Wikipedia

Mick Herron

Mick Herron(born 11 July 1963)[1]is a Britishmysteryandthrillernovelist. He is the author of theSlough Houseseries, early novels of which have been adapted into theSlow Horsestelevision series. He won theCrime Writers' Association2013Gold DaggerforDead Lionsand theDiamond Daggerin 2025 for lifetime achievement.

Mick Herron
Mick Herron, wearing a suit, sitting at a Microphone.
Herron in 2018
Born(1963-07-11)11 July 1963(age 61)
Newcastle upon Tyne,England
OccupationNovelist
EducationBalliol College, Oxford
GenreSpy fiction
Years active2003 – Present
Notable worksSlough House (novel series) Dead Lions(2013)
Notable awards
PartnerJo Howard
Website
Official website

Early life

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Herron was born inNewcastle upon Tyne,England, and educated atBalliol College, Oxford,where he earned a degree in English.[2][3][4]He is one of six children; his father was an optician and his mother a nursery-school teacher.[5]

Career

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Location of the fictional Slough House (Aldersgate Street, London)

In 2003, Herron published his first novel,Down Cemetery Road.It was the first volume in a four-book series about Zoë Boehm, an Oxford private detective.[6]

In 2010, he began theSlough Housespy series with the first volumeSlow Horses.The series concernsMI5agents who have been exiled from the agency mainstream for various failures. The second volume,Dead Lions,published in 2013, won theCrime Writers' Association2013Gold Dagger.[3]Herron has stated that the lead character, Jackson Lamb, was influenced byReginald Hill's Andy Dalziel.[7][8]As of December 2022,the series includes eight novels, plus several associated novellas, and events in related novels. Early volumes have also been adapted for television asSlow Horses.

Slow Horseswas published byConstablein 2010, but the firm declined the opportunity to publish the next book in the series in the United Kingdom due to disappointing sales of its predecessor.Soho Presspublished theSlough Housenovels in the United States, andJohn Murraystarted republishing the series in the UK from 2015.[9]

Herron's short stories have been regularly published inEllery Queen's Mystery Magazineand some are collected in the bookAll the Livelong Day,published in 2013.

Bibliography

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Zoë Boehmseries

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  1. Down Cemetery Road(2003)
  2. The Last Voice You Hear(2004)
  3. Why We Die(2006)
  4. Smoke and Whispers(2009)

TheSlough Houseseries

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  1. Slow Horses(2010)
  2. Dead Lions(2013)
  3. The List(2015 novella)
  4. Real Tigers(2016)
  5. Spook Street(2017)[10]
  6. London Rules(2018)
  7. The Drop(US title:The Marylebone Drop) (2018 novella)
  8. Joe Country(2019)
  9. The Catch(2020 novella)
  10. The Last Dead Letter(2020 novella)
  11. Slough House(2021)
  12. Bad Actors(2022)
  13. Standing by the Wall(2022 novella)
  14. Clown Town(announced, 2025)[11]

Standalone novels

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Although not part of theSlough Houseseries,Reconstruction,Nobody WalksandThe Secret Hoursuse some of the same characters and provide some characterbackstory.In story terms,Reconstructionis set beforeSlow Horses,whereasNobody Walkscomes afterThe Listand beforeSpook Street.The Secret Hoursis set around the time of or afterBad Actorsbut includes a section set well before the series begins.

  • Reconstruction(2008)
  • Nobody Walks(2015)
  • This Is What Happened(2018)
  • The Secret Hours(2023)

Short story collections

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Dolphin Junctionfeatures five standalone crime fiction stories complemented by four mystery stories featuring Zoë Boehm and Joe Silvermann. It also includes tales with Jackson Lamb ofSlough House.[12]Standing by the Wall: The Collected Slough House Novellasincludes all novellas in theSlough Houseseries published as of 2022. In story terms, Proof of Love, Mirror Images and The Other Half are set before Down Cemetery Road, whereas What We Do comes after Why We Die.

