Bad Actors
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- Create Date：2022-05-09 18:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Mick Herron
- ISBN：1641293373
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Summary
A governmental think-tank， whose remit is to curb the independence of the intelligence service， has lost one of its key members， and Claude Whelan—one-time head of MI5's Regent’s Park—is tasked with tracking her down。 But the trail leads straight back to the Park itself， with Diana Taverner as chief suspect。 Has Diana overplayed her hand at last？ What’s her counterpart， Moscow’s First Desk， doing in London？ And does Jackson Lamb know more than he’s telling？
Over at Slough House， with Shirley Dander in rehab， Roddy Ho in dress rehearsal， and new recruit Ashley Khan turning up the heat， the slow horses are doing what they do best， and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation 。 。 。
There are bad actors everywhere， and they usually get their comeuppance before the credits roll。 But politics is a dirty business， and in a world where lying， cheating and backstabbing are the norm， sometimes the good guys can find themselves outgunned。
Over at Slough House， with Shirley Dander in rehab， Roddy Ho in dress rehearsal， and new recruit Ashley Khan turning up the heat， the slow horses are doing what they do best， and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation 。 。 。
There are bad actors everywhere， and they usually get their comeuppance before the credits roll。 But politics is a dirty business， and in a world where lying， cheating and backstabbing are the norm， sometimes the good guys can find themselves outgunned。
Reviews
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
，
Mick Herron seems to suffer from the often， but not exclusively， British writing style of "Aren't I clever？" There is a little bit of humor here but the entire thing talks around what is happening instead of letting us experience it。 Show don't tell。 However， with these characters do I really want to experience anything？ A bunch of terrible characters I wouldn't want to spend seconds with。 There is no reason you should have to want to know characters。 Books can be enjoyable without that。 I want Mick Herron seems to suffer from the often， but not exclusively， British writing style of "Aren't I clever？" There is a little bit of humor here but the entire thing talks around what is happening instead of letting us experience it。 Show don't tell。 However， with these characters do I really want to experience anything？ A bunch of terrible characters I wouldn't want to spend seconds with。 There is no reason you should have to want to know characters。 Books can be enjoyable without that。 I want every second I wasted on this book back， though。 I think I became a worse person just reading it。 。。。more
Mary Picken
，
Mick Herron keeps getting better and better。 Part of the reason for this is that， where once his satire was very funny， now it seems that life is imitating art and he is drawing on current events without having to reach very far to find the satire。There are many fabulous laugh-out-loud moments in this brilliantly written， sharp and incisive book that is far too close to home for comfort。 Herron has his finger firmly on the pulse as this post-Brexit novel takes in Covid and the omni-shambles of a Mick Herron keeps getting better and better。 Part of the reason for this is that， where once his satire was very funny， now it seems that life is imitating art and he is drawing on current events without having to reach very far to find the satire。There are many fabulous laugh-out-loud moments in this brilliantly written， sharp and incisive book that is far too close to home for comfort。 Herron has his finger firmly on the pulse as this post-Brexit novel takes in Covid and the omni-shambles of a broken Britain。As ever， there are dangers to the country from every sphere， notably this time， the Russians – and how prescient is that – but the key battle ground is of course between Jackson Lamb’s slow horses of Slough House and Diana Taverner， holder of the MI5 First Desk role at Regent’s Park。Herron’s cast of colourful characters is sublime。 The Prime Minister’s super forecaster， Sophie de Greer， has gone missing。 Her role is to predict public reaction to potential Government policies。 De Greer was also a member of an internal think tank looking to curb the power of M15。 Who benefits is the question？Sparrow， the PM’s right hand man （a recognisable hate figure to anyone who follows UK politics）， has tasked Diana Taverner’s predecessor， Claude Whelan， to find out what has happened to her。 Sparrow is no fan of M15 whose operations don’t fall under his control and he needs to be sure that she hasn’t been ‘waterproofed’ by Taverner as a way of ensuring that there’s no meddling with the Service。Then there’s the fact that the Head of the Russian First Desk has slipped unnoticed into London…how are all these things connected？Because no-one cares what Slough House and the slow horses are up to， they have the best chance of rooting around all this intrigue without coming under anyone’s scrutiny。 In a masterpiece of brilliant plotting， superb one-liners and stunning character studies， we are one again in the madcap world of Roddy Ho， Lech Wicinski， Catherine Standish， Louisa Guy and Shirley Dander and the irascible， farting， foul mouthed Jackson Lamb。