Gerard Doyle performs this stand-alone dispatch from Mick Herron's cynical "spook street" world with such dry resignation that it is often laugh-out-loud funny, or would be if it weren't so believable. In his Slough House novels (and their TV adaptations, the riveting "Slow Horses") Herron is doing for MI-5 what Dickens did for Chancery and the Circumlocution Office. This novel omits Slough House, but that series' icily corrupt character known as First Desk is either the same woman or cut from the same cloth, and the hapless innocents, villains, and cogs in the system are similarly, wonderfully (or frighteningly) vintage Herron. Doyle's vocal control is masterly, his pacing, range, and attention to detail a perfect match for Herron's, which is highest praise. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

★ 07/03/2023

Herron departs from his bestselling Slough House series for a riveting standalone thriller that combines modern political machinations with Cold War–era spy craft. New leadership in the British parliament results in the official cancellation of Monochrome, an infamously ineffective two-year-old inquiry meant to expose historical misconduct by MI5. Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the civil servants who led the inquiry, are devastated: the embarrassment of Monochrome has all but eliminated their chances for future employment. Not long after Monochrome’s cancellation, however, a stranger slips Malcolm an official file revealing an off-the-books Cold War–era MI5 operation that ended badly in 1994 Berlin. Griselda and Malcolm begin to investigate, and then testimony from the agent assigned to surveil Berlin station chief Brinsley Miles uncovers a new conspiracy to infiltrate British intelligence—which the once-disgraced civil servants are now uniquely positioned to thwart. Herron toggles between present-day London and Cold War–era Berlin, crafting memorable, morally complex characters along the way, without sacrificing any of his trademark humor (the book’s opening sentence: “The worst smell in the world is a dead badger”). Espionage fans of all stripes will devour this exemplary outing. (Sept.)

Praise for The Secret Hours

Finalist for the Libby Book Award for Best Thriller
Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award
Shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
Nominated for the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel
Nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller
A National Bestseller
A New York Times Best Thriller of 2023
An NPR Best Book of 2023
The Guardian Best Crime and Thrillers of 2023
An Air Mail Best Mystery Book of 2023
People Magazine's Best Books of Fall 2023
A Washington Post Noteworthy Book for September
An Amazon Best of the Month - Mystery/Thriller
A BookPage Best Mystery & Suspense Book of 2023
An ABA Indie Next Pick for September 2023
A CrimeReads Top 10 Book for September
A Powell's Pick of the Month
★★★★ Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, BookPage, Library Journal and Booklist

“An intricate espionage thriller from Herron, whose Slough House series is the basis for Apple TV+'s Slow Horses. Bonus: This terrific standalone offers an enticing slice of Slough House's origin story.”
—People Magazine

“Anyone who has yet to discover the particular genius of Mick Herron, author of the darkly hilarious 'Slow Horses' espionage novels, is in for a serious treat. It’s not necessary to read any of his other books before reading this one, but once you start, you’ll want to read them all.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“This page-turning stand-alone novel is a perfect entry point into the eccentric world of civil servants and spies that Herron’s Slough House series so wittily portrays.”
—The Washington Post

“A special treat . . . Herron’s narrative moves with ease between present and past, England and Germany, action and satire, propelled by prescient commentary on the passage of time . . . The Secret Hours culminates in an astonishing denouement that should startle even the savviest spy-fiction fan.”
—Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

“Mick Herron’s latest thriller connects the dots between the sins of the post-Cold War era and the messy, contemporary misadventures of the popular Slough House spy series, it’s also fantastic as a standalone. That said, if you’ve read the previous books, the breadcrumbs are a delight to follow.”
—NPR

“Herron keeps up his gravity-defying balancing act: belly-laugh spy spoof on one side, elegiac state-of-the-nation satire on the other, with a thin, taut line of polished prose between.”
—Financial Times

“The Secret Hours is a stand-alone novel on the periphery of the 'Slow Horses' universe whose focus is a slow-walking inquiry into historical wrongdoing in MI5, Britain’s domestic spy service. The book is classic Herron, featuring mordant humor, bureaucratic power plays, underappreciated functionaries, bravura action sequences and at least one unexpected casualty.”
—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

“Herron is meticulous in his depictions of tradecraft and the dark corners where spooks ply their trade, but he is an unambiguous, 21st-century cynic . . . The Secret Hours is described as a stand-alone, familiar Slough House characters figure in the story under code names, and it contains revelations about their pasts that fans of those books and the Slow Horses TV series won’t want to miss.”
—Air Mail

“The Secret Hours has all of Herron’s tight plotting and characteristically low-key humour. It’s an excellent standalone, but fans of his Slough House books would do well to pick it up too.”
―The Guardian

