As entertaining and brilliant as the Slough House series with Jackson Lamb and his crew might be, as changeable as the unfortunate personnel might be when one or another gets knocked off in this dangerous world of spying, Mick Herron's side-related standalone works often enlarge the scope in a thrilling way. The Secret Hours is not billed as a Slough House book then, but that's in name only. It still operates in the same world of spooks, with more of a focus on the Regent's Park, the headquarters of the Secret Service, and there are quite a few familiar faces appearing - often when you least expect. It's also a world that is not so far removed from our own absurd world, in that questionable area where politics and intelligence services collide.

Collide is exactly what they all do when a certain PM with liquidity problems and a casual attitude towards the truth, perhaps guided or encouraged by his repugnant special advisor, 'head gnome' Andrew Sparrow, has suggested setting up a committee to investigate the activities of the Secret Service. All in the interests of openness, transparency and accountability of course. Since those have never been words associates with the policy of Regent's Park and their record keeping, it surprisingly doesn't have First Desk too concerned. It's virtually certain that the PM - "a walking non-disclosure agreement" - is unlikely to still be in office by the time any inquiry finishes, and, with First Desk confident enough to be able to give the officials the runaround, there's not much to be worried about. There is however a more serious existential threat to the Park in the form of creeping privatisation.

And indeed that remains the case two years later when the PM has been removed and it's clear that the Monochrome investigation isn't going anywhere, exactly as she intended. First Desk is a little disconcerted then (disconcerted might not be the right word - coolly inclined towards murder perhaps) when she finds out that, despite her best efforts to remove any possibility of them having access to any potentially compromising files, someone has slipped an old file their way, one that looks back historically to Berlin in 1994. A significant proportion of The Secret Hours then is the story related to committee by an agent posted there about an incident that occurred in the aftermath of the fall of the Wall, in a city still known as Spook Central.

The Secret Hours is not a Slough House novel strictly speaking - it can't be a proper one without Roddie Ho strutting his stuff - but it's an essential one nonetheless in that it provides some back history to the mysterious past of 'Brindley Miles'. Some of the names have been changed, but there are a few familiar faces here and Miles can be identified fairly quickly from his crude manner and brutal one-liner put-downs. Ever wonder what Jackson Lamb did to get exiled to Slough House? Course you did. What where the highly positioned agents Charles Partner and David Cartwright really up to back then? Well, here you will find all the answers to that, how scores are settled (then and now) with judicious application of the London Rules. And there a few more surprises revealed than you are expecting, tying up a lot of loose ends and mysteries in the history of the Slough House series very neatly indeed.

I've complained (well not complained, more observed) that it's an occupational hazard in this genre that means Herron can sometimes struggle to keep up with current real-world events and crises between writing and publication, not to mention a rapidly changing roster of PMs. Not so here, or at least not until further unexpected events undoubtedly take place between my reading an advance copy in July and its publication in September (good effort nonetheless timing this during parliamentary summer recess). All the buzzwords relating to parliamentary inquiries 'out-sourcing' and 'streamlining', all the political hot topics of recent times in the UK and the world are all mentioned in passing, along with the obvious political manoeuvring that takes place.

It might not strictly be a Slough House novel, but it's clearly related and connects many elements from those books together. It's also easily as good as the last one (Bad Actors), which means it's up there with Herron's best. As ever in this world, the writing is wonderful, beautifully descriptive, insightful and observant of the political arena and the motivations of people who mix in these circles, Herron employing his usual wit and humour with inventive turns of phrase, drawing you into the world of covert operations and ambiguous motivations that exist within the labyrinthine obscurantist workings and coverups of officialdom. If it sometimes feels too absurd to be true, take a look at the activities of the MPs of the current government and their handling of official government inquiries, and well... the only conclusion you can come to is that The Secret Hours is at least brings about more satisfying conclusions to its investigations.

