It is bliss to be back with the Slow Horses

5 stars

Why must life conspire to throw so many obstacles blocking my reading path since being, kindly, granted the ARC of Clown Town?!? I was up 'til 2am having reached a crucial plot point and needed to carry on until I knew what happened after. Well, I didn’t make it and started my day with 15% left to read. Every person in my village has popped ‘round for a chat just as I sat down to finish it!

Well, now I have finished and I feel bereft at its close. Clown Town was superlative, as ever, but it took some time to reacquaint myself with this amazing world. I loved the Secret Hours, and the time spent in the Cold War with Jackson and Molly makes me want more, but it feels an age since we last visited with our beloved, downtrodden Slow Horses. Quite a lot left hanging. In Mick Herron’s wisdom, we were granted a gentle start to reaffirm our friendship with each Slow Horse. Time well spent even if Jackson didn’t give us much at the beginning. I would expect nothing less, from him. 

The synopsis you already know, so I will save you the bother of regurgitating it now. Needless to say, events occur and the build up is what kept me glued to the novel until 2am. The not knowing is both a blessing and a curse but in my heart I knew and, strangely, that left a mark on me. I feel I know these characters so well. I’ve read all the books and novellas, enjoyed the ups (few) and the downs (many). Shared the jokes and been put off by the unsavoury humour (loads in this novel so not for those with a delicate disposition!). I’ve listened to the books numerous times whilst painting a room or gardening and find I learn something previously overlooked each time. This is a world I happily inhabit whilst reading, listening or watching Slow Horses on AppleTv for the umpteenth time. It is quality that has an enduring power. 

There is a moment in the book when Shirley reflects on past events. We know them well but it’s easy to let the scope of the series as a whole fall from recollection. Each book doesn’t need to be bigger and grander than the last. It’s the thread of the main story arc that matters most. Here, we have a gentler start but the end is just as powerful as anything that’s gone before, more so, in some regards. It feels meaningful. The Fates have spun the thread of the series and it feels urgent, foreboding darkly. A page has been turned and things feel sure to change. For good or ill, I couldn’t say, only Mick Herron knows. But I will be there for every moment and cheering our Slow Horses on whatever comes. I feel as protective over these joes as Jackson Lamb. Clown Town is a worthy successor that carries the story forward whilst giving us all the laughs, tension, drama and tender moments we’ve come to expect.

Thank you, Mick Herron and John Murray Press, for these seminal (insert Jackson Lamb joke here) works past, present and future. This is British literature at its best.