  • All the Livelong Day(2013)
    • "All the Livelong Day"
    • "The Usual Santas"
    • "Proof of Love" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Mirror Images" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Lost Luggage"
  • Dolphin Junction(2021)
    • "Proof of Love" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Remote Control"
    • "Luggage"
    • "Mirror Images" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "Junction"
    • "An American Fridge"
    • "The Other Half" (Zoë Boehm)
    • "All the Livelong Day"
    • "The Last Dead Letter" (Slough House)
    • "The Usual Santas"
    • "What We Do" (Zoë Boehm)
  • Standing by the Wall: The Collected Slough House Novellas(2022)
    • The List(2015)
    • The Drop(US title:The Marylebone Drop) (2018)
    • The Catch(2020)
    • The Last Dead Letter(2020)
    • Standing by the Wall(2022)

Adaptations

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TheSlough Houseseries has been adapted for television under the nameSlow Horses,starringGary Oldmanas Jackson Lamb,[4]with the first six-part season, based on the bookSlow Horses,streamed onApple TV+from 1 April 2022. The second season, based onDead Lions,was filmed back-to-back with the first and premiered on 2 December 2022.[13]It was announced in June 2022 that further seasons, adaptingReal TigersandSpook Street,had been greenlit.[14]Season 3, based onReal Tigers,premiered on Apple TV+ 29 November 2023.[15]

An Apple TV+ adaptation ofDown Cemetery RoadstarringEmma ThompsonandRuth Wilsonwas announced in 2024.[16]

Awards

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Herron won the 2025CWA Diamond Daggerin 2025.[17]

Personal life

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Herron lives in Oxford, England.[3]He enjoys playing squash.[20]His partner is Jo Howard, a 'headhunter for the publishing industry'[21]and 'leadership development consultant',[22]formerly a Commercial Director atWaterstonesBooksellers.

References

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  1. ^"Mick Herron - IMDb".IMDb.Retrieved31 August2024.
  2. ^"Mick Herron (Author of Slow Horses)".Goodreads.com.Retrieved18 December2016.
  3. ^abc"Dead Lions — The Crime Writers' Association".Thecwa.co.uk.Retrieved18 December2016.
  4. ^abHiggins, Charlotte (15 January 2021)."Mick Herron: 'I look at Jackson Lamb and think: My God, did I write that? My mother reads this stuff!'".The Guardian.Retrieved25 December2022.
  5. ^Lepore, Jill (28 November 2022)."Is Mick Herron the Best Spy Novelist of His Generation?".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.Retrieved14 February2024.
  6. ^"Zoë Boehm Thrillers".Mick Herron website.16 February 2022.Retrieved25 December2022.
  7. ^Mick Herron."Crime writer Mick Herron: 'I don't know my hero's backstory yet' | Books".The Guardian.Retrieved18 December2016.
  8. ^"If you read one spy novel this year, read Real Tigers".Spectator.co.uk.Retrieved18 December2016.
  9. ^Nicol, Patricia (4 February 2018). "the UK's new spy master".The Sunday Times.London. pp.20–21.
  10. ^"Mick Herron".Mick Herron.Retrieved18 December2016.
  11. ^"Mick Herron's Slow Horses To Gallop Back in" Clown Town "".Spybrary.Retrieved9 October2024.
  12. ^"Dolphin Junction: Stories by Mick Herron: 9781641293020 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books".PenguinRandomhouse.com.Retrieved28 June2022.
  13. ^"Apple's hit espionage drama" Slow Horses "debuts season two trailer".Apple.com.19 October 2022.
  14. ^"'Slow Horses' Renewed Through Season 4 at Apple TV+ ".The Hollywood Reporter.1 June 2022.Retrieved17 June2022.
  15. ^"'Slow Horses' Season 3 airing at Apple TV+ ".Apple TV+.29 November 2023.Retrieved19 December2023.
  16. ^Otterson, Joe (16 April 2024)."Emma Thompson, Ruth Wilson to Lead 'Down Cemetery Road' Series at Apple Based on Novel by 'Slow Horses' Author".Variety.Retrieved15 June2024.
  17. ^"Herron awarded CWA diamond dagger".Books+Publishing. 30 January 2025.Retrieved5 February2025.
  18. ^"Harper, McKinty shortlisted for Theakston Old Peculier crime award".Books+Publishing.15 June 2020.Retrieved27 July2020.
  19. ^"Robotham shortlisted for CWA Gold Dagger".Books+Publishing.14 August 2020.Retrieved16 August2020.
  20. ^"10 Questions with Mick Herron |".Ethanjonesbooks.wordpress.com.7 May 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 30 March 2018.Retrieved18 December2016.
  21. ^Kellaway, Kate (10 September 2023)."Author Mick Herron: 'I'd have made an awful spy. I don't have a smartphone or wifi'".The Observer.ISSN0029-7712.Retrieved6 February2024.
  22. ^"Jo Howard".Retrieved6 February2024.
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