And true, River even tracked the remaining thug to a remote folly and had a real-life James Bond gunfight with him. Believing he was targeted also, Lamb investigates Rebecca, the driver, and discovers she has connections to Russia and previously lived in Vladivostok. Slough House isnt the strongest novel of the series that remains Joe Country, a high-watermark which may never be matched but it is most definitely worth your time and money. River discovers the bomb left at the airfield and realizes the attack was a hoax, calling Taverner to have the Code September retracted. Isnt he explicitly compared to Spall in of the of the early books? The complete guide to Mick Herrons Slough House series, Irish crime drama North Sea Connection comes to BBC Four. River Cartwright 18 episodes, 2022-2023 Kristin Scott Thomas . River Cartwright is a main character played by Jack Lowden in in Season 1 and Season 2 of Apple TV+ 's Slow Horses . One of them has been used to commit a terrorist atrocity in a London shopping centre. Required fields are marked *. Since the first book came out back in 2010, Mick Herron's Slough House series has been a favourite among fans of spy novels. River Cartwright, is away in Kent, mourning the death of the OB, short for the Old Bastard who was Cartwright's grandfather, surrogate father and was a service legend. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Catherine Standish is a middle-aged recovering alcoholic whose misfortune it was to be the personal assistant to a traitor. Thanks for the review. River Cartwright was sent to Slough House after a training exercise left King's Cross crashed. On that subject. Lamb executed him to protect MI5, and was given Slough House as a reward. All we know about her on the show is that she's lonely and misses being part of a team. River Cartwright who took centre stage in Slow Horses drops out of the limelight in this one, and no one really fills that centre stage position. After locating the photo and evading security, he and Lamb threaten to reveal Taverner's operation to the Director-General and the press. A governmental think-tank, whose remit is to curb the independence of the intelligence service, has lost one of its key members, and Claude Whelanone-time head of MI5's Regent's Parkis tasked with tracking her down. Warning Spoilers ahead for all books in the series! Is River really dead? Jackson Lambs Slough House crew are still coming to terms with the events in Wales that saw the death of ex-Dog Emma Flyte and their own J K Coe but they also have a more serious problem to deal with: Roderick Roddy Ho has discovered that someone in the Park has wiped their records from the Service database. The first season received critical acclaim. In the aftermath, a dead body in the elder Cartwright's home is identified by Jackson Lamb as being that of River Cartwright. A befuddled Roddy Hos thoughts on The Parks plumbing is worth the price of admission alone. A Russian oligarch is visiting London and elements of The Park want to turn him because a potential future Russian president who owes British Intelligence would be a massive coupe. Questions that we will likely get answered right away in Slough House . The show begins with young MI5 agent River Cartwright amidst a terror-threat situation at the Stansted airport, where he has to follow an Asian male in his 20s and apprehend him before he sets off a fatal explosion. But there may be a flavor of wicked humor remaining in what one does afterwardalong with great satisfaction at what Lamb and the Slow Horses pull out of their grubby, out-of-fashion hats. He tells River that in East Berlin Bough went AWOL and was assumed to have defected, but returned drunk. A year after a calamitous blunder by the Russian secret service left a British citizen dead from novichok poisoning, Diana Taverner is on the warpath. Get ready for some book spoilers that may affect future seasons of Slow Horses. Lamb suggests that Krymov lied about Pashkin being Nevskys representative, with the younger Russian likely being his competitor. to Catherine Standish for safekeeping while he follows a lead to France to discover the source behind the attacks. Meanwhile, Claude Whelan, current First Desk, is caught between a weak PM and a populist MP flushed from a successful Brexit referendum. Not crucial questions but worth thinking about . yes reading in order is key and just stack them up next to your bed and dont expect to move for 10 days. Where to start with Roddy? Standish begins having flashbacks to the death of a former colleague of hers and Lamb's, Charles Partner. The significance of her connection to Black wasn't obvious to him, of course, because he didn't know Black from any other random thug, but she knew that the connection was something she needed to bury. Humour is another a core ingredient of the series. He now lives in Oxford and works in