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Mick Herron - Wikipedia Jump to content

Mick Herron

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mick Herron

FRSL
Mick Herron, wearing a suit, sitting at a Microphone.
Herron in 2018
Born
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
OccupationNovelist
EducationBalliol College, Oxford
GenreSpy fiction
Years active2003 – Present
Notable worksSlough House (novel series) Dead Lions (2013)
Notable awards
PartnerJo Howard
Website
Official website

Mick Herron is a British mystery and thriller novelist. He is the author of the Slough House series, early novels of which have been adapted into the Slow Horses television series. He won the Crime Writers' Association 2013 Gold Dagger for Dead Lions and the Diamond Dagger in 2025 for lifetime achievement.

Early life

[edit]

Herron was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned a degree in English.[1][2][3] He is one of six children; his father was an optician and his mother a nursery-school teacher.[4]

Career

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Herron was a subeditor[5] at IDS Employment Law Brief (Incomes Data Services), a trade journal on U.K. employment law,[6] "I wrote about people who were having a bad time at work".[6]

Herron commuted from Oxford to London daily, returned home around 6 p.m., and wrote for an hour.[7] In 2002, Herron had an office on a floor with few people, eventually hot-desking on a floor with hundreds of people.[7] Herron resigned from IDS Employment Law Brief in 2017.[5]

"The larger the organization was that I worked for, the less concern it had for the people working for it."[7] - Mick Herron

In 2003, Herron published his first novel, Down Cemetery Road. It was the first volume in a four-book series about Zoë Boehm, an Oxford private detective.[8]

"I wanted to write about a bunch of people who were forced to work together who were thwarted by life and having a terrible time with their careers"[9] - Mick Herron

After the 7 July 2005 London bombings, as a London-Oxford commuter, he wanted to write about the UK security services.[7][10][11][12]

In 2010, he began the Slough House spy series with the first volume Slow Horses. The series concerns MI5 agents who have been exiled from the agency mainstream for various failures. The second volume, Dead Lions, published in 2013, won the Crime Writers' Association 2013 Gold Dagger.[2] Herron has stated that the lead character, Jackson Lamb, was influenced by Reginald Hill's Andy Dalziel.[13][14] As of December 2022, the series includes eight novels, plus several associated novellas, and events in related novels. Early volumes have also been adapted for television as Slow Horses.

Slow Horses was published by Constable in 2010, but the firm declined the opportunity to publish the next book in the series in the United Kingdom due to disappointing sales of its predecessor. Soho Press published the Slough House novels in the United States, and John Murray started republishing the series in the UK from 2015.[15]

Herron's short stories have been regularly published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and some are collected in the book All the Livelong Day, published in 2013.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2024.[16]

Bibliography

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Zoë Boehm series

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  1. Down Cemetery Road (2003)
  2. The Last Voice You Hear (2004)
  3. Why We Die (2006)
  4. Smoke and Whispers (2009)

The Slough House series

[edit]
Further information: Slough House (novel series)

The Slough House series comprises nine novels and five novellas:

Slough House series
Number Title First published Format ISBN
1Slow Horses2010novel978-1473674189
2Dead Lions2013novel978-1616952259
2.5The List2015novella978-1616957452
3Real Tigers2016novel978-1616956127
4Spook Street2017[17]novel978-1473621299
5London Rules2018novel978-1473657403
5.5The Drop (US title: The Marylebone Drop)2018novella978-1473678309
6Joe Country2019novel978-1473657441
6.3The Catch2020novella978-1529331707
6.7The Last Dead Letter2020novella[Note 1]978-1529371260
7Slough House2021novel978-1529378641
8Bad Actors2022novel978-1529378702
8.3Standing by the Wall2022novella978-1399807081
8.7Standing by the Wall2022collection[Note 2]978-1641295031
9Clown TownSeptember 2025[18][19]novel978-1399800433

Standalone novels

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Although not part of the Slough House series, Reconstruction, Nobody Walks and The Secret Hours use some of the same characters and provide some character backstory. In story terms, Reconstruction is set before Slow Horses, whereas Nobody Walks comes after The List and before Spook Street. The Secret Hours is set around the time of or after Bad Actors but includes a section set well before the series begins.

  • Reconstruction (2008)
  • Nobody Walks (2015)
  • This Is What Happened (2018)
  • The Secret Hours (2023)

Short story collections

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Dolphin Junction features five standalone crime fiction stories complemented by four mystery stories featuring Zoë Boehm and Joe Silvermann. It also includes tales with Jackson Lamb of Slough House.[20] Standing by the Wall: The Collected Slough House Novellas includes all novellas in the Slough House series published as of 2022. In story terms, Proof of Love, Mirror Images and The Other Half are set before Down Cemetery Road, whereas What We Do comes after Why We Die.

