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mwplante's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Slower than horses. I knew from Slow Horses Season 1 that I could be in for a slow burn, but I wasn't prepared for just how slow. About 84% of the book is set-up, followed by a rushed (but masterfully put together) payoff. You can see clearly the prototypes of the clever old spies, the competent, fucked-over women, and, of course, the congenital fuckups with which Mick Herron populates his Slough House series.
Honestly, I had to bootstrap myself through the first 60-70%, but once I caught wind of some of the big reveals Herron was building to, it quickly turned unputdownable. Definitely a good read for fans of the Slow Horses TV show and/or the book series.
Honestly, I had to bootstrap myself through the first 60-70%, but once I caught wind of some of the big reveals Herron was building to, it quickly turned unputdownable. Definitely a good read for fans of the Slow Horses TV show and/or the book series.
pannapark's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely done! I always enjoy the way Mick Herron builds characters with such ease. As Reconstruction unfolds, we are introduced to the lives of a number of seemingly unconnected characters. Most of them connect over a hostage situation and as this unfolds we gradually learn truths - and untruths about each. The mystery ends with a bit of an “alrighty then” or “who’d a thunk?!” But, I liked it!
stevefarrugia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lbjessome's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Well written enough but not quite as entertaining as it needed to be to justify the lack of character development. Everyone was pretty one-dimensional until the author required a plot twist, at which time they suddenly developed a new characteristic.
d_audy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Often enough marketing exaggerates or mischaracterizes when describing an author, but when they claim that "nobody writes a thriller like Mick Herron", it's totally on the mark.
This is really a story about which you don't want to know too much going in not to spoil any of the twists. Suffice to say a bizarre hostage-taking situation on an early Tuesday of April in a South Oxford nursery school soon lands the reader in an intrigue John Le Carré would have liked. For once the comparison isn't shallow. Many writers have emulated Le Carré's style of espionage novels, but it takes more to truly walk in his footsteps. Le Carré was an innovator who reinvented the espionage genre and contributed a lot to define it. This is also what you get from Mick Herron, who brings his own unique approach to the British spy world, a vision that's often a bit cynical and ironic and darkly funny while telling events that are anything but. In this book he starts inventing his own version of the Service, with his own jargon, fit for the 21st century.
This is a thriller where the journey counts as much as the destination. Herron first treats us to a detailed reconstruction of the events (you ponder a lot along the way what the meaning of the title really is), constantly shifting perspective, and using a very unique, witty and wry narrative voice. I've seen this style used in other genres, usually comical works, but it's probably the first time I've seen anything like this in a thriller, and somewhat miraculously it works and doesn't break the tension building up. No everyone however will appreciate as much all the meanderings and apartés, the fairly detached tone, all the secondary details that really set the stage and brings everything to life and puts you really there. This is an author who might even break the fourth wall to tell you what he sees on his own commute in the area, or when giving a bird eye's view to set the scene will take time to tell you which bird it's most likely to be in this town, and finish by telling you what the bird does once everything has been surveyed. You will either immensely enjoy that narrative style, or get very annoyed. It's certainly not the fast pace such stories are usually told at, but it is a fascinating journey into the thought process and psychology of the characters, full of little clues for which you really need to pay attention, despite Herron's best efforts to distract you. The much briefer second part of the novel is more conventional for the genre, fast paced, direct and tense, as events take suddenly very unexpected turns, sticking the landing for an exciting finale with a final twist that will either make one laugh or scream in frustration. Miraculously again, the two parts flow really well together and the sudden shift in tone and pace feels entirely natural and justified.
I have yet to embark of the author's Slough House journey, which I'm now terribly excited to feast on. This novel introduced some of the SH characters and readers spoke of it as a kind of prequel, at least where those characters are concerned.
This is really a story about which you don't want to know too much going in not to spoil any of the twists. Suffice to say a bizarre hostage-taking situation on an early Tuesday of April in a South Oxford nursery school soon lands the reader in an intrigue John Le Carré would have liked. For once the comparison isn't shallow. Many writers have emulated Le Carré's style of espionage novels, but it takes more to truly walk in his footsteps. Le Carré was an innovator who reinvented the espionage genre and contributed a lot to define it. This is also what you get from Mick Herron, who brings his own unique approach to the British spy world, a vision that's often a bit cynical and ironic and darkly funny while telling events that are anything but. In this book he starts inventing his own version of the Service, with his own jargon, fit for the 21st century.
This is a thriller where the journey counts as much as the destination. Herron first treats us to a detailed reconstruction of the events (you ponder a lot along the way what the meaning of the title really is), constantly shifting perspective, and using a very unique, witty and wry narrative voice. I've seen this style used in other genres, usually comical works, but it's probably the first time I've seen anything like this in a thriller, and somewhat miraculously it works and doesn't break the tension building up. No everyone however will appreciate as much all the meanderings and apartés, the fairly detached tone, all the secondary details that really set the stage and brings everything to life and puts you really there. This is an author who might even break the fourth wall to tell you what he sees on his own commute in the area, or when giving a bird eye's view to set the scene will take time to tell you which bird it's most likely to be in this town, and finish by telling you what the bird does once everything has been surveyed. You will either immensely enjoy that narrative style, or get very annoyed. It's certainly not the fast pace such stories are usually told at, but it is a fascinating journey into the thought process and psychology of the characters, full of little clues for which you really need to pay attention, despite Herron's best efforts to distract you. The much briefer second part of the novel is more conventional for the genre, fast paced, direct and tense, as events take suddenly very unexpected turns, sticking the landing for an exciting finale with a final twist that will either make one laugh or scream in frustration. Miraculously again, the two parts flow really well together and the sudden shift in tone and pace feels entirely natural and justified.
I have yet to embark of the author's Slough House journey, which I'm now terribly excited to feast on. This novel introduced some of the SH characters and readers spoke of it as a kind of prequel, at least where those characters are concerned.
sandin954's review against another edition
5.0
Another great read. A hostage situation plays out at a nursery school in Oxford, England. This was a NTMA, will definitely check out his backlist.
beckycliffe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cybergoths's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
As this was part of the Oxford Investigations set, I’d expected a link back to Zoe Boehm, but there wasn’t one. What I did get was an excellent thriller with echoes of the Slough House stories.
staciarain's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5