The Late Train to Gipsy Hill (Louise Mangan #1) (2024)

I really enjoyed parts of this book,I liked the main character of Gary and found some of the information given via the book re Russia and its relationship with present day London fascinating,the actual story was quite good as well and kept me intrigued, if ever you were tempted to talk to someone on a train journey this will make you think twice 😎,the author uses his work career knowledge to it’s full but I did struggle with so many characters and their Russian names ((my problem not the books) and trying to recall who was who and what their role was,there is a helpful character reference page at the start of the book which helped,a bit!
The author though obviously has a great talent for writing and am looking forward to his next book (already on my TBR pile )

The Late Train to Gipsy Hill fulfils all the requirements of a crime thriller with its intricate plot, varied cast of characters and frequent action scenes. The storyline couldn't be more up-to-date either, set in a London in which football clubs are owned by rich Russians while other of their countrymen use the buying and selling of property as a way of laundering dirty money. As the author notes, 'Amongst the Russian criminal fraternity, London had become known as the world's laundromat, washing billions of pounds of dirty cash every year'.

Through a chivalrous act of kindness towards a damsel in distress, poor Gary, the book's hero, finds himself plunged into a world in which Russian secret service agents may be carrying out killings in a particularly dangerous way (with or without the knowledge of the Russian President) whilst rival gangs of Russian criminals fight for precedence. If, like Gary, you're in danger of becoming confused by the twists and turns of the plot - of which there are many- and the multitude of Russian characters, the author thoughtfully provides periodic recaps of the events that have taken place. However, you'll have to wait until the very end to get the whole picture.

The book contains convincing detail about the structure and operations of the intelligence services and the Metropolitan Police no doubt gleaned from the author's time as Home Secretary. I just hope that some of what Gary discovers doesn't hold true in real life. There's also an impressive display of knowledge of the London Underground and bus network, and even a fleeting role for a vehicle linked to one of the author's former occupations.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Late Train to Gipsy Hill and thought it was an impressive debut.

Alan Johnson’s thoroughly compelling fiction debut has the feel of a good old-fashioned spy thriller, but there is never any doubt that the setting is firmly contemporary with London the jurisdiction of choice for Russian criminal gangs laundering money and acting with impunity. That Johnson was in the cabinet when Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in 2006 after speaking critically about the Russian government ensures that the plot feels entirely plausible. Think The Thirty-Nine Steps, set in the present day and written with just as much brio as the original and it gives an idea of what a fun and incredibly satisfying ride this book is.

When Gary Nelson moved to London three years earlier from the Aylesbury council house he shared with his mum he imagined it would be the start of a bigger, more exciting life. Working in a dull job in the Accounts Payable department of a newspaper, renting a room in a shared house in Crystal Palace and rarely getting beyond a first date, it’s not quite panned out as he hoped. However his morning commute is enlivened by the presence of a stunning blonde whose ritual application of make-up he watches in silent admiration every day. Too tongue-tied to strike up a conversation with her, Gary can’t believe it when on a late train home from work she greets him like an old friend, cosies up beside him and pulls a compact mirror out of her bag with ‘HELP ME’ scrawled across it in mascara.

The novel opens with a clandestine meeting between a noted Russian documentary maker and two compatriots discussing a CNN commissioned film about the suppression of political opposition in Russian. It was at this meeting that harassed Arina Kaplin, ‘Gary’s girl’, was employed as a waitress at the Strand Hotel and served a cup of tea laced with Polonium-210 which the filmmaker subsequently died from. As an illegal immigrant from Ukraine, Arina is reluctant to trust the Met and has two agents from the FSB (Putin’s version of the KGB) on her tail and when quick thinking Gary whisks her off the train at Gipsy Hill it is the start of a chain of events that puts the pair of them on the wanted list of the police, MI6, the FSB and the sinister Krovnyye Bratya (‘Blood Brothers’). The reader knows this part of Arina’s story but Gary doesn’t, however he is about to begin the most exciting and terrifying two weeks of his life as he finds out there is far more to his rush hour crush than meets the eye.

The main focus of the story follows Gary and Arina on the run with several other threads following the conflicted Russian contingent (whom Johnson does a stellar job of differentiating between) and the Met. All in all, it’s a rollicking good yarn that rattles along with pace, plenty of humour and an unlikely hero who is completely out of his depth and impossible not to vie for in Gary.

