Slough House Appetiser before the banquet…..
Whilst waiting for my next big fix – Volume 5 of Mick Herron’s wonderful Jackson Lamb series, I discovered the existence of this small novella. I think there may be more, similar, presumably little bonnes bouches which Herron crafts on the side for impatient fans of the series
Dieter Hess, an elderly agent, run by someone from Regent’s Park, has died. Ferocious, steely Diana Taverner, Number 2 desk, and a brilliant creation in the series, discovers there is more to this than meets the eye. The agent’s handler, John Bachelor someone on the verge of seedy himself (though urbane, sophisticated and classy compared to Jackson Lamb) is terrified of Tavener (isn’t everyone except Lamb?) ‘Lady Di’ as she is known, without affection, makes it clear to Bachelor that any messes resulting from Hess’s death will not be dealt with by her, and Bachelor will pay all prices – it appears Hess may have been a double agent.
Bachelor must come up with a skin-saving solution, and fast.
It was extraordinary, thought Coe, how much a badly dressed shoeless fat man could look like a crocodile
The denizens of Slough House are not really centre stage in this one, though Jackson Lamb and Catherine Standish do memorably appear in an encounter with a rookie agent who Bachelor fingers for his fall guy, just as Tavener has fingered him. Big sharks eat smaller sharks who feast on smaller sharks still
Catherine turned ..”by the way, what is that round your neck?”
“Somebody’s scarf. Found it in the kitchen” . Lamb scratched the back of his neck. “There’s a draught.”
“Yes, keep it on. Don’t want you catching cold.”
She went back to her own office to ring Coe, thinking: So that’s where the tea towel went.
This takes a pleasurable hour to read, and reminds the reader, if they enjoy the 
teasing twists in this one, how much more nail-biting, heart-breaking, and audacious those twists are likely to get in the full length, London Rules, available early in February.
Not to mention, funny, amongst the darkness, Lamb is a glorious, obscene presence.
Modestly priced on Kindle, seriously overpriced in wood
Isn’t it great when you find a little buried treasure from a favourite author? :))
I’m deep in London Rules now, and it is shaping up brilliantly. But it does mean that I’m caught within the feverish desire for what happens next, with the unbearable knowledge that the end is not far away and I really don’t want to reach it……
I read this after you first introduced me to Slough house. It had slipped my mind- but the tea towel brought it all back 🙂 I am very much looking forward to the pleasure of London Rules – and being reminded of it once again, this time I couldn’t resist and popped over to download. Sometimes it’s just too easy to digitally indulge….
London Rules is so good. I’m sad to have finished it . How can one be sorry to leave such a dirty, shabby building as Slough House, and, particularly to leave the presence of the stinky, sweaty, bibulous , bullying Mr Lamb, someone ‘in real ‘ one would do anything to avoid!?
I’m yet to read Herron but you’re doing a great job convincing me he needs to be top of my ‘books to buy when my stupid book buying ban ends’ list! I do like a novella too 🙂
Library, Madame Bibi? Do you NetGalley? They WERE doing a ‘read now’ on all the earlier books, but I think they may still be on your request. I’ve just finished London Rules and I think I may ‘re read the earlier ones again as ‘comfort familiar’ as I have some exhausting work schedules over the next couple of months and may not have energy for new reading. That’s when re reading an old friend is so welcome. Even if that old friend was only met a year ago!
I do Library but I’m trying to restrain myself a bit, otherwise the TBR won’t shrink at all! NetGalley – never! I’ll drown in piles of unread novels, which admittedly isn’t a bad way to go…
Don’t work too hard Lady F, but do enjoy revisiting old friends 🙂
Must string readers along to keep them from abandoning authors, right? Makes me wonder how much of the energies are expended along the way only add to the pressure of producing the larger works.
Well if it works (and I think this does) it isn’t that cynical – it gives some back story which feeds nicely in to the introduction of a character who appeared in book 4. The short novella has quite a different dynamic. Herron (so far) seems to be happily gathering fans of the series and is unlikely to see them abandoning him any time soon
It’s perhaps more of a variation on a theme, and I think might be an enjoyable experience to write
Ah, I see what you’re saying. Sometimes authors created these side pieces to help them flesh out the whole, and to provide a bit of a breather. Makes sense to publish it.