Thankyou to NetGalley, John Murray Press and Mick Herron for the opportunity to read a copy of Dead Lions in exchange for an honest opinion.
I thought the characters were quirky and relatable. Was a bit disappointed that the storyline seemed to take a while to get going ( for me ) but I still thought it was a good read.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

I love these books - how to make failed spies sound good! The prose is rivetting, amusing and well crafted. I could not put them down and read each one avidly.

Enjoyed the second in the Slough House series about a group of dysfunctional spooks who nonetheless manage to keep the baddies at bay!

Now this is an author to follow. Having read the first in the Jackson Lamb series (Slow Horses) and with the scene set, character's established along with all their shortcomings we move on. The main protagonist is Jackson Lamb, a cross between George Smiley, Columbo and someone you don't want to sit next to on a train! A first division string puller heading a second division outfit of cast offs and misfits through the murky world of the spook. An engenius plot that leaves you wondering - does this really happen? How would you know? but above all - what's next. I look forward to finding out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Slow Horses and, more in hope than expectation, requested review copies of others in the series by Mick Herron that charts the adventures of a group of misfit and reject spies. Thanks, then, to the publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to review the others in the series.
It took some time to fully appreciate the author’s writing style - it certainly keeps you alert picking up the threads from what at first seems disjointed writing that chops and changes between different characters and scenarios. On reflection, however, this is a clever device to maintain contact between events taking place simultaneously and which have the potential to have consequences beyond the immediate events being described. The plot is credible and surprisingly contemporary but, for me, the real magic of this book and series is found in the well developed characters and - especially - the humour that runs as a golden thread throughout the book; never intrusive, but always sharp and balanced against the developing narrative.
Strongly recommended.

Not my usual reading genre but its always nice to try something new!
Im not a James Bond fan and thankfully the protagonist Jackson Lamb is no James Bond!
The writing style is quite unique so it will be the kind of book that you will take to or not, not much middle ground for me anyway!
The series of books are entered around a group of outcast MI5 spooks who have been relegated to pen pushers and office workers due to botched carers. Reject spooks versus the real thing!
But looks can be deceiving and Jackson Lamb proves that he shouldn't be underestimated!
With humour throughout and some interesting characters it makes for a quick entertaining read

Another great outing. Full of suspense, just when you figure out one plot point, it all changes. The twists and turns are fantastic
Can’t wait to start the next installment!

Sleep easy

Mick Herron is prescient. He has prophetic powers. He is also one of the most amusing, original and enlightening novelists working in the espionage genre today. In fact, he pushes almost all others into the deepest of shades.

I could barely believe that this novel is not new, that it was written some years ago and yet has such contemporary relevance, given the current furore in the UK over the poisoning of a former Russian spy.

A redundant English spy, very low grade, dies on a bus. Jackson Lamb smells a rat and decides to investigate. Lamb is as sly and cunning as in the first Slow Horses, but in this sequel it is ultimately clear there are other puppet masters at least as clever as him. There is a wonderfully complex plot involving Soviet sleepers planted at the height of the Cold War and perhaps now activated, internecine plotting in the present day MI5 and, of course, the potentially disastrous interventions of the Slow Horses team. This is a novel which combines wit, intelligence, action, tension and humour.

My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for a copy of this book to review.
The word is Mick Herron is the new le Carré . Whilst I definitely agree Mick Herron is a very good writer and the ambience of his volumes evokes the days of Smiley I think John le Carré is still carrying the Olympic Torch. Mick Herron's strength to my mind is his fresh look at the underbelly of the security service. I suspect we have all met or worked with the types of characters who inhabit Slough House, not of course spooks, but those who carry grudges and fail always to really see who is really looking back in the mirror.
Lack of time is the sole reason why this review will be used for all the currently published Slough House series, from Slow Horses to London Rules. I try never to include spoilers in my reviews and there seem little point in repeating the blurb from a book's cover. So, I have concentrated in the authors style and transport of the books. The prose slides easily along and forms pictures in the mind and the plot turns the pages for you. Occasionally I had to re-read a chapter as I realised the story had evoked such a rich visions I had mentally wondered off. I did not find this an encumbrance for on the re-read I found more to enjoy. Had I had more of that illusive element Time, I would have enjoyed re-reading all the books immediately I turned the last page in London Rules. Put Mick Herron on your wish list, take a trip to your local bookshop and fill you carrier bag.

Read this book out of turn of the series on the Slow Horses ,that bunch of misfits of the Intelligence Service .
Headed by an uncouth foul mouthed rude and sarcastic Jackson Lamb.
A Russia Oligarch arrives in London and needs to be baby minded . An echo from the Cold War rears its head and motives are very much mixed ,who is who and what are they? Questions on Jackson Lamb's mind as he send his troups around the countryside to find out.
Great fast moving book with that touch of humour .Wonderful,enjoyed.

This the second instalment of the evolution of Slough House and its slow horses tells of the reported death of old retired colleague of Jackson Lamb that causes him to investigate. This reveals the cause of death being murder with the hall marks of assassination. Following the leads found there follows a complex labyrinth of red herrings, cold war sleepers, scare crows mixed up with Russian mafia exploitation and connivance in a scam to hoodwink MI5 coupled with a planned atrocity. A most interesting plot and exciting story of how the Slow Horses manages to extricate themselves with honour and so survive the machinations of their enemies within.

This is the second Slough House book and can’t wait for number three. For a full review, go to tumblr https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/172426876211/dead-lions-by-mick-herron-this-is-the-second

Another excellent read from my favourite spy story writer. Flawed, fragile and perfectly capable of f***ing up (which they do with alarming frequency) the Slough House crew are instantly recognisable as real people, just like us, but the sort brave enough to run towards danger when the rest of us turn tail.

I have read all five of this series. This book is the second one. The characters have me truly hooked now. I love the intrigues, the stereotypes and the ingenuity of the author. This particular plot is about the past, the Cold War and Russia - again it is well constructed and enjoyable, you do not need to have read the earlier book but the familiarity and interrelationships of the characters improves if the series is read in the order it was written. I enjoyed Slow Horses but Real Tigers was, for me, a more enjoyable read. I marvel again at Mick Herron's ability to develop such idiosyncratic characters as well as the humour and the bizarre that somehow works perfectly. The intrigue continues to be worthy of John Le Carre.

Dead Lions is well written and constructed. The story-line and plot are full of twists and turns. The characters are well developed and believable.

Conclusion: I enjoyed this book which, even though it is part of a series, could be written as a stand alone.

An excellent continuation of a series which I hope will provide more titles. The character of Jackson Lamb starts to be made clearer in this follow on from "Slow Horses". The plot provides an all too believable story in the context of the new "cold war". A comic twist on the usual pattern of spy thrillers but this serves to emphasise the ordinary nature of the characters who inhabit Slough House - a supposed backwater for secret service rejects - from which they get the nickname "slow horses".

I preferred this to the first one in the series, perhaps as I was a little more used to the writing style which is, I suspect, something some readers might struggle with. Nobody is very likeable in the stories, and there are quite a lot of characters to try to get to grips with. But I enjoyed the extent of this story, which felt like it was full of plot and twists and intrigue. I still don't much like Jackson Lamb himself, but he isn't in it all that often, and I liked that some of the other characters played a bigger role this time around.

The second Slow Horse story, even better than the first. The slow Horse team and their posher colleagues at "The Park" are all so incompetent its proabably true to real life Fast paced, funny and topical, its a good read.

This book just didn't hit the spot for me. I liked the general irreverent tone, and the quirky characters, but the plot was too slow, and took too long to get going.