[Herron] is superb at evoking the le Carré-esque air of ennui, cynicism and self-loathing which permeates an intelligence service on its uppers, but which remains – the alternative being too awful to contemplate – duty bound to keep calm and carry on…. Herron also leavens the mood with flashes of mordant humour, while the hilariously repellent Jackson Lamb – the anti-Smiley – is a constant source of politically incorrect one-liners.