Slow Horses

River Cartwright’s career ends in a training exercise in a packed King’s Cross, and he is posted to Slough House, the address where the Service keeps the officers it cannot dismiss. Then a teenage boy is filmed on his knees with a beheading promised, and the Park takes the case while telling the slow horses to stay out of it. Their first operation is a lesson in how the Service spends its own — and in what Jackson Lamb chooses to know and not say.

Slow Horses (2010), 18 chapters, 94,647 words.

Prologue — 2,491 words
“This is how River Cartwright slipped off the fast track and joined the slow horses.”
Chapter 1 — 12,838 words
“Let us be clear about this much at least: Slough House is not in Slough, nor is it a house. Its front door lurks in a dusty recess between commercial …”
Chapter 2 — 8,159 words
“When lovely woman stoops to folly, all bets are off. Was that how it went? Didn’t matter. When lovely woman stoops to folly, something’s got to give.”
Chapter 3 — 3,595 words
“Earlier that evening, River had joined the commuter shuffle from London Bridge; by eight, he’d been on the outskirts of Tonbridge. A phone call on the …”
Chapter 4 — 5,305 words
“Not everyone had been in Ho’s office when River got there. How had he failed to register Jackson Lamb’s absence? Before long this was rectified: a …”
Chapter 5 — 2,423 words
“The dreadful pub across the road served food of sorts, and its sprawl promised undisturbed nooks. River’s lunch break was early enough to qualify as a …”
Chapter 6 — 6,900 words
“A shag was making its way up and down the Thames, carving out a stretch of river between Hungerford Bridge and Canary Wharf. She didn’t know much …”
Chapter 7 — 3,670 words
“There wasn’t much of a moon, but that hardly mattered. River was opposite Robert Hobden’s flat again. Less than forty-eight hours ago rain had been …”
Chapter 8 — 6,555 words
“Now that he knew he was going to die, a sense of calm had settled upon Hassan. It was almost surreal, though surreal wasn’t quite the word. …”
Chapter 9 — 7,863 words
“Down a quiet street in Islington—its front doors perched atop flights of stone steps; some with pillars standing sentry; some with Tiffany windows …”
Chapter 10 — 3,022 words
“Jed Moody’s body was still on the landing, bleakly lit by a naked bulb. Lamb paid little attention to it on his way up to his office, where he lifted …”
Chapter 11 — 4,799 words
““Phones. Now.””
Chapter 12 — 4,723 words
“This darkness was smaller than the last. Hassan was hooded again, with a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth, his knees tucked up to his chest, and his …”
Chapter 13 — 2,856 words
“He had never visited her flat, nor wasted time wondering what it might be like, so was neither surprised nor reassured by its appearance: an art deco …”
Chapter 14 — 3,741 words
“Blake’s grave lies half a mile or so from Slough House, in Bunhill Fields cemetery. It’s marked by a small headstone, also dedicated to his wife …”
Chapter 15 — 3,278 words
“Lamb pulled up by the bus stop opposite Slough House. One of Moody’s checkpoints, River recalled; constantly monitored for loiterers. He said, “So. …”
Chapter 16 — 10,381 words
“There was something different about Catherine Standish. This was what Louisa Guy decided as she watched Ho swing through the virtual jungle, a Second …”
Chapter 17 — 2,048 words
“The roadworks have eased on Aldersgate. Traffic flows freely once more. If our inquisitive bus passenger of earlier acquaintance were to gaze at …”
Open questions
Question What does this book deliberately leave unresolved — and which of those are hooks for later books rather than loose ends? Evidence …
POV map
Question Who sees what, and what does the distribution of viewpoints do to the reader’s knowledge? Evidence Ch Words POV heads POVs C00 …
Structure
Question How is the book built, and what does its shape do that a linear thriller would not? Evidence 18 chapters, 94,647 words, two parts. …
Timeline
Question What happens when? The novel is exact about hours and vague about dates, so the sequence has to be reconstructed from countdowns …