The Slow Horses, a bunch of failed M15 agents, are back. But in the eyes of Regent’s Park, they remain as expendable as ever. So expendable that Slough House has been wiped from Service records. But someone has their names and addresses because former colleagues start dying in suspicious circumstances. Are the slow horses being deliberately targeted?

Or have they been caught up in the fallout of an assassination in Kazan, an off-book revenge attack on Russian intelligence sanctioned by First Desk ‘Lady Di’ Taverner and funded by a group of wealthy sponsors assembled by power-hungry politician Peter Judd? Taverner’s solution to funding cuts may turn out to be more of a deal with the devil than she expected.

Meanwhile, the brilliant, flatulent slow horse leader Jackson Lamb is a step ahead of everyone else. He might despise his band of misfits but he never lets them down.

Herron’s masterful blending of tight plots and strong character development brings the modern espionage world to life. It’s cynical, satirical, witty with moments of tenderness. With Russian hit teams, political protests, establishment power plays, Brexit fallout and fake news, the plot feels uncomfortably close to reality. Fans will rejoice in this seventh in the series. Newbies shouldn’t start here: enjoy them from the beginning.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge