I’m a big fan of Mick Herron’s Slough House series about failed spies. Jackson Lamb, the canny head of Slough House, shows up in “The Last Dead Letter” about a British spy in Berlin having an affair with a woman who may or may not be a Soviet spy.
My favorite stories in Dolphin Junction are “Proof of Love” and “Mirror Images” where a struggling private detective named Joe Silverman and his much smarter wife Zoe solve some tricky cases. “Proof of Love” centers around the delivery of money from a rich man–with Joe Silverman being the courier–in exchange for a porno-video starring his wife. “Mirror Images” features a writer who is seeing a ghost and wants Joe and Zoe to make the ghost go away.
Mick Herron, talented and equipped with the kind of thought processes necessary to write realistically about spies and intelligent criminals, delivers a batch suspenseful and clever short stories in Dolphin Junction. Don’t miss it! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Proof of love — 1
Remote control — 35
Lost luggage — 51
Mirror images — 61
Dolphin junction — 89
An American fridge — 145
The other half — 153
All the livelong day — 171
The last dead letter — 217
The usual Santas –251
What we do — 267
Acknowledgments — 297
I agree with you. I like the series in general (though I am several books behind), and I enjoyed the short stories too. Yes, Zoe is a lot sharper than her husband, isn’t she?
Jeff, I like Joe’s “What would Marlowe do?” philosophy and positivity. Zoe is the realist…and the brains of the operation.
On reserve at library!
Patti, I think you’ll enjoy the Joe and Zoe stories! They were my favorites in DOLPHIN JUNCTION!
I read the first six stories in this book a few weeks ago, and I agree that the two Joe and Zoe stories were the best, but I enjoyed all of them. I will be finishing up the stories in the book soon.
Tracy, I found DOLPHIN JUNCTION to be a quick read. Love Joe and Zoe!
I think I’ve managed to mostly miss Herron so far, despite horror work.
Todd, if you can get Apple TV+ and watch SLOW HORSES, you’ll see why Jeff Meyerson and I love Mick Herron’s work. The novels are fun and snarky!