They are joined by a new slow horse， the young and puzzled Ashley Khan。 She can’t work out quite why she is at Slough House， but the truth is that on her very first mission Ashley Khan messed up a covert surveillance operation and Lamb ‘accidently on purpose’ broke her arm。 She’s about to make her second mistake…Roddy Ho – the Rodster – is unmissable in this instalment as he auditions would be Princess Leahs。 Shirley’s in rehab and everyone is missing River Cartwright。Told from multiple perspectives and using flashbacks， this tightly and expertly plotted book is crammed full of intrigue， dark moments and thrilling action。It’s hard to do justice to such a clever， witty and entertaining novel which undoubtedly is better if you have read the preceding books in the series。 And you really should， because this is one of the outstanding series of its generation。Lamb’s slow horses may be misfits who have messed up， but they are still spies and they have skills that， because no-one cares about them， they can deploy under much less scrutiny than anyone in Regent’s Park would ever manage。 Jackson Lamb knows just how to operate under the radar and as ever， he’s got a handle on the situation long before anyone knows what’s going on。Gerard Doyle’s mellifluous narration is well modulated grease to the wheel of this super charged turbo car of a novel。Verdict: This is Mick Herron on superb， scintillating and excoriating form。 On point， topical and so very， very witty， Herron has his finger firmly on the pulse of British politics and delivers his verdict with scathing accuracy。 Bad Actors is an unmissable book in an unmissable series。 。。。more
Heli
，
This is the 8th book in the Slough House series。 Lady Di is in trouble and Shirley Dander in rehab。 The current political climate is well portrayed。 The writing style is enjoyably sarcastic and fickle。 All of these characters are so unlike any other。 Jackson Lamb in particular。 He's obnoxious and borders on disgusting， but he gets things done all the same。 I like this book and this series so very much。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gerard Doyle。 He is a good choice of voice for the boo This is the 8th book in the Slough House series。 Lady Di is in trouble and Shirley Dander in rehab。 The current political climate is well portrayed。 The writing style is enjoyably sarcastic and fickle。 All of these characters are so unlike any other。 Jackson Lamb in particular。 He's obnoxious and borders on disgusting， but he gets things done all the same。 I like this book and this series so very much。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gerard Doyle。 He is a good choice of voice for the book。 Especially his portrayal of Jackson Lamb was spot on。Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audiobook。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review。Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this narrator and the way he delivers the humor in the story！ I didn’t feel like I was missing out by only have one narrator for the whole story because he was very entertaining。 The plot itself didn’t exactly flow seamlessly to me at parts， and I found myself going back a bit every time I went to listen to make sure I knew where I was。 It got a little confusing for me at time but I felt like it all c ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review。Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this narrator and the way he delivers the humor in the story！ I didn’t feel like I was missing out by only have one narrator for the whole story because he was very entertaining。 The plot itself didn’t exactly flow seamlessly to me at parts， and I found myself going back a bit every time I went to listen to make sure I knew where I was。 It got a little confusing for me at time but I felt like it all came together in the end and made the story worth it。 Just a heads up that this is the 8th book in a series and not a standalone， in case you look out for those kind of things in advance。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
3。5⭐️ Bad Actors by Mick Herron was a lengthy novel that takes A minute to get into。。 This was the sort of book you’ll not be in any hurry to finish。 All the characters are main characters and it’s a maze watching all of it come together。 It’s a present day story but also focused on the past。 I did enjoy it and wondered if the story was ever going to make its point。 I chose to listen to this book on audio and loved Gerard Doyle narrating it。 The story felt a little like Robert Galbraith work。 A。 3。5⭐️ Bad Actors by Mick Herron was a lengthy novel that takes A minute to get into。。 This was the sort of book you’ll not be in any hurry to finish。 All the characters are main characters and it’s a maze watching all of it come together。 It’s a present day story but also focused on the past。 I did enjoy it and wondered if the story was ever going to make its point。 I chose to listen to this book on audio and loved Gerard Doyle narrating it。 The story felt a little like Robert Galbraith work。 A。 Little。 The play on words worked well for me。 But to be honest， I was at times confused about the female leads。 I sometimes got them confused。 And couldn’t keep it straight。 I hope this was helpful。 Thanks Recorded Books Via NetGalley。 。。。more
Patrick SG
，
