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A review by edgwareviabank
The Drop & The List by Mick Herron
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I put "The Drop" on my list after reading an enthusiastic review, and feeling intrigued by the plot's premise. A secret information drop in modern-day Central London? Sign me up!
I was hoping this would give me an idea of whether the Slough House series could be for me. In that sense, it was probably the wrong place to start, as it's more of a spin-off, made of two connected short story that take place outside of the main narrative (though some of the key characters appear more or less briefly).
The first story, "The Drop", stood out to me for the careful, characterisation of the old, worn-out spies that drive the narrative. Solomon Dortmund comes across as particularly endearing - I'd read entire novels where he's the protagonist (too bad that, as far as I know, there are none). The second story didn't engage me quite as much, though I appreciated the way it picked up from where "The Drop" had left off. I'm still curious about the Slough House novels, and will eventually pick some of them up; I expect them to be very similar in style and pace.
I was hoping this would give me an idea of whether the Slough House series could be for me. In that sense, it was probably the wrong place to start, as it's more of a spin-off, made of two connected short story that take place outside of the main narrative (though some of the key characters appear more or less briefly).
The first story, "The Drop", stood out to me for the careful, characterisation of the old, worn-out spies that drive the narrative. Solomon Dortmund comes across as particularly endearing - I'd read entire novels where he's the protagonist (too bad that, as far as I know, there are none). The second story didn't engage me quite as much, though I appreciated the way it picked up from where "The Drop" had left off. I'm still curious about the Slough House novels, and will eventually pick some of them up; I expect them to be very similar in style and pace.