The Late Train to Gipsy Hill, the debut spy thriller from former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, is a gripping slice of contemporary espionage that takes in shadowy conspiracy, the Russian mafia and a beautiful woman on a train who may not be all that she seems. Gary Nelson has a pretty uneventful life, even if he does live in London. He's a quiet, sad guy who hardly strikes you as the hero type and who moved to the city for a more adventurous life but now feels stuck in a dead-end job. That life gets turned on its head when, on his commute home, he has a chance encounter with Arina, a woman who he has noticed on the train each day and has become transfixed with but never spoken to. There is so much more to young, blonde-haired Arina than meets the eye. She is presently on the run after making a terrible mistake. Then one evening, on the late train to Gipsy Hill in the Borough of Lambeth, London, the woman who has beguiled him for so long and that he’s been too shy to approach holds up a mirror bearing the message “HELP ME” scrawled in mascara; when Gary does finally speak to her it sparks a chain of events that leads to him finding himself in hair-raising encounters with Russian secretagents, mobsters and even the Metropolitan Police as a terrifying cat and mouse game ensues.

This is an exciting, enthralling and compulsively readable work of espionage in which Johnson cleverly plays on our current fears of the Russian state including political interference, the omnipresent oligarchs wielding their wealth and power over British interests, and the attempted political assassinations of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with nerve agent, Novichok, in Salisbury in 2018. It is clear his inspiration for the story comes from the Litvinenko poisonings and the enigmatic death during the novel involving the Russian mafia, the mob and the Metropolitan Police - are all scenarios which would have crossed his desk as Home Secretary in 2009. It's a fast-paced, warm-hearted story and a gripping slice of contemporary spy fiction that begins unremarkably and builds the tension until a full-blown, shadowy Russian conspiracy is underway. An elegant, charmingly written and exhilarating read from the moment you crack it open, it immerses you in the murky world of the intelligence agencies and their cloak and dagger movements involving melodramatic intrigue and action and featuring secret agents and the spying game. Impressive, authentic and intricately plotted with many twists in the tale and even a touch of self-deprecating humour, I thoroughly recommend picking this up. Highly recommended.

This was a stonking good yarn. Murders, intrigue, mistaken identify, corrupt cops, hapless bystanders dragged into the story, romance, protective single mum, dentist, what more could you ask for?! Likeable characters? Tick! A bit of humour? Tick! This was easy to read, and written in a light hearted slightly tongue-in-cheek way. I can't say I kept track of all the characters all the time, but the crib sheet at the front of the book was quite helpful for that.

Alan Johnson's novel The Late Train to Gipsy Hill is a well-plotted début spy thriller. Gary Nelson lives in London and has a fairly uneventful life, including a regular commute to his job in the City. He has noticed a woman who travels on the same train as he does and likes to watch her. Her name is Arina and one evening she invites him to sit by her and then holds up her mirror to him and Gary sees that she has written 'HELP ME' in black make-up on it...

This is an enthralling, clever and compulsively readable tale of espionage. Full of intrigue corruption, melodrama, double-crossing, and political shenanigans, Alan Johnson's writing is warm, humorous and satisfying. An extremely enjoyable tale that starts off steadily then builds into an extremely exhilarating work of fiction. I thoroughly recommend picking this up. Highly recommended. by this contented reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline, Wildfire via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Boys own adventure that at time reads like it was written by a boy.

Not going to win any awards for literature or subtlety and in the acknowledgements, the Author states that anything he could come up with for the plot is nothing compared to what the Russians are actually doing.

So what do we have - topical Russian and Ukrainian tensions in London, following the annexing of Crimea. A meeting between some high profile Russian business people and a poisoning through radioactive substance in a coffee. The hoods are on the loose in London trying to track down the hotel worker who delivered the coffee.

In another story - Gary - who has an absent never met policeman as a father and an electrician as a housemate (just to keep the story flowing) is 23 year, living in a house share and in love with any blonde of the same age - including his housemate and a girl he sees on the train every day, applying her make up.

After low level stalking, she shares a tissue with "Help Me" written in mascara.

Channeling his best Cary Grant, he does and before we know it, they are on the lamb - evading (what must be said) fairly sh*te gangsters and fitting in the odd shag, when they have time. I mean, why wouldnt you. Bound to get the heart pumping when Russian heavies are trying to bump you off.

Fast read, fairly topical, London well represented. Everything all a bit formulaic and planned, as all the tools (including hand guns pulled from no-where) are made available. Scooby doo style wrap up at the end, where the police re-tell the story - just so we are all clear.

No plot spoilers but Gary doesnt end up without a blonde.

The Late Train to Gipsy Hill is a very immersive read by Alan Johnson. It took me back to the time of the Salisbury poisonings back in 2018. Set in London, Alan Johnson explores a dark and shadowy world you wouldn’t want to be a part of.

A young woman, Arina, is on the run. Arina catches the eye of one man, Gary Nelson, but when she finally speaks to him, she asks him for his help after making a dreadful mistake. Gary isn’t your typical hero. He has moved to London seeking adventure but now works in a mundane job. Gary and his friends are soon thrown into the dangerous world Arina is a part of, which puts all their lives at risk.