When I had the opportunity to get an advance reader copy of the latest Slough House book I jumped at the chance。 Word of warning to other readers: they should be read in order to get maximum enjoyment out of them。 And not only the full-length novels， but also the couple of story combinations Herron has published。 Those who know and love Herron's works understand that things happen in his books that have impacts down the line and if you break into that narrative line you may be confused/disappoin When I had the opportunity to get an advance reader copy of the latest Slough House book I jumped at the chance。 Word of warning to other readers: they should be read in order to get maximum enjoyment out of them。 And not only the full-length novels， but also the couple of story combinations Herron has published。 Those who know and love Herron's works understand that things happen in his books that have impacts down the line and if you break into that narrative line you may be confused/disappointed/sad at what you find there。 Having said that as an advance warning， I know those who have read the series in order will enjoy the latest immensely。In this latest work the denizens of Slough House are once again thrown into the midst of the latest political and intelligence kerflufle to confront this corner of Her Majesty's Government （as if she didn't have enough to worry about with her immediate family）。 In this book a government fixer/advisor/manipulator of the Prime Minister has some outside influence to assist him in his nefarious plans to subvert British democratic institutions and it's up to Jackson Lamb and his assets （？） at Slough House to play a role in countering that。A centerpiece of the book is chase through the town of Wimbledon that bounces back and forth between characters like a tennis match in classic Herron style。 It's just one of the enjoyable interludes in this book and carries it's own cinematic quality and pacing。For those who have seen the Apple TV presentation of Herron's first Slough House book， "Slow Horses，" you'll recognize many of the characters and enjoy guessing which actors they will get to play some of the characters in this one。 Here's hoping there are at least 7 future airings of the TV series。 。。。more
Marlene
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Fasten your seat belt and hang on for a wild ride with the Slough House crew。 Their numbers may be diminished but the remaining secret Service rejects still have work to do。 The struggle between Downing Street and Regent's Park is brought to a head when a Downing Street think tank member disappears。 The Prime Minister's evil， conniving aide sees this as the perfect opportunity to take over the Secret Service and oust it's First Desk。 Russian spies are involved as well。 Never fear - Jackson Lamb Fasten your seat belt and hang on for a wild ride with the Slough House crew。 Their numbers may be diminished but the remaining secret Service rejects still have work to do。 The struggle between Downing Street and Regent's Park is brought to a head when a Downing Street think tank member disappears。 The Prime Minister's evil， conniving aide sees this as the perfect opportunity to take over the Secret Service and oust it's First Desk。 Russian spies are involved as well。 Never fear - Jackson Lamb and crew are on the case with Lamb playing one end against the middle。 There are car chases， people on roofs， a mysterious fire and a bang up free-for-all involving Shirley Dander。This is one of the best in the series and you definitely won't be bored！ 。。。more
Annie
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t（I listened to the audiobook） Thanks to NetGalley for providing this early copy in exchange for an honest review。I had DNF this one， I'm sorry but it felt like they were just saying random words， I couldn't understand where they were going， really felt like they weren't saying anything that made sense t（I listened to the audiobook） Thanks to NetGalley for providing this early copy in exchange for an honest review。I had DNF this one， I'm sorry but it felt like they were just saying random words， I couldn't understand where they were going， really felt like they weren't saying anything that made sense 。。。more
Paula
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I had difficulty getting involved in Bad Actors （audio version） by Mick Herron and engaging with the characters。 The storyline for me was a 3， but the narrator deserved a 4 because he is what kept me interested in finishing the book。I may check out other books by this author。#BadActors #NetGalley
Ron
，
Plenty of bad actors in this book starting with the PM's bully boy Sparrow。 Diana Taverner， current First Desk at Regents Park， is another。 The question is who will come out ahead when the two clash？ The clash comes when a forecaster for the PM disappears ， maybe with the aid of the Service。 At least that is how Sparrow is spinning this event， trying to bring the Service more firmly under the thumb of the PM。 But that backfires due to the inadvertent interference of the slow horses of Slough Hou Plenty of bad actors in this book starting with the PM's bully boy Sparrow。 Diana Taverner， current First Desk at Regents Park， is another。 The question is who will come out ahead when the two clash？ The clash comes when a forecaster for the PM disappears ， maybe with the aid of the Service。 At least that is how Sparrow is spinning this event， trying to bring the Service more firmly under the thumb of the PM。 But that backfires due to the inadvertent interference of the slow horses of Slough House。 Eventually， the tale is revealed in segments， fights ensue， agents are dispatched and heroics are done on many sides。 In all a satisfying addition to this series。Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title！ 。。。more
