Helpful Score: 1
Impressive on so many, many counts: as a stand-alone, this is funny, well-written and a genuinely exciting read. But as the first in a series of novels featuring Jackson Lamb and his cohort of MI5's disappointments and losers, Herron avoids the cardinal sin of first-in-a-series novels -- he doesn't treat his readers like idiots.
In my experience, novels that are setting up a series -- even series that I guess I will eventually warm to -- share similar flaws. They try too hard. The protagonist, he or she who has to carry the heavy load of the dozen or so volumes to come, is too charming, too flawed, usually alcohol, bad marriage, past trauma or brush with the law (undeserved, of course). Sometimes, if the author is really desperate, all of the above. There is too much backstory, and too little serious plot.
Herron, in my opinion, cleverly avoids this, because -- pay attention now, because there will be a quiz -- the back story IS the plot. And it is all gratifyingly serious, in a "ripped from the headlines" sort of way. By the time you reach the ending, you realize that all the little bits of backstory , and all the professional gossip and even seemingly pointless bit of character building that he has been feeding you is important. That's not a SPOILER, that's me doing you a solid -- read and appreciate a Master at Work.
The other pitfall of first-in-a-series novels that Herron avoids is what you might call the opposite of "red shirt" syndrome: unlike the poor drones in Star Trek, whose wardrobe choices signal their fates, the protagonist is bullet-proof. Literally ... bullet-proof. Whether tied to the railroad tracks, or dangling from the top of the Empire State Building, in King Kong's hairy mitt, the Protagonist will survive. When the chips are down, that character is clearly marked for greater, not to say more profitable, things.
With Herron, it's not so much Star Trek as Game of Thrones. No spoilers, but just sayin', don't get too fond of anyone ...
Now, excuse me while I go out and buy the subsequent five volumes in the Jackson Lamb series. I have some catching up to do ...
In my experience, novels that are setting up a series -- even series that I guess I will eventually warm to -- share similar flaws. They try too hard. The protagonist, he or she who has to carry the heavy load of the dozen or so volumes to come, is too charming, too flawed, usually alcohol, bad marriage, past trauma or brush with the law (undeserved, of course). Sometimes, if the author is really desperate, all of the above. There is too much backstory, and too little serious plot.
Herron, in my opinion, cleverly avoids this, because -- pay attention now, because there will be a quiz -- the back story IS the plot. And it is all gratifyingly serious, in a "ripped from the headlines" sort of way. By the time you reach the ending, you realize that all the little bits of backstory , and all the professional gossip and even seemingly pointless bit of character building that he has been feeding you is important. That's not a SPOILER, that's me doing you a solid -- read and appreciate a Master at Work.
The other pitfall of first-in-a-series novels that Herron avoids is what you might call the opposite of "red shirt" syndrome: unlike the poor drones in Star Trek, whose wardrobe choices signal their fates, the protagonist is bullet-proof. Literally ... bullet-proof. Whether tied to the railroad tracks, or dangling from the top of the Empire State Building, in King Kong's hairy mitt, the Protagonist will survive. When the chips are down, that character is clearly marked for greater, not to say more profitable, things.
With Herron, it's not so much Star Trek as Game of Thrones. No spoilers, but just sayin', don't get too fond of anyone ...
Now, excuse me while I go out and buy the subsequent five volumes in the Jackson Lamb series. I have some catching up to do ...
The first 100 pages of this book were slow, because there are a lot of characters to introduce. Despite what it says in the book description, this book is really an ensemble piece and there is no one focal character. Despite the slow start, by the end I had come to like many of the Slow Horses from the Slough House, and will read the next in the series.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
This was a unique spy novel with a clever plot and quirky characters. The "slow horses" (as the Slough House occupants are referred to as) consists of former spies, or "spooks" as they call themselves who made a whopper of a mistake somewhere along the way that sidetracked their careers and left them in this dead end existence. But being a spy is all they know so they hope for a chance to get back in the game. The plot takes some twists and this group of bitter misfits begrudgingly work together to possibly salvage their reputations and improve their lot. I will definitely be reading the next in this series.
