*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* 'To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron's novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carre - is a terrific thing' Gary Oldman Spooks are supposed to be stealthy ... But those who make a noisy mess of their careers end up in Slough House. This is Jackson Lamb's kingdom: a dumping ground for spies who've screwed up. Once high fliers, they're now slow horses, condemned to a life of pushing paper as punishment for crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal. In drab and mildewed offices, these highly trained spies moan and squabble, stare at the walls, and dream of better days - not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a slow horse, and the one thing they have in common is their desire to be back in the action. So when a young man is kidnapped and held hostage, his beheading scheduled for live broadcast on the net, the slow horses aren't going to just sit quietly and watch. And unless they can prove they're not as useless as they're thought to be, a public execution is going to echo round the world. 'The most exciting development in spy fiction since the Cold War' The Times 'The most enjoyable British spy novel in years.' Mail on Sunday 'The new spy master' Evening Standard

In MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere.

A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace.

Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar.

Over at Slough House, the home for demoted and embittered spies, the slow horses are doing what they do best: adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation.

In a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing is the norm, bad actors are bending the rules for their own gain. If the slow horses want to change the script, they'll need to get their own act together before the final curtain.

*Includes the short story Standing by the Wall: A Slough House Interlude*

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* *THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* **THE TIMES THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR** ***WINNER OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022*** 'A gripping thriller' Ian Rankin Slough House - the crumbling office building to which failed spies, the 'slow horses', are banished - has been wiped from secret service records. Reeling from recent losses in their ranks, the slow horses are worried they've been pushed further into the cold, and fatal accidents keep happening. With a new populist movement taking a grip on London's streets, the aftermath of a blunder by the Russian secret service that left a British citizen dead, and the old order ensuring that everything's for sale to the highest bidder, the world's an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. The wise move would be to find a safe place and wait for the troubles to pass. But the slow horses aren't famed for making wise decisions. 'The most completely realised espionage universe since that peopled by George Smiley' The Times 'An absolute tour-de-force' Sunday Express

When one of their own is kidnapped, the washed-up MI5 operatives of Slough House—the Slow Horses, as they're known—outwit rogue agents at the very highest levels of British Intelligence, and even to Downing Street itself.

London: Slough House is the MI5 branch where disgraced operatives are reassigned after they’ve messed up too badly to be trusted with real intelligence work. The “Slow Horses,” as the failed spies of Slough House are called, are doomed to spend the rest of their careers pushing paper, but they all want back in on the action.

When one of their own is kidnapped and held for ransom, the agents of Slough House must defeat the odds, overturning all expectations of their competence, to breach the top-notch security of MI5’s intelligence headquarters, Regent’s Park, and steal valuable intel in exchange for their comrade’s safety. The kidnapping is only the tip of the iceberg, however—the agents uncover a larger web of intrigue that involves not only a group of private mercenaries but the highest authorities in the Secret Service. After years spent as the lowest on the totem pole, the Slow Horses suddenly find themselves caught in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens not only the future of Slough House, but of MI5 itself.

*PRE-ORDER THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR MICK HERRON* 'Stunningly plotted and written, this masterclass in intrigue is brimming with tension and paranoid energy' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'All Herron's trademark strengths are here: tension, intrigue, observation, humour, absurdity . . . and pitch-perfect prose' Lee Child Two years ago, the Monochrome inquiry was set up to investigate the British secret service. Monochrome's mission was to ferret out misconduct, allowing the civil servants seconded to the inquiry, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, unfettered access to confidential information in the service archives. But with progress blocked at every turn, Monochrome is circling the drain ... Until the OTIS file appears out of nowhere. What classified secrets does OTIS hold that see a long-redundant spy being chased through Devon's green lanes in the dark? What happened in a newly reunified Berlin that someone is desperate to keep under wraps? And who will win the battle for the soul of the secret service - or was that decided a long time ago? Spies and pen-pushers, politicians and PAs, high-flyers, time-servers and burn-outs . . . They all have jobs to do in the daylight. But what they do in the secret hours reveals who they really are. 'Wonderful. Mick Herron at his best' Michael Connelly, author of Desert Star 'I doubt I'll read a more enjoyable novel all year' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* 'The best thriller writer in Britain today' Sunday Express At Regent's Park, the Intelligence Service HQ, new First Desk Claude Whelan is learning the job the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered Prime Minister, he's facing attack from all directions: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks. Over at Slough House, the last stop for washed up spies, the crew are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - making a bad situation much, much worse. 'Mick Herron is the John le Carre of our generation' Val McDermid 'Dazzingly inventive' Sunday Times

