British novelist Mick Herron (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 1963) is the winner of the 21st Pepe Carvalho Prize. Herron is the creator of the acclaimed series Slow horses, adapted for television as Slow horses, which narrates the adventures and misadventures of a group of losers who are part of a run-down department where agents expelled from MI5 headquarters for one reason or another end up. These spies are the antithesis of James Bond, but they are capable of saving the agency bosses' skins when things get tough. The novels are dripping with irony but are not pure entertainment: they paint a great portrait of British society, including its darker sides, and have a clear anti-fascist message.