Nannette Demmler
，
ARC provided by Soho Press via NetGalley for an honest review。This is the eighth book in the series， but don’t worry about spoilers。 The author does a great job of keeping each story almost a stand alone， but to truly understand the characters and their interactions， as well as their motivations， I do recommend that you start at the beginning of the series。There is a large cast of characters and sometimes it is hard to keep track of them all， but the slow horses are the most memorable ones。 Most ARC provided by Soho Press via NetGalley for an honest review。This is the eighth book in the series， but don’t worry about spoilers。 The author does a great job of keeping each story almost a stand alone， but to truly understand the characters and their interactions， as well as their motivations， I do recommend that you start at the beginning of the series。There is a large cast of characters and sometimes it is hard to keep track of them all， but the slow horses are the most memorable ones。 Most of them that have survived this far are back and just as clueless yet somehow very smart and getting the job done before MI5 even knows what is happening。 This story also shows how they are all dealing with losses and the pandemic as well as other issues。The story centers around Diana Taverner， who is the first desk at MI5 and Jackson Lamb， head of Slow House。 Their relationship is an interesting one， with both of them hating each other， but still willing to work together and have each others backs when necessary。 Lamb seemed a bit toned down this time around， not as racist or as misogynistic as usual。 As awful as he is though， you have to love him in that he really does care for his crew and what happens to them。 I kept getting the feeling that his rough exterior is all an act， so that people won’t take him seriously when they should。 Catherine is usually not very likable either， but in a different way。 But you find yourself rooting for her in this book。This book like all of the others， is rooted in current events and political scandals that seem to occur on a regular basis in any country。 I like that the Prime Minister and Russia’s President are never mentioned by name， but you know who the characters are talking about anyways。 The plot is convoluted and as twisty as spy novels usually are， so you do need to pay close attention。 It didn’t help that it starts sort of in the middle of the story and then flashes back to events that happened a few days before and then goes back to the present。 But lots of action and some dark humor keep you entertained and wanting to figure out what is really going on before the characters do。Another wonderful book and a great addition to the series。 If you enjoy spy novels that are full of action， quirky characters that you will love even when you don’t like them， then this is a series I recommend you pick up。https://elnadesbookchat。com 。。。more
Greville Waterman
，
As funny， coarse， well written and sublimely entertaining as the first seven books in the series。 The slow horses led by the ineffable Jackson Lamb ride again into the sunset creating chaos at every step along the way。 The plot is complex yet topical。 The book is a wonderful read。
PeggySue
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I was a little confused at first but that was my own fault for not noticing that this book eight in a series。 After just going with the flow for a while it all started to come together。 It is a story of a group of misfit messed up spies who sometimes stumble into doing the right thing。 It is also hilarious。 My favorite bit was a description of Sparrow as “nasty， British， and short。” You have to admire an author who can turn a famous quotation into a joke。 The narration was excellent but I had a I was a little confused at first but that was my own fault for not noticing that this book eight in a series。 After just going with the flow for a while it all started to come together。 It is a story of a group of misfit messed up spies who sometimes stumble into doing the right thing。 It is also hilarious。 My favorite bit was a description of Sparrow as “nasty， British， and short。” You have to admire an author who can turn a famous quotation into a joke。 The narration was excellent but I had a tough time with the British pronunciation of the word slough as in Slough House。 This where their offices are so you hear it a lot。I think I will go back and begin this series at the beginning。Thanks to Netgalley。 。。。more
Atlasi Khoramani
，
