{"product_id":"clown-town-the-thriller-for-our-chaotic-times-slough-house-thriller-9-9781399800440","title":"Clown Town: The Thriller for Our Chaotic Times (Slough House Thriller 9)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe brand new Slough House thriller from the #1 bestseller Mick Herron\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Instant \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling Thriller from the Author of Slow Horses\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES, \u003c\/i\u003eTHRILLER OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN, \u003c\/i\u003eCRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDAILY TELEGRAPH, \u003c\/i\u003eBOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTLS, \u003c\/i\u003eBOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE SPECTATOR,\u003c\/i\u003e BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e----\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Mick Herron is our best and most topical spy writer'\u003c\/b\u003e Ian Rankin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Clown Town\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterpiece' \u003c\/b\u003eIndia Knight, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An authentic megastar of the genre'\u003c\/b\u003e Sam Leith, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e'No one can rival Mick Herron'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A superb thriller'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Masterly' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement, \u003c\/i\u003ebooks of the year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e----\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eMI5's First Desk, Diana Taverner, doesn't appreciate threats.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSo when those involved in a covert operation during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland threaten to expose the ugly side of state security, Taverner goes on the offensive. And when that happens, people get hurt.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eOver at Slough House, the repository for failed spies, the slow horses are hard at work: belittling each other, pushing paper, and marking time. Their boss, Jackson Lamb, wants them at their desks, but the slow horses are always looking for a way back on to Spook Street.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeanwhile, another slow horse, River Cartwright, is waiting to be passed fit for work. At a loose end, and with his grandfather - a legendary former spy - long dead, River investigates the secrets of the old man's library, and a mysteriously missing book. What stories will it hold? And who wants those stories to stay silent?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e After all, spies lie, they betray, it's what they do.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e*Mick Herron's Clown Town was a Sunday Times Number Four bestseller in hardback in the second week of September 2025 and a Sunday Times Number Nine bestseller in paperback in the first week of May 2026.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781399800440\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 21 Apr 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: John Murray Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x12.8(L)x3.4(W)282\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 282\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eMick Herron is the #1 \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of the Slough House thrillers, which have been published in over twenty-five languages and are the basis of the award-winning TV series \u003ci\u003eSlow Horses,\u003c\/i\u003e starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. Among his other novels are the Zoe Boehm series, also now adapted for TV starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, and the standalone novels \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Hours \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eNobody Walks\u003c\/i\u003e. Mick's awards include the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold, Steel and Diamond Daggers. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and now lives in Oxford.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eMasterly\u003c\/b\u003e * Times Literary Supplement, books of the year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eClown Town \u003c\/i\u003eis a masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e -- India Knight * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eOver the last decade this series of novels about a community of cashiered spies\u003cb\u003e has made the transition from \"well-kept secret\" to \"household name\". Herron is now an authentic megastar of the genre\u003c\/b\u003e . . . It's Herron's line-by-line\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewriting that really makes [the books]\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003estand out. \u003cb\u003eHas there been a more\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003emagnificently bossy narrative voice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003esince Dickens? \u003c\/b\u003eOr one more in love\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewith the baroque flourish? -- Sam Leith * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo one can rival Mick Herron\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003ethe series is increasingly acquiring a seriousness of heart that befits Herron's achievement\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFunny, thrilling and shot through with real anger at the state of the nation\u003c\/b\u003e * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis isn't just a superb thriller about dysfunctional spooks. In these dark days, there are not many novels of any sort that make you laugh aloud. But this is one of them\u003c\/b\u003e * The Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntricate plots of simmering tension, an intelligence service that hums with mundanity and mendacity, and X-rated dialogue delivering character assassination with every withering riposte. . \u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003ea series that continues to reinvigorate the spy fiction genre\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaced with Herron's mordant wit and whip-crack dialogue . . . Herron knits the threads together with his familiar verve\u003c\/b\u003e * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe jokes are as good as ever, the writing is glorious, the plot is deviously clever and the glimpses of real history add a layer of seriousness to the story . . . superb novel\u003c\/b\u003e * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fabulous, funny book with a delicious sting in the tail\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA twisty, comic tale centred on a covert operation from the heigh of the Northern Ireland Troubles\u003c\/b\u003e * RTE guide *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHerron at his masterly best, a stylish page-turner . . . the tales of the Slow Horses have matched the muddle, shoddiness and loss of status of post-Brexit Britain\u003c\/b\u003e * Good Housekeeping *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHerron again blends satire with politics and page-turning pacing\u003c\/b\u003e * The i *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMick Herron has that rare gift of being able to write exquisitely and hilariously while keeping us on the edge of our seats\u003c\/b\u003e. An IRA double agent and a corrupt politician are central to this story while Diana Taverner and Jackson Lamb slug it out once again. \u003cb\u003eThoroughly enjoyable\u003c\/b\u003e, I now have a whole new bunch of insults to add to my collection -- Liz Nugent, author of STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePure class: thrilling, funny and moving.  By now it's obvious that the Slough House novels are not just suspenseful, laugh-out-loud entertainments, not just literary marvels, but important too, essential stories of the state of the UK in the twenty first century\u003c\/b\u003e -- Simon Mason, author of A VOICE IN THE NIGHT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eClown Town\u003c\/i\u003e is an absolute belter. \u003c\/b\u003eNo one is better than Mick at loading exactly the right words and taking aim at the egos and idiocies in Westminster and further afield. \u003cb\u003eMore satisfying than a squirty flower in the face of your least favourite politician\u003c\/b\u003e -- Sarah Hilary, author of SHARP GLASS\u003cbr\u003eThe circus is back in town and this time the slow horses are not the only clowns in the big tent . . . \u003cb\u003eeffectively blends plot, satire and pure, unadulterated fun. Another Mick Herron virtuoso performance\u003c\/b\u003e -- Vaseem Khan, author of CITY OF DESTRUCTION\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e A must-read series\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Examiner *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe satirical thriller is every bit as funny, fast-paced and outrageously irreverent as its fans have come to expect . . . A breathless ride of a novel, the jokes keep pace with the pathos as Herron shows he can handle heartbreak just as adeptly as humour\u003c\/b\u003e * Buzz *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe writing is deliriously funny, imaginatively florid and magically descriptive of the nuances of London life\u003c\/b\u003e * Country Life *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnother superb spy adventure\u003c\/b\u003e * Heat *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA totemic figure in the spy fiction boom . . . His thrilling, witty, idiosyncratic novels have sold more than four million copies and have been credited with revitalising the genre\u003c\/b\u003e * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA magisterially accomplished novel and Herron a master of vivid voice\u003c\/b\u003e, showing himself in a plot of shining, machine-like efficiency -- Philip Hensher * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt's no surprise that viewers (and commissioners) can't get enough of Herron's knotty, ambiguous and unabashedly clever plots and oddball characters\u003c\/b\u003e * Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI was an early adopter of Mick Herron of\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlow Horses \u003c\/i\u003efame, and his latest masterpiece \u003ci\u003eClown Town \u003c\/i\u003ehas just emerged. If you are a fan of the Apple TV series, the books are a must read. The dialogue from anti-hero Jackson Lamb is on another level\u003c\/b\u003e * Country \u0026amp; Town House *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAs well as containing most of the best jokes of this year's crime fiction, Herron's book boasts the best action set-piece\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Telegraph *","brand":"Mick Herron","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48745895723225,"sku":"9781399800440","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/91871oXZkwL._SL1500.jpg?v=1779869526","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/clown-town-the-thriller-for-our-chaotic-times-slough-house-thriller-9-9781399800440","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}