Reconstruction - by Mick Herron (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Great Britain: Constable, 2008.

Book Synopsis

In this chillingly plausible thriller, CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron proves he "never tells a suspense story in the expected way" (The New York Times Book Review).

When a highly classified espionage operation breaks down, a prisoner escapes from a transport vehicle on the busy ring road outside Oxford. Now an armed and desperate man is on the loose. He has taken refuge in a preschool, where a collection of teachers, parents, and students were about to start their day. No one understands what Jaime Segura wants, and he refuses to speak to anyone but an MI6 spy named Ben Whistler, a coworker of Jaime's boyfriend, Milo, who has gone missing. Now, as law enforcement descends upon this quiet corner of Oxfordshire, Jaime holds the preschool hostage as his collateral, and one teacher, Louise Kennedy, finds herself in the terrifying position of protecting innocent children from the terrible decisions of the adults around them. As Louise steels her nerves and weighs her every decision, she also begins to put together the fragments of truth from the chaos around her--and no one is fiercer or more resourceful than a teacher on the trail of justice.

Review Quotes

Praise for Reconstruction

"Mick Herron never tells a suspense story in the expected way, which is why his new novel, Reconstruction, reads as much like a puzzle mystery as it does a thriller . . . unpleasant things are bound to happen, and they do--but not until Herron has finished surprising us."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Masterful . . . How Herron is able to tie all these events together will test the sleuthing ability of even the most savvy readers as one surprise engenders another. The intricate plot, coupled with Herron's breezy writing style . . . results in superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Ingenious and heartfelt."
--Kirkus Reviews

"In Herron's complex story everyone is a reconstructionist, either of their own baggage or of other people's lives or of the events around them . . . Spellbinding."
--Mysterious Reviews

"Reconstruction sizzles and dazzles as readers slowly become more fully aware of the unique relationships between complex characters in this complicated tale."--BookLoons

Praise for Mick Herron

"Stylish and engaging."
--Washington Post

"Tough, bright and highly promising."
--Chicago Tribune

"Good characterization, dialogue and well-paced narrative make this confident first novel frighteningly plausible."
--Daily Telegraph

About the Author

Mick Herron is a British novelist and short story writer who was born in Newcastle and studied English at Oxford. He is the author of the Slough House espionage series, four Oxford mysteries, and several standalone novels. His work has won the CWA Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement in Crime Writing, the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel, the Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, and the Ellery Queen Readers Award, and been nominated for the Macavity, Barry, Shamus, and Theakstons Novel of the Year Awards. He currently lives in Oxford and writes full-time.