Mick Herron: The Secret Hours and Bad Actors

THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron is a stand-alone spy thriller from a master of his craft; Herron has won numerous awards and is often compared to John LeCarré or even Ian Fleming. In this novel, spies are investigating spies due to the establishment of the politically motivated Monochrome inquiry, staffed by Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, two civil servants without stellar pasts. The much more exciting parts of the book involve Max, a retired spy suddenly forced to go on the run. All leads back to events in 1990s Berlin. Called “gripping, cryptic, tragic, and suspenseful,” THE SECRET HOURS received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly and is an ABA Indie Next Pick for September 2023. The audiobook has an excellent beginning – quite vividly describing a dead badger and Max’s escape from his rural cottage. Sadly, it then shifts to bureaucratic politics with little differentiation between characters and is therefore less compelling for a stretch. Overall, though, the text combines Herron’s talent for writing action-adventure and amusing, witty satire. Definitely a title that will be enjoyed by readers of spy fiction. 

BAD ACTORS by Mick Herron (released last Spring) is book eight in the Slough House Series which is not one to be missed in print; plus, two seasons, (titled Slow Horses) are available with more planned through Apple TV+. The series titles are best read in order, but can function as stand-alones. After all, few can resist a spy story like BAD ACTORS that begins: “The woods were lovely, dark, and deep, and full of noisy bastards.” That encapsulates Herron’s snarky commentary, often expressed by his main character, Jackson Lamb, who heads a group of misfit spies (MI5 rejects), bending normal rules, and subtly (OK, sometimes, not so subtly) pushing them to the edge of their abilities. While after bad guys, Lamb is also out to get revenge on a manipulative former colleague, Diana Taverner, and the way they dance around each other is fascinating. Herron has crafted an exciting, fast-paced thriller series that includes a large dose of crude comic moments. This latest entry has been widely praised: BAD ACTORS received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly (“an outstanding mix of arch humor, superb characterizations, and trenchant political observations”).

Flip Thinking by Berthold Gunster

FLIP THINKING by Berthold Gunster explores the improv strategy of turning *yes, but* into *yes, and* as described in his subtitle: “The Life-Changing Art of Turning Problems into Opportunities.” Gunster has worked as a theatre director and writer for years and has written numerous books on this subject. In this latest work he includes numerous chapters, each of which averages about 3000 words (or ten minutes of reading time), to encourage daily reflection on a variety of strategies. Some of those are waiting, rethinking, flaunting, and reversing. One of Gunster’s insights is that by default humans tend to try to solve problems, or even resist them, which can often make them worse. He encourages readers to reframe or let go of expectations. Similarly, he suggests asking yourself, “What could I learn from this problem? What could be the hidden opportunity?” A lengthy list of recommended reading, detailed notes, and an index comprise roughly thirty percent of FLIP THINKING. A summary of key points related to Gunster’s work is available on the Next Big Idea Club website. There, Gunster says, “Flip thinking is what children tend to do. What do grown-ups do when it rains? They avoid it. Stay indoors, carry an umbrella. What do children do? They dance in the rain.”

The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman

THE COMING WAVE by Mustafa Suleyman, subtitled “Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma,” is about the potential impact of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology. Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, illustrates the point beautifully in the prologue which notes, “we are faced with a choice – a choice between a future of unparalleled possibility and a future of unimaginable peril.” He argues for containment, admitting that it is extremely difficult, but necessary and suggests biomedical ethics and regulations as a possible model. He also encourages readers to look at “choke points” (e.g., chip production) as another means of control or restraint. Think about changes we have seen in the last few years: Suleyman says, “Today, AI systems can almost perfectly recognize faces and objects. We take speech-to-text transcription and instant language translation for granted. … AI has been climbing the ladder of cognitive abilities for decades, and it now looks set to reach human-level performance across a very wide range of tasks within the next three years.” That is a very specific prediction from an experienced and well-regarded expert. THE COMING WAVE is a disturbing read, but one which merits much discussion and has received praise from Daniel Kahneman (“essential reading”), Bill Gates (“an excellent guide”), and Eric Schmidt (“utterly unmissable”). More information is available through interviews on Axios and on Have a Nice Future from Wired magazine.

