The First Desk at MI5, Diana Taverner, is in trouble. A Steve Bannon-style politician who wants to burn it all down has decided he will install his own lackey. Meanwhile, an old-hand Russian operative appears in London and seems quite unbothered that MI5 knows it. Taverner has to turn to (shudder) Jackson Lamb and his crew of misfit spies, Slough House, for assistance. As Taverner does a disappearing act, one of the misfits is locked up in a hospital for deranged spies, thanks to her overactive cocaine habit - and things get confusing. returnreturnAs usual, Herron brings present-day politics to the table, doused in acidic wit. Another frenetic, funny, and furious entry in an excellent series.