though I haven't read the previous books of this series， this book convinced me to read them all！ this was hilarious and interesting and great。 the plot was perfect and the whole story was captivating for me。 why haven't I found out about this series before？ and the narrator （ I've listened to the audiobook version） was great！ what a beautiful voice。 lots of thanks to NetGallery for providing this。 though I haven't read the previous books of this series， this book convinced me to read them all！ this was hilarious and interesting and great。 the plot was perfect and the whole story was captivating for me。 why haven't I found out about this series before？ and the narrator （ I've listened to the audiobook version） was great！ what a beautiful voice。 lots of thanks to NetGallery for providing this。 。。。more
John David Bull
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This was a pretty fun book。 I liked the constant lameness of Lamb （I mean he thinks he’s the cats bananas but you’ll see）。 The ridiculous story that could completely be true。 Great twist in this one and a good ending。 I felt satisfied with this book and recommend it。This is an unbiased review Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Laura
，
Another solid installment in Mick Herron's darkly humorous spy series featuring the Slow Horses: a group of disgraced， misfit MI5 operatives that MI5 itself barely acknowledges。 The head of the Slough House group， Jackson Lamb， is a character who's beyond irascible。 He's crude， rude， and often offers spycraft lessons with a dose of cruelty， as when he accidentally/on purpose broke the arm of a millennial MI5 recruit as she botched a covert surveillance operation。 Despite his public shortcomings Another solid installment in Mick Herron's darkly humorous spy series featuring the Slow Horses: a group of disgraced， misfit MI5 operatives that MI5 itself barely acknowledges。 The head of the Slough House group， Jackson Lamb， is a character who's beyond irascible。 He's crude， rude， and often offers spycraft lessons with a dose of cruelty， as when he accidentally/on purpose broke the arm of a millennial MI5 recruit as she botched a covert surveillance operation。 Despite his public shortcomings and apparent misanthropy， he's a fiercely loyal den mother to his litter of miscreant spies。Claude Whelan， one-time First Desk at Regent's Park， is approached by the gossipy， august Oliver Nash with an assignment to track down a valuable superforecaster （an adviser who educates the prime minister on what the voters are going to be concerned about in the future） who has gone missing。 Nash hints that it's feared the woman has been "waterproofed，" meaning she's been disappeared by MI5 for good， if not actually dead。 But Nash has been set the task by a shady character in the prime minister's office named Sparrow， whom everyone suspects is not just the prime minister's right hand， but is his puppeteer。 If it's all true， MI5 is facing a devastating political crisis that could destroy the entire organization。 And Claude is in a tough position: if Diana Tavener， once his protege and now his replacement as First Desk， is involved， will he be tempted to bring her down， regardless of the truth， or will he look beyond her for other possible explanations？With the stakes so high at Regent's Park， the low key Slow Horses are the better division to handle the covert investigation。 No one is watching them， and no one cares what they think， if they're thought of at all。This novel is the 8th in the Slough House series， but readers needn't worry about coming to the series at this point。 Herron is such a skilled series writer that he gives readers a good story to chew on while tossing in enough hints about past shenanigans to assure readers that they're not missing crucial information。 As far as tone， the favorable comparisons to Le Carré's George Smiley novels are not at all wrong。 I'm also strongly reminded of New Tricks， the clever， long-running British tv series about a gang of retired and misfit cops who are banished to work only on cold cases。 In both series， there's a sense of rocky camaraderie among professionals who just can't catch a break。With so many Cold War references and elements in Bad Actors， it feels disturbingly timely。 Above all， read this book for Herron's fascinating， lively characters。 They are unpredictable， unconventional， and fun to get to know。 。。。more
Julie
，
As we have come to expect from the Slough House， this is another brilliant entry。 Whoever would have thought we'd see Diana Tavener and Jackson Lamb on the same side？ Well， kinda。 Sorta。 Okay， maybe not， but a common enemy makes for strange bedfellows。 The PM's right hand has been playing dirty tricks against Diana AND jeopardizing the national security。 And that's enough to raise Jackson's ire。 Highly recommended。 As we have come to expect from the Slough House， this is another brilliant entry。 Whoever would have thought we'd see Diana Tavener and Jackson Lamb on the same side？ Well， kinda。 Sorta。 Okay， maybe not， but a common enemy makes for strange bedfellows。 The PM's right hand has been playing dirty tricks against Diana AND jeopardizing the national security。 And that's enough to raise Jackson's ire。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Bobbi
，
You can’t go wrong with one of Mick Herron’s Slough House books - he can really spin a tale！ His characters are a diverse group， and he puts them in some tense situations， to say the least。My thanks to the author and Soho Crime for the ARC。 The book will be released on May 10， 2022。
Debby
，
