Mick Herron is best known for his sharp, darkly funny British thrillers, especially the Slough House books that inspired Slow Horses. But his bibliography goes beyond that series, with earlier Oxford-set novels, standalones, and shorter fiction that show the same eye for tension, character, and intrigue.
This guide breaks down the Mick Herron books in order by series and type, so you can see where to start and which books belong together. Whether you’re here for Slough House or want to read deeper into Herron’s backlist, this will help you follow the right path.
Jump to:
- The Oxford Investigations Books
- Slough House Books
- Other Mick Herron Books
- Mick Herron Adaptations
- Who is Mick Herron?
- Mick Herron Books FAQ
The Oxford Investigations Books
The Oxford Investigations books mark the start of Mick Herron’s fiction career with Down Cemetery Road, his 2003 debut and the first novel in the Zoë Boehm series. Set around Oxford, these books center on private investigator Zoë Boehm and Sarah Tucker, a civilian whose life becomes tangled up in the cases Zoë investigates.
This is the best place to start if you want to see Herron before Slow Horses, but it’s still a series you should read in publication order. The character arcs and key developments carry forward, so jumping ahead works against the way these books are built.
- Down Cemetery Road (2003)
- The Last Voice You Hear (2004)
- Why We Die (2006)
- Smoke and Whispers (2009)
Slough House Books
The Slough House books are Mick Herron’s best-known series and the foundation for Slow Horses. They follow disgraced MI5 agents sent to Slough House after serious career mistakes, where they’re meant to fade into irrelevance.
Of course, that’s not how it goes. These agents still want a way back, and that drive gives the series much of its tension.
You should read the Slough House books in publication order. The same core characters carry through the series, and their relationships, history, and major developments build from one book to the next.
- Slow Horses (2010)
- Dead Lions (2013)
The List (2015) (Novella) - Real Tigers (2016)
- Spook Street (2017)
- London Rules (2018)
The Marylebone Drop / The Drop (2018) (Novella) - Joe Country (2019)
The Catch (2020) (Novella) - Slough House (2021)
- Bad Actors (2022)
Standing by the Wall (2022) (Novella Collection, including The Last Dead Letter) - Clown Town (2025)
Other Mick Herron Books
Standalone Books
Mick Herron has also written standalone novels, though not all of them sit completely outside his wider spy-fiction world. Nobody Walks and The Secret Hours, in particular, connect to the Slough House universe even if they aren’t part of the main series order.
- Reconstruction (2008)
- Nobody Walks (2015)
- This is What Happened (2018)
- The Secret Hours (2023)
Short Story Collections
Mick Herron has also published short story collections for readers who want to go beyond the main novels. These collections mix standalone stories with pieces tied to Slough House and Zoë Boehm.
- All the Livelong Day and Other Stories (2013) (Out of Print)
- Dolphin Junction: Stories (2021)
Anthologies
Mick Herron has also contributed stories to multi-author crime anthologies. These are better thought of as extra reading than essential stops in the main series order, but they’re a good option if you want to dig deeper into his shorter fiction.
- The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime 8 (2011)
- The Usual Santas (2016)
Mick Herron Adaptations
Mick Herron’s best-known screen adaptation is Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ series based on his Slough House books. It stars Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb and has helped introduce Herron’s spy fiction to a much wider audience.
Herron’s work has also been adapted beyond Slough House. Down Cemetery Road, based on his Zoë Boehm series, was adapted for Apple TV+ with Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, giving another part of Herron’s bibliography a screen version as well.
Who is Mick Herron?
Mick Herron is an English crime and spy novelist born in Newcastle upon Tyne and educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he later built much of his writing life. He made his fiction debut with Down Cemetery Road in 2003, introducing Zoë Boehm and the Oxford-set series now often grouped as the Oxford Investigations.
Herron later became best known for the Slough House books, the spy series that inspired Slow Horses. Alongside his novels, he has also written a substantial body of short fiction, much of it tied to the same sharp, darkly funny style that runs through his best-known work.
Mick Herron Books FAQ
What Mick Herron book should I read first?
For most readers, the best place to start is Slow Horses because it begins the Slough House series, which is still Herron’s best-known work. If you want to start at the beginning of his career instead, go with Down Cemetery Road, his debut novel and the first Zoë Boehm book.
Is Slow Horses based on Mick Herron’s books?
Yes. Slow Horses is based on Herron’s Slough House novels, and Apple has continued adapting later books in the series as the show has gone on.
Is The Secret Hours a Slough House book?
Not exactly. Herron’s official publisher page presents The Secret Hours as a standalone thriller, but it also describes it as an excellent entry point for new readers and a strong companion for Slough House fans, so it sits close to that world even if it isn’t part of the main numbered series.
Do you need to read the Slough House novellas?
No, you can follow the main Slough House novels without them. Herron’s official series page separates the novels from the shorter works and presents the novellas as a way to dig deeper into the Slow Horses world, which makes them feel more like bonus reading than required stops.
Are all Mick Herron books part of the same series?
No. Herron’s bibliography includes the Slough House books, the Zoë Boehm novels, standalones, and shorter fiction, so not everything belongs to one reading path. That said, some later books, especially The Secret Hours, sit close enough to the Slough House world that readers often discuss them alongside that series.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.