffectual, arrogant and completely unaware of his failings. (LogOut/ The title track "Strange Game" was performed by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who wrote the song exclusively for the show[15] together with the shows composer Daniel Pemberton. Jackson Lamb investigates, finding Bough's hidden phone under the seat with the message cicada, and gets the team to look deeper. The Russians cut the session when a friend visits, and afterwards Min is killed when supposedly struck accidentally by a car as he is cycling home drunk. Mick Herron. One of them has been used to commit a terrorist atrocity in a London shopping centre. Over the course of the Slough House series, there have been a number of plot threads that have been left open for future stories. But it was Hassan who turned the goons against each other reducing their numbers to one and Hassan who finally knocked his captor out with a well-thrown rock. The team, acting on the orders of Taverner, shoots the man dead even though he was unarmed and surrendering, to prevent any . Since Dead Lions, Herron has setup an every other book dynamic of killing off slow horses. His description of the man Popov was speaking to, Andrei Chernitsky, matches Boughs killer. This might explain his loyalty to his team when they are in peril, and makes his otherwise rude and bullying behaviour towards them forgivable. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Mick Herron has done it again. Mick Herron is not kind to his characters. River Cartwright, is away in Kent, mourning the death of the OB, short for the Old Bastard who was Cartwright's grandfather, surrogate father and was a service legend. Taverner confronts Judd at his home, revealing that calls he made to his far-right contacts after Hobden visited resulted in the mission being compromised and Black's death. If that was happening, River needed to stop it. [9] The cast was rounded out in December 2020 with the additions of Olivia Cooke, Jonathan Pryce, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden. One could certainly be excused for not looking at Lambbetween his predictably terrible farts, his smoking and spitting, and his disgustingly soiled clothing and office, hes both camouflaged and repellent. But is the victim who he first appears to be? They had their own neo-Nazi reasons for doing this but it turned out that the plot was initiated by MI5 Second Desk "Lady" Di Taverner (Kristin Scott-Thomas) as a false-flag operation to earn her Brownie points in her boss' absence. Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? Charles Partner was, in fact, a double agent at the top of MI5, and had been getting away with selling Britain's secrets for years thanks to the befuddled ignorance of his alcoholic assistant, Catherine Standish. Hassan's kidnappers, Moe, Larry, Curly and Zeppo, hold him hostage in a London terrace basement, with it transpiring that Simmonds is behind the kidnapping. Roddy Ho is the computer whiz, uber-geek and the butt of everyones jokes, not just Lambs. Skripal and his daughter were badly poisoned, but eventually recovered. She claims to have an operative embedded with the Sons of Albion who organised the kidnapping, but will also facilitate the rescue. Required fields are marked *. 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