This eighth book in the series doesn’t stand alone well， but has me excited for something else。 Publication is expected May 10。 Read my full review here。#NetGalley #RBMedia #BadActors This eighth book in the series doesn’t stand alone well， but has me excited for something else。 Publication is expected May 10。 Read my full review here。#NetGalley #RBMedia #BadActors 。。。more
Pennie Morgan
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I found myself lost at times in this one but that may have something to do with this being the eighth book in this series。 This is a book of spies and espionage all during a pandemic in Britian。 There was a humorous component to keep it moving。 I did find it enjoyable。 **Received this ARC in audio for review from the publisher via NetGalley**
Audiothing
，
Pub date 12 May 2022I would strongly advise that you start this series from the beginning， if you do not you will miss out on getting to know the characters and all their goings on。 If you begin with this， the 8th in series you may very well find that you don't much care for the book！If you are a spook the last place you will wan to find yourself is at Slough House， it is the last stop before ending up on the Spy scrapheap！I love the humour （if it can be called that） of the boss of this motley c Pub date 12 May 2022I would strongly advise that you start this series from the beginning， if you do not you will miss out on getting to know the characters and all their goings on。 If you begin with this， the 8th in series you may very well find that you don't much care for the book！If you are a spook the last place you will wan to find yourself is at Slough House， it is the last stop before ending up on the Spy scrapheap！I love the humour （if it can be called that） of the boss of this motley crew， the very awful Jackson Lamb。If you have a slightly warped sense of humour and don't mind a bit of bad language I think you will enjoy this series。 The very versatile Gerard Doyle narrates and， as usual， does a fine jobThanks to NetGalley and RB Media， Recorded Books for this copy 。。。more
Tim
，
Another phenomenal addition to the growing Slough House oeuvre， "Bad Actors，" due out in May （after April's premier of the first TV adaptation of "Slow Horses" starring Kristin Scott-Thomas and Gary Oldman）， brings together Jackson Lamb's team of inept， disgraced spies to discover what has happened to Sophie de Greer， a “superforecaster” who predicts voter reactions to British government policies。 A thinly veiled Tory government has hired her， but turns out that she might be a Russian plant – ba Another phenomenal addition to the growing Slough House oeuvre， "Bad Actors，" due out in May （after April's premier of the first TV adaptation of "Slow Horses" starring Kristin Scott-Thomas and Gary Oldman）， brings together Jackson Lamb's team of inept， disgraced spies to discover what has happened to Sophie de Greer， a “superforecaster” who predicts voter reactions to British government policies。 A thinly veiled Tory government has hired her， but turns out that she might be a Russian plant – bad all around – and she is missing。 The gang's all here （well， except for River Cartwright）: Louisa Guy， Roddy Ho （in superb loser-form） ， Lech Wicinski， Shirley Dander， Catherine Standish plus their leader， “the loathsome Jackson Lamb，" and a funny new member， Ashley Khan。 Everyone has a backstory and a front story that Herron relates with great comedic prose and dead-on characterization。 One particularly slimy government minster is referred to as “a homegrown Napoleon: nasty， British and short。" And slowly， surely， cleverly， the plot unfolds through multiple perspectives from the slow horses and from many others。 I was struck with this book just how adept Herron is at plotting， which is at times genuinely thrilling， sometimes bumbling （because， you know， slow horses）， and also very， very clever。 The slow horses are in purgatory （and Slough House is as good a metaphor for purgatory as you are likely to find）， but they are not entirely inept （even Roddy Ho has something to offer）。 This is an outstanding， ambitious， and often laugh-out-loud funny spy novel。 Herron is being compared to le Carré – both write about spies and both take a very moral stance with respect to the people who employ spies – but Herron is just exceptionally droll。 But he is like le Carré in this: there's an unusually high level of intelligence at work here。 The books are filled with trenchant observations about governance， espionage， and bureaucracy。 A great read！ 。。。more
Rich
，
Another magnificent book in the Slough House series， I am also intrigued by the soon to be Apple TV show involving all these fantastic characters。 After an initially slow start， some stilted writing this book get off to a roaring start。 We find our usual Slough House lot of cast offs each lamenting their fates and resigned to the inevitable fate of a Slough Horse which is career suicide and a daily death by minutes of boredom。 However， our less than intrepid spies quickly find themselves involve Another magnificent book in the Slough House series， I am also intrigued by the soon to be Apple TV show involving all these fantastic characters。 After an initially slow start， some stilted writing this book get off to a roaring start。 We find our usual Slough House lot of cast offs each lamenting their fates and resigned to the inevitable fate of a Slough Horse which is career suicide and a daily death by minutes of boredom。 However， our less than intrepid spies quickly find themselves involved with a game of cat and mouse with the head of the Russian spy service。 Meanwhile， the Prime Minister's chief political rat is trying to force out Lady Di the head of MI5 to make the security service more pliable to the wishes of the PM。 In this swirling vat of intrigue drops the head of Slough House--Jackson Lamb。 As in previous books this lovable rogue （in my opinion） has all the best lines。 In one instance describing a fellow spy he says he is like a "dog with a boner。" Later in a terse exchange with Lady Di he says I care about your future prospects like whether my next shit is a floater or a stone！ Epic Jackson Lamb。 Needless to say this is the best series going at the moment and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Lacepaperlife
