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John Murray is to publish Mick Herron's spy thriller Slough House, the latest instalment in the series of the same name.
The title is the first in a two-book deal for world rights, excluding the US and Canada, signed between the publisher in 2018 via Juliet Burton at the Juliet Burton Literary Agency.
The synopsis states: "Still reeling from their recent losses, the intelligence service misfits known as the slow horses are worried they’ve been pushed further into the cold. Their HQ, Slough House, has been wiped from secret service records, and fatal accidents keep happening. No wonder they’re feeling paranoid.
"With Diana Taverner on the warpath after a British citizen is dead from Novichok poisoning, a populist movement taking to London’s streets, and the old order ensuring that everything’s for sale to the highest bidder, the world’s become an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements. The wise move would be to keep your head down. But the slow horses aren’t famed for making wise decisions."
Editor Yassine Belkacemi said: “Mick Herron is the master of the modern spy thriller and, from the early conversations I’ve had about Slough House with booksellers, reviewers, and Mick’s many fans in the industry, there is already huge anticipation building. Slough House has all the Herron hallmarks – brilliantly drawn characters, a pulsating plot, irresistible storytelling, and a masterful skewering of Britain’s powerful elite. It’s always a joy to publish Mick and his books here at John Murray, and the team here are incredibly excited about Slough House.”
Herron’s Slough House thrillers have sold over 700,000 copies across all John Murray editions. They have been shortlisted for eight Crime Writers' Association Daggers, winning twice, and shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year four times. The first, Slow Horses, was picked as one of the best 20 spy novels of all time by the Daily Telegraph.
Herron said: "The support that Yassine and the team at John Murray have given the series has been fantastic from the start, and for Slough House they're pulling out all the stops. I'm absolutely thrilled — the slow horses couldn't be in better hands."
Slough House will be published in hardback, e-book, audio and export editions on 4th February 2021