David Cartwright, former head of MI-5, donated his library to Oxford, and one of the mysterious books in that collection has gone missing. His grandson, River, a former member of Slough House, is trying to figure out what happened to it. Meanwhile, Diana Taverner, the current head of MI-5, is dealing with disgruntled spies who were involved in nefarious activities during the Troubles. Somehow, these two stories collide, and hilarity ensues. While the last 3 books in this series all felt noticeably weaker, I’m happy to report that the series returns to good form with this book.
For the first time in a while, the plot is reasonably straightforward, and makes sense (mostly). The characters are terrific, both the recurring characters from the previous books, and the new ones introduced in this one. The humor is as sharp as ever. The plot twists are genuinely surprising. And the ending is shocking, satisfying, and leaves you wanting more. It’s a good book all around, and makes me excited to keep reading the series.