*PRE-ORDER THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR MICK HERRON* 'Stunningly plotted and written, this masterclass in intrigue is brimming with tension and paranoid energy' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'All Herron's trademark strengths are here: tension, intrigue, observation, humour, absurdity . . . and pitch-perfect prose' Lee Child Two years ago, the Monochrome inquiry was set up to investigate the British secret service. Monochrome's mission was to ferret out misconduct, allowing the civil servants seconded to the inquiry, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, unfettered access to confidential information in the service archives. But with progress blocked at every turn, Monochrome is circling the drain ... Until the OTIS file appears out of nowhere. What classified secrets does OTIS hold that see a long-redundant spy being chased through Devon's green lanes in the dark? What happened in a newly reunified Berlin that someone is desperate to keep under wraps? And who will win the battle for the soul of the secret service - or was that decided a long time ago? Spies and pen-pushers, politicians and PAs, high-flyers, time-servers and burn-outs . . . They all have jobs to do in the daylight. But what they do in the secret hours reveals who they really are. 'Wonderful. Mick Herron at his best' Michael Connelly, author of Desert Star 'I doubt I'll read a more enjoyable novel all year' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* *THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* 'Sets a new bar for spy fiction' Financial Times In Slough House, the backwater for failed spies, 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. 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 for killing a slow horse breaks cover at last, Lamb sends his crew out to even the score. This time, they're heading into joe country. And they're not all coming home. 'The go-to author for British espionage' Guardian 'Bitingly intelligent, light of touch and frequently hilarious' Observer

A fantastic mystery short story collection, the perfect Christmas gift for crime fiction lovers A beloved detective dies in a fire Sherlock Holmes takes a trip to Italy A disastrous case of mistaken identity From his well-loved detective duo, DCI Dalziel and DI Pascoe to his own reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, Reginald Hill’s unforgettable characters and unique blend of humour and suspense make him one of Britain’s greatest crime writers. Complete with a foreword by Mick Herron, this collection of short stories showcases the very best of this iconic mystery writer.

*A Slough House Christmas short story from the Sunday Times number one bestseller of BAD ACTORS.* Here in Slough House, the intelligence service's home for inept spies, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Roddy Ho is used to being the one the slow horses turn to when they need miracles performed, and he's always been Jackson Lamb's Number Two. So when Lamb has a photograph that needs doctoring, it's Ho he entrusts with the task. Christmas is a time for memories, but Lamb doesn't do memories - or so he says. But what is it about the photo that makes him want to alter it? How would the slow horses cope if Roddy Ho didn't exist? And most importantly of all, are the team having Christmas drinks, and if so, where? Standing by the Wall offers a glimpse into the kind of seasonal merriment you might expect at Slough House, where the boss generally marks the festive season with an increase in hostilities. But then, this is the secret service, not Secret Santa. And the slow horses aren't here to enjoy themselves. Roddy Roddy Roddy? Ho Ho Ho!

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* 'To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron's novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carre - is a terrific thing' Gary Oldman Slough House is the outpost where disgraced spies are banished to see out the rest of their derailed careers. Known as the 'slow horses' these misfits have committed crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal while on duty. In this drab and mildewed office these highly trained spies don't run ops, they push paper. Not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a slow horse and the one thing they have in common is they want to be back in the action. 'The most exciting development in spy fiction since the Cold War' The Times 'The most enjoyable British spy novel in years.' Mail on Sunday 'The new spy master' Evening Standard

'Unexpected and satisfying . . . The engaging heroine never loses her cool, from the melancholy opening to the whirlwind finale, a marvellously extended set-piece' Kirkus Reviews Zoe Boehm has harbored a distinct aversion to death ever since she shot the man intent on killing her. So when Caroline Daniels takes a deadly fall in front of a train and her lover fails to turn up at the funeral, Zoe wants nothing to do with the case. But Caroline's boss is persistent, and as Zoe attempts to unlock the secrets of a woman she's never met while in search of a man who could be anywhere, she starts to wonder if he's found her first. And if he has, will that make her the next victim, or prove to be her salvation from a paralysing fear?

