Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$3
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
In Stock.
Arrives
Sunday, Aug 9
Recently Viewed
Description
A New York Times bestselling series THE BOOK BEHIND THE FOURTH SEASON OF SLOW HORSES, THE APPLE ORIGINAL SERIES STARRING GARY OLDMAN IN HIS EMMY-NOMINATED ROLE AS JACKSON LAMB. What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don’t remember they’re secret? Or does someone take care of the senile spy for good? These are the paranoid concerns of David Cartwright, a Cold War–era operative and one-time head of MI5 who is sliding into dementia, and questions his grandson, River, must figure out answers to now that the spy who raised him has started to forget to wear pants. But River, himself an agent at Slough House, MI5’s outpost for disgraced spies, has other things to worry about. A bomb has detonated in the middle of a busy shopping center and killed forty innocent civilians. The “slow horses” of Slough House must figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates. Read more
Publisher : Soho Crime
Publication date : December 12, 2017
Edition : Reprint
Language : English
Print length : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1616958693
ISBN-13 : 95
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.47 x 0.86 x 8.21 inches
Book 4 of 9 : Slough House
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Sunday, Aug 9
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- Zip Pay in 4
- Financing through Apple Pay
- Financing through Google Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Similar Products
$1/mo*
The Cat of Christmas Present (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 10)
$3/mo*
The Wedding Dress Quilt: A Waxahachie, Texas, Quilt Mystery
Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
Like the other books in the series, this is a great one. Great plot. Great characters. Laugh-out-loud humor, sometimes in the most morbid of situations. The character of Jackson Lamb is most intriguing because he is the most endearing, the most humorous, and the most cruel and obnoxious. My friend RP, who recommended the Slough House series to me, notes that Lamb is the best reason to read the books. Quite true. But also perplexing, because Lamb is an a-hole. For example, the character of Catherine Standish is a recovering alcoholic, and Lamb relentlessly pokes at her, pouring her alcoholic drinks when she comes into his office and repeatedly mentioning her drunken past. Lamb makes scatological references, as well as cruel and bigoted jokes about an Asian character, about a Black character, about an old man and about his employees in general. Here are some highlights: “…I’ve had bowel movements that worry me more.” He reflected a moment. “Quite recently, come to think of it.” And: “There’s always Louisa, of course. She’s pretty reliable.” “Well, it’s a sliding scale, isn’t it?” said Lamb. “Least f’d-up employee of the week. We should have a plaque.” And this zinger: “I hate ageism, as you know, but old people are pretty useless.” So why do we love him? Because he’s funny, obviously, but more than that, because when the chips are down, he’s extremely competent and backs his slow horses with his life and career. Lamb has the ingenious ability to understand the motivations of people, to track their tortuous thought processes, to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing or why they are lying. There is also a touching scene where Lamb thinks Catherine Standish may drink an alcoholic beverage he’s given her. And when she doesn’t, he pours the drink into his glass, as if it disturbs him that Catherine might relapse. The reader can tell that Lamb is a broken character, that something so horrible has happened to him he wants the banishment of supervising the exiled slow horses toiling at Slough House. All of this makes him endearing in the same way a grizzly bear is endearing — from a distance, without having to interact with him personally. The detailed descriptions of scenes and settings in the book are superb. When the narrator describes a cafe, it’s easy to imagine the author Mick Herron visiting the place, taking detailed notes and then weaving those notes into the novel. And that applies to each scene in the book. Herron paints vivid pictures that give the reader the sense of being there. Read the passages aloud and then take a moment to close your eyes and visualize them. They’re that good. There is one action scene in the book that is quite unrealistic. It involves a car crash and a bad guy taking a gun from an MI5 agent, who is a former cop. I won’t go into the details, but it is an ugly head in an otherwise brilliant story. (Apparently, the writers of the TV series recognized it as not very plausible and tried to rewrite it. They didn’t do much better. Their scene is literally incredible too.) Still. My recommendation is read this book. You won’t want to put it down.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024 by Glosso
Format: Kindle
Once again this story is impressive with so much character work and intrigue. We learn more about Rivers background (and parentage), we learn more about his mother and the falling out between her and his grandfather who raised him. There’s a mysterious newcomer among Slough House who provides some interesting insight and a fascinating conclusion to a big shoot out in Slough House. We see a final appearance of a favorite of Slough House as well as the start of the ramifications it will have on another member. And Jackson Lamb continues to intrigue and entertain and never fails to show up when it matters most.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2025 by Jeremy
Format: Paperback