，
Reviewing Bad ActorsBy Mick HerronThis was my first book by Mick Herron And while I enjoy the writing style， the depth of detail and the interwoven characters I did feel I was at a disadvantage by not having read the former books in the series。 Characters are well formed in my life and the story line flows smoothly。 I found this book enjoyable but not gripping but to my lack of former knowledge of the characters and their relationships。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the r Reviewing Bad ActorsBy Mick HerronThis was my first book by Mick Herron And while I enjoy the writing style， the depth of detail and the interwoven characters I did feel I was at a disadvantage by not having read the former books in the series。 Characters are well formed in my life and the story line flows smoothly。 I found this book enjoyable but not gripping but to my lack of former knowledge of the characters and their relationships。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the rest of the series。 I personally struggled a but with it as a stand alone。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars for a great book that just wasn’t the right fit for me。 。。。more
Clbplym
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Another excellent book in this series。 If you haven’t read any， I would highly recommend that you do but start at the beginning。 This book can be read on its own but it is much more fun to see the characters develop。 Shirley is rehab for her drug addiction although she still doesn’t think she has a problem。 Roddy Ho is auditioning women to be Princess Leia on a night out with him！ Ash is new and has messed with Lamb’s food which was always going to be a mistake。 River is not there after the even Another excellent book in this series。 If you haven’t read any， I would highly recommend that you do but start at the beginning。 This book can be read on its own but it is much more fun to see the characters develop。 Shirley is rehab for her drug addiction although she still doesn’t think she has a problem。 Roddy Ho is auditioning women to be Princess Leia on a night out with him！ Ash is new and has messed with Lamb’s food which was always going to be a mistake。 River is not there after the events of the previous book although he is mentioned several times。 The new addition is the adviser to the Prime Minister and to call his comparison to Dominic Cummings ‘thinly veiled’ would be an exaggeration。 He is taking on Regent’s Park as he dislikes its independence。 There’s the Russian first desk in London， a missing government advisor and another power play for the top position at the agency。 Lamb is as clever as ever plays all to his advantage。 The end is very satisfying。 I listened to the audiobook and this was very well read and kept the pace throughout。Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC。 。。。more
Marci Williams
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This was my first book by this author and I would totally read other books by him。 It was well written and had lots of details that were interwoven nicely。 Each character was well formed and had their own personality that didn't just fall into a stereotype。 However， this wasn't really my jam but that is not the fault of the author。 I am glad that I just jumped into the series mid-stride instead of trying to listen to the bag log of his books。 I might try starting at the beginning of the series a This was my first book by this author and I would totally read other books by him。 It was well written and had lots of details that were interwoven nicely。 Each character was well formed and had their own personality that didn't just fall into a stereotype。 However， this wasn't really my jam but that is not the fault of the author。 I am glad that I just jumped into the series mid-stride instead of trying to listen to the bag log of his books。 I might try starting at the beginning of the series at another time。 I am not sure if this book wasn't my jam b/c I am not in the mood for it or if it's just truly not my jam。 Time will tell。#BadActors #NetGalley 。。。more
The Cats’ Mother
