After the horror of the prologue, I thought it was great that to lighten the mood, we had a long description of the antiquated heating system of Slough House, followed by an introduction to the people who inhabited it's offices. This is a typical Mick Herron spy story but it does help if you have some clue to the characters from earlier novels, although he does try to make them accessible to first time readers.
The plot is fairly easy to understand which, for me, says a lot. But far better than the pacy thriller stuff are the numerous one to one conversations between the various characters. These are often witty, poignant and always interesting. Sometimes the author tries too hard to be funny and this can be a distraction. But overall a well constructed and clever story. Unfortunately my choice for book club did not go down well. In fact, only one other read it all the way through. If only we had chosen my other suggestion, Jane Gardam's "Flight of the Maidens". A masterpiece.
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