‘Slow Horses’ books: How to read the spy thriller book series in order

If you have Apple TV Plus, you’re either already watching “Slow Horses” and recommending it constantly, or you probably have people telling you to start watching “Slow Horses," because it’s one of the best Apple TV Plus shows. I say that with experience: I caught up on "Slow Horses" last year and have been telling everyone I knew to watch it since (it's the only thing stopping me from canceling after that recent Apple TV Plus price hike).

The Apple spy thriller's showing no signs of slowing down, either. "Slow Horses" has already been renewed for a seventh season, and "Slow Horses" season 5 is about to reunite us with Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), River Phoenix (Jack Lowden), and the rest of the Slough House gang for what's almost sure to be another gripping season of television, premiering Sept. 24.

If six more episodes aren't enough to satisfy, or you're simply desperate to know what's in store for the Slow Horses in future installments, now seems as good a time as any to dive into the books. Here's how to read the "Slow Horses" books in order.

How many 'Slow Horses' books are there?

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To date, Mick Herron has written nine different "Slow Horses" novels. The series began with "Slow Horses," first published back in 2010, and continued through to the present day with "Clown Town," published just a couple of weeks ahead of "Slow Horses" season 5's debut on Apple TV Plus.

Here's a full reading list of the series so far

1. "Slow Horses"
2. "Dead Lions"
3. "Real Tigers"
4. "Spook Street"
5. "London Rules"
6. "Joe Country"
7. "Slough House"
8. "Bad Actors"
9. "Clown Town"

In between those main novels, Mick Herron also penned a series of shorter Slough House novellas: "The List," "The Marylebone Drop," "The Catch," "The Last Dead Letter" and "Standing by the Wall."

If you want to read every story, all five of these tales are collected together in the "Standing by the Wall" novella collection, which collates all five of these additional stories together in one omnibus edition.

'Slow Horses' books bundle deal

Don't own any of the "Slow Horses" books yet? Don't buy them individually.

If you're sure you want to commit to reading the whole series, you can currently buy the first eight books together in one bundle on Amazon — and it's way cheaper than buying them individually.

How to read the 'Slow Horses' books in order

Here's a list of all the "Slow Horses" books and novellas, placed in publication order.

1. "Slow Horses" (2010)
2. "Dead Lions" (2013)
3. "The List" (2015)
4. "Real Tigers" (2016)
5. "Spook Street" (2017)
6. "London Rules" (2018)
7. "The Marylebone Drop" (2018)
8. "Joe Country" (2019)
9. "The Catch" (2020)
10. "The Last Dead Letter" (2020)
11. "Slough House" (2021)
12. "Bad Actors" (2022)
13. "Standing by the Wall" (2022)
14. "Clown Town" (2025)

Just as a quick reminder, "The List," "The Marylebone Drop," "The Catch," "The Last Dead Letter," and "Standing by the Wall" can all be found in the "Standing by the Wall" omnibus.

I've not included three additional books — "Reconstruction," "Nobody Walks" and "The Secret Hours" — which take place in the same universe and do feature some of the same characters.

However, they aren't necessarily considered part of the main series of "Slow Horses" books. Case in point, MickHerron.com lists these as "standalone" thrillers, so I didn't think they necessarily belonged on the list (though fans should probably seek them out at some point).

Will every 'Slow Horses' book get adapted?

As far as we know, as long as there's an appetite, Apple is focused on bringing all the "Slow Horses" books to our screens. In 2024, showrunner Will Smith (who is leaving the series after season 5) told THR that that was the plan, too.

Asked whether they'd want to continue through all nine main books, he said, "Yeah. I think Mick is writing the ninth now, but we'll have to see what happens. Depends on what Apple wants and what the appetite is, but I definitely have the kind of leave-them-wanting-more rather than the outstay-your-welcome instinct … But the world of the show is there to be mined."

Apple's renewed the series up to season 7, and "Slow Horses" only seems to be growing in popularity, so it seems like the whole saga will make it to Apple TV Plus. And seeing as "Slow Horses" is easily one of the best Apple TV Plus shows you can stream, we're keen to see more.

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