This was a really pacy and addictive crime thriller. I loved the atmosphere, and I thought that Gary and the friends he hung out with were very likeable. I felt that Gary would be a good person to have around if you were ever in a spot of trouble. He certainly isn’t afraid to get involved in anything that might put himself in danger. Knuckles, I think, was definitely my favourite. This is a dark and edgy book, but Alan Johnson also adds a touch of humour which I really liked.

The plot is very well built, and it didn’t at all feel over complicated as I was reading it. I was keen to know what was going to happen to Arina, and there are some tense scenes as the search for her turns up a notch. I thought this, particularly when the Russians were trying to get their hands on her. Alan Johnson paints a very clear picture that these are people who you do not want to get on the wrong side of. Alan Johnson creates a race against time feel to this book very well. I felt that if the characters put one foot wrong, it would have disastrous consequences for them all.

The ending of this book has left me wondering what is happening to the characters now. I think that is always the sign of a good book when you’re still thinking about the characters long after you have finished it.

The Late Train to Gipsy Hill is a very entertaining read, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Alan Johnson writes next.

I was drawn to this book as it was by the former Home Secretary Alan Johnson and I wanted to see if he could write - and he can!

A great story, which to begin with I wasn't sure was going to be that exciting, but once our hero got involved with the waitress Arina it got very interesting. After a while I got a little confused with the all Russian names and who was who, who was Russian Mafia and who was FSB. Personally I found it difficult to retain all of the names and just went with it. Luckily there were some breadcrumbs laid down to remind you every so often of what was happening.

I liked the characters and they were very believable. Gary is out of his depth and thinks he's protecting Arina but all is not what it seems. There was also some light hearted humour at times. The only part that didn't ring true for me was some of the Met Police scenes and particularly those involving a side plot.

The ending wasn't what I was expecting. To me it did feel a little rushed. All of a sudden it was a race to tell the reader everything that had happened and all the twists you missed along the way. Having said that pretty much an Agatha Christie formulaic ending.

Will Johnson ever again write a book as good as 'This Boy'? Probably not, but this is an above average first attempt at fiction and quite niche for me as I grew up in Crystal Palace and commuted from Gipsy Hill. There are a few paragraphs that slip into the list style of flat prose ("... and then ... and then ..."), but generally it bounces along at a good pace and if you like thrillers it is well worth looking out for.

Really great start that gets you into this book from the off. If you know London well, the setting will feel particularly familiar to you, if you don't, the plot still takes you nicely along the way. Good plot, interesting characters. Didnt quite know what to expect from Alan Johnson, but he delivers.

This was a slow burn for me, started quite mediocre and unsure but then settled in to a interesting thriller. Nothing too original but readable, perhaps predictable in places but also believable and what was quite telling I had to keep reading to find out what happened at the end.

Dull and misogynistic.

There were times during the first third of this book that I seriously considered abandoning it. The plot is slow to develop and there’s a lot of time spent giving backstory to relatively inconsequential characters. There are some retreads of seriously old jokes too.

It does pick up a bit as the story – ordinary bloke caught up with Russian gangsters and Russian/Ukranian spies - develops but even so there are long periods when it seems to drag. There are a lot more characters than seem strictly necessary too which makes it difficult to keep track, especially of all the Russians.

It’s a decent enough tale, recent events in Ukraine also make it feel topical, and there are enough threads dangling to keep you reading to the end, not one of the greats though.

CW: suicide mention, poisoning, vomiting, domestic violence, rape, murder

4.5 🌟

I really liked this! It was different to what I thought it would be as I thought it would focus mainly on the train journey, but I loved reading about all the Russian factions and the infighting in between them.

I'd like to read similar books in the future.

I have to admit that I struggled with this book, which didn't really grab me right from the start. To be honest I only continued reading it as I had access to it via Pigeonhole in exchange for a review. I found all the Russian characters confusing and not sufficiently differentiated - also they were sometimes referred to by their first names, sometimes surnames or even both, meaning I was paging back to remind myself who was who. In the end I screen-shotted the page in which we were introduced to most of them and referred to that!

In addition, I didn't like the writing style which reminded me more of a true crime book rather than the thrilling unputdownable novel that I was expecting. I liked a few of the characters, such as Gary's mum, but on the whole I wouldn't read another by this author, which is a shame as I expect he could have some pretty good political tales to tell.

Alan Johnson’s memoirs are well written and fascinating, so I was intrigued by his first foray into thriller writing.
I was not disappointed. Poor Gary Nelson is an unlikely hero. He likes a quiet life, watching cricket and plodding along though life in an uneventful fashion. The most exciting thing that happens to him at the start of the book is that he’s mistaken for someone who can fix electrical items.
It’s a big surprise when he gets drawn into a Russian poisoning plot by a girl he’s seen on the train. This is a story full of intrigue and double crossing, of corruption in the police force and of political shenanigans. Johnson is a warm, humorous writer and this book is extremely enjoyable.
Read with The Pigeonhole.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all four of Alan Johnson’s memoir books, I was excited to start this first work of fiction.

