The dark(ly comic) side of MI5

Mick Herron has brought his own unique style to the spy genre. His books are set in Slough House, a dumping ground for spies who've messed up. The leader of the pack is Jackson Lamb, a foul-mouthed, apparently washed-up old Moscow hand who turns out to be far handier than he first appears. And hilariously, gloriously, offensive. The books have now been turned into a TV series starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas....