Mick Herron underlines just what an insanely great espionage writer he is in his latest cracking standalone offering, sharp, witty, acerbic, funny, with a widely disparate set of characters, some of whom that fans of the Slough House series will gleefully recognise. This is a smart, complex, and intelligent book, the pieces of which come together at the end with a bang, emphasising it never does to underestimate Regent's Park's formidable first desk. I listened to this audio, marvellously narrated by Gerard Doyle, and is approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes. It begins with Max Janacek lying wide awake at night hearing his home being broken into, he goes on the run, finding himself being chased, but by whom?

An old Joe, Max is well served by knowing the territory, and in particular where the stinking body of a dead badger resides. He is determined to find out who came after him. HR's Griselda Fleet's life has not turned out as she had hoped, her gambling addict of a husband results in her in desperate financial straits. She has been seconded on to the Monochrome Inquiry, aided by another civil servant, Malcolm Kyle. This had been instigated by a PM intent on curbing the power of the First Desk. However, it will need a far more wily and able character than him to worry her as she stymies the inquiry at every turn., and besides he is soon out of power. 2 years later, a bored and frustrated Kyle finds himself in possession of a file that promises the first signs of progress on Monochrome, going on to illuminate what happened in Berlin in 1994, events buried deep by Regent's Park.

The different threads slowly begin to connect as the past informs the present, revealing scandal, tragedy, a shocking secret history. There are cover ups, surprising twists and turns, there is ineptness, betrayals, , ex-Stasi officers, hidden agendas and intrigue galore, and private companies intent on acquiring lucrative parts of the intelligence agencies. The tension and suspense build to a unexpectedly thrilling finale that will have readers gasping and enthralled. Once again, Herron gives us top notch entertaining spy fiction, that his fans will adore, whilst simultaneously giving new readers the opportunity to see exactly what they have been missing out on. I can particularly recommend the audio. Many thanks to RB Media for ALC.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book.
I am so hesitant to write a review here. Mick Heron has become the next John Le Carré and reviewers are singing his praises everywhere. His Slough Horses books have been turned into an Apple TV+ series, Slow Horses, starring some real heavyweights. And here I am finding his books hard to follow. All his books seem to involve inept MI5 spies who make many mistakes and are, basically, the exact opposite of most fictional spies that we see on TV. There is much witty dialogue that goes on and on and is truly brilliantly written especially as it shows the ineptness of the spies. This book is no different. It goes back and forth in time and slowly the reader realizes something bad happened in Berlin and there has been a thirty-year cover-up. The Prime Minister's attempt to ferret out the misdoings under the name Monochrome ends with a whimper except that on the eve of its closing, a folder lands in the basket of a lowly spy and slowly Berlin is uncovered.
There is no heavy drama, just one spy outwitting another. As confused as I get with Heron's book, it takes a brilliant writer to bring out in dialogue how the chess pieces are played. Anyone enjoying Slow Horses is going to love this book. And Heron's followers who have read the entire series will probably be very happy.
I think I'm the oddball out so I'm giving this book a 4 star.

A stand alone novel by the author of the Slow Horses series, The Secret Hours alternates between current day British spies investigating agency tactics, and the Berlin office it is pointed towards with a secret file that lands in the investigators' laps. As the Berlin Wall fell and German was reunited, spies attempt to flush out the man who previously punished East Germany's double agents. The novel is quick paced and expertly read by the narrator in this audio edition.

The narration was excellent with a nice mixture of gravitas, this is an espionage novel, but also managing to deliver the funny dialogue and humour with some comic flair. At times I though he sounded a little bit like Alec Guinness in his George Smiley role. A first-rate performance.

The beginning is memorable for the part played by a dead badger, that retired spook Max Janáček almost stumbles over as he flees for his life. This sort of sets the tone for the novel, a mixture of espionage, slightly bizarre incidents and plenty of laughs on the way.

The storyline is split between two distinct timelines, the current being the last couple of years and past being what happened in Berlin during 1994. The current strand is dominated by the Monochrome Enquiry, which is intended as a political sleight of hand, a cover up, a whitewash intended to come up with nothing, except a figure from the past thinks differently. The Berlin section covers an unofficial operation that profoundly changes the lives of those involved. The two eventually coalesce and reveal a myriad of surprises.

The activity in Berlin is during the period when Charles Partner was in charge and betraying secrets to the Russians. His righthand man was of course David Cartwright, River Cartwright’s worshipped grandfather, the true power behind the throne and more devious than Machiavelli. There are schemes within schemes and though not quite a prequel it answers some of the questions that may have been nagging readers of the Slough House series. It is beautifully summed up by Brinsley Miles, in espionage eventually everyone is betrayed.

The plot has complexity, is skilfully crafted and beautifully executed as all the disparate parts come together in the final quarter. The final set-piece is cleverly conceived and coldly executed, despite all the wonderful humour there is a spine of steel running through these stories.

The characters are beautifully formed, often a little larger than life but certainly never boring. They are put into entertaining situations and even the ‘crap’ fights scenes that proved the action possesses a charm all their own. The unnamed Prime Minister is mendacious, feckless and reckless, so there are no prizes for guess who he is modelled on. The businessmen who are trying to skim off profits from the security services are disturbingly realistic, hopefully the real life ‘first desk’ will be their match. Whilst over in Berlin the men (and women) at the sharp end of intelligence work are a wonderful combination of secrets, deceit and sleaze. There are the dodgy sellers of secrets, like Dickie Bow and ex Stasi men with ears to the ground. The station chief Robin Bruce is mid breakdown following affairs of the heart, which is convenient for Brinsley Miles a former Joe who by night trawls the strip clubs for secrets and daytime makes dubious expense claims.

The Secret Hours is simply a sublime amalgam of espionage writing of the highest quality and bawdy comedy that is beautifully balanced between the two.

Thanks to Net Galley and Recorded Books for access to the audiobook in exchange for a fair review.

The Secret Hours is an excellent British spy caper. Mick Herron can certainly give LeCarre a run for his money and is sure to satisfy all spy aficionados. I loved this novel and can’t wait to read more Herron.
Highly recommend for readers of spy novels.

*A big thank-you to Mick Herron, RB Media, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I am a totally devoted fan of the Slow Horses series and although it seems at first glance that The Secret Hours is not continuation of the series, there are links to some characters who appear in the Slow Horses books, especially one is easily recognizable by the sounds they make.
The background of the plot is the fall of the Berlin Wall and the seemingly changing world of spooks and agents in the fields. Years after this historic event, there is an internal investigation into the tragedy that struck in 1994 and actions undertaken in order to take revenge.
Absolutely loved The Secret Hours, one of the best openings written by Mr Herron in my opinion. And Mr Doyle reads as masterfully as ever!

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron
Narrator, Gerard Doyle
This is a fast paced, two time periods, witty spy novel brimming with snarky characters whose professional and personal lives all seem to be balanced on a knife’s edge. It is almost a little hard to keep up with all the jumping around from one time period and one group of characters to another. There are not really any likable characters although there are some you may feel more empathy for than others. And if you think there are any innocents in espionage, give that idea up going in. If you like devious action plus snark, this might be for you.
This story is so convoluted that it might be better read than heard except for the fact that Gerard Doyle is one of my favorite narrators and he does an excellent job.