The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 13 books · 2003 to 2025 · Mostly set in London

Mick Herron

Crime and mysteryThriller and suspensePrivate eyeSpy and espionage

Slough House is where MI5 sends its failures, the “slow horses”, under the slovenly and brilliant Jackson Lamb. The series became Slow Horses on television. Herron’s earlier books follow Oxford private detective Zoë Boehm.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. The Slough House novellas are left out.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Mick Herron books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Slough House

9 books · Set in LondonSpy and espionage
  1. 1Slow Horses2010With Jackson Lamb and River CartwrightBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Dead Lions2013With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Real Tigers2016With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Spook Street2017With Jackson Lamb and River CartwrightBuy on Amazon
  5. 5London Rules2018With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Joe Country2019With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  7. 7Slough House2021With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  8. 8Bad Actors2022With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Clown Town2025With Jackson LambBuy on Amazon

Zoë Boehm

4 books · Set in OxfordPrivate eye
  1. 1Down Cemetery Road2003With Sarah TuckerBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Last Voice You Hear2004With Zoë BoehmBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Why We Die2006With Zoë BoehmBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Smoke and Whispers2009With Zoë BoehmBuy on Amazon

Characters

12 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Slough House

Zoë Boehm