Jackson Lamb is the head of Slough House and a former Joe, or field agent in Slough House slang. His deft and sympathetic characterisation affords the reader a connection with the slow horses (the Park’s nickname for their castoffs) which grows with every triumph, every obstacle overcome, and their losses are felt keenly.īefore we discuss the books in more detail, let’s have a look at some of the main characters. Right from the first book, Herron shows he’s not afraid to kill off his creations and some of those deaths hit very hard indeed. That’s not to say there isn’t heartbreak. These are remarkably politically incorrect, but work because of Lamb’s unbreakable loyalty to his misfit crew. Alongside that are running gags, observational humour and the vulgar insults Jackson Lamb regularly spits at his team. The subject matter allows for some sophisticated satire and some notable current politicians are lampooned pseudonymously. Humour is another a core ingredient of the series. It’s not universally true – no-one likes the character Roddy Ho, for example – but River Cartwright and Catherine Standish form a bond, as do Louisa Guy and Min Harper, and Shirley Dander and Marcus Longridge. Everyone enjoys an underdog story of course, but on top of that, the novels are about friendships forged from the common bond of disappointment but tested in life-and-death situations. Part of the popularity of the series lies in the fact these books simply make you feel good. One of the first things to appreciate is that each novel is an underdog story – a group of individuals, under-qualified and under-resourced, who have to beat their better-off cousins at The Park to save the day. In the dilapidated offices of Slough House, these files spooks spend their time on various pointless tasks, designed to break their will and bring about their resignations, avoiding the hassle, expense and bad publicity of employment tribunals. They’re not allowed anywhere near MI5 HQ, which is referred to as Regent’s Park although the organisation is no longer based there.

The central conceit of the books is that MI5, like any large organisation, needs somewhere to place its most hopeless employees, and this place is Slough House, a building just around the corner from the Barbican Centre. The London setting, cast of memorable characters and espionage storylines have made the series ripe for adaptation, and it’s no surprise Apple pulled all the stops, casting such famous names as Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce and Sophie Okonedo with the production of Slow Horses, which you can now watch on Apple TV+. English crime author Mick Herron didn’t begin his writing career with the Slough House series, but there’s no doubt these novels represent his most successful work.

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