London. Well that was an experience: high-speed foot chases, unexpected decapitations, incompetent spies and a lot of middle-aged flatulence. Cokehead Shirley Dander's been send to a sanitarium to dry out; narcissist Roddy Ho is creating avatar girlfriends for himself as a distraction; River Cartwright, the most potentially sane of the Slough House discards, isn't even around, presumed dead or permanently missing. Change). Since Ashley is as paranoid as any other spy, and clueless as well, shes baffled by the interactions around her in Slough House. Set in 1950s Finland, during the Cold War, the books tell the story of a young police woman and budding detective who cuts against the grain when, John Fullertons powerful 1996 debut The Monkey House was set in war-torn Sarajevo and was right in the moment. Shirley Dander and Marcus Longridge are the odd couple, though theyre not even a couple. Its not universally true no-one likes the character Roddy Ho, for example but River Cartwright and Catherine Standish form a bond, as do Louisa Guy and Min Harper, and Shirley Dander and Marcus Longridge. This is my favorite type of book - clever humor (esp British) with a good story. At the same time, Lamb is out in Oxford looking into the suspicious death of a retired agent. The story, in the early days of, This week sees the release of Trouble, the third book in the Hella Mauzer series by Katja Ivar. Herron makes all his slow horses vivid, from egomaniacal tech whiz Roddy Ho who everyone hates to idealistic River Cartwright, whose granddad was a legendary spook, to proper Catherine . He's a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. Sid Baker - One of the most shocking reveals in Slow Horses was the fate of Sid Baker who a fellow agent sent to spy on Slough House but who River slowly got to know throughout the course of the book. River was there ostensibly because he messed up a training exercise at Stansted Airport that killed 149 hypothetical people. River Cartwright aliases River Cartwright MI-5 agent in London, in his early 30s; grandson of MI-5 legend David Cartwright. Wannabe free spirit. While she obsesses on punishing Lamb, the team is actually in crisis mode. Another semi-c0mpetent agent, Louisa is a little more able than most of Slough House's denizens. But they have they actually been targeted? The series was given a straight to series order by Apple TV+ in October 2019, with Gary Oldman announced to star. Set in 1950s Finland, during the Cold War, the books tell the story of a young police woman and budding detective who cuts against the grain when, John Fullertons powerful 1996 debut The Monkey House was set in war-torn Sarajevo and was right in the moment. Books with River Cartwright In fact, listening to this has made me even more curious to see the tv series. Im also worried about one or more Slow Horses dying in the next installment (my fingers are crossed so hard that it wont be River), but Louisas mourning Min/her continued engagement with his family gives me hope that even if we lose another Slow Horse or two, theyll be remembered. Im hopeful well get some closure on that dangling Sid plot line. Mick Herron was born in Newcastle and has a degree in English from Balliol College, Oxford. Hes ineffectual, arrogant and completely unaware of his failings. Perhaps COVID-19 will make an appearance in next years novel. Part of the popularity of the series lies in the fact these books simply make you feel good. Notable other characters appearing in more than one season include: Notable other characters appearing in Season 1 - Slow Horses include: Notable other characters appearing in Season 2 - Dead Lions include: After making a serious mistake during a live training exercise at Stansted Airport, MI5 agent River Cartwright is demoted to dead end work at Slough House in lieu of being fired. Standish beats Krymov in a game of chess, and he reveals it was Katinsky, not Pashkin he met with to set up the Webb meeting. Newcomer Marcus Longridge replaces Min on the Pashkin assignment, and confesses to Louisa he has a gambling addiction. This might explain his loyalty to his team when they are in peril, and makes his otherwise rude and bullying behaviour towards them forgivable. In the dilapidated offices of Slough House, these files spooks spend their time on various pointless tasks, designed to break their will and bring about their resignations, avoiding the hassle, expense and bad publicity of employment tribunals. On a recent assignment, Lamb caught her following one of his spies. Dead Lions: When River Cartwright screwed up, he was sent to the Slough House. She clawed her way to the top but was David Cartwrights choice to be the perpetual number two the smarter move? For River Cartwright, however, all of this plays second fiddle to the fact that not only is Sidonie Sid Baker still alive, but shes turned up at his dead grandfathers