Slough House books in order
Slough House is the MI5 office where disgraced officers are sent to push paper. The novels give you its grudges and cases, with Jackson Lamb, a crotchety Cold War officer, running the place.
- 1
Slow Horses
2010 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 1Disgraced MI5 officers are sent to Slough House, where Jackson Lamb runs them.
- 2
Dead Lions
2013 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 2Jackson Lamb is convinced that Dickie Bow was murdered.
- 3
Real Tigers
2016 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 3When one of their own is kidnapped, the Slough House team must breach MI5's headquarters.
- 4
Spook Street
2017 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 4What happens when an old spook loses his mind?
- 5
London Rules
2018 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 5At Regent's Park, new chief Claude Whelan is learning the job the hard way.
- 6
Joe Country
2019 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 6 (shared with Slough House)Old memories stir at Slough House, and all of them are bad.
- 7
Slough House
2021 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 6 (shared with Joe Country)Brexit has taken a toll on the demoted spies of Slough House.
- 8
Bad Actors
2022 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 7 (renewed, no premiere date found)A scandal is brewing at MI5 headquarters that could disgrace the whole intelligence community.
- 9
Clown Town
2025 · Slow Horses (Apple TV+), season 8 (renewed, no premiere date found)The ninth Slough House novel. Jackson Lamb is drawn into Diana Taverner's scheme.
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What the books give you
Only in the books
The books hold Bad Actors and Clown Town, the two novels no season has adapted yet. Reading them now means meeting those cases before the next seasons air.
What the screen changes
Seasons 1 to 5 adapt one novel each, and season 6 adapts two. The show also drops the narration that the books use and gives MI5's senior officers a bigger role.
Show differences (spoilers)
In the novel, Moody accidentally shoots Sid Baker during a scuffle at Hobden's house. On screen, Sid vanishes in season 1 instead.
Editions
- 1
Slow Horses, John Murray UK edition
John Murray released a new UK edition in 2015.
- 2
Standing by the Wall
2022 collection of the Slough House novellas.
- 3
Slow Horses, deluxe edition
Includes The Last Dead Letter, a short bonus novella.
More by Mick Herron
- 1
Down Cemetery Road
2003 · the first Zoë Boehm novel, with a blast and a missing child in an Oxford suburb
- 2
Nobody Walks
2015 · a standalone novel, outside the Slough House series
- 3
The Secret Hours
2023 · a standalone novel, outside the Slough House series
If you liked it
- 1
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John le Carré · 1974 · a retired spymaster is brought back to find a Soviet double agent
- 2
Codename Villanelle
Luke Jennings · 2017 · the novel behind Killing Eve
- 3
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré · 1963 · an agent pretends to defect to feed false information to East Germany
Quick answers
Which book is each movie and series based on?
| Movie or series | Book |
|---|---|
| Slow Horses (Apple TV+) | Slow Horses (2010) · one novel per season, except season 6, which adapts two; seasons 7 and 8 are renewed |
In what order should I read Slough House?
Read Slow Horses first, then Dead Lions, Real Tigers, Spook Street, London Rules, Joe Country and Slough House. Bad Actors and Clown Town come last. These are the nine novels by Mick Herron, from 2010 to 2025, and the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses follows the same order.
What book is Slow Horses based on?
Season 1 of Slow Horses is based on the novel of the same name, published in 2010 and the first Slough House book by Mick Herron. Seasons 2 to 5 each adapt the next novel, and season 6 adapts two.
How many Slough House books are there?
Nine novels, from Slow Horses (2010) to Clown Town (2025). The series also has several novellas, such as The List and The Catch, and the show adapts only the novels, not the novellas.
Is Slow Horses renewed for more seasons?
Yes. Apple TV+ renewed it for season 7, based on Bad Actors, in July 2025, and for season 8, based on Clown Town, in September 2026. No premiere date for either season was found in the sources checked.
Where should I start with Slough House?
Start with Slow Horses, the first of the nine Slough House novels. It introduces Slough House, the MI5 office for disgraced officers, and Jackson Lamb, who runs it. The Apple TV+ series begins with the same book.