Budapest by by Victor Sebestyen

BUDAPEST by Victor Sebestyen bills itself as a “Portrait of a City Between East and West” and that is certainly a main contention of Sebestyen as he very effectively outlines centuries of Hungarian and Central European history. My only disappointment in this text (an Economist Best Book of the Year) is that I thought there would be many more pictures, but (in the preview at least) the only one was the beautiful cover showcasing the Parliament. There is a list of less than two dozen illustrations which may appear in the finished book; plus, a thorough index (roughly ten percent of the total pages) accompanies the text which is very clearly a labor of love for native born journalist Sebestyen.

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose

ENOLA HOLMES AND THE MARK OF THE MONGOOSE by Nancy Springer will delight viewers of the Netflix series, fans of Sherlock Holmes, and readers of Alan Bradley’s Flavia DeLuce series. Despite misogynistic views of the time, Enola Holmes (younger sister to the famous detective) is a talented sleuth in her own right with a coterie of willing helpers. Adept at disguise, she attempts to find out what happened to a young American involved with the publishing industry. Along the way, Springer educates readers about 1890 historical figures including Susan B. Anthony, Joseph Lister, and Rudyard Kipling. Famous places, like the Savoy Hotel in London, are also featured in this light and entertaining mystery adventure. Springer says it well: “I hope you enjoyed this novel, gentle reader.”

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook by Mary Bryant Shrader

THE MODERN PIONEER COOKBOOK by Mary Bryant Shrader, a Texas hill country cook, offers “Nourishing Recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen.” Shrader focuses on techniques like canning and drying; in fact, there is an entire section on Bone Broths and another on Homemade Dairy. As she points out, that “may seem a bit unfamiliar, almost intimidating. But [she continues] not to worry! You will be creating a kitchen rhythm … you will begin to develop a system of soaking your beans or grains before going to bed, feeding your sourdough starter, leaving your milk out on the cold counter to culture and ‘burping’ your jars of vegetable ferments as they bubble away in a corner of your kitchen.” Shrader goes on to describe the importance of eating seasonal foods. Many of her recipes do seem complex, but flavorful (e.g., Spicy Fermented Ginger Carrot Coins). Curious readers may have fun re-creating Oregon Trail Pioneer Brown Bread, too. She will be speaking at the Lake Travis Community Library on September 27th at 7pm. More information about the author, her favorite recipes, and other suggestions are available on her YouTube channel, Mary’s Nest.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story by James McBride

THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by award-wining author James McBride is a complex, difficult novel to describe, but one that deserves your attention. Here are some thoughts from the author’s interview on PBS NewsHour:

Encouraging writers to forget race and focus on humanity, McBride says, “Self-definition is the first step towards self-control. ... just appreciate everyone for who they are.” He develops rich characters in his latest novel which centers on Pottstown Pennsylvania’s Chicken Hill neighborhood where Moshe and Chona Ludlow integrated a theater and ran a grocery store although the community was mostly filled with Black residents, including de facto community leader Nate (the theater’s janitor) and his wife, Addie. A skeleton is found in 1972, but relevant events from 40 years earlier drive the mystery and McBride's empathetic social commentary about marginalized groups (Jews, Blacks, Italian immigrants) in America. THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE was a LibraryReads selection for August 2023 and received multiple starred reviews: Booklist (“Funny, tender, knockabout, gritty, and suspenseful”), Kirkus (“pitch-perfect dialogue”), Library Journal (“compellingly written, and not to be missed”), AND Publishers Weekly (“endlessly rich saga”). For additional perspective, especially about the novel’s rather slow pace, here is the New York Times review.