“At MI5
headquarters Regent's Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning this the hard
way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack
from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the
Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's
wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM's
favorite Muslim, who's about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite
the dark secret he's hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di
Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's
being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks. Over at Slough
House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are
struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail
paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath.
Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they're about to
rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much
worse.”
For the
most part, this fifth novel in the Slough House (and largely more
standalone-ish than the previous four) series plays out like inter-office
battle for control more than a terrorist wave hitting London (which, in the
end, is really just an excuse for the back-biting). The fact that everyone else
hates Ho (who is either clueless or so much a narcissist or, really, just
both), that he fell so easily into the trap, is only the icing on the cake for
Lamb and his crew.
I sense
that while this series of books are sold as modern spy novels that deals in
reality and not James Bond fantasy, it’s really about office politics with
terrorism thrown in as an almost afterthought. We get a better understanding of
that towards the end, where Taverner explains to Catherine what happened to her
former boss and why Lamb is head of Slough House and why she was first person
he selected. But, in effect, the whole point of London Rules –or the meaning of
the title- appears to be CYA (cover your ass). Also try to bury evidence, deny
everything and maybe, just maybe, rid yourself of pesky witnesses.
So high
stakes office politics. Not really an effective way to run a business, but
clearly everyone believes they’re doing the right thing for themselves.
Then
there is Herron’s trademark humor, with its off-beat characters, and action
(though it tips close to parody and Keystone Cops half-way in) that makes this
series work. At times, it seems tongue in cheek, played with a serious
underlying tome, but the comedic aspects also there.
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