Newcomer Marcus Longridge replaces Min on the Pashkin assignment and confesses to Louisa he has a gambling addiction. Former field agent Richard Bough, aka Dickie Bow, recognizes and follows a man who tortured him during the Cold War, only to die on a rail replacement bus from an apparent heart attack. Meanwhile, two of Lamb’s slow horses are seconded by River’s nemesis at Regent’s Park, James (Spider) Webb, for “babysitting” duty in Russian oil talks.

With betrayal, political infighting and manoeuvring, our spies fight for their lives and reputations.

They were long and I found the many changes of character scenarios within the chapter confusing at times. Meanwhile, Sturges escapes from the safehouse, where Donovan reveals that he is working with Alison Dunn’s siblings, Ben and Sarah, seeking justice for her death. The title track "Strange Game" was performed by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who wrote the song exclusively for the show together with the show's composer Daniel Pemberton.

Now Lamb’s got his phone, and on it the last secret Dickie ever told, and reason to believe an old-time Moscow-style op is being run in the Service’s back-yard. The strength of Dead Lions lies in Herron's development of his characters and their interactions because this novel is funnier and snarkier than its predecessor. in " The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly " Publishing This Week" newsletter. So, corralled by weary travellers, Dickie shuffled past and up the moving stairs, at the top of which he sidled into a corner.Donovan sacrifices himself to allow River and Guy to escape the file storage facility with the "Footprint" file and they are rescued from Duffy’s planned ambush by Dander. So when the man responsible for the death of a slow horse breaks cover, Lamb sends his crew out to even the score. Having discovered the fallout of the failed operation, the Director-General of the Security Service, Ingrid Tearney, pulls out of a State Department meeting in the US and heads back to London, giving Taverner limited time to tie off loose ends. Monteith sends Webb to pay off Donovan and secure the release of Standish, but an altercation leads to Donovan accidentally killing Webb. Meanwhile, Dander and Longridge are fired by Lamb, and River comforts his grandfather, who is suffering from memory lapses.