<b>An ingenious standalone psychological thriller from Mick Herron . . . a compelling and claustrophobic three-hander</b>
Guardian
<b>A spine-crawlingly creepy portrait of cruelty and of loneliness . . . springing twist after brilliant twist as he practically dares his reader to try to put the book down . . . very impressive</b>
Observer
<b>Patrick Hamilton seems the main influence in this story of broken lives epitomising a society coming apart, both in his studies of London's losers and in his seminal depiction of gaslighting that foreshadows how Maggie is imprisoned and controlled</b>
Sunday Times
<b>Herron delivers a chilling psychological thriller . . . An in-one-sitting read</b>
Sunday Times Crime Club
<b>Imagine John Fowles's <i>The Collector</i> rewritten by Ruth Rendell . . . you'd be nuts not to feast on this clever black comedy</b>
Evening Standard
<b>Part spy thriller, part creepy psychological thriller, the slick twists and elegant prose make this a super read</b>
Sunday Mirror
<b>A beautifully written and ingeniously plotted standalone from Herron . . . this dark thriller is rife with the deadpan wit and trenchant observation that Herron's readers relish</b>
Publishers Weekly
<b>There is, quite simply, no current thriller writer who enjoys better word-of-mouth than Mick Herron, whose sardonic series of Jackson Lamb espionage novels have accrued a devoted following. The unassuming Maggie Barnes is an improbable enlistee for MI5 - but she may be able to save the UK from a devastating plot</b>
FT, Summer Reads
<b>John Fowles's <i>The Collector</i> rewritten by Ruth Rendell</b>
Independent I
<b>A cat-and-mouse psychological thriller about the people who fall through London's cracks. Perfectly crafted, beautifully written, I started it in the morning and it was dark when I looked up</b>
Erin Kelly
<b>Intriguing and filled with surprises . . . reads like John le Carre rewriting <i>Alice in Wonderland</i></b>
The Spectator
<b>Mick Herron is a genius . . . <i>This is What Happened</i> has an utterly blindsiding twist which had me gasping for joy at its audacity. A good introduction to Herron for those who haven't tried the Slough House books, and a delight for those who have</b>
Bookseller
<b>There are more twists than a 1960s dance marathon in this unsettling tale, along with plenty of Herron's delicious dark humour</b>
Daily Express