You know how sometimes you just don't connect with a book? That was this book for me. I think fans of this genre will enjoy it. But for me, I just had a hard time getting into the story. The pacing was a tad too slow for having multiple POVs and multiple timelines. I just had a hard time understanding what all was going on in the story. It wasn’t until about the halfway mark when things started to slide into place and I knew what the story was about. Even then it didn’t grab my attention fully.
This book was a 3.5/5 for me
Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC of this novel.

I’m a huge fan of the Slough House books by Mick Herron and narrated by Gerard Doyle. However, they are challenging at times for listening because the author switches scenes frequently and the narrator reads through and you need to pay close attention. In this stand alone which takes the author’s usual switching and adds another timeline, I just couldn’t follow what was happening on audio despite frequent rewinding/replaying. Will try again on paper once it’s released.

Mick Herron never misses! Another great, gritty crime thriller set against my favorite backdrop. Well done!

Sorry to have to give this feedback, but I didn't like this audiobook. I didn't even get halfway. The writer has a complex way of writing, and nothing wrong with that, but it is necessary for the narrator to adapt to this type of writing. And it was not the case. The narrator of the audiobook failed create a connection with the story. He is very monotonous and without emotion. I didn't manage to create any connection with the story. I'm really sorry, but it's just not for me, despite my initial excitement when I read the description.

I just couldn’t get into this book. After plowing through almost half of the book I found that the pace was too slow and it was hard to understand the convoluted workings of the departments in the book. The narrator was not suitable for this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Secret Hours by Mike Herron

A spy and secret agent story with dual timelines between the present days and back to 1994 Berlin. Malcolm Kyle received a file saying the operation in 1994 was wrong…..

The story plot was cleverly written. Intriguing, dark and tension. The characters are unique and convincing under Mike’s pen. Their fun and dark humors enlightened the story.

The speed and intonation from the narrator let the characters alive. I enjoyed the story and listening to this gripping spy thriller!

Mick Herron takes the reader on a slow burn adventure of intrigue and surprise involving some of the top spooks of yesterday and today. If you are a fan of Slow Horses, you’ll want to pick up a copy of The Secret Hours.

Starting out with a home invasion of an unknown character, the reader is immediately hooked - if only to figure out who is who and how this will all play out. The story then stretches out slowly, deliberately introducing a set of characters both quirky and mundane who contribute pieces of thus puzzling situation. .A thoroughly modern novel (sadly including Covid-19) that draws in the past - telling two stories decades apart, which come together for a smashing conclusion.

Appreciate the ability to read the audiobook version via NetGalley, Narrator was superb.

DNF. The novel starts with a hook and it has a promise of a heart pounding, fast paced, intricate thriller however the voice of the narrator lulls me to sleep. It is way too monotone for this kind of story. Seems to be the case of a miscast or misdirected audiobook unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent mystery and was interesting. But the book started out really slow and it took me sometime to really get into the book.

4 stars

A twisty espionage story set in late Cold War Berlin with Mick Herron’s classic touches of dark humor. I enjoyed this a lot!

[What I liked:]

•There are some great characters in this story, particularly the roguish German fixer & the slimy British spy on a revenge mission together. But I also loved the cameos of the weepy head of the Berlin office, and Max’s grumpy old lady neighbor!

•There are some pretty good twists I didn’t see coming. I also quite enjoyed the framing with the investigation of the old case and all of the bureaucratic political machinations.

•The choice of setting was interesting, since I haven’t read many spy stories set in late Cold War Berlin.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Due to the framing of this story as an investigation into an old case file, it does have some slower sections. I don’t consider this a flaw at all, but if you don’t like slow burns and are looking for nonstop action this might not be a book for you.

CW: murder, racism, sexism, ableism, addiction/substance abuse, suicide

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. First off, I was interested in trying out this audiobook because I know this author wrote the Slough House series, which the new show Slow Horses with Gary Oldman is based on. I haven't read the Slough House series, and this book is a standalone spy thriller by the author. The story revolves around a botched MI-5 mission in Berlin during the Cold War. The story bounces back and forth from then to present-day London. The cast of characters are agents and higher-ups at "The Park" (Regency Park - or basically what you could call "Spy Headquarters". The story opens with a character named Max and an attempted abduction. We meet agents that are involved in a review team that is tasked with looking into the use of funds (or misuse) by the agency and any wrongdoing, corruption etc. The assignment is called "Monochrome" and is headed up by a woman named Griselda Fleet and a man named Malcolm Kyle...both told that they would be re-assigned to Monochrome temporarily. We get to meet the "First Desk", who is basically the woman in charge at The Park as well as several current and former "assets" and agents/spies. We learn throughout the story that the botched mission in question started when an asset's identity was revealed and then she was subsequently killed and there was an ensuing plot to set a trap for the killer and exact revenge. The story gets a little confusing and there is A LOT of descriptive detail and I find sometimes the writing gets very "wordy"...basically coming off like big, longwinded explanations of things that could have been summed up in a few sentences, but instead would run on. Now, this may have been in part due to the fact that the book was narrated by a single person, so at times, when there wasn't the need to change pitch/tone etc, it would sound like too much of the same voice and be too easy to inadvertently tune out....prompting me to have to skip back to re-listen to a section. The narrator was very good overall and managed to portray the different characters well enough that I could differentiate between them most of the time. The writing itself was great and I especially enjoyed the sardonic wit and snappy humour in the dialogue or some descriptions. It was sometimes hard to know what was going on as so much was being revealed and in so much detail, that I'd forget where the story was in that moment. It wasn't hard to know if it was a past or present scene though, as the author and narrator announced it at the start of each chapter (ex. "London: Now"). In the end, all of the puzzle pieces fell perfectly into place and all loose threads were tied up...some threads had connections to the past that I didn't expect and so those were nice surprises to be revealed near the end. All in all, I like this story enough to want to go and read the author's other books. I think that even though the narrator is very good, this type of book, with so much detail to keep straight and so many characters to figure out, may be better to be read instead of listened to...at least for me. But for anyone that likes a good spy thriller/mystery, I think you won't be disappointed with this.

The Secret Hours is billed as a stand-alone story. And it does work as a stand-alone, but those familiar with the Slough House series will appreciate it all the more.
The story takes its own sweet time getting set up. But given the snarky humor in almost every scene, I didn’t mind the meandering path it took. The premise is that two years prior, a prime minister set up the Monochrome internal inquiry, a look into “historical overreach” by MI5. But in typical government bureaucracy, the two individuals, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, tasked with leading the inquiry, have no power and are thwarted at every turn by MI5’s First Desk. Now, the PM has been ousted and Monochrome is on its last legs. And then…Malcolm receives a folder outlining a classified operation in 1994 Berlin that went horribly wrong. The story then goes back and forth between the present day and the time in Berlin. Oh, and there’s also a side story in the present day about an ex-joe who awakes to his house being broken into and is forced to go on the run.
All the characters are perfectly presented and fleshed out. And Herron makes no secrets of his thoughts about politics. The original PM is a thinly veiled portrait of Boris Johnson and Griselda’s career has gotten off track by attending one of the Covid parties. This is a book filled with dark, acerbic humor. It’s an intelligent, convoluted story designed to keep the listener on their toes. And the ending is bloody perfect!
I listened to this and Gerard Doyle is again the perfect narrator.
My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance copy of this audiobook.

I really enjoyed Slow Horses, so I had high expectations with this one, and it totally delivered. The timeline back and forth had me a little confused at times, but for the most part, I loved the story. The audio narration was very well done, the delivery making the occasional laugh out loud moments even funnier. It's a terrific stand alone that fans of espionage fiction should adore.

Amidst the ongoing jealousy and rivalry between the British government and the British Intelligence Service, the Prime Minister, who nurses a huge grudge against the spy service, institutes a program called Monochrome. Monochrome is designed to sniff out wrongdoing in the secret service, but the Prime Minister is no match for MI-6's 'First Desk' - a formidable and intelligent woman who immediately (and hilariously) neuters Monochrome.

Thus the Monochrome panel, whose members are Griselda Fleet, Malcolm Kyle, and others, spends years interviewing people, to no avail. The 'witnesses' blather on and on, but know nothing useful about the spy service, and their testimonies are never intended for the 'final report.'

Sadly, Malcolm - a young man with lofty ambitions - sees his career going down the drain while he languishes on the Monochrome panel. Then one day, while Malcolm is ambling around the supermarket with a shopping cart, a young woman crashes into him, upending Malcolm's groceries. Several people come over to help, and when everything is back in place, Malcolm finds a file under his groceries. The file turns out to contain information about a top secret intelligence operation called OTIS. The supermarket incident freaks Malcolm out, but - after much rationalizing - Malcolm and Griselda Fleet decide Monochrome will investigate OTIS.

OTIS turns out to be a post-WWII spy operation in Berlin, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Monochrome panel is beginning to interview the first OTIS witness when Monochrome is shut down hard, for good. It's clear the government does not want OTIS to become public knowledge. Nevertheless, Griselda and Malcolm fabricate a loophole so they can hear the witness's whole story, which is riveting.

