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  • Bad Actors

  • Slough House, Book 8
  • By: Mick Herron
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (187 ratings)

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Bad Actors cover art

Bad Actors

By: Mick Herron
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Publisher's Summary

*Now a major TV series starring Gary Oldman*

The eighth book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling Slough House THRILLER series by Mick Herron, who has been called 'Britain's finest living thriller writer' [Sunday Express]

POLITICS IS A DANGEROUS GAME

In MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere.

A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar.

Over at Slough House, the home for demoted and embittered spies, the slow horses are doing what they do best: adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation.

In a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing is the norm, bad actors are bending the rules for their own gain. If the slow horses want to change the script, they'll need to get their own act together before the final curtain.

©2022 Mick Herron (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic Reviews

"Herron has certainly devised the most completely realised espionage universe since that peopled by George Smiley." (The Times)

"Herron's novels are genuinely thrilling." (Daily Telegraph)

"Britain's finest living thriller writer." (Sunday Express)

What listeners say about Bad Actors

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not as strong as the others in the series

I found this book to be weaker than the others in the series. Not that this means this is a poor story just that the others are so good you can’t put them down and you’re left wanting more. This one wasn’t in that category.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Audio editor needed.

I enjoyed the story and most of the narrative, but heard too many occasions where there appeared to be a second take, with both being left in. A bit of careful editing would have fixed this, allowing better flow.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heaps of atmosphere

Usual Slough House twists & turns. Herron tells a good tale with sharply drawn characters. The audio recording in the first half sounded muffled on occasion with the narrator seeming to swallow or drop the end of sone sentences. Not great audio for listening when driving.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is possibly the best one yet!

Exquisite spy fiction wirh the usual (almost) cast of fascinating characters. Mick Herron has done it again with this superbly crafted story steeped in Whitehall intrigue and shady power broking. I can't wait to see what happens next.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So good!

I’ve enjoyed all the books in the series. Each character is unique and entertaining.
Bad Actors was a joy .

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

I continue to adore the combination of Mick Herron and Sean Barrett. Both masters of their crafts.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another terrific Slough House adventure but…

… quite a number of editorial issues (recording bloopers) that need to be fixed and detracted from the overall experience. Editing issues aside, can’t wait for the next instalment.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant. As always.

I can’t get enough of the Horses - every character polished and every sentence a gem. Mick Herron is the genius of this genre and Sean Barrett a narrator at the peak of his powers.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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PERFECTION

This might have been the perfect listening experience. The gravitas of Sean Barrett's voice basks in Herron's prose, the result a visceral and intellectual delight. Some lines just made me stop and listen again, and applaud silently. I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed a book as much as this, or laughed as much.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another great story but...

Another great story but let down by the production. Lacked the usual polish. Felt rushed and not always clear.

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