Reviews

The List by Mick Herron

alibi313's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A minimalist tale with a deliciously cynical ending. Would be interesting to see if the final character shows up in the main series at any point.

maggies's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An intriguing interlude. I'm glad I read book 4 before this novella, despite it being set between books 2 and 3, because it felt more like a flashback for Coe. I'll be interested to see if this novella and the others have much of an impact on the full series' events.

faysie34's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

becden's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

adrianjd's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wonderful quick read.  A fix of Slow Horses.  Quite hard to get a hold of but I am glad I did 

queenofsoul's review against another edition

5.0

You have to read full series to appreciate this 

novelshire's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

lisakieran's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Setting up the future

m_peacock's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

4.0

It's a Slough House novella that distills the series' style down to its base elements -- the cynical careerism of MI5 leaders like Diana Taverner, the pathos of older MI5 worker bees trying to cling on 'til their pensions mature, and the insight of Jackson Lamb's spy craft in spite of all the Scotch he consumes. The plot is simple and kinda secondary.

It was interesting to get a fresh view of Slough House from the MI5 rookie J.K. Coe as he walks up the stairs to meet with Lamb. It was much simpler, cleaner, and more impactful than Herron's earlier attempts at this using a bus traveler in Slow Horses, a mouse in Dead Lions, or a ghost in Real Tigers.

mcaspari's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5