An FBI investigator must uncover the secrets of his hometown to solve a double murder in this twisty "page turner" that's "perfect summer reading" (Stephen King).
"And that is how it happened. Can we stop now?"
Kimberly Crepeaux is no good, a notorious jailhouse snitch, teen mother, and heroin addict whose petty crimes are well-known to the rural Maine community where she lives. So when she confesses to her role in the brutal murders of Jackie Pelletier and Ian Kelly, the daughter of a well-known local family and her sweetheart, the locals have little reason to believe her story.
Not Rob Barrett, the FBI investigator and interrogator specializing in telling a true confession from a falsehood. He's been circling Kimberly and her conspirators for months, waiting for the right avenue to the truth, and has finally found it. He knows, as strongly as he's known anything, that Kimberly's story -- a grisly, harrowing story of a hit and run fueled by dope and cheap beer that becomes a brutal stabbing in cold blood -- is how it happened. But one thing remains elusive: where are Jackie and Ian's bodies?
After Barrett stakes his name and reputation on the truth of Kimberly's confession, only to have the bodies turn up 200 miles from where she said they'd be, shot in the back and covered in a different suspect's DNA, the case is quickly closed and Barrett forcibly reassigned. But for Howard Pelletier, the tragedy of his daughter's murder cannot be so tidily swept away. And for Barrett, whose career may already be over, the chance to help a grieving father may be the only one he has left. How it Happened is a frightening, tension-filled ride into the dark heart of rural America from a writer Stephen King has called "a master" and the New York Times has deemed "impossible to resist."
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"To use the words of another Goodreads reviewer - How It Happened by Michael Koryta is NOT one of my favorite books by the author. I found it difficult to become engaged with the characters, and although the mystery was interesting, I missed some of the edgy, descriptive & creepy feelings that Mr. Koryta can add to his stories. The story has the hero, his past girlfriend, a sad & misunderstood character, the bad guy, and a high body count. I thought the story was more like a police procedural drama than a psychological thriller. Having said that, I have to point out that this is a complete story, leaving no loose ends or confusing story points by the end.I wish to extend my thanks to the Publisher - Little, Brown and Company, the Author and NetGalley for a review copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.The book is currently available in multiple formats from major retailers.For me this was a 3.25 star read which I will leave at 3 stars."
— kerbytejas (4 out of 5 stars)
“One hell of a murder mystery…The reader can’t put the book down until the last layer of the onion is peeled away to reveal the truth at the core of this gripping tale.”
— Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author“This gripping and absorbing story…could only be penned by Michael Koryta, whose sense of place and insight into the human experience are unsurpassed.”
— Sandra Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Koryta drew on his experience as a private eye to craft this harrowing suspense novel set in Maine.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine“Where are the bodies? That’s the pertinent question posed by Michael Koryta in his cool and cunning novel How It Happened, which is loosely based, he has said, on a murder he covered as a young reporter in Indiana. Perhaps because of the personal angle—or just because Koryta is such a skilled writer—the story feels like the real deal.”
— New York Times“[An] ingenious new thriller…Koryta’s plotting is sure-footed, and the secrets he discloses, one by one, at the novel’s end are both surprising and plausible…A book the reader won’t soon forget.”
— Washington Post“This is…flawless, unpredictable storytelling streaked with his usual dark undercurrents. Crime fiction doesn’t get any more enjoyable.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“With this searing look at an investigator’s obsessive efforts to close a case that has reawakened childhood demons, bestseller Koryta has produced his most powerful novel in years…[Kory] has few peers in combining murder mysteries with psychological puzzles.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Feaders who enjoy rogue investigators as protagonists and devotees of murder mysteries will enjoy this enthralling tale.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“Barrett’s rediscovered lost love, Liz Street, is a keeper. Koryta excels at action set in remote places, and fans of William Kent Krueger and C. J. Box will enjoy this one."
— BooklistKoryta excels at action set in remote places, and fans of William Kent Krueger and C. J. Box will enjoy this one.
— BooklistA compelling psychological thriller...ingenious...[and] heartfelt.
— The Tampa Bay TimesFans of Koryta's previous works, readers who enjoy rogue investigators as protagonists, and devotees of murder mysteries will enjoy this enthralling tale.
— Library Journal (starred review)Is Koryta capable of telling a less-than-gripping tale? ... flawless, unpredictable storytelling streaked with his usual dark undercurrents. Crime fiction doesn't get any more enjoyable.
— Kirkus (starred review)With this searing look at an investigator's obsessive efforts to close a case that has awakened childhood demons, bestseller Koryta has produced his most powerful novel in years... Koryta, when he's at the top of his game, has few peers in combining murder mysteries with psychological puzzles.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)Koryta drew on his experience as a private eye to craft this harrowing suspense novel set in Maine.
— O MagazineMichael Koryta's latest may be [the summer's] best page-turner. This isn't a whodunit: We know from the start that the upwardly upstanding, inwardly creepy Mathias Burke murdered a young couple in the town of Port Hope, Maine. The book casts its spell in revealing the whys and wherefores of the killings, as investigated by Burke's onetime high school classmate, Rob Barrett, a Boston FBI agent whom Burke likes nothing better than to humiliate... Koryta, who has introduced supernatural elements into several novels, plays it pretty straight here. But that doesn't mean he fails to deliver his usual blend of dark psychology and pulse-pounding action.
— Lloyd Sachs, Chicago TribuneIngenious.. Koryta' s plotting is sure-footed, and the secrets he discloses, one by one, at the novel's end are both surprising and plausible... How It Happened [is] a book the reader won't soon forget.
— The Washington PostThis gripping and absorbing story about a protagonist coming to terms with his conflicted past, a lost love, and a crime that seems determined not to be solved could only be penned by Michael Koryta, whose sense of place and insight into the human experience are unsurpassed.
— Sandra Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing RedMichael Koryta is one hell of a writer, and How it Happened is one hell of a murder mystery. It's a tribute to Koryta's craftsmanship and skill that the reader can't put the book down until the last layer of the onion is peeled away to reveal the truth at the core of this gripping tale... A remarkable achievement that rises high above the genre.
— Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Cuban Affair"Cool and cunning... the story feels like the real deal... Gives me goose bumps, a credit to Koryta's descriptive powers.
— Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review" What a Great Novel I have never not enjoyed a Koryta novel. This one was no exception. Its very good. It takes you on a journey through Maine and through the investigation of two deaths. One reviewer described it as unfolding like peeling an onion. Could not have said it better. Read it you will like it. "
— Ken Lee, 11/15/2018Michael Koryta is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels, most recently Rise the Dark. His previous novels—including Last Words, Those Who Wish Me Dead, and So Cold The River—were New York Times notable books, national bestsellers, and have been nominated for numerous awards, including having won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Koryta is a former private investigator and newspaper reporter. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and Camden, Maine.
Robert Petkoff is an actor and audiobook narrator who has won a prestigious Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice. He has appeared on Chappelle’s Show, Law & Order, and Quantum Leap. His Broadway credits include Sir Robin in Spamalot, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, and Tateh in Ragtime.
Christine Lakin is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and acclaimed television actress, best known for her roles as Alicia “Al” Lambert on the hit family comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc on Showtime’s Reefer Madness.