“Great Britain has a long, rich history of how-it-really-works espionage fiction, and Mick Herron—stealthy as a secret agent—has written himself to the very top of the list. If you haven't already been recruited, start with The Secret Hours—all Herron's trademark strengths are here: tension, intrigue, observation, humor, absurdity . . . and pitch-perfect prose.”
—Lee Child

"The Secret Hours is wonderful. It’s Mick Herron at his best, taking us into a dark world where there is high action, a spinning moral compass, and hidden motives on every page. And, oh, yes, the fun—Herron’s greatest talent may be the examination of serious things with a perfectly wry sense of humor."
—Michael Connelly

“I doubt I’ll read a more enjoyable novel all year. The Secret Hours has it all: thrilling action scenes, crackling dialogue, characters to infuriate and beguile, and a neatly intricate plot. And through it all cuts Herron’s acerbic wit, its effect heightened by the glimpses he allows us, from time to time, from his world to ours.”
—Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

“A deft knockout of a story, with an arc of history, written with humor and style. Mick Herron is one of the best writers of spy fiction working today.”
—Martin Cruz Smith

“There’s wit and suspense on almost every page of The Secret Hours, where the good guys are bad, the bad guys are worse and the reader is in luck.”
—The Seattle Times

“Jam-packed with the kind of acidic insults fans of 'Slow Horses' love.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“A terrific stand-alone novel.”
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

“How good does new British espionage get? Read Mick Herron’s fabulous stand-alone new book and don’t weep for the loss of le Carré. As Herron proved in his brilliant Slough House series, his world of spies can hold its own with the best and here, he takes us back to where the master started: Cold War Berlin and a mission gone wrong.”
—Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail

“Manages to be witty and twisty even as it second-guesses the cleverness and heroism of spies themselves.”
—Slate.com

“The most mesmerizing spy novel you could hope to find since John le Carré left us . . . Herron has gifted us a magnificently plotted and charactered puzzle, marvellously written. Enjoy.”
—Winnipeg Free-Press

“Superb . . . The expertly crafted tale probes political machinations, bureaucratic holdups, and the temptations of revenge. Come for the banter and Briticisms; stay for the conviction that it’s never too late to right past wrongs.”
—Christian Science Monitor

“Simply a masterful new book from today’s premier espionage author.”
—Clea Simon, The Arts Fuse

“Because none of the Slough House characters are mentioned by name, The Secret Hours is not only a gripping standalone for the uninitiated, but also an ideal introduction to the pleasures of the series.”
—Everything Zoomer

“[Herron] proves himself a modern rival to Ian Fleming and John Le Carré... This satire-flecked thriller should establish Herron as an institution.”
―Sunday Times (UK)

“[A] terrific new novel . . . Herron's traditional tradecraft is on show―the Blackadderesque relish of words, the spy-like manipulation of the reader, the understanding of how the English fend off the serious with humour.”
―The Times (UK)

"Herron is a subtle writer who offers a great deal, including psychological insights that stay with you long after the clever plot is complete."
―Literary Review (UK)

“Herron brings a le Carré setup (spies investigating spies) to this exemplary thriller that’s equal parts acerbic and illuminating.”
—CrimeReads

“Amazing and so, so funny.”
—WAMC The Roundtable

“It’s not all Aston Martin sports cars and martinis ('shaken, not stirred') in Herron’s spy world... Billed as a standalone, this smartly written, funny, and complex thriller is a good introduction for newbies, but fans of Herron’s 'Slough House' books will recognize a few crossover characters.”
—Wilda Williams, First Clue Reviews

“Herron continues his winning streak... This novel, filled with acid wit, political pokes, and a veritable basketful of 'Slough House' Easter eggs, will thrill longtime Herron fans and delight newcomers and aficionados of cracking-good spy fiction.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review

“Hailed as a twenty-first-century Le Carré, Herron is a master at portraying the dark, disturbing world of espionage... Gripping, cryptic, tragic, and suspenseful, this must-read will keep readers riveted from first page to last.”
—Booklist, Starred Review

“Espionage fans of all stripes will devour this exemplary outing.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Sly and suspenseful, The Secret Hours is both a marvelous standalone novel and a stunning companion to Herron’s Slough House series.”
—BookPage, Starred Review

“Readers who’ve joined Herron in following the Slow Horses in a series of rollicking, scary novels won’t be surprised to learn that everyone here looks down their noses at everyone else, that everyone has a price, and that conflicts within MI5 are much more likely to turn lethal than conflicts outside, against England’s nominal enemies.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Mick Herron

