One of the best yet. Amazing how Herron can switch between action scenes so effortlessly ( )

Sixth book in Slow Horses series. Not recommended if you have not been following the series, but a good implementation of the formula that these books follow. ( )

Kinda wish we didn't have River's dad in all this. Pretty good Lamb book, I thought. Standish too. Clearly, obviously a couple of divisions below LeCarré, but still enjoyable.

3.5 stars rounded up. I really considered rounding down instead, but ultimately I'm going with 4. On one hand, I was very engaged and cared about the happenings, which is all great, but on the other hand, I strongly disliked how things ended up for almost every single character's storyline. lol. Not because things didn't make sense, or were too far-fetched, or they acted out of character. Just purely because I didn't want those results, and I feel a little resentful for being given them anyway. =D I don't regret reading this, I was entertained, but I'm definitely disgruntled as well.

The two characters who died were two of my favorites- but also they were both better prepared than the others, and they were the two who hadn't gone there looking for excitement or glory or revenge or over guilt or because they had been assigned to or anything, they were simply there because others needed their help. And those are the two killed off? Really?? >=( Also their deaths seemed especially harsh, Coe's greatest fear was being sliced open and then Herron actually does that to him?? Through no fault of his own really. And off-page on top of it?!? I feel insulted on his behalf. And to kill her off after she'd already shown so much bravery? I feel like they had each earned better treatment than that. But it's not just that I didn't want them killed, everything felt so pointless in the end, they died for pretty much nothing at all really. The kid wasn't trying to get justice, he was just greedy, and almost all the villains just got away with it, and Lamb apparently could get his desired results without risking any of his team apparently. Just... why would you put me through this?? lol. ( )

This latest, #6 will explode any remaining fantasies you might be harboring about the life of the dudes exiled to Slough House. For one, even characters you like won't necessarily make it, leaving an open-ended question whether they really are screw-ups or were vulnerable in some way or other that landed them in this setting. Even though there are such painful losses, I admire what Herron is putting out there. Who knows what the motivation is to go into this line of work but Herron explores in each character the different ways the essential conflict of the work both attracts and tears a person in two: the never-more-alive-than-when-in-mortal-danger thing versus a genuine desire to do something useful hopefully for the good of the many. All of the characters share this need, this duality, and in some it causes stepping over the line into delusion, into committing evil deeds 'for the good etc.) There is killing that can't be avoided and killing that sometimes must be done and black and white is rare. For others, the effort to cling to something ethical (Lamb) cannot be done without paying the price. I can't say anything without a little spoiling, but I don't even think that's the point with this book, it leads inexorably to a situation at the end that is chilling -- no not apocalyptic put that out of your mind -- more in the way of demonstrating how the allure of the ideas along the-evil-deeds-for-the-good-of spectrum come into being, tempt, and co-opt. This idea is one that I have no doubt is in the back of the minds of some any number of powerful and insanely rich living people, but is unequivocally dangerous, immoral and, in the way of evil born of hubris, gonna fail big-time but not without equally big-time casualties. Bravo, Herron. ***** ( )