Welcome to Litsy!

I have a few books in process but I know I won't be finishing anything tonight so that's a wrap on October. The tagged was my favorite of the month.

A bunch of has-beens and loners in Britain's secret service are consigned to Slough House after screwing up. But there is more to these misfits than first appears, esp their boss.They stumble on some clues related to a kidnapped teenager which leads to 24 hours of buck passing, back stabbing, conspiracy theories, and other twists. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Because I‘m a wuss & often find psychological violence more disturbing than physical violence, I skimmed most of the abduction parts, but I loved the machinations of the spies. Thank you to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for giving me this book last Christmas.

On Friday, I started two different books and couldn‘t stick with either. I binged the first season and a half of Slow Horses on Apple TV yesterday, started another book that I just can‘t stick with earlier today and am switching over to the tagged book that‘s been on my shelves for YEARS. I probably should wait until I finish all four seasons of the TV show, but I‘m hoping for a book I can‘t put down. 🤞🏻

Loved the book just like I love the show!

The slow horses are MI 5‘s losers. They “work” in a rundown office building separated from MI 5‘s glamorous headquarters. Herron deftly created a cast of antiheroes, the plot is full of twists I didn‘t see coming. There‘s humour and action. Slow horses is a well written, clever spy novel. I already borrowed book 2 in the series.

I loved the show! Casting and acting is terrific. Thought the book might be fun, too 🤩

However, it is SO much like the show, that… I prefer watching.

#Apr2025 Book 32

An excellent way to spent the day. Perhaps this will be my year of spycraft? I could see it.

Thank you @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for these marvellous #AussieSecretSanta gifts. The books (wonderful surprises!) look great and I love the Group of Seven photo & the gorgeous bracelets. I‘m thrilled!

80% done with this book, which is the last square I need for book bingo! (Page to screen square).

Finally finished this very entertaining book on the long bus ride back from Lake Loen. It, like the waters above, was green due to glacial waters—super cool. Anyway, the book. Loved it & the quirky, seemingly down on their luck characters lead by the indomitable Jackson Lamb. The mystery unfolds in a most satisfying way & the cat & mouse game(s)—because there really is more than one—keep the pace moving. I‘ll definitely read more of the series.

Slow Horses…slow reader. I‘m really enjoying the book but keep getting distracted by the views…

The book is, for me, proving to be every bit as entertaining as the show. It‘s early going yet but I suspect I‘ll be reading more in the series when I‘m done with this one.

I‘ve really enjoyed watching this show (on Apple TV+) and thought I‘d give the books a go. They won‘t have Gary Oldman but since it‘s a well established series, I‘m hoping for an entertaining read.

In this tense spy thriller, a young man's life hangs in the balance as the washed out MI5 agents of Slough House become involved in an operation far outside their normal workaday tedium. An interesting cast of characters and the horrifyingly high stakes if they fail make this book an engrossing read. I will keep an eye out for additional books in this series--apparently there are quite a few.

1. My dad
2. Any of the Slow Horses books, yes Jackson Lamb is a hero, he always saves his team

Failed spies get sent to Slough House. Lamb, their leader, is enigmatic, surly and gives no quarter. Cartwright is quite certain he was set up to fail, he just can't figure out who did it. Then: A kid kidnapped and threatened with beheading. Even the slow horses want to get in on the action.


#ReadYourEbooks
#Roll100
#BacklistReadathon

@CBee, @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper, @clwojick

Currently reading Slow Horses. Hopefully I'll get to at least one more this month.

#ReadYourEbooks
@CBee

This is a MI5 thriller about the kidnapping of a young man of Pakistani heritage by a far right group. There are numerous characters, the plot is very complicated, the British expressions were sometimes unfamiliar to me and the story changes POV suddenly and often. In spite of all that I enjoyed the book, as the plot is clever & the characters are interesting & realistically flawed and will be adding the next one to my TBR pile. 3.75/5 stars.

We have a new #thrillercorner episode up over on Patreon! We review Mick Herron's Slow Horses, talk a bit about The Rock (the movie not the wrestler), and Wade into the tea vs coffee debate. Subscriptions start at 3 bucks a month and you receive immediate access to loads of bonus content! Enjoy!

patreon.com/therewillbebooks

We're back with the popular Thriller Book Club, and this time we read the very impressive spy thriller, Slow Horses by Mick Herron. Listen as we discuss the setup of the story/series and all the twists that make this a very successful and rewarding spy thriller. High recommend from us both!

https://www.patreon.com/therewillbebooks

Just posted our new Patreon episode! We are selecting a spy novel to read for our Thriller Corner segment. Our Patreon is a great way to support the show and subscriptions start as low as 3 bucks a month and come with access to bonus episodes and merchandise. Check it out if you're interested!

https://www.patreon.com/therewillbebooks

That was...REALLY good. Fantastic pacing which feels especially important in this type of novel. I think there are certain passages that would be written differently in 2022 than 2010, but for a spy/has-been-spy novel involving various political and interpersonal clashes, violence, and detestable (white supremacist) foes, I didn't encounter an offensive authorial voice,

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#12booksof2022
March
@Andrew65

Well rounded characters, action, intrigue, and humor…love the humor. Spy craft with so many double crosses your head will spin…but in a good way…so well written that the twists and turns in the plot don‘t confuse the story, and you always feel engaged. ❤️ #bookspin

Started out slow and with so many characters that I almost quit. Glad I hung in there because it picked up and the plot turned out to be a lot of fun.