"The best in a generation, by some estimations, and irrefutably the funniest."
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker

“Intricate plotting, full of twists . . . Herron can certainly write a real spy story, with all the misdirection and sleight of hand that requires. But it’s the surly Slough House mood, the eccentric characters, and Herron’s very black, very dry sense of humor that made me read one after the other without a break.”
—Laura Miller, Slate.com

“Out of a wickedly imagined version of MI5, [Herron] has spun works of diabolical plotting and high-spirited cynicism, their pages filled with sardonic wit, their characters approaching the surreal.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“The sharpest spy fiction since John le Carré.”
—NPR's Fresh Air

“Mick Herron never tells a suspense story in the expected way . . . In Herron's book, there is no hiding under the desk.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Stylish and engaging.”
—The Washington Post

“[Herron] really is funny and his cynicism is belied, here and there, by flashes of the mingled tenderness and anger that seem to define Britain’s post-Brexit self-reflections.”
—USA Today

Herron at his best, taking us into a dark world where there is high action, a spinning moral compass, and hidden motives on every page…with a perfectly wry sense of humor.”

Thrilling action scenes, crackling dialogue, characters to infuriate and beguile, and a neatly intricate plot. And through it all cuts Herron’s acerbic wit.”

Belly-laugh spy spoof on one side, elegiac state-of-the-nation satire on the other, with a thin, taut line of polished prose between.”

Gerard Doyle performs…with such dry resignation that it is often laugh-out-loud funny…Doyle’s vocal control is masterly, his pacing, range, and attention to detail a perfect match for Herron’s, which is highest praise. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”

"A perfect entry point into the eccentric world of civil servants and spies that Herron’s Slough House series so wittily portrays.”

Jam-packed with the kind of acidic insults fans of Slow Horses love.”

There’s wit and suspense on almost every page of The Secret Hours, where the good guys are bad, the bad guys are worse, and the reader is in luck.”

[For] how-it-really-works espionage fiction…tension, intrigue, observation, humor, absurdity…and pitch-perfect prose.”

★ 09/01/2023

"Slough House" series author Herron (Bad Actors) continues his winning streak with this excellent stand-alone spy thriller. As with previous "Slough House" books, underlings are manipulated like game pieces by their MI5 bosses. Some will rise to the occasion and some will not, and nobody is quite what they seem—to the delight of readers who will enjoy connecting events of parallel stories. In the present, civil servants Malcolm Kyle and Griselda Fleet are assigned to Monochrome, an inquiry looking into "historical overreaching" by MI5 agents. They're hamstrung from the start by MI5's top spy, known as First Desk, who blocks all their attempts to get documentation and looks forward to Monochrome's imminent disbanding due to another political changing of the guard. But on the last day of the inquiry, Fleet and Kyle receive a top-secret file concerning a horribly botched case in 1994 Berlin. Readers are whisked into that story, which features wide-eyed newbie Alison, sent to the divided city to spy on agents working there. VERDICT This novel, filled with acid wit, political pokes, and a veritable basketful of "Slough House" Easter eggs, will thrill longtime Herron fans and delight newcomers and aficionados of cracking-good spy fiction.—Liz French

2023-06-21
A nothingburger investigation of the security practices of British intelligence turns red-hot in this stand-alone from the chronicler of Slough House.

The Monochrome panel, convened by an adviser to the prime minister with a special grudge against the British intelligence service to gather evidence whether (read: that) the pencil pushers at Regent’s Park have exceeded their authority, calls witnesses from an interminable list, questions them at tedious length, and then, once it establishes that their testimony is unsuitable or meaningless, destroys its notes on them because they’ll never make it into Monochrome’s final report. Civil servant Griselda Fleet has agreed to serve as the panel’s first chair only because her precarious financial situation means that she can't afford to get canned. Ambitious flack Malcolm Kyle, the second chair, has resigned himself to the fact that his advancement is on hold as long as he’s serving the Crown this way. Then several things jolt everyone to attention. Someone tries to kidnap and kill Max Janacek, a retired academic who has a history with MI5. Someone plants a folder filled with highly classified information on Kyle. And when the worthies of Monochrome decide to pursue the information in that folder—information that never should have come their way—they turn up a witness with jaw-dropping news to impart about an operation that Station House ran in Berlin years ago. Readers who’ve joined Herron in following the Slow Horses in a series of rollicking, scary novels won’t be surprised to learn that everyone here looks down their noses at everyone else, that everyone has a price, and that conflicts within MI5 are much more likely to turn lethal than conflicts outside, against England’s nominal enemies.

As usual, there’s a lot here to swallow. Fans will rejoice to see MI5 survive despite its members’ best efforts.