Thanks goodness for the list of principal characters as I was flicking backwards and forwards to remind myself who the Russian and Ukrainian characters were! Most of it was a good read and I enjoyed it but the last few chapters I was getting really confused and had to re-read it to understand the plot properly.

I liked the character Gary as well as his Mum Rachel and obviously Arina was fascinating and it was overall a read I would recommend but I am deducting a star because of the confusion at the end. Sorry Alan but waiting for your next novel!!

BAD GUYS AND BALLERINAS
I was attracted to this book because I know the area around Crystal Palace very well. It reminded me of the John Buchan books. I read as a teenager - updated and with more sex. The Russian names are confusing at times, but there is a character list. The fact that the main protagonist is Ukrainian added interest in view of the situation there at present. I learned a lot about Russian gangs but found the relationship between the two main protagonists unconvincing. A good holiday read - I’m sure there will be a sequel if not a trilogy.

Everything but the kitchen sink.
Beneath the vast number of predominately Russian characters there’s a decent enough thriller. But it’s watered down with too many side stories that really aren’t necessary.
And info dumps are not a good way to explain motives or off-screen action. Quite hard work and not as interesting as it sounded, not helped by rather stilted narration.

This is spy fiction with a bit of humour, as a hapless young man gets caught up in something sinister, but never too gruesome. An entertaining read.

Not perfect but a fun read with lots going on to keep you entertained. Starting well, it hit a slight plateau in the middle, but the ending was tremendous and worthy of the four stars.

Story-wise it was well written and had enough bulk to keep it fresh and exciting chapter to chapter. At times a little hard to follow but this could have just been a me problem. It flowed nicely and although it lost me at parts I soon read myself up to speed. Not full of twists, it had just enough to make it enjoyable and not over the top.

The cast of characters in this book really vary, all are good and fit the story. Sometimes I was left questioning certain behaviours, but nothing too drastic so it was fine. My only gripe here would be one character's immediate and constant obsession with another. It was slightly weird and a little drastic.

The ending to this book was perfect. Really well done making sense and with all loose ends being tied up nicely. This is somewhat a rarity in a lot of books, so I give the author props for that.

Overall a good read, with an incredibly engaging and fresh plot. I’d recommend reading this book for fans of crime and murder.

I was keen to read this adter enjoying the author's most recent novel. This has a great premise - Gary a shy and unassuming young man admires a lady who usually gets the train with him. One night he is brave enough to sit next to her and life is certainly turned upside down for him!
I really liked the way that even the little details were tied up nicely at the end, including the reason why she applies her make up on the train. However I found it difficult to keep track of all the different characters and which side which Russian was on, although there was a helpful character list at the start.

This book is a heart-pounding thriller that weaves together secrets, danger, and a dash of romance. With compelling characters and relentless suspense, this fast-paced novel keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. A must-read for fans of gripping, unpredictable stories that leave you wanting more.

Really enjoyable crime novel featuring Russians, poison, a damsel in distress and an unlikely hero.
Good writing and plotting. Full review for publication.

Enjoyed this book, although was hard keeping up with Al of the different characters

A page-turning crime thriller, with some Russian mafia, a bit of romance, double agents and heroes

Really enjoyed it, although I tended to get muddled by the Russian names.

Alan Johnson is a feted memoir writer (I haven't read any of his memoirs), although this is his first novel. It has a needlessly convoluted and overly complex plot, and the writing is often ponderous and out to impress. I just think he was trying too hard.

I think I would have enjoyed this book considerably more had I not been let down by one thing - the apparent underlying tones of misogyny that I couldn’t help but acknowledge.

The story was intricate and somewhat exciting but I noted the characterisation of females within the book was subpar in comparison to the male characters.
Gary’s flatmates can act as an example here; the male roommates all have quirky backstories and developed personalities but all I can remember about the female roommate is that she was pretty and Gary had lusted after her for some time. Furthermore, the way in which Gary talks about the ‘woman on the train’ just seemed out of touch to me - i.e. discussions regarding makeup application as something that ought to be reserved for the female bedroom(?).

Perhaps I am being unfair but for a newish book with a millennial protagonist, I just felt it was a little disappointing. Although, of course, if I have misinterpreted something here, I welcome corrections.

Either way, I can appreciate there has been a lot of thought with the plot and with the in-depth descriptions of the underground, I feel as though I could navigate London with this book as my map. Whether that’s a positive is, of course, a topic of debate.