Michael Robotham

I really enjoyed this. It was the perfect mix of suspense and mystery and character backstories. I loved Evie and Cyrus. Evie was intense. She's prickly and guarded and a complete mess. She makes some dumb decisions and she screws up like any teenager. She's used to looking after herself but she also hasn't had to make her way in the world before, so it's interesting to see how she adjusts. She is a lot like Lisbeth Salander (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) but she's not a younger clone. Unlike show more Lisbeth, Evie has experienced both sides of the coin - pain and suffering, love and protection. She's more open to both, even if she doesn't trust easily. Evie was a lot more human.

Cyrus was interesting. I was fascinated by him. Although he's suffered, he also had a good childhood up until the murder of his family. I liked that he saw something of a kindred spirit in Evie. The relationship between them was strange as both tried to find their footing. But I really enjoyed how they worked together to solve the crime.

The crime itself was good. I liked how it all unfolded. I loved Lenny (the chief policewoman who rescued Cyrus as a child). I wish we had of got to see more of her. The mystery was somewhat predictable as the clues unfolded but there were a few surprises. This is much more a character driven story than plot, but the mixture of the two really worked for me.

I can't wait to read the next one and I was excited to find out that there will even be a third book in the series. That's how much I loved it. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. show less

4.5⭐️

Fast-paced and suspenseful with superb character development and a gripping narrative, When She Was Good by Michael Robotham is a worthy sequel to the first book in the author’s Cyrus Haven series.

As the novel begins, Evie is once again at Langford Hall, waiting to turn eighteen ( officially as per court records) and hopefully be released as an adult. The details of Evie’s true identity and the events that led to her being found seven years ago in a hidden room in a house where show more a man had been brutally murdered remain a mystery. She now considers forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven a friend but has not shared what she remembers of her past with him. Cyrus, haunted by his own tragic past, is concerned for Evie and seeks out Sacha Hopewell, the constable who initially found Evie, hoping that she might be able to shed light on the events that led to her discovery – facts that the police reports might have missed. Cyrus is also called to help investigate the death of a retired police officer, who at the time of his death was looking into an old case – a case that is revealed to possibly be connected to Evie – that might have gotten him killed. When Evie’s safety is threatened, she is compelled to share her story with Cyrus, who is determined to protect her from those who would resort to any means to keep Evie from exposing them.

This is a layered novel, intense and unflinching, and not for the faint of heart. The different threads of the narrative, past and present events and both Evie and Cyrus’s storylines are tightly woven into a gripping narrative that kept me glued to the pages. The narrative, presented from the first-person POVs of Cyrus and Evie in alternate chapters, moves fast without a boring moment. As Evie’s history is gradually revealed, we are taken down a dark and disturbing path that reeks of human depravity. Plenty of twists and surprises kept me glued to the pages as the author shed light on all the questions left unanswered in the first book of the series. The connection between Evie and Cyrus is well depicted – complex emotions at play and wary of each other yet also able to relate to one another, which enables Evie to slowly learn to trust Cyrus. I also thought that the supporting characters were well thought out, each with a distinct role to play. I was satisfied with the ending and was eager to begin Book #3.

Overall, I thought this was a brilliantly crafted thriller that I would not hesitate to recommend. However, please note that the story does feature content (mostly implied, not explicit) that might prove disturbing for some readers.

(⚠️human trafficking, kidnapping and sexual abuse of children)

I would strongly recommend reading the books in series order. show less

Say You’re Sorry is