In the dilapidated offices of Slough House, these files spooks spend their time on various pointless tasks, designed to break their will and bring about their resignations, avoiding the hassle, expense and bad publicity of employment tribunals. One of the first things to appreciate is that each novel is an underdog story – a group of individuals, under-qualified and under-resourced, who have to beat their better-off cousins at The Park to save the day. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. Even readers who don’t care for the endless bureaucratic infighting will have to admire this tour de force, in which virtually every single player—good guys, bad guys, all the turncoats and in-betweeners—is somehow connected to British Intelligence.

Sadly, hunting and habitat loss have put populations at risk, and today their range has been reduced to around 7% of its former size. That’s why we need to do all we can to protect these beautiful beasts! Fossil remains of tigers found in parts of China are believed to be 2 million years old. Yikes! 8) No two tigers have the same stripes. The Slough House series is] among the finest British spy fiction of the past 20 years . . . Real Tigers sees them dragged center stage when the kidnap of Lamb’s assistant sets into motion a narrative of breathtaking ingenuity. Brilliant.”Louisa Guy was sent to Slough House after she lost a tail involved in gun smuggling. She is one of the most competent agents and appears in every book. She and Min Harper had a brief but intense affair which ended in tragic circumstances. In 1876, professor Edward Cope takes a group of students to the unforgiving American West to hunt for dinosaur fossils, and they make a tremendous discovery.

Funny, clever . . . Genuinely thrilling. The novel is equally noteworthy for its often lyrical prose.” Since every tiger has their own pattern on their fur, they are all unique! 9) Today, there are five subspecies of tiger. Why all the food metaphors? No reason – there is minimal discussion of food in this novel, more of tea and alcohol. But what Real Tigers does have in spades is intrigue, suspense, humour and bite. The best Herron novel I’ve read yet.

2. However, thanks to humans, tigers are now endangered

I’m not normally one for visual comedy, but Herron sets up some hilariously farcical scenes in this instalment. These laugh-out-loud moments deepen our connection/engagement with those relegated to Slough House, serving as digestives for the viciousness of both Lamb’s verbal assaults and the swift and violent ends those deemed dispensable meet.