*Pre-order BAD ACTORS now - now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* POLITICS IS A DANGEROUS GAME In MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere. A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar. Over at Slough House, the home for demoted and embittered spies, the slow horses are doing what they do best: adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation. In a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing is the norm, bad actors are bending the rules for their own gain. If the slow horses want to change the script, they'll need to get their own act together before the final curtain. 'Mick Herron is the John le Carre of our generation' Val McDermid 'Mick Herron is such a joyously stylish writer' Ian Rankin 'Mick Herron is an incredible writer' Mark Billingham 'Mick Herron is one of the finest writers of his generation' Steve Cavanagh

Two Slough House Novellas **THE DROP** 'It is time Mick Herron was recognised in his own right as the best thriller writer in Britain today' Sunday Express Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone cafe, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality. A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information. It's also what happens just before you hit the ground. **THE LIST** 'Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to' Mark Billingham Dieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that the deceased had been keeping a secret second bank account - and there's only ever one reason a spy has a secret second bank account. The question of whether he was a double agent must be resolved, and its answer may undo an entire career's worth of spy secrets. **previously published as two separate editions**

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 questions River Cartwright must ask when his grandfather, a Cold War–era operative, starts to forget to wear pants and begins to suspect everyone in his life has been sent by the Service to watch him.

But River has other things to worry about. A bomb goes off in the middle of a busy shopping center and kills forty innocent civilians. The agents of Slough House have to figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.

*FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING SLOUGH HOUSE THRILLERS* Mick Herron is 'Britain's finest living thriller writer' (Sunday Express) and author of the bestselling and award-winning Slough House novels. Dolphin Junction captures his trademark tension, humour, and suspense in the form of short fiction, collected here for the first time. When a wife leaves her husband under suspicious circumstances, he sets off in search for her, unprepared for the guilty secrets he's about to drag back into the light. A man is tempted by a luxury apartment with a top-of-the-range kitchen. But there is a heavy price to pay for this glamorous new life. A couple go on a hike through the Derbyshire countryside, to ignore the fact their marriage is on the rocks. And there is a peek into the past of Jackson Lamb, the boss of Slough House, as well as stories featuring the shrewd detective Zoe Boehm and her hapless partner Joe Silvermann. Dolphin Junction displays Herron's craft for deftly plotted storytelling, dark wit, and memorable twists. 'Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to' Mark Billingham 'Mick Herron is one of the finest writers of his generation' Steve Cavanagh

'This tightly plotted tragicomedy will provide a welcome fix for addicts awaiting Herron's seventh Jackson Lamb novel' The Times 'Packed with Herron's trademark witty one-liners and sardonic humour . . . it's clear why Herron is a force to be reckoned with and the best thriller writer in Britain today' Daily Express 'A slim serio-comic offering . . . It plays out typically cleverly' Sunday Times If life in the Intelligence Service has taught John Bachelor anything, it's to keep his head down. Especially now, when he's living rent-free in a dead spook's flat. So he's not delighted to be woken at dawn by a pair of Regent's Park's heavies, looking for a client he's not seen in years. John doesn't know what secrets Benny Manors has stolen, but they're attracting the wrong attention. And if he's to save his own skin, not to mention safeguard his living arrangements, John has to find Benny before those secrets see the light. Benny could be anywhere, provided it serves alcohol. So John sets out on a reluctant trawl through the bars of the capital, all the while plagued by the age-old questions: Will he end up sleeping in his car? How many bottles of gin can he afford at London prices? And just how far will Regent's Park go to prevent anyone rocking the Establishment's boat?

'Herron is a stylish writer with a mordant sensibility and a deadly wit. He's also a tricky plotter' New York Times Book Review When Zoe Boehm agrees to track down the gang who knocked over Sweeney's jewellery shop, she's just hoping to break even in time for tax season. She certainly doesn't expect to wind up in a coffin. But she's about to become entangled with a strange collection of characters, starting with suicidal Tim Whitby, who's dedicating what's left of his life to protecting the pretty, battered Katrina Blake from her late husband's sociopathic brothers, Arkle and Trent. Unfortunately for Zoe, Arkle has a crossbow, Tim has nothing left to lose, and even Katrina has her secrets. And death, like taxes, can't be avoided forever.

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman* 'The new king of the spy thriller' Mail on Sunday From the Intelligence Service purgatory that is Slough House, where disgraced spies are sent to see out the dregs of their careers, Jackson Lamb is on his way to Oxford, where a former spook has turned up dead on a bus. Dickie Bow was a talented streetwalker once, good at following people and bringing home their secrets. He was in Berlin with Lamb, back in the day. But he's not an obvious target for assassination in the here and now. On Dickie's phone Lamb finds the last message he ever left, which hints that an old-time Moscow-style op is being run in the Intelligence Service's back-yard. Once a spook, always a spook, and even being dead doesn't mean you can't uncover secrets. Dickie Bow might have tailed his last target, but Lamb and his crew of no-hopers are about to go live. 'Mick Herron is an incredible writer' Mark Billingham 'The spycraft of le Carre refracted through the blackly comic vision of Joseph Heller's Catch-22' Financial Times