Pub date 12 May 2022

I 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 job
Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for this copy

Yay! So excited for the latest installment from Slough House. I’ve read this entire series to date on audiobook narrated by Gerard Doyle, so I’ve come to love his characterizations and recognize the recurring characters by sound. This is a progressive series, so for new readers, I would recommend starting at the beginning.

Reviewing
Bad Actors
By Mick Herron

This 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.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book. I do feel like the author tried to force the theatre theme in places and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. But I loved the dry humour and darkness of the characters. I've already looked for other books by Mick Herron.

A young woman, hand-picked by the PM’s trusted right-hand man for an important role, is missing, and the word is that First Desk Di Taverner’s people are involved. Milkman John Bachelor has seen the young lady, though, and is sure she’s not quite whom she purports to be. In this instalment, the slow horses, minus River Cartwright, see plenty of action: even Roddy Ho gets to be in on it, although his contributions might be less than helpful. As always, the dialogue, filled with dry wit, is what makes this series so enjoyable. Rody Ho’s inner monologue will have listeners chuckling, and every interaction he has with Lamb is laugh-out-loud funny, so best not listened to on public transport, if you have continence issues, or whilst eating/drinking. Gerard Doyle’s rendition of Jackson Lamb is not really gravelly enough, Sean Barrett’s is much better.

Bad Actors by Mick Herron I have read every book by Mick Herron. Not only The Slough House Series but also his Oxford Series as well as is standalone novels. First, I would suggest if this is your first Herron’s Slough House book, I would put it down and start at the beginning given that this is the 8th book in the series there is just too much in the development of the characters that Mr. Herron feels no need to provide at this point. And his books are character driven. This was the first time I have listened to one of his books. This one was spoken by Gerald Doyle, which I understand is for the US version and not the British version. A quick check shows I believe that Mr. Doyle has done all of his previous Slough House Books. My only disappointment with Doyle’s speaking was his interpretation of Jackson Lamb. With the TV series coming out soon there has been much discussion of who would play Lamb and although most of the discussion was on his appearance, it goes without saying his rude and crude responses to all is a key part of Jackson Lamb. I assumed this would be done with a slight Oxbridge accent to suggest deeply buried within was not just someone with street smarts but also an intellectual backing which he would be loathe to admit unless it was to his advantage.
I do not wish to give away the story line but there were a few firsts. No slow horse dies and Dianna Tavener do seem to have come to some mutual acceptance of each other in this book. Not sure how long that will last. In other words I look forward to more Slough Horse books as well as my purchased copy of this book coming not soon enough

Book 8 in the Slough House series! Any fans who worried that the loss of River from being central would derail the Slough House "team" can rest easy - this book was a well-plotted swiftly moving delight. Spy thriller with the screwball elements that Herron clearly delights in, alongside some really bloody fights as Shirley takes the lead... If you haven't read some others in the series it might be hard to jump in here, recommend starting at the beginning.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC audio of this book.

I really wanted to like/love this book. I read a number of the reviews before reading it and the positive ones sounded like people who had similar taste as mine. But I struggled to finish the whole book. The witty dialogue was charming and I laughed out loud a number of times. I had trouble following the story. I understand that this is the eighth or ninth book in a series of the same down and out MI5 group. Perhaps if I had followed from the beginning, I would have built a relationship with the characters. That's too bad. I think a good book should allow a reader to feel comfortable stepping in at any point. Then want to go back and read the whole series.

I recently read that Netflix has created a series out of these books, specifically the first book. The cast is exemplary and I am looking forward to watching it in hopes of gaining some affection for the group as a whole.
Meanwhile, I don't know how to rate this book.
The writing is good, it's witty, and I suspect that, if read from the first book of the series, the characters are well fleshed out and even creative. But I could not find a place that pulled me in. The characters all seemed immensely unlikeable and I couldn't find a reason to care.

I'm looking forward to the Netflix series to change my mind.

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.

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

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.

This is my second Mick Herron book and I've come to the conclusion that is writing style is not for me. There is a lot of 'telling' and not a lot of action in the wording of Herron's prose. It took me a very long time to get into the story and I found myself easily getting bored with the descriptions and could not stay engaged.

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.