I watched the Apple TV series adaptation of this book and really enjoyed it, so needed to checkout the book. This was a fun post-Cold War spy novel. The “slow horses” of Slough House are has-beens and fuck-ups, who have been relegated to busy work outside the MI5 inner circle at Regent‘s Park. The TV series is a very faithful adaptation of the first book, and I hope future seasons are in the works. Just started the 2nd book in the series.

I've read three books in this series now, because I have zero executive function at the moment and it's easier to read these than find a series I'll like more. And they are very readable, technically competent, decent plots. But it is an ensemble cast of characters and I am only engaged by one. I keep reading to find out how this one character is getting on while being mildly annoyed by the rest. Also not enjoying the humour.

Interesting and quite different spy story. Now I'll have to watch it on AppleTV 🤓

1. Sadly many of my favorite authors have passed on. I like Leaphorn and Chee, Charley Moon, and Amelia Peabody. Presently the Gaslight Mystery team.
2. Both? I like guessing, but also a surprising twist.
3. Tagged Slow Horses on a friend's recommendation.
@ozma.of.oz

Jan 2021 - read before I watch / spy novel - slow to start and almost quit more than once but very glad to have stuck with it. Just fun and the characters interesting. James Bond for the every person - humans messing up with style.

New Slow Horses TV adaptation!

This is the first book in a fantastic series set in London. Jackson Lamb is the foul-mouthed, awful genius in charge of Slough House - the place where MI5 sends its embarrassments. The best spy books I‘ve read in years! #20series20days @Andrew65

Phew, what a ride! The writing style took a little getting used to, but this is a fab spy novel that's more gritty than glam. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!

Worth a read..True heir to Deighton/ Le Carre. Full review link below https://prathamesh87.wordpress.com/2020/01/03/book-review-slow-horses-by-mick-he...

What a story... one of the best spy novels I have read since the George Smiley series.. Jackson Lamb just cracks me up...

This one was really good. A really fun spy romp with a bunch of misfits. Jackson Lamb deserves to be up there with George Smiley.

I enjoyed this audiobook. Clever story good narration #MountTBR

The premise was excellent. The execution had some flaws. Overall, pick. I'll likely read the second in the series.

Round two with a broken down car. Worked better this morning, but I guess the radiator decided to crack this afternoon. At least I have a prettier view this time...

#losingmymind

A really good mystery and a great reader and glory be, there are sequels! #buildingamystery #timbittunes

After having accidentally read the 5th book in this series, I went back to the start. It‘s a great MI5, London-based thriller that goes into the politics of the intelligence community, and particularly the agents who have fallen from grace. A very easy and enjoyable read 👍🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️

British spy novel - not my usual genre.
The 'slow horses', in question turn out to be an oddball collection of burnt-out, socially awkward, rejects from MI5 tossed into Slough House to wait out the rest of their now non-existent careers. It's a fun journey learning the inevitable lesson; you should never discount a slow horse.

I do think there were some niggling writing issues. But I am happy to hunt down the next one - Dead Lions.

Loved this modern day spy novel about a group of disgraced agents stuck doing paperwork as punishment for various screw-ups. The plot whips by at a breakneck pace, and the writing is sharp and witty. It‘s the first book in a series, so I‘m looking forward to spending more time with the folks at Slough House in the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

“It‘s the cover-up that gets you in the end, Nick. She knows that, but she thinks she‘s the exception. That‘s what everybody thinks. And everybody‘s always wrong.”

Was looking for a change from the fantastical (almost everything I‘ve read since late November has been sci-fi or fantasy), so I started this book about disgraced British spies.

Bring a book on the boat, the in-laws said, and you can read while we fish. We‘ll keep an eye on the Bebe, who has his own fishing pole and net.

So I did. I finished my book, and no one fell overboard or got dehydrated or sunburned.

Read this! Crime fiction with laughs.
"Their conversation had been focused at first (Jackson Lamb is a bastard), then becoming speculative (what makes Jackson Lamb such a bastard?) before drifting into the sentimental (wouldn‘t it be sweet if Jackson Lamb fell under a threshing machine?). "