I've really enjoyed all of Mick Herron’s Slow Horse books (and his other standalone ones) and so was looking forward to reading this. In truth, the first quarter of the book proved a frustrating read as Herron used the establishment and running of a special Government Committee investigating the Secret Service to set the story up. This also used the guise of thinly described political figures, from recent years, to give it a contemporary feel. However, given recent changes in Government and political circles this immediately felt dated and somewhat trite.
Having said all that the rest of the book, with many overlapping back stories relating to Slow Horse characters, was a delight and more than made up for the stuttering start.
Thank you to netgalley and John Murray press for an advance copy of this book

After The Wall Came Down. The Secret Lives of Spies, as they were.

The Secret Hours is not listed at all as ‘Slough House No 9’

Nor will the names of those whom we have grown to know, and possibly love, be mentioned in these pages.

Perhaps Mr Herron has a Slough House 10 in preparation, who knows.

Certainly life at the Park still continues, even if some of the major players whom again we have come to know, but not always love, are still in evidence.

But this is a story which draws back the veils of the past, all the way back to 1994, all the way over to Berlin. We will meet people there whom we might recognise, though they are not named as we know them today.

Meanwhile, in the present, as the publicity blurb tells us, one of the many Government Enquiries, primarily focused on finding a way to shelve out almost everything the state should do to private ventures, is underway.

Operation Monochrome.

As ever, with Herron, there are people within Government who bear remarkable likenesses to people who are, or were recently, in their recent positions. We are meant, by the cruel accuracy of their physical description their political history and behavioural incompetencies, to know exactly who is being – not lampooned, as there are those who lampoon their very selves, and have no need for satirists' inventions. So let us say, clearly described.

I will say little or nothing about plot, or even character, as I really think this highly recommended new Herron deserves completely innocent readers.

As always, Herron will confound and surprise. Raise certain expectations of who and what and why, and just when the reader (or this one) thinks they know what is going on, they discover the truth was really under their eyes all the time, but Herron was doing a marvellous sleight of hand distraction.

My fault for failing to see the trout was a red herring!

Like some others, I had been coming to feel that perhaps some of the later Slough House books had run their course. Too many tired jokes about Jackson Lamb’s unappealing elimination system. Too many iterations of Roddy Ho’s unappealing nerdish delusions.

We have something completely different here. We meet, or hear more about, some of the names we knew, or heard about, when first we were taken through the doors of Slough House and the Park, in the first few books. But we have gone back, right back. He has uncovered the past. We meet some who are elderly, some who are long gone, when they were younger, perhaps more hopeful, perhaps at least less damaged.

Marvellous. A kind of spies Rhapsody In Blue. Moody, compelling, satisfying

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to the digital ARC

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron is not so much the next book in his highly successful Slough House series as the back story of 2 of its major characters.
When a notoriously shady and dishonest Prime Minister and his venal sidekick launch an inquiry over “historical overreaching “ by MI5 in retaliation for probing into their own murky dealings “Monochrome l is born. MI5’s Head of Desk manages to control what what Monochrome investigates until the dastardly duo are ousted because of their antics and the inquiry is on the verge of being run down.
Sadly for her someone sees the chance to right some wrongs of the past, expose a cover up and use Monochrome to do so.
With events in the heady and paranoid Cold War Berlin of 1994 being uncovered being revealed, a time of shifted allegiances, plots and treachery, a man with a chequered history finds his peaceful retirement in Devon rudely interrupted and the action taking place on 2 timelines.

This is a book that Slough House fans will love but it’s also not only a valid “standalone “ but a great introduction to the series for those yet to have read any of the books. I’d suggest for new readers that this is arguably a better place to start than the first book in the series,Slow Horses.
There’s plenty of action, an intelligent and convoluted storyline and a lot of laugh out loud, if not always in the best of taste, humour.

Hopefully there will be more Slough House “backstory “ books to come, there are plenty of hints in those books alluding to the history of certain characters and how they make up the big story.

Excellent stuff as ever from Mick Herron, fans and new readers will certainly not be disappointed.

A nice twist snakes its way through this book, which will provide a tasty treat for fans of Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb/Slough House series of novels. Herron’s trademark writing style - beautifully crafted and always fluent - is present and correct, as is the skill with which he injects his characters with such personality and presence that they almost walk off the page - and, yes, the author’s unique brand of humour hangs like a scent in the air. The plot stays just the right side of not being too clever, and involves shifting timescales and dramatis personae. But readers can be confident that the final pages bring it all together, just leaving the reader to tease out the final clue.

