This is connected to the first novella more than the rest of the series (so far, this could easily be background for future events). It's short and entertained me well enough. ( )

A novella to prime the grey cells for Joe Country, up next. ( )

This novella was not as enjoyable to me as the other full-length novels in the series. It didn't really have much about Slough House at all, although some of the characters appear in the other books. But without Jackson Lamb, the book suffered and was not as interesting. There wasn't as much of the dry humor that I like so much.

For some reason, at the end of the book, I wasn't sure whose side one of the main characters was on. But I think I may actually read this series again at some point, or at least the first few books. If I get as far as this one, I'll have to try to pay more attention. ( )

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3B5CGub4o/

Mick Herron - The Drop: My mistake, to read out of order, and thus not get the full horror of Wicinski’s misstep. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

A Slow Horse Novella
Review of the Recorded Books audiobook edition (June 4, 2019) of the original Soho Crime paperback (October 30, 2018)

The Slough House aka 'Slow Horse' novellas are running a parallel plot to the full novels of the series. I've previously read The List (#2.5 2015) and now The Marylebone Drop aka The Drop (#5.5 2018). These are currently followed by The Catch (#6.5 2020).

The main characters of the series make only cameo appearances in the novellas. Second Desk Diana Taverner is the only one of the regulars in this case, which continues the story of John Bachelor and Hanna Weiss, who were introduced in The List.

I'm keeping a record here of most of the plot as I'll need a refresher when I get to the later novels and novellas of the series. So I've blocked this section as:

John Bachelor is a milkman, a semi-retired spy who is now caretaker to other retired members of the security service. Solomon Dortmund, one of Bachelor's retirees, spots what he believes is a "drop", a handoff of material between agents, at his regular café. Dortmund reports the incident to Bachelor who enlists a friend at Regent's Park head office to identify the two apparent agents. They have unwittingly stumbled onto Hanna Weiss passing along papers to her German BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst, German: Federal Intelligence Service) contact.

Weiss is thought to be MI5's double agent (i.e. BND's agent who is actually working for MI5), but may in fact be a triple agent (she really is still working for the BND). The BND take steps to discredit both Solomon Dortmund (with fatal consequences) and Bachelor's inside man Lech Wicinski, whereupon Diana Taverner consigns the latter to Slough House, MI5's dead-end post for disgraced agents, where he apparently will appear in the next novel of the series #6 Joe Country (2018).

Meanwhile, John Bachelor is homeless due to past mistakes, and takes shelter in the apartment of Solomon Dortmund, where we will later find him in The Catch.

The narration by the series regular reader Gerard Doyle was excellent as always. ( )