Praise for Bad Actors

Nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller
A Washington Post Best Mystery & Thriller of 2022
A CrimeReads Best Espionage Novel of 2022
CrimeReads Best New Crime Fiction for May

“What spurs me to keep reading each new installment is Herron’s absurdist voice, which could devolve into cheap cynicism but never does. That’s why the Slough House denizens, from Jackson Lamb to Roddy Ho to newcomer Ashley Kahn, maintain pathos in the face of parody—they may be bitter, but they have pride in themselves and their work.”
—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

“This motley group would never be mistaken for James Bond, but they could easily be compared with the paper sales staff of The Office . . . Herron mixes dry humor, musings on British and global politics, and superbly developed characters.”
—Oline Cogdill, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Herron's plots are masterpieces of convolution and elegant wrong-footing. Beyond that, his action scenes are fast-paced and thrilling—there are a couple of high-octane doozies in this installment. But the real draw of the series is its dark, dark humor . . . One of the most enjoyable series I have ever read.”
—Katherine A. Powers, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Eight novels in, Herron’s Slough House books prove he’s one of the best and wittiest writers to follow in the tradition of Len Deighton and John le Carré . . . The twists and fights are both bloody and funny and done with Herron’s own spy lingo, which gives it all panache. In short, a delight.”
—Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail

“Just as good as its predecessors . . .The magnificently gross but also frighteningly shrewd Jackson Lamb is one of the espionage fiction’s great characters.”
—Laura Miller, Slate

“More proof that, though there may be spy novels with sentences as impeccable as Herron's, it's unlikely there are spy novels that are also as funny . . . Exemplary.”
—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

“Sensational . . . Herron brings his inimitable style to cat-and-mouse action and continues with his vivid portrait of the so-called ‘intelligence’ world.”
—CrimeReads

“Highly entertaining.”
—Seattle Book Review

“A send-up of contemporary British international espionage that turns a jaundiced, droll eye on the undercurrents and corruption of government.”
—Foreword Reviews

“If le Carré brought moral ambiguity to the spy novel in place of Bondian glamour, Herron one-ups the master by showing us that ambiguity has its uncouth comedic side.”
—Booklist, Starred Review

“An outstanding mix of arch humor, superb characterizations, and trenchant political observations.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review