Slow Horses

Content Warning: This section of the guide makes reference to kidnapping, threat, violence, murder, death by suicide, and alcohol dependency.

Jackson Lamb is the chief of Slough House, and in many ways his character is a personification of the novel’s Slough House concept. Lamb’s character is used to explore the nature of espionage, morality, and appearances, to provide a contrast figure to the Regent’s Park characters that creates a tension for the other slow horses’ allegiance, and to personify the novel’s sense of nostalgia and decline around post–Cold War espionage. His character develops through the novel to reveal more humanity and kindness and to suggests a deep-seated sense of justice and loyalty, which he struggles to square with his sense of disappointment and cynicism.

A former “joe” (field agent) who was sent to Slough House for unknown reasons, Lamb rules with an air of uninterested but absolute control and is surrounded by mystery. His character is oblique, and it is unclear whether he is a friend or a foe to his underlings (or to anyone, for that matter), and he takes every opportunity to excoriate his subordinates. His unpredictable and opaque character, especially his intentions and motivations, drive much of the novel’s intrigue and suspense.