The Secret Hours

April 1, 2023

Launched by Britain's prime minister, the Monochrome inquiry aims to ferret out "historical over-reaching," that is, misconduct, within MI5. But the head of MI5 keeps blocking it, and then the prime minister goes down in defeat. It looks as if Monochrome will go down, too--but for one case file that emerges, detailing an utterly botched mission in 1994 Berlin. Herron boasts both CWA Gold and Steel Daggers. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 3, 2023
Herron departs from his bestselling Slough House series for a riveting standalone thriller that combines modern political machinations with Cold War–era spy craft. New leadership in the British parliament results in the official cancellation of Monochrome, an infamously ineffective two-year-old inquiry meant to expose historical misconduct by MI5. Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the civil servants who led the inquiry, are devastated: the embarrassment of Monochrome has all but eliminated their chances for future employment. Not long after Monochrome’s cancellation, however, a stranger slips Malcolm an official file revealing an off-the-books Cold War–era MI5 operation that ended badly in 1994 Berlin. Griselda and Malcolm begin to investigate, and then testimony from the agent assigned to surveil Berlin station chief Brinsley Miles uncovers a new conspiracy to infiltrate British intelligence—which the once-disgraced civil servants are now uniquely positioned to thwart. Herron toggles between present-day London and Cold War–era Berlin, crafting memorable, morally complex characters along the way, without sacrificing any of his trademark humor (the book’s opening sentence: “The worst smell in the world is a dead badger”). Espionage fans of all stripes will devour this exemplary outing.

July 15, 2023
A nothingburger investigation of the security practices of British intelligence turns red-hot in this stand-alone from the chronicler of Slough House. The Monochrome panel, convened by an adviser to the prime minister with a special grudge against the British intelligence service to gather evidence whether (read: that) the pencil pushers at Regent's Park have exceeded their authority, calls witnesses from an interminable list, questions them at tedious length, and then, once it establishes that their testimony is unsuitable or meaningless, destroys its notes on them because they'll never make it into Monochrome's final report. Civil servant Griselda Fleet has agreed to serve as the panel's first chair only because her precarious financial situation means that she can't afford to get canned. Ambitious flack Malcolm Kyle, the second chair, has resigned himself to the fact that his advancement is on hold as long as he's serving the Crown this way. Then several things jolt everyone to attention. Someone tries to kidnap and kill Max Janacek, a retired academic who has a history with MI5. Someone plants a folder filled with highly classified information on Kyle. And when the worthies of Monochrome decide to pursue the information in that folder--information that never should have come their way--they turn up a witness with jaw-dropping news to impart about an operation that Station House ran in Berlin years ago. Readers who've joined Herron in following the Slow Horses in a series of rollicking, scary novels won't be surprised to learn that everyone here looks down their noses at everyone else, that everyone has a price, and that conflicts within MI5 are much more likely to turn lethal than conflicts outside, against England's nominal enemies. As usual, there's a lot here to swallow. Fans will rejoice to see MI5 survive despite its members' best efforts.

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Starred review from July 1, 2023
Hailed as a twenty-first-century Le Carr�, Herron is a master at portraying the dark, disturbing world of espionage. His latest thriller begins with a violent confrontation at the home of retired spy Max, who's determined to find out who's after him and why. His quest leads him deep into the past but also reveals a bleak future for British intelligence, dubbed "the Park." A panel is convened by the government to uncover suspected corruption in the Park; but the panel is a sham, and the government has already decided the Park's future. Then former spy, Alison North, steps forward, promising to reveal secrets with frightening implications for British espionage. In the 1990s, North was a newbie agent sent to Berlin to check that expense claims were being appropriately filed, but her real mission was to discover what Miles, a British agent who operated in East Berlin prereunification, was up to. Decades later, Alison is still suffering the aftereffects of her experience but also still working for the intelligence services and determined to uncover the shocking truth she only partly discovered in Berlin. Gripping, cryptic, tragic, and suspenseful, this must-read will keep readers riveted from first page to last.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 1, 2023

"Slough House" series author Herron (Bad Actors) continues his winning streak with this excellent stand-alone spy thriller. As with previous "Slough House" books, underlings are manipulated like game pieces by their MI5 bosses. Some will rise to the occasion and some will not, and nobody is quite what they seem--to the delight of readers who will enjoy connecting events of parallel stories. In the present, civil servants Malcolm Kyle and Griselda Fleet are assigned to Monochrome, an inquiry looking into "historical overreaching" by MI5 agents. They're hamstrung from the start by MI5's top spy, known as First Desk, who blocks all their attempts to get documentation and looks forward to Monochrome's imminent disbanding due to another political changing of the guard. But on the last day of the inquiry, Fleet and Kyle receive a top-secret file concerning a horribly botched case in 1994 Berlin. Readers are whisked into that story, which features wide-eyed newbie Alison, sent to the divided city to spy on agents working there. VERDICT This novel, filled with acid wit, political pokes, and a veritable basketful of "Slough House" Easter eggs, will thrill longtime Herron fans and delight newcomers and aficionados of cracking-good spy fiction.--Liz French

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.