A Slough House Christmas short story from the Sunday Times number one bestseller of BAD ACTORS. Here in Slough House, the intelligence service's home for inept spies, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Roddy Ho is used to being the one the slow horses turn to when they need miracles performed, and he's always been Jackson Lamb's Number Two. So when Lamb has a photograph that needs doctoring, it's Ho he entrusts with the task. Christmas is a time for memories, but Lamb doesn't do memories - or so he says. But what is it about the photo that makes him want to alter it? How would the slow horses cope if Roddy Ho didn't exist? And most importantly of all, are the team having Christmas drinks, and if so, where? Standing by the Wall offers a glimpse into the kind of seasonal merriment you might expect at Slough House, where the boss generally marks the festive season with an increase in hostilities. But then, this is the secret service, not Secret Santa. And the slow horses aren't here to enjoy themselves. Roddy Roddy Roddy? Ho Ho Ho!
A Slough House Christmas short story from the Sunday Times number one bestseller of BAD ACTORS. Here in Slough House, the intelligence service's home for inept spies, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Roddy Ho is used to being the one the slow horses turn to when they need miracles performed, and he's always been Jackson Lamb's Number Two. So when Lamb has a photograph that needs doctoring, it's Ho he entrusts with the task. Christmas is a time for memories, but Lamb doesn't do memories - or so he says. But what is it about the photo that makes him want to alter it? How would the slow horses cope if Roddy Ho didn't exist? And most importantly of all, are the team having Christmas drinks, and if so, where? Standing by the Wall offers a glimpse into the kind of seasonal merriment you might expect at Slough House, where the boss generally marks the festive season with an increase in hostilities. But then, this is the secret service, not Secret Santa. And the slow horses aren't here to enjoy themselves. Roddy Roddy Roddy? Ho Ho Ho!
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Find Standing By The Wall: A Slough House Interlude Mick Herron in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find Standing By The Wall: A Slough House Interlude Mick Herron in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
17 books in catalog
Contemporary spy fiction underwent a significant shift with the creation of Slough House, a fictional dumping ground for disgraced MI5 operatives known as 'slow horses.' British novelist Mick Herron established this acclaimed espionage universe, introducing a dark, workplace-driven vision of intelligence operations centered on the dysfunctional officer Jackson Lamb.
The series gained widespread recognition through its published novels and its screen adaptation Slow Horses on Apple TV+, starring Gary Oldman. Beyond his flagship espionage novels, Herron has built a versatile body of work spanning mystery series, standalone thrillers, and award-winning short fiction.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne on July 11, 1963, Herron was raised in North East England before moving to Oxford to study English Literature at Balliol College. He settled in Oxford, where he continues to live with his partner Jo. Before pursuing fiction full-time, Herron wrote poetry and worked as a sub-editor in London. During his daily train commute between Oxford and London, he managed to write approximately 350 words a day. This routine led to his debut novel, Down Cemetery Road, published in 2003. The book inaugurated his Oxford-set Zoë Boehm detective series featuring private investigator Zoë Boehm and civilian Sarah Tucker, followed by The Last Voice You Hear, Why We Die, and Smoke and Whispers. During this period, he also published numerous short stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
In 2008, inspired by contemporary world events, Herron began writing about a group of exiled MI5 agents. The resulting novel, Slow Horses, was published in 2010, establishing the Slough House series. Hailed by the Daily Telegraph as one of the twenty greatest spy novels of all time, the series expanded rapidly and earned major industry honors, including the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the CWA Gold Dagger for Dead Lions in 2013, and the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2025 for lifetime achievement. His works have been published in twenty-five languages.
Herron's work is characterized by deadpan humor, sharp workplace satire, and a focus on administrative cynicism rather than idealized heroism. Instead of triumphant secret agents, his stories highlight the frustrated, sidelined, and thrummingly miserable figures caught in institutional machinery. His dialogue relies on dry wit and misanthropic banter, balanced by intricate thriller plotting and genuine suspense. In addition to the Slough House saga, Herron has explored related themes in standalone novels like Nobody Walks and The Secret Hours, alongside television adaptations of his work, including a screen project for the Zoë Boehm series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson.
17 books in catalog
Contemporary spy fiction underwent a significant shift with the creation of Slough House, a fictional dumping ground for disgraced MI5 operatives known as 'slow horses.' British novelist Mick Herron established this acclaimed espionage universe, introducing a dark, workplace-driven vision of intelligence operations centered on the dysfunctional officer Jackson Lamb.
The series gained widespread recognition through its published novels and its screen adaptation Slow Horses on Apple TV+, starring Gary Oldman. Beyond his flagship espionage novels, Herron has built a versatile body of work spanning mystery series, standalone thrillers, and award-winning short fiction.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne on July 11, 1963, Herron was raised in North East England before moving to Oxford to study English Literature at Balliol College. He settled in Oxford, where he continues to live with his partner Jo. Before pursuing fiction full-time, Herron wrote poetry and worked as a sub-editor in London. During his daily train commute between Oxford and London, he managed to write approximately 350 words a day. This routine led to his debut novel, Down Cemetery Road, published in 2003. The book inaugurated his Oxford-set Zoë Boehm detective series featuring private investigator Zoë Boehm and civilian Sarah Tucker, followed by The Last Voice You Hear, Why We Die, and Smoke and Whispers. During this period, he also published numerous short stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
In 2008, inspired by contemporary world events, Herron began writing about a group of exiled MI5 agents. The resulting novel, Slow Horses, was published in 2010, establishing the Slough House series. Hailed by the Daily Telegraph as one of the twenty greatest spy novels of all time, the series expanded rapidly and earned major industry honors, including the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the CWA Gold Dagger for Dead Lions in 2013, and the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2025 for lifetime achievement. His works have been published in twenty-five languages.
Herron's work is characterized by deadpan humor, sharp workplace satire, and a focus on administrative cynicism rather than idealized heroism. Instead of triumphant secret agents, his stories highlight the frustrated, sidelined, and thrummingly miserable figures caught in institutional machinery. His dialogue relies on dry wit and misanthropic banter, balanced by intricate thriller plotting and genuine suspense. In addition to the Slough House saga, Herron has explored related themes in standalone novels like Nobody Walks and The Secret Hours, alongside television adaptations of his work, including a screen project for the Zoë Boehm series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson.
Slough House
Slough House