Meanwhile, a sixtysomething former spy called Max Janacek is on the run after an attempted abduction in the middle of the night. Max, who has some skills, manages to evade his kidnappers, retrieve his flight kit, and embark on a quest to find out who's after him.

In case you ever need to make a fast getaway, here are the contents of a flight kit: a passport with a fake name; a grand in cash; two prepaid credit cards worth 5,000 Euros; one change of clothing; a basic toiletries kit that includes hair dye and tinted contact lenses; and a pair of insoles that will alter your gait enough to fool a computer. (You're welcome. 🙂)

All of the threads come together at the book's climax, and the ending made me smile. I just love that First Desk.

Good espionage thriller, highly recommended.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Gerard Doyle, who does an excellent job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Mick Herron, and RB Media for a copy of the book.

It Started off slow for me. It didn't pick up till towards the end of the book. Once it picked up I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for access to this advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Secret Hours
By Mick Herron
Narrated by Gerard Doyle
Run time: 12 Hours 45 minutes
Release date: September 12, 2023

Mick Herron draws the reader into the world of MI5 and its everyday office-life mundanity. This is the perfect way to taste-test Herron’s style and get a feel for whether or not you want to dive into his Slough House series. We follow Griselda and Malcom, who have been tasked by the PM with heading up Monochrome, an internal affairs-type inquiry into the conduct of the British Secret Service. MI5’s First Desk stonewalls their investigation, and the new administration intends to bring Monochrome to a politically-driven close. Then Griselda and Malcolm happen upon evidence of an epic decades-long cover-up.

The first 30% is very glacially paced but establishes the world and characters. Even after that, the plot was not as exciting to me as most of the Slough House books. The characters the narrative follows changes. We don’t get to follow the perspectives of Griselda and Malcolm the entire time, so I had a hard time staying invested.

Gerard Doyle does an okay job narrating the story. It’s not a particularly vivacious or evocative performance. Doyle does modulate his voice to indicate dialogue and distinguishes between characters in dialogue with each other. Also, Doyle’s timbre and tone does match the tone of the plot and setting.

I can't get into this book. There is far too description.
Thank you for the advance copy and I did like the narrator although he sounded like a grandpa, which doesn't seem like the spy age :)

This is the first book by Mick Herron that I've read/listened to and I've not seen any of the Slow Horses episodes. Neither is required to enjoy this intriguing and wonderfully narrated spy novel. Alternating between the present day and Berlin at the time of the fall of the Wall, The Secret Hours keeps the listener engaged and entertained. Just as the best books from spy-novel master John le Carre, with whom Herron is often compared, this novel combines a ripping good story, filled with twists and turns, with a canny ability to paint the atmosphere of each distinct period. This won't be the last of Herron's books that I'll read.

This is my first Mick Herron book, but my gosh, it won't be my last!

I was gripped from the opening chapter of this story and how it moved along was just brilliant! I was kept wondering with each turn. The narration by Gerard Doyle was superb! If you are looking for book with a linear story line... this is not that. You have to jump around on the timeline a bit before you get to the end of the book. But the jumping around was not confusing... Herron gives you the background you need, when you need it. If you like spy novels... you will LOVE this one!

I have read other reviews that link back to Herron's Slow Horses series, but you absolutely can read this book as a stand alone without having read anything else.

I highly recommend!

I would like to thank Netgalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books for this advance audiobook. It will be published September 12, 2023.

I am ashamed to say this is my first Mick Herron therefore obviously not one of the Slough House series. I am delighted to say that I absolutely loved it. And now I can get stuck into all the Slough House books knowing I've hours of joy to look forward to.

The start itself centres around The Park (aka secret service), the history of the Berlin Station, an enquiry named Monochrome looking into dodgy dealings at The Park and the secretive lives of various agents and "admin" staff. Suffice it to say that if I even attempt to describe the plot I will quickly lose you (and probably myself) so I won't - read the synopsis.

What I can tell you is that Mick Herron has created some exceptionally likeable (though murderous, foul-mouthed and inherently broken) characters whose names are quite frequently not their real names or their code names. Every single one of them has an acerbic wit but "Brinsley", "Otis" and "Alison" have to be favourites. The one-liners are to die for and I'm not sure there have been many spy novels I've snorted with laughter at. Mick Herron certainly has a unique voice.

I listened to the audio version of this book which was masterfully read by Gérard Doyle. I was utterly glued to it and frequently went back and forth just to enjoy it a second or third time.

Funny, smart, great ploy, immensely satisfying end. What more do you wish for in a book.
Very highly recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley and RB Media for the advance review copy.