This book isn’t the easiest to dive into if you haven’t read the earlier Slough House series. I had to Google a few names and past operations just to stay on track. But once I got into it, the bigger picture became painfully clear. It felt uncomfortably real.
The premise is sharply satirical, and that’s what makes the characters feel so alive. Applause to the author. To simplify it, there are four key groups:
1. Slough House is basically the place MI5 sends agents who messed up badly, but not badly enough to be fired. Their careers are pretty much over, and they’re stuck doing paperwork and pointless tasks. It’s called the 'dark side of Narnia', and no one ever returns to the Park. Their head is the unforgettable Jackson Lamb.
2. Agents involved in the Pitchfork Operation. It’s basically MI5 playing a risky game. They push a target into making mistakes to uncover secrets, while using morally shady operatives and keeping it all ‘official.’
3. The Park (MI5 HQ) led by Diana Taverner, who is cunning, manipulative, and obsessed with MI5’s image.
4. Politicians who ride issues for personal gain, like Peter Judd.
The trouble starts when Diana gets blackmailed. Someone wants to drag an old case back into the light, and if the proof goes public, it could ruin reputations and shake the government. It turns out the government recruited, used, protected, paid off, and even pensioned off a psychopath, even though he might have ended more lives than he ever saved.
There’s a lot of MI5 politics, old cases, and hidden history packed into this book. It’s not a fast read, but it keeps the tension alive. And as usual, the innocent end up paying the price. Jackson Lamb does save the day, though, and the payoff feels well deserved.