This #8 in the Slough House series.
This is my first read in this series so I did have concerns that I would be missing a lot of background info. One reader described it as hilarious (true I usually doubt when that is used as a descriptor but thought it would be humorous.)
Unfortunately I can be a prude when it comes to unnecessary and overused profanity so missed the humor but. I did hang in there!!

Want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 10, 2022.

I requested to listen to the audio “ARC” of Bad Actors by Mick Herron via NetGalley. I am grateful to the author and Recorded Books to be approved.

What a rip-roaring good time this novel turned out to be. I was crushed at the end of the previous book in this series, and warned myself not to get too attached to any of the characters. Well, that was a failure! I may even be indulging in a girl crush with Diana Taverner, which shocked me. Yes, she’s been a terrible human being and very good at stabbing co-workers and competitors in the back. But darn if I didn’t warm up to her this time. “Red Queen” indeed! No matter what, she may be beaten temporarily in a battle, but she keeps on going and hangs on to her position at First Desk. Her allies/enemies should ignore that at their peril. She even gives us insights into Jackson Lamb’s character, which I loved.

As usual, Mr. Herron weaves many threads together, with new characters as well as some of our favorites. There was plenty of action, physical and technological. The Slough House gang manages to back into success by luck and perverse logic more times than I could count. Along the way, there were many laugh-out-loud moments. I think of this series as highly cinematic (hint hint BBC!. . . the Slow Horses could give Line of Duty a run for their money!).

I just don’t understand why more people from the Service don’t screw up just so they can be posted to Slough House.

Gerald Doyle is a superb narrator for this series. I prefer books read by one actor, and his character voices, both masculine and feminine, are very effective.

Looking forward to #9 with our friends at Slough House. And thank you, Mr. Herron, for the happy news in the last chapter. Don’t mess with me, I will come after you if that was a red herring. Just kidding. . . maybe.

Five stars and I enjoyed every moment of listening. Run don’t walk to your device to savor it yourself, in any format.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have read all of the previous instalments, but this is the first time I have listened to the audiobook version. I thought the narrator was excellent: the different voices were distinct and he hit all the punch lines. Slowing down to audiobook speed made me appreciate the language and the humour even more than usual. I particularly enjoyed all the 'parallels' with current British politics.

Highly recommended - an excellent addition to one of my favourite series.

In London's MI5 headquarters a scandal is brewing that could disgrace the entire intelligence community. A specialist who advises the Prime Minister's office has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan has been tasked with tracking her down. Diana Taverner is the chief suspect. The slow horses are doing what they do best with adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation. This is a political story about lying, cheating and backstabbing. The book has fun-loving characters with dialogue of great wit and humor. The captivating plot is very believable. The twists at the end kept the pages turning. I have read 5 other Herron books and have enjoyed them all. His writing is entertaining. I would like to thank RB Media, Recorded Books, SoHo Crime and NetGalley for an audio copy for an honest opinion. Loved the narrator too!

Narrator 3 stars.


Story 3 stars

It took me a bit to get into the story. I didn't particularly love it, but didnt hate it. Just very in the middle

4 stars

This book is so funny & entertaining! It’s like a cross between a le Carré novel & a picaresque romp. The characters are wonderful & the plot was pretty exciting. Not sure how I missed out on this series until now, but I plan to read the rest.

[What I liked:]

•Good lord, but this was hilarious! Lamb is terrible in an amusing way, like Hawthorn from Hawthorn & Horowitz but on steroids. Roddy thinks he’s so cool & can never think of come backs in time. Shirley tries to iron on uneven surfaces! The pranking with spicy foods is perfect. And don’t get me started on the football hooligans 😂

•Despite being madcap & at points bordering on the ridiculous, the story hangs together really well & is actually sort of believable. The plot has some really nice twists towards the end! & the resolutions are all pretty satisfying.

•The writing is pretty good, at points darkly witty, at others almost rapturous in giving setting descriptions. The dialogue is particularly strong; if not always entirely realistic, at least it’s true to character.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I’m not clear on why Shirley didn’t get fired. Katherine said she would be if she effed up again, & she effed up again 🤷‍♀️

CW: physical violence, murder, substance abuse, racism, sexism

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]