house in Kent because she needs his help. In this case, it's learning the truth to a story Dornan has found in her precious archives. The story, in the early days of, This week sees the release of Trouble, the third book in the Hella Mauzer series by Katja Ivar. She offers him a way out that will result in him being fired but not charged, but also threatens Standish and tells him Sid has died in hospital. More interesting is the introduction of Desmond Flint and his Yellow Vest movement and the way that Judd is latching onto them. B. Herron does his usual, clever job of merging these strands into one and theres a lot of fun to be had in seeing how it ties in with the continuing battle between Lamb and Lady Di over control of Slough House and its resources. Only the intervention of his MI5-legend. . Herrons plot is packed with twists and delightfully sardonic conversations, and the books only major flaw is that at some point it ends and one must resume normal life.. Bu the slow horses arent famed for making wise decisions. Not crucial questions but worth thinking about . Love Herons London, his wit, capability with language and how skillfully characters and plots are crafted. With a new populist movement taking a grip on Londons streets, and the old order ensuring that everythings for sale to the highest bider, the worlds an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. Its a couple of months after JOE COUNTRY. What is known about Cartwright's death and what the two cases have in common. Lamb, Cartwright, Min and Louisa, with assistance from Roddy, are able to track them to the same location. The only downside is that I'm at the end of available books in the series (again). She directed MI5 undercover agent Alan Black to infiltrate the group and organise the kidnapping with the intention of then miraculously finding and capturing the gang and freeing Hassan, who, conveniently, was the nephew of Pakistan's Defence Minister, someone it would be useful to impress. Hoped my favorite character would return. They may be (they are) all failures, but still, they are his, and he doesnt allow anyone to mess with them (much). From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! You probably do need to have read the earlier books to understand the character dynamics, and previous events are referenced throughout - we listened to the audiobook and The Cats Father, who hasnt read the previous books, was able to follow but missed a lot of the jokes & plot points. The only slight nagging doubt is whether it will maintain the sky high quality standards. It is also revealed that Standish narrowly escaped a treason charge through her links with Partner and his death. In the books, it's briefly revealed that a mistake during her time at Regent's Park HQ led to some guns ending up on the black market. Spook secrets were dangerous to friends and foes alike, and the old man had made plenty of both down the years. Hes a serious young man, and of all the slow horses the most upset at his demotion. Louisa Guy was sent to Slough House after she lost a tail involved in gun smuggling. Thus compromised, Lady Di is forced to go on the run, and has to reach out to the one person she would least like to ask for help Jackson Lamb. Below are some of the ones Im most interested in seeing addressed. But Bad Actors, eighth in the series, has no connection to performance, despite the title that might immediately pop a stage into the back of an American readers mind. Jackson Lamb investigates, finding Bough's hidden phone under the seat with the message cicada, and gets the team to look deeper. This coupled with the biting satire and basic humanity of Herrons writing are what have kept me coming back. The title track "Strange Game" was performed by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who wrote the song exclusively for the show[15] together with the shows composer Daniel Pemberton. After spiraling following the death of Min, Louisa seemed to recover and gain her footing. In the seventh installment of this series, Mick Herron returns to the convoluted and devious world of the British Secret Service and the inhabitants of Slough House.These Joes are the disgraced of the secret world, shunted aside and relegated to meaningless tasks that underscore their irrelevance. It has been a while since I read one but watching the first series on TV reminded me just how good these books are (and I do prefer them as books). . Still in disbelief.) Curly prepares to kill Hassan outside what he believes is a Norman castle, which Ahmed points out is actually a folly. River bribes a taxi driver in Stroud, who reveals he drove Chernitsky to an airfield and flying club in Upshott, but was instructed to lie about it and call a number should people come looking. River speaks with his grandfather about Bough's death. 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