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The Secret Hours

The Instant Sunday Times Bestselling Thriller from the Author of Slow Horses

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About this listen

 A new standalone novel from 'Britain's greatest living thriller writer' and author of the bestselling Slough House series, now a TV series starring Gary Oldman.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*

*A 'Book of the Year' in The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph, Spectator, Sunday Express, TLS, Irish Times*

'Pure class' Ian Rankin 'Pitch-perfect' Lee Child

'A powerful standalone spy thriller from a true contemporary master' Daily Telegraph

Trying to investigate the Secret Service is like trying to get rid of the stink of dead badger. Hard.

For two years the government's Monochrome inquiry has produced nothing more than a series of dead ends.

The Service has kept what happened in the newly reunified Berlin under wraps for decades, and intends for it to stay that way.

But then the OTIS file turns up.

What classified secrets does it hold? And what damage will it create?

All Max Janácek knows is that someone is chasing him through the pitch-dark country lanes and they want him gone.

WE ALL HAVE JOBS TO DO IN THE DAYLIGHT. IT'S WHAT YOU DO IN THE SECRET HOURS THAT REVEALS WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

'Wonderful . . . high action, a spinning moral compass, and hidden motives on every page' Michael Connelly

*Mick Herron's The Secret Hours was a Sunday Times Number Four bestseller in hardback in the second week of September 2023

(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2023 Mick Herron Crime Thrillers Espionage Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Fiction Crime Exciting

Critic reviews

Regular readers will enjoy identifying some familiar Slow Horse characters who appear here under other identities, but of most note is a new maturity to the writing that brings home the human cost of espionage and rejuvenates this terrific series
This was the best year since the 1970s for spy thrillers. Mick Herron's The Secret Hours was a delight (Tim Shipman)
A powerful standalone spy thriller from a true contemporary master
As Mick Herron observed in his Slow Horses origin novel, The Secret Hours (Baskerville), there's a long list of spy novelists who have been pegged as the heir to John le Carré. Herron must be in pole position for principal legatee
Splendid (Philip Hensher)
I devoured The Secret Hours in one sitting (Peter Frankopan)
The Secret Hours is bliss (Sam Leith)
The novel I enjoyed most was The Secret Hours by Mick Herron . . . it is funny, sharply observed and almost uniquely acute and sensitive in its consideration of something most novelists seem to regard with a lofty uninterest: the world of work (Keith Miller)
This is a more sober work than Herron's comical Slough House novels but even at his most serious he provides more good gags than you'll find in the entire Christmas TV comedy schedule (Charlotte Heathcote)
A deliciously cynical comedy of manners that is probably Herron's most mature spy novel to date (Declan Burke)
Mick Herron's The Secret Hours was another highlight, and looks certain to bring more awards to the author's growing collection (Jon Coates)
2023 was a vintage year for crime with too many good books to mention but among many others I loved . . . Mick Herron's The Secret Hours
Not only the finest writer of espionage fiction we have, Mick Herron is also one of the funniest and his latest, The Secret Hours, is proof of both. While not strictly speaking a Slough House novel, it's part of that universe and, for fans of Jackson Lamb (and who isn't?), it's both a thrilling and poignant origin story. Herron is simply incapable of writing a bad book and this is one of his very best (Mark Billingham, author of THE LAST DANCE)
The Secret Hours is a genesis story for fans of Mick Herron's Slow Horses series. All his trademarks are here: layered prose, a deftly unravelled plot, lashings of caustic wit, and a cast of morally-compromised yet ultimately sympathetic characters (Vaseem Khan, author of DEATH OF A LESSER GOD)
This might just be Mick Herron's best book - elegant prose, machine-tooled plot, mixing tension with humour. Pure class (Ian Rankin)
All stars
Most relevant
It explained a lot about the slough house books but is riveting on its own.

Fabulous book

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A Mick Herron story and Sean Barrett narration - dream team. We get to learn about history not being bygones and something about modern diplomacy being more about business.

An absorbing listen

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Another really clever and complex spy story by ace author Mick Herron. Eventually I enjoyed it very much, but one section was so mind bogglingly boring I had to turn the speed up to full to get through it! Once that chapter was finished the whole thing became clearer and perked up considerably. I’ll probably listen to it again now I know what the story is all about..( but I’ll definitely skip that boring part!)

Mostly excellent

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I have enjoyed all of the slow horse books, this one particularly. Wonderful writing, exceptional

Absolutely amazing

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Overall just leaves me wanting more of the same from Mick Herron.
Great start a little slow in the middle, but all loose ends tied up when finished and overall a very rewarding listen.
Sean Barrett on top form as always on the narration

The end makes the middle worthwhile.

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