The Slow Horses (Slough House) series continues with this strong entry in the series. As with the prior books, the enemies within are a major part of this spy story. The misfits of Slough House under Jackson Lamb has a new case fall into its lap. Again River Cartwright is the focal point to this tale of riveting suspense. His lode star - the grandfather who raised him and who was a former MI5 Second desk, is sliding into dementia. What to do with an old spook who may not realize that his stories are closely held state secrets? Would MI5 put him away permanently to ensure no embarrassing tales of the past are revealed? The writing is strong, though in a few places dialogue has some obtuse utterances. I'm not sure if these are English vernacular or the author's doing, but these "what did he say?" moments only occur a couple of times. The cast of characters is a strong team with book-by book replacements that keep a freshness to the cast. All in all a rip-roaring tale I finished over a weekend. One does wonder why with the Slow Horses being integral to addressing four calamities now for MI5 they haven't been welcomed back to Regent Square with big shiny new IDs. The answer of course is that would destroy the setting and theme of the series and I can overlook this incongruity because these are highly entertaining tales. Highly recommended.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2025 by Wayne A. Smith
Format: Paperback
"Spook Street" is the fourth book in the Slough House series, Slough House being the (fictional) place where MI5 relegates its failures and misfits. I raced through this. I love this series. I love River, Lamb, and Standish, and Molly Doran when she appears. Any moment now, I will also love Louisa Guy (currently holding at like-very-much). This particular book includes shocks and surprises, with a couple of major turns that I anticipated(*). Anticipating what was coming did not diminish my interest in the slightest. There's melodrama here as well as drama, which you might think would lower my opinion of the book. But no. Either this is good melodrama, or I am putty in the author's hands. (Happy putty, if so.) Five out of five London stars. (*) Spoiler warning.... I anticipated two turns in River Cartwright's storyline, one of which had the Gandalf property for me (I'll explain if asked), and the second of which happens to have a parallel in my own experience, thereby making it more guessable. About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2025 by Mary Soon Lee
Format: Audiobook
I love the narrated versions of his work. With this book, some of the characters who will be more developed in future books are just starting to blossom, so it is interesting to see where he was taking them early on. For my money, he's the best writer out there. I laugh right out loud at the wit and enjoy every minute of journey. What's so compelling to me about this series is that the characters aren't world renowned forensic archeologists or highly funded/cutting edge-resourced superstars... they're people who - for many reasons - have had problems in their workplaces but were all brought together under one roof with minimal resources and a wildly unpredictable boss. It doesn't always turn out happy for every character, which is another plus in my mind. They stumble. They often are administrative pawns. They all have a back story that is engaging and believable. I find every one of the Slough House books captivating. The narrations make it all the more transporting for me to hear the British accent. All are very well done and worth your time and money. Become a Slow Horse!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021 by Coast Guard City CVX
Format: Paperback
This 4th novel in the Mick Herron series is very similar to the first three. The writing is superb. While the writing is off the charts great. Herron consistently comes up short on the plot side. Well update here… after just finishjng the novel I have to say the overall plot is good. I am reading the series in lieu of switching my streaming service from Netflix to Apple tv. Actor Gary Oldman is a perfect choice for character Jackson Lamb. As a general observation over the last 30 or 40 years many writers choose the evil within rather than external to the crime fighting organization. I believe this theme is played out. Now after just completing reading the novel I stand by this statement. I will continue to read the series because I do not want to pay for Apple tv.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024 by ddelaney2011
Format: Paperback
When an explosion rocks a London shopping mall during a flash mob scene and kills scores of people, the British intelligence community goes on alert. That is, the Regent’s Park offices of MI5 are alerted, not the paper-pushing misfits called the slow horses led by Jackson Lamb. The slow horses are out of the loop on most significant events affecting national security. This exclusion doesn’t last long. River Cartwright, one of Lamb’s agents, has an overwhelming personal problem to deal with. His grandfather, David, who raised him and was a former MI5 big shot, is experiencing the mental decline of Alzheimer’s. This is a dangerous dilemma for an organization built on secrets, having an agent unable to control what he says and to whom. Someone is very threatened about what David could reveal. A man who looks like River and says he is River visits David at his home and tries to kill him. Fortunately, David has the mental acuity to recognize a threat and, in defending himself, shoots the man dead. Little does River know that the attempt on his grandfather’s life has direct ties to the bombing at the mall. River finds out secrets about his family that have him on the run with a false identity and his grandfather hidden away. He encounters an enemy he has never suspected, one with whom he has strong ties. This is a complex tale with unexpected twists and unrelenting suspense. I enjoy Herron’s dark humor, and this novel has it in abundance. One of my favorite scenes depicts a slow horse agent who talks to herself while she works, sitting with the senile David Cartwright for a few hours. She has forgotten he is in the room and uses an epithet under her breath that triggers Cartwright into revealing information. She has inadvertently stumbled on a code word. It’s scenes like this as well as the brilliant writing that have me reading these books. Like the others in the series, this novel can be read as a standalone and will be appreciated by most suspense and thriller fans.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021 by Katherine Y
Format: Paperback
Excellent story from Mick. Love these books and the way he writes..
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026 by Mike