Bad Actors

Written by Mick Herron

Narrated by Gerard Doyle

In London’s MI5 headquarters a scandal is brewing that could disgrace the entire intelligence community. The Downing Street superforecaster—a specialist who advises the Prime Minister’s office on how policy is likely to be received by the
electorate—has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, who was once head of MI5, has been tasked with tracking her down.

But the trail leads him straight back to Regent’s Park itself, with First Desk Diana Taverner as chief suspect. Has Taverner overplayed her hand at last? Meanwhile, her Russian counterpart, Moscow intelligence’s First Desk, has cheekily showed up
in London and shaken off his escort. Are the two unfortunate events connected?

Over at Slough House, where Jackson Lamb presides over some of MI5’s most embittered demoted agents, the slow horses are doing what they do best, and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation …

There are bad actors everywhere, and they usually get their comeuppance before the credits roll. But politics is a dirty business, and in a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing are the norm, sometimes the good guys can find themselves outgunned.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705063293

Reviews for Bad Actors

[malcrf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm addicted to these. Cracking characters, laugh out loud humour, fascinating plots. A real pleasure.

[therem-417856 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For the most part, this seems like a water-treading exercise as Herron decides what to do about the events of the previous book, but at least it's funny! My favorite bits were the Khan/Lamb covert lunch battle (with Roddy Ho as collateral damage) and the odd couple pairing of Claude Whelan and Shirley Dander in the latter half. Weird, but entertaining. I sure hope we get some more of these!

[brianewilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An exciting finish, after a disjointed beginning. The story's structure/construction confused me, but the conclusion made up for it. I missed River Cartwright though. I'm ready for the next instalment in the Slough House saga..

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love the Slow Horses books, so of course I eagerly awaited this latest installment. I was especially anxious to get to this since the previous installment ended on a cliff-hanger with the fate of one of the major characters hanging between life and death. And without being too spoilerish about it, I will say that for 99.99% of this book, we are kept in the dark about the fate of that character, and only get the very slightest of a slight hint at the very end of this book. So I am rather peeved at Mick Herron, and view this as a cheap marketing trick to make us read the next installment (which I would have done anyway). Anyway, my annoyance at this may have colored my enjoyment of the book, and I have to say that I found this one to be a little padded and repetitive.As to the story itself: The Slow Horses books are good, though perhaps a bit formulaic: the Slow Horses must outwit not only the enemy agents, but also their counterparts at the Park, where the "real" M15 spies are housed. For the past several books, the Park has been led by the ice cold Diana Taverner (Lady Di), and she has no compunctions about sacrificing a Slow Horse or two to make herself look good. But somehow Jackson Lamb and his Slow Horses always seem to be able to thwart Lady Di.As they do the real enemy: in the past several books, Russia and Putin's secret service have been up to no good in Boris Johnson's Great Britain.In this book, a Swiss consultant to the PM has gone missing and it turns out she might be a Russian plant. Herron maintains the witty writing and complex plotting that I love. I am starting to wonder whether some of the characters, usually so brilliantly done, are becoming just a tad bit caricaturish (Roddy Ho and Shirley Dander who feature prominently in this book), but it's all so wittily done I don't care. I'm just a little bit less in love with the series that I have been but I'm still eagerly awaiting the next installment.3 stars

[breic-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some clever writing, but my least favorite of the series so far. The plot and its climax weren't enough for me.

[ericlee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The only problem with the new Slough House title by Mick Herron is that now we have to wait a whole year for the next book in the series.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jackson Lamb and his ‘slow horses’ (or most of them) are back, and as chaotic and desperate as ever. So, too, is Diana Taverners, the Machiavellian First Desk at MI5, as ever beset by the far-reaching repercussions of some of her own machinations. These tribulations are exacerbated by the plotting of the Prime Minister’s senior special adviser, who wants to bring MI5 under direct control from Downing Street.In other news, a former senior figure from Russian intelligence from before the fall of the Berlin Wall, appears in London, and seems to be deliberately avoiding the normal measure taken by such characters to avoid detection. Meanwhile, another prominent figure from the world of political advisers and thinktanks has gone missing, and all the parties mentioned above seem desperate to find her. I rather wish I lived in a society where I felt that all the political scheming and intrigue was too extreme to be believable, but sadly I find it all too plausible.As ever, Mick Herron weaves an enthralling story liberally strewn with hilarious one-liners and some genuinely funny slapstick scenes, although he never allows the comic element to compromise the integrity of the plot. Jackson Lamb is as odious (while simultaneously likeable) as ever, and the slow horses remain as inadvertently dysfunctional as only they can be. Eight novels and three novellas in, and this engaging series shows no sign of losing momentum.

[helsky · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the 8th book in the Slough House series. Lady Di is in trouble and Shirley Dander in rehab. The current political climate is well portrayed. The writing style is enjoyably sarcastic and fickle. All of these characters are so unlike any other. Jackson Lamb in particular. He's obnoxious and borders on disgusting, but he gets things done all the same. I like this book and this series so very much.I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gerard Doyle. He is a good choice of voice for the book. Especially his portrayal of Jackson Lamb was spot on.Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audiobook.

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.