As a reader who is seriously addicted to Mick Herron’s “Slow Horses” series, I was absolutely thrilled to be given access to an advance copy of “The Secret Hours” and began reading with eager anticipation. I was not disappointed. The author artfully mixes the present with the past and Spook Street treachery and manoeuvring with Westminster treachery and manoeuvring; varies the pace cleverly to maintain the reader’s interest throughout; demonstrates his usual skilful, complex plotting; and, as a wonderful bonus, provides a glimpse into the backstories of some recognisable characters from “Slow Horses” including everyone’s favourite hard-drinking, belching, farting, cursing Joe. This book will be viewed as a welcome companion piece by devotees of the “Slow Horses” series but can also be enjoyed as a terrific stand-alone book by newcomers to Mick Herron’s world of espionage and political skulduggery. To me, it was a total delight and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Very clever and involved spy thriller full of twists. Government corruption is at every turn and during an enquiry into wrongdoing, progress is blocked continuously. Quite relevant at the current time with all the ongoing real life government enquiries. If this is fairly true to life, no wonder progress is so slow. Highly recommended.

The heart pounding first chapter set the scene beautifully for this spy thriller, however it quietened down considerably after that, but was, nevertheless, a fascinating read.

The subsequent chapters took the reader right into the heart of The British Secret Service, where two years previously the ‘Monochrome’ inquiry was set up to investigate misconduct within the service, and it gave civil servants Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle unrestricted access to confidential information in the service archives.

This isn’t as simple as it sounds, as their progress has been blocked at every turn. That is until the OTIS file is given to Kyle by persons unknown.

Spies and politicians in the highest corridors of government, all these and more have day jobs, but what do they get up to in the secret hours?

A well plotted spy novel that includes lots of humorous dialogue to help lighten the mood. Herron gives his characters whip-crack dialogue that is both cruel and funny in the same sentence.
Dual timelines from the present back to 1994 Berlin, have been skilfully executed to produce a gripping and ultimately satisfying tale.

I loved this read! I've read a few of Mick Herron's books and although this is a standalone there is a slight link with a couple of the characters. I loved the storyline and how we were seeing different peoples angles and stories within both the current time and the past.

I loved the interview scenes which turned into full on 'flashbacks' of the story from the past, and they way the story was revealed was incredible. I found there nearer towards the end I was getting, the quicker I had to read. I really enjoyed some of the revelations that happened and then I had finished the book and was a tad confused (not unheard of for me) and then all of a sudden I had a moment - read back a few pages and declared myself an absolute idiot that I hadn't clicked a little earlier!

Mick Herron : The Secret Hours

Mick Herron is a favourite writer of mine so I just knew I would enjoy this new book. This could be read as a stand alone tale of spooks in the 90s in the new Germany but it is also contrasted with the spy business today.

There are some in jokes, le Carré is mentioned several times (How in the name of John le fucking Carré can Service product go walkabout?’)and part of the Service is called Cornwell House. There is also the growing realisation, if you have read Heron before, that characters masked by false names are ones you have met before and loved, or at least loved the way Herron describes them, with their characteristics and foibles. It also is a back story explaining how these characters got to be who they are now. Intriguing.

This is a tale of revenge and betrayal but much cleverer than that is the way Herron outlines modern day challenges, the chief being the privatisation of parts of the Service under the mantel of ‘Green Shoots’ (Green Shoots – well, see it as a way of funding important services, or just another example of cash cows being herded towards government cronies.’). There is a very clever lampooning of a real former PM, mostly done by just outlining things that he really did, with the consequences.

The dialogue is sharp and often very funny as are some descriptions, such as of German sex shops in the 90s (the novelties on display wouldn’t have struck a Victorian as innovative, the shopfront mannequins attired in faux-leather lingerie, which was almost certainly not as cheap as it looked.A blow-up doll, its mouth an astonished O, had slumped against one window, and Alison wouldn’t have been surprised to hear it complain of a headache.)

I thoroughly recommend this new novel. I read a proof copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers but my views are very much my own.

I just finished this last night and although I have had my doubts about some of the later Slow Horses books, I thought this was absolutely brilliant.

