Secret Hours

 

Secret Hours by Mick Herron (2023) 365pp

Ugh, 365 pages I can't get back. Probably blasphemy, but I really didn't like this book. If you are a fan of John le Carré or Len Deighton you may be seduced by the reputation of Mick Herron as the author who has taken on the mantle of those espionage toilers. And yes, the Slow Horses series (now a TV series or two) is well produced and intricate in plotting. However, Secret Hours is just plodding (at least after the 'gotcha' first chapter). I kept reading thinking it must get more interesting, but alas, nothing but angst and handwringing.  I guess I should have been tipped off by the code name of the MI5 investigation, Monochrome, yep no color in this tome. As with the most cynical spy-writers, nothing is resolved, however there is no there there. Bigly sad.