Real Tigers by Mick Herron

This is the third instalment in Mick Herron’s series featuring the inimitable Jackson Lamb and his team of ‘slow horses’. Lamb himself is an extraordinary creation, reminiscent of Reginald Hill’s burly and crass Superintendent Andy Dalziel, only far more dishevelled and boorish. His ‘slow horses’ are cast-offs from the elite world of MI5, each having been consigned to the equivalent of intelligence Siberia following a spectacular failure. 

They are a mixed bunch: Catherine Standish, middle aged and alcoholic, battling to make it through each day without slipping off the wagon; River Cartwright, whose survival in the Service might owe much to his grandfather who was one of its legendary figures; Louisa Guy, still grieving the loss of her partner who died during a misconceived operation the previous year; and Roderick Ho, the team’s computer nerd who takes dysfunctional behaviour to a new level.

This time around, the team finds itself under renewed pressure. Senior officials at the Service’s headquarters have lost patience with the slow horses, as has a politically ambitious Home Secretary. There are, however, greater dangers facing the slow horses, and these become evident when one of them is kidnapped and held hostage.

Herron is adept at developing watertight plots which he then peoples with colourful characters. His dialogue is masterful, too, peppered with hilarious exchanges though never to the extent that they compromise the serious narrative thread. The overall effect is intensely entertaining.

This review originally appeared on Goodreads here.

Real Tigers by Mick Herron is available to buy on Amazon.