Although SH is not involved, devoted fans will soon recognise some of the characters from that series.. The plot is fiendishly complex and twisty but always convincing. It is very funny in parts but also very sad and frequently cynical. There are occasional patches of purple prose and gnomic sentences, but overall the writing is excellent.
The way it explains why some of the SHs are the way they are is exceptional, and I might now have to go and reread the whole series.
I haven't agreed with the political stance revealed by the author in earlier books, but do I detect a slight change revealed by First Desk's musings near the end ? And a realisation that things will change very little after the next election...

Aren't Government enquiries fun? Monochrone has been running for two years, supposedly investigating misconduct at Regent's Park. But it's hard to investigate when you can't get access to the information.

Until the day the OTIS file turns up...

Exactly what happened to those familiar faces (if not names) in Berlin thirty years ago? And what, if anything, does it have to do with an ex-spy fleeing his house in the dead of night?

What everyone does in the daylight is one thing. But it's what goes on in the secret hours that reveals who people really are...

And, for once, it's nothing to do with the Slough House crew.

Utterly brilliant

<i><blockquote>How we act in the light of day is largely for other people's benefit, but what we do in the secret hours reveals who we really are.</i></blockquote>

What a clever book this is! Herron has done a masterful job of creating something that devoted fans will see as a continuation, if from a slightly oblique - and long anticipated - angle, of the ongoing story (especially the Christmas teaser, [book:Standing by the Wall|63214507]), but which can also be read productively by Herron newbies without feeling lost. I'm the former and loved this!

The publishers have been pretty taciturn in the blurb so I don't want to give away anything that will be even a hint of a spoiler for other readers. I'll say though that the political commentary is at its harshest (loaded public enquiries that are stymied from the start for political reasons, the continued Tory ideological privatisation i.e. sell-off of public services for money to cronies, the legacy of the PJ/BJ premiership), and there is none of the slapstick antics that mediate the seriousness of the usual plots.

I'm assuming that the gesture to [book:A Legacy of Spies|34505634] by [author:John le Carré|1411964] is self-conscious and deliberate (another enquiry into past Cold War operations hampered by the mole uncovered in [book:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy|39099306]) and I suspect some people might be upset by the dark showing of a previous character <spoiler>David Cartwright</spoiler>, though those of us who've always have our reservations will be vindicated.

One of the smart moves is to conceal names: so 'First Desk' and cover/field names are used throughout, though Herron aficionados will spot our people immediately.

Overall, then, a sharp and elegant insertion into a long-running series that doesn't rest on its laurels and keeps things fresh and biting - one of my reads of the summer!

Huge thanks to Baskerville/John Murray Press for an ARC I was desperate to receive :))

Really loved this apparently stand-alone thriller from the Slow Horses author. In fact, turns out it’s not as standalone as the tag might suggest - which was great for me, given I’d read the others. Not sure whether new readers would get as much out of it as they should, though. But as far as the story is concerned, great and in some ways, for me, even better than his earlier espionage series.

For Slow Horses fans this appears to be Mick Herron striking out afresh. An attempt to abduct a retired academic from his rural home fails and he flees. A star recruit to the Secret Service is posted to Berlin to monitor what's going on. However when we meet one of her superiors in Berlin - a large man who chain smokes, drinks whiskey and farts unapologetically - hang on, we know him don't we? What follows is a brilliant spy story interleaved with civil service intrigue and skulduggery back home. It also paints in some of the back-story to some of the Slow Horses principal characters. Terrific - don't miss it!

Supposedly a stand-alone thriller by Mick Herron but it doesn’t take too much imagination to recognise some of the well loved characters from Slough House.

Complex, beautifully written and as funny as ever this is a brilliant thriller by an expert in his trade.

It requires some concentration on the part of the reader in order to keep up but the effort is totally worthwhil.

Highly recommended.

Really loved how this started - dead badgers and a big old chase! I felt it dropped off a little bit after that, as we started to learn about 'Monochrome', but then as I began to understand what was going on (and who some of the characters were) the pace picked up again until by the end I was just reading on into the night not wanting to stop.
It's not Slough House, but without giving spoilers - fans won't be disappointed!