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113 reviews for:

How It Happened

Michael Koryta

3.65 AVERAGE


I really enjoy Mr. Koryta’s writing. This one started kind of slow for me, but it picked up and was really enjoyable. Likable main characters. Descriptive writing.

This was a good mystery once it got beyond the 30% mark. It was a bit slow before that. I think the blurb gives too much information so nothing new was revealed till after that point.
mysterious fast-paced

I read this as part of the IU Alumni book club for the month of April. I’ve read one book by Koryta before and did enjoy it, so this was obviously my #1 pick of the three options this month. The synopsis was intriguing and I really enjoyed the structure of this book. We get a lot of details surrounding the central crime right away, which isn’t common in thrillers. Of course, we are left to question what is true and what is not, and I think this was done quite well. The pacing was excellent, and at no point did I feel that the plot was stagnant or slow.

I did have a little trouble keeping Roy and Rob straight at first when they were put together; maybe not the best name choices, but that’s a small detail.

A nice slowburn mystery. Good twists that I did not see coming. Just the way I like it.

Michael Koryta's most recent release is a page turner.

It has a tragic hero in the guise of an FBI agent, a heroin addict turned murder witness and many more somewhat redeeming characters residing in Maine.

While there were some proverbial holes in the narrative, this book was a page turning way to spend a few evenings.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

The underlying crime/mystery of this book is nothing particularly unique, but the way the story is told was entertaining and felt fresh. Can’t say much more without spoilers but I thought this was a well done, worthwhile read! Solid 4 stars.

I had such high hopes for this book in the beginning. I love the idea of a confession in the beginning and having to work your way backwards. However, How It Happened became a drag to get through. Never one to give up (and because I was still invested in the plot) I carried on. How It Happened was too long in some parts, too short in others. The second half of the book felt like a whole other novel. I didn't find myself cheering on any of the characters, the plot became very repetitive. And the ending was very lackluster!
You cant win them all, and unfortunately this one was last to the line.

Twists and turns on every page in a fantastic murder mystery that I couldn't read fast enough!

3.5 stars