This is What Happened – Mick Herron

 This is What Happened – Mick Herron, read by Steven Crossley, Recorded Books, (9781501980138), 2018

Format: cd audiobook, 6 discs

Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

Genre:  Mystery

What did you like about the book? This is a totally engrossing mystery wherein one of the main characters is kept in the dark as to what is really happening. Twenty-six year old Maggie Barnes has recently moved to London.  She has a mediocre job in the postal section of a large company.  She is rather nondescript and alone being estranged from her older sister who also lives there.  Maggie is approached by Harvey who claims to work for the Secret Service/MI5 and is enlisted by him to perform a covert action in the building where she work having convinced Maggie that it is actually full of Chinese trying to take over Great Britain.  Harvey secrets her into what she thinks is a “safe house” for two years telling her that she has killed the security guard in the building in the performance of her actions and must be kept hidden.  Harvey tells her that the Chinese now rule Britain – and she believes it all, depending upon Harvey for everything.  Maggie’s sister, Meredith, has come to wonder just what has happened to her sister, beginning a quest to find her.  Steven Crossley expertly expresses the characters of Maggie and Harvey in this riveting mystery.

Anything you did not like about this book?  No.

 To whom would you recommend this book?  Anyone who likes mysteries should like this book, particularly those who like stories about unwilling captives held by abusive individuals.

 Who should buy this book? Public libraries

Where would you shelve it?  Audiobooks, mystery

 Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles?  Yes.

 Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Katrina Yurenka, Moderator, Youth Services Book Review

Date of review: 5/6/2018