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Bad Actors is the eighth Book in the brilliantly devious Slough House espionage series， set in London， about a group of no-hoper Secret Service agents and their dastardly boss - the revolting but hilariously un-PC Jackson Lamb。 I’ve read them all in order and would not recommend beginning the series with this one - you need to know the characters to understand the dynamics at play here。 The plot is complicated and you really do have to pay attention to get the full impact。 I listened to the audi Bad Actors is the eighth Book in the brilliantly devious Slough House espionage series， set in London， about a group of no-hoper Secret Service agents and their dastardly boss - the revolting but hilariously un-PC Jackson Lamb。 I’ve read them all in order and would not recommend beginning the series with this one - you need to know the characters to understand the dynamics at play here。 The plot is complicated and you really do have to pay attention to get the full impact。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gerard Doyle。 Set post-Brexit and post-Covid， there’s political intrigue， sinister baddies， black humour， some brilliantly slapstick action scenes， and Lamb’s unique put-downs。 These are spy novels for people who don’t read spy novels！The Slow Horses are the joke of The Service - a bunch of young spies who’ve made mistakes not quite bad enough to get them sacked - so are forced to either work in a crumbling building in North London doing apparently pointless research tasks， or quit with no way back。 Their escapades have led them into many dangerous situations， and several of their colleagues have not survived， so they’re all depressed and bored stiff。 When a devious political fixer with a plan to take over Regent’s Park needs help finding a missing “super-forecaster”， he enlists the help of former First Desk Claude Whelan， but then some of the Slow Horses get involved， and can’t help but make everything worse - or was that Lamb’s cunning plan all along…？This was my first audiobook from NetGalley - I was not approved for an eARC， but was dying to read this having loved all the previous books - so it was my first experience of listening through the app。 I was slightly dismayed to discover that you can’t speed it up - I normally listen to audiobooks at around the 1。3x rate， so found the narration here very slow。 Obviously this won’t be an issue with the finished audiobook。 The narrator has a posh and somewhat smarmy accent which works well for most but not all of the characters and did grate at times - on balance I preferred the previous narrator Sean Barrett。The writing is superb as ever - almost poetic at times - but the genius of these is really the unique characters。 Diana Taverner has always been the villainess， but we suddenly find ourselves on her side even though she’s as devious as ever。 There’s an interesting new Slow Horse， Ashley Kahn， finding her feet while bent on revenge; Roddy Ho is as obnoxious as ever， and Shirley Dander is awesome， but Lamb steals every scene。 The previous book ended on a cliffhanger， and I should warn that we are basically left hanging as to that character’s fate。 The Apple TV adaptation begins in April and I for one can’t wait to see it， given the quality cast - if it’s even half as good as the books it’ll be a winner。Thanks to NetGalley and RB media for the Audio ARC。 Bad Actors is released on May 10th。 。。。more
Ann Dewar
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The bad actors of the title are not escapees from a Simon Brett novel but underperforming spooks in this， #8 in the series of Slough House novels。 This is the first of the series I have read and so clearly I am missing a lot of background information on the main characters but this reads like a le Carre novel written by Terry Pratchett。 The book is peopled with the rejects from the security services and so you can expect lots of humour， political satire and plenty of cynicism within the plot， wi The bad actors of the title are not escapees from a Simon Brett novel but underperforming spooks in this， #8 in the series of Slough House novels。 This is the first of the series I have read and so clearly I am missing a lot of background information on the main characters but this reads like a le Carre novel written by Terry Pratchett。 The book is peopled with the rejects from the security services and so you can expect lots of humour， political satire and plenty of cynicism within the plot， with every situation exploited by everyone that can possibly get at it。If you are interested in politics and like your humour black and/or slapstick， you will love this。The narrator of the audiobook version is Gerrard Doyle， who gives an appropriately laconic delivery。With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher， R B Media for an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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The Slow Horses of Slough House during the pandemic and the onslaught of Brexit。 Mick Herron once again in full display of his wit mixed with his ability to craft action sequences with a plot that seems a right fit for this audible format， Superstar reader Gerard Doyle's droll voice perfectly and evenly paced provides narration。 The Slow Horses of Slough House during the pandemic and the onslaught of Brexit。 Mick Herron once again in full display of his wit mixed with his ability to craft action sequences with a plot that seems a right fit for this audible format， Superstar reader Gerard Doyle's droll voice perfectly and evenly paced provides narration。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bad Actors
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bad Actors&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bad Actors&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0