  • All the Livelong Day (2013)
    • "All the Livelong Day"
    • "The Usual Santas"
    • "Proof of Love" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Mirror Images" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Lost Luggage"
  • Dolphin Junction (2021)
    • "Proof of Love" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Remote Control"
    • "Luggage"
    • "Mirror Images" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Junction"
    • "An American Fridge"
    • "The Other Half" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "All the Livelong Day"
    • "The Last Dead Letter" (Slough House)
    • "The Usual Santas"
    • "What We Do" (Zoë Boehm)
  • Standing by the Wall: The Collected Slough House Novellas (2022)
    • The List (2015)
    • The Drop (US title: The Marylebone Drop) (2018)
    • The Catch (2020)
    • The Last Dead Letter (2020)
    • Standing by the Wall (2022)

Adaptations

[edit]

The Slough House series has been adapted for television under the name Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb,[3] with the first six-part season, based on the book Slow Horses, streamed on Apple TV+ from 1 April 2022. The second season, based on Dead Lions, was filmed back-to-back with the first and premiered on 2 December 2022.[21] It was announced in June 2022 that further seasons, adapting Real Tigers and Spook Street, had been greenlit.[22] Season 3, based on Real Tigers, premiered on Apple TV+ 29 November 2023.[23]

An Apple TV+ adaptation of Down Cemetery Road starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson was announced in 2024.[24]

Awards

[edit]

Herron won the 2025 CWA Diamond Dagger in 2025.[25]

Personal life

[edit]

Herron lives in Oxford, England.[2] He enjoys playing squash.[29] His partner is Jo Howard, a 'headhunter for the publishing industry'[5] and 'leadership development consultant',[30] formerly a Commercial Director at Waterstones Booksellers.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Originally collected in Dolphin Junction
  2. ^ Slough House novellas:
    • The List (2015)
    • The Drop (2018)
    • The Catch (2020)
    • The Last Dead Letter (2020)
    • Standing by the Wall (2022)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mick Herron (Author of Slow Horses)". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Dead Lions". Crime Writers' Association. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  3. ^ a b Higgins, Charlotte (15 January 2021). "Mick Herron: 'I look at Jackson Lamb and think: My God, did I write that? My mother reads this stuff!'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  4. ^ Lepore, Jill (28 November 2022). "Is Mick Herron the Best Spy Novelist of His Generation?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Kellaway, Kate (10 September 2023). "Author Mick Herron: 'I'd have made an awful spy. I don't have a smartphone or wifi'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "IDS Employment Law Brief Online". www.idsbrief.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Cohen, Ben (7 September 2024). "Nobody Was Reading Him. Now He's the World's Best Spy Writer". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Zoë Boehm Thrillers". Mick Herron website. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  9. ^ Urwin, Rosamund (13 January 2025). "MI6 boss loves my Slow Horses. Does he know I make it all up?". thetimes.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  10. ^ Pederson, Erik (9 December 2022). "The Book Pages: 'Slow Horses' author Mick Herron says, 'My heart is with those who struggle'". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024.
  11. ^ Millen, Robbie (8 June 2019). "Mick Herron, the accidental bestseller". The Times.
  12. ^ "Is Mick Herron the Best Spy Novelist of His Generation?". The New Yorker. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024.
  13. ^ Mick Herron. "Crime writer Mick Herron: 'I don't know my hero's backstory yet' | Books". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  14. ^ "If you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers". Spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  15. ^ Nicol, Patricia (4 February 2018). "the UK's new spy master". The Sunday Times. London. pp. 20–21.
  16. ^ "Herron, Mick". Royal Society of Literature. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Mick Herron". Mick Herron. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Mick Herron's Slow Horses To Gallop Back in "Clown Town"". Spybrary. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  19. ^ Leith, Sam (18 September 2025). "Clown Town by Mick Herron review – more fun and games with the Slow Horses". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Dolphin Junction: Stories by Mick Herron: 9781641293020". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Apple's hit espionage drama "Slow Horses" debuts season two trailer". Apple.com. 19 October 2022.
  22. ^ "'Slow Horses' Renewed Through Season 4 at Apple TV+". The Hollywood Reporter. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  23. ^ "'Slow Horses' Season 3 airing at Apple TV+". Apple TV+. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  24. ^ Otterson, Joe (16 April 2024). "Emma Thompson, Ruth Wilson to Lead 'Down Cemetery Road' Series at Apple Based on Novel by 'Slow Horses' Author". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Herron awarded CWA diamond dagger". Books+Publishing. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Awards: Past Winners". CrimeFest. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  27. ^ "Harper, McKinty shortlisted for Theakston Old Peculier crime award". Books+Publishing. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Robotham shortlisted for CWA Gold Dagger". Books+Publishing. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  29. ^ "10 Questions with Mick Herron". Ethanjonesbooks.wordpress.com. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  30. ^ "Jo Howard". Retrieved 6 February 2024.
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