Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

This Is What Happened

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
From CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron comes a shocking, twisted novel of psychological suspense about one woman's attempt to be better than ordinary Twenty-six-year-old Maggie Barnes is someone you would never look at twice. Living alone in a month-to-month sublet in the huge city of London, with no family but an estranged sister, no boyfriend or partner, and not much in the way of friends, Maggie is just the kind of person who could vanish from the face of the earth without anyone taking notice. Or just the kind of person MI5 needs to infiltrate the establishment and thwart an international plot that puts all of Britain at risk. Now one young woman has the chance to be a hero-if she can think quickly enough to stay alive.
  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 27, 2017
      At the start of this beautifully written and ingeniously plotted standalone from Herron (Nobody Walks), 26-year-old mail room employee Maggie Barnes is trying hard not to get caught late one night in her 27-story London office building. Harvey Wells, an MI5 agent, has recruited her to upload some spyware on her company’s computer network from a flash drive. Adrift in the metropolis, Maggie has zero self-esteem and only the slimmest of personal ties to anyone, so this represents her chance to do something significant. Suffice it to say that her mission goes sideways. What at first appears to be a tale of spycraft and intrigue turns out to be something quite different—a disturbing portrait of contemporary England, with its “drip-drip-drip of sour resentment” (pre- and post-Brexit) and the palpable anomie of London. Most important is the fraught relationship between the pitiable Maggie and the manipulative Harvey, a man of great anger and bitterness. This dark thriller is rife with the deadpan wit and trenchant observation that Herron’s readers relish. Agent: Juliet Burton, Juliet Burton Literary Agency (U.K.)

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The audiobook begins with high tension as the listener follows young, dim-witted Maggie Barnes on her mission to infiltrate her employer's computer system. Maggie has been manipulated by a mysterious gentleman to be a hero and save England by working for MI5. Then the audio takes a sharp turn into a slow-burn psychological thriller. Narrator Steven Crossley portrays the lead male character with arrogance and self-delusion, giving him additional credibility with the different personas he assumes. But having the same deep, gravelly voice conveying the female characters is more of a stretch. There are twists and turns, some obvious, others not, that will keep the patient listener engaged through the denouement. E.Q. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading