Mick Herron. The Secret Hours. USA: Soho Press, Inc., 2023.
What a treat to have had so many fave authors in a row (No. 12-LL330 and here). Here's Mick with a stand-alone ‒ only inasmuch as it's not centred on Slough House and its lunatic failed spies. The book still dwells in his exceptionally clever world of skewering the British establishment. One familiar personage to Herron fans is First Desk, the head of UK intelligence services at Regent's Park in London; unnamed, her main job here is to foil the unnamed former Prime Minister's creation of the Monochrome Inquiry—still in operation after the man was ousted by the electorate and his own party. ~ Surely no one would think Boris Johnson. ~ Monochrome's purpose is to find fault with, and reduce the autocracy, of Regent's Park.
We find civil servants Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle in charge of Monochrome's work, their access to the Park's secret files hindered; they can only call their appointed panel to interview people who have evidence of Regent's Park misdemeanours and criminal activities. Alas, the "evidence" gathered to date—bureaucratic complaints or garbled notions—is quite hilarious and not fit to report. Griselda and Malcolm have languished in a dingy office for two years, knowing First Desk will always thwart them. But then, as if it were planned, a Park file called OTIS falls into their hands; it leads to a witness who delivers the goods they need. Alison North, whatever her real name is, takes us back to Berlin in 1994, where she personally served at the UK's Station House.
David Cartwright (then the shadowy power behind First Desk) is another familiar name. Max Janáček, retired spy, is not; Shelley McVie, a "milkman" in the jargon, is not. Nor are the figures named in Alison's evidence. You may be distracted by the dozens of machinations going on in the background. But personalities begin to resonate and I must say no more. It may be that those who know the Slough House series have a slight advantage, after all. Or it could be considered a prequel. Once again, Herron's sly satire has you begging for more!
Now
▪ The worst smell in the world is dead badger. (1)
▪ "That's the real art of politics, Ms Fleet. Knowing when the next fuck-up's due. And arranging for a human sandbag to be standing in the way." (53-4)
▪ ... wheels were set in motion by text and phone call and burn-after-reading email, and before the day was done the OTIS file had begun its work, the way a fuse ignites and consumes itself before creating wider damage. (118)
▪ "Sometimes a bad actor will flush a joe just to find out who his handler is. Because nine times out of ten, that's who the joe runs to." (126)
▪ He felt bruised all over. Nobody told you what a drag it was, getting older. Or at least, people did tell you, but you ignored them, because they were old. (129)
▪ Witnessing Bachelor's verbal contortions had been like watching a five-year-old explaining gravity. In the end, Max had acquiesced to his scheme more to avoid having this conversation again than because he felt there'd been injustice. (159)
First Desk
▪ "Between the worknames and the coded locations, this Monochrome outfit'll be lucky to piece together who did the coffee run yesterday, let alone who shagged who in a safe house in 1987." (32)
▪ Besides, when the situation was reduced to first principles, it became pointless to agonise over details: the purpose of Monochrome was to fuck with Regent's Park, and the one thing First Desk had made clear was, You do not fuck with Regent's Park. (46-7)
▪ ... so here we were, eight months later, with McVie still on full salary, still absent from duty, and a hell of a bigger pain in First Desk's arse than anything currently afflicting her own limbs. (124)
▪ All over the country there were clapped-out spooks haunting little houses, and on top of everything else on her plate, First Desk had to ensure that any time a bell rang, it didn't mean that one or other had had the past reach out to claim them. (126-7)
▪ Janáček was of zero significance: Why would anyone target him? (127)
Then (1994)
▪ Because this was David Cartwright, who had once been pointed out to her in the lobby at the Park. There's the man who drives the whole shebang. (171)
▪ "Well, pardon me all to fuck and back. But just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm the one in charge and you're the visitor, right?" (180)
▪ "I'm Otis, by the way. This monster hasn't the manners of a zoo-bred warthog. Though he does have the looks and the charm, as you've doubtlessly discovered already." (215)
▪ "I'm not only here to make sure the Berlin office has been running according to official protocols and procedures, I'm also, invited or not, your guest. Which means I expect to be treated with respect." (181)
▪ "It's my office. I can start fires any way I choose. The question is, am I going to burn you?" (272)
▪ "Where do you think you are, back in Blighty? This is where the grown-ups play, little Miss North. I can have you back in Regent's Park before the clubs are closed, and your passport'll think you're still tucked up in bed." (272)
▪ Her head was reeling. There was a mole in the Park? It was as if she'd come looking for evidence of shoplifting, to find someone had carried the department store away. (275)
Liv Constantine. The Senator's Wife. Ebook download from TPL. Bantam Books/Random House, 2023.
N.B. Toronto Public Library (TPL) had a massive cyber-attack on Saturday night, October 28th. As of Saturday November 11th, their systems were still offline! Books are not circulating, although their "Libby" Ebooks system was not affected.
Sloane Emerson was happily married to Senator Robert Chase. The couple were good friends, and socialized often, with Robert's cousin Peg and her husband Senator Whit Montgomery. For some time Peg had been suspicious that Whit was having an affair with the predatory, voluptuous Madelyn. Learning that it was true sent her over the edge, hysterically waving a gun at Whit; Robert witnessed the screaming confrontation. A shooting accidentally killed both Peg and Robert. Sloane and Rosemary, Robert's mother, were devastated.
Fast forward a few years, when Sloane and Whit are married. Sloane has lupus, a disease that flares at times, and she's about to have a hip replacement that might trigger it. Devoted husband Whit hires the mysterious Athena as a professional, live-in carer, i.e. personal support worker. We know right off the bat that Athena has a secret agenda, but not her motive. While she more than efficiently fulfills her duties to help Sloane recover, she quietly noses into Sloane's business affairs—directing the wealthy Emerson-Chase charity foundation. Some D.C. power plays are going on in the background among prominent politicians. Athena also cultivates a growing friendship with Whit (who continues his on-again, off-again, affair with Madelyn; he can't afford to antagonize Madelyn while she and her husband Fred are giving generously to his re-election campaign).
Meanwhile Sloane's health deteriorates severely, Rosemary is almost killed because of a report she commissioned, and the private detective who provided it suddenly dies. Coincidence? While the author does generate suspense, there's really nothing new here in the plot, everyone lying to each other. Sloane is the only non-prosaic character. Perhaps the best thing about the book is the climactic twist—no surprise to astute readers—but it necessitates so much subsequent exposition that the effect is smothered.
Bits
▪ But he'd made it clear to Madelyn when he'd married Sloane that he had every intention of making his new marriage work. (41)
▪ Her feelings were so conflicted that she wondered if everyone who remarried after the death of a spouse felt guilty for finding love again. (62)
▪ Athena gave him a probing look. "There's a lot at stake. A lot to play for." (73)
▪ Everything hurt—the clothing against her skin, her swollen wrists and fingers, even her eyelashes. The headaches were constant, and the nausea swept over her in waves. (158)
▪ Sloane wasn't ready to hear that the lupus was invading her brain. (219)
▪ Whit was annoyed. What was Sloane doing discussing his prior marriage with Athena? (224)
▪ "As I've told you before, I'll never be able to measure up to him in Sloane's eyes." (226)
▪ " ... she has so much pride." He sighed. "Yesterday, she forgot who I was." (279)
▪ Athena knew it all had to play out with precision if she was to get what she wanted. (329)
▪ Sloane Montgomery had to die. And soon. (332)
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