Bad Actors

'A pitch-perfect espionage thriller' Sunday Times

'The foremost living spy novelist in the English language' New Statesman

Bad Actors by Mick Herron ventures deep into the intricate and perilous world of British intelligence, weaving a tale of deception, rivalry, and survival. In the heart of MI5, as secrets and lies entangle the highest echelons, a critical member of a Downing Street think-tank mysteriously vanishes without a trace. Suspicion and intrigue mount as Claude Whelan, the former First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is assigned the task of unravelling this enigmatic disappearance.

As Whelan delves deeper, the trail of clues leads him right back to the cloistered corridors of Regent's Park itself, with its enigmatic chief, Diana Taverner, emerging as the prime suspect. The plot thickens further when an unexpected visit from Taverner's Russian counterpart throws a wrench in MI5's sophisticated surveillance machinery, making an already volatile situation even more precarious.

In the forgotten limbo of British intelligence lies Slough House, the dumping ground for failed spies derisively known as the "slow horses." These demoted and embittered agents find themselves unwitting players in a game much larger than they anticipated. With their unique brand of chaos and resentment, they add unparalleled disruption to an already unstable scenario.

In a world where deception is the rule and treachery is the currency, bad actors—those who twist the truth for their own benefit—thrive. The slow horses must find a way to outmanoeuvre these conniving individuals and rewrite a narrative written in lies and deceit. It's a race against time to get their act together before the final curtain comes down.

Bad Actors also includes the captivating short story Standing by the Wall: A Slough House Interlude, enriching the lore of Slough House and its quirky spies.

'This is entertainment of the highest class' Literary Review

'The man is a genius' The Spectator