THE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF SLOW HORSES, THE APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES STARRING GARY OLDMAN IN HIS EMMY-NOMINATED ROLE AS JACKSON LAMB.
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.
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A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year A Telegraph Best Crime Novel of the Year Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Best Thriller
“[Herron's] cleverly plotted page-turners are driven by dialogue that bristles with one-liners. Much of the humor comes from Herron’s sharp eye for the way bureaucracies, whether corporate or clandestine, function and malfunction. The world of Slough House is closer to The Office than to 007.” —The Associated Press
"A pulsating spy thriller about a kidnapped fallen spy whose colleagues uncover a plot threatening the future of the security service." —The Daily Express (UK)
"[Herron is the] le Carré of the future . . . The characters are brilliant." —Patrick Neale on BBC's The Oxford Book Club
"Heroic struggles, less-heroic failures and a shoot-out-cum-heist . . . with no let-up in the page turning throughout." —Esquire
"If you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers. Better still, read the whole series." —The Spectator
"[Reads] like an episode of Spooks written by Ricky Gervais . . . With his poet's eye for detail, his comic timing and relish for violence, Herron fills a gap that has been yawning ever since Len Deighton retired." —The Daily Telegraph,★★★★★
"Masterful . . . Deliciously tongue-in-cheek and with a strikingly serpentine construction, it is a thriller that moves Herron close to the class of Graham Greene." —The Daily Mail
"All the action you might want from an espionage thriller is to be found in Real Tigers, with betrayal, double-dealing and a fantastically violent climax in an underground facility, but the true pleasures of Mick Herron’s Gold Dagger-winning Slough House series lie elsewhere: in the sharp wit and dry irony and elegant grace of the prose, the razor-sharp characterisation . . . Think Le Carré with fewer posh people and laugh-out-loud funny. Mick Herron is the real deal." —Irish Times
"[The Slough House series is] among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years . . . Real Tigers sees them dragged center stage when the kidnap of Lamb's assistant sets into motion a narrative of breathtaking ingenuity. Brilliant." —London Metro
"Satire, verbal sparring and gunfights are deftly combined in a excellently written novel permeated by Herron's sly, dry and very English sense of humour—rather as if Philip Larkin or Alan Bennett had had a go at spy fiction." —The Sunday Times (London)
"Brilliantly twisty . . . Fun and thrilling in equal measure, Real Tigers is an absolute joy." —The Mail on Sunday
"A riveting read. Mick Herron is masterful at combining plot twists with humour."
— Nick (5/5)
Good novel
"Continuing thriller in the ongoing Slow Horses series."
— Kit A. (5/5)
Mick Herron wins again
"I've really enjoyed the t. v. series 'Slow Horses' on apple tv plus, and this book follows on with some of the same characters as per the t. v. programme. This is a different spy genre from John LeCarre in that the main characters have lots of previous somewhat questionable history with the British spy services, and have been 'sent to Coventry' for their various mistakes, and/or drug or alcohol dependencies. A very intriguing story."
— HumbleBum (5/5)
Great Action Thriller
"Really enjoyable story. Never disappointing to read the Slow Horses stories."
— DN (5/5)
A worthy successor
"The twisted plot of John Lecarre and the dialogue and characters of Len Deighton. A great read"
— Gonzo (5/5)
Great read
"Does no disappoint. If you like the slow horse series"
— Nicole (4/5)
Another great one
"As good as the first two books in the series. Dialogue is great. Characters are believable and human."
— Ryan L. (4/5)
Trust no one
"A real page turner."
— Shetland (5/5)
Great read!
"Cant wait to continue reading the rest of the series."
— Lea B. (5/5)
Real Tigers
"Mick Herron writes terrific books on the spy service in Britain. They are witty and cleverly written with the suspense one expects of a good spy story a La LeCarre. Best read in order with others in the series."
— Marg (5/5)
Q&A
Published date: Jun 10, 2025
Language: English
No. of Pages: 352
Publisher: Soho Press
ISBN: 9781641298124
Dimensions:
5.5" W x
0.96" L x
8.25" H
Mick Herron is a British novelist and short story writer who was born in Newcastle and studied English at Oxford. He is the author of the Slough House espionage series, four Oxford mysteries, and several standalone novels. His work has won the CWA Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement in Crime Writing, the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel, the Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, the Theakstons Novel of the Year Award, the Barry award and the Ellery Queen Readers Award, and been nominated for the Macavity and Shamus Awards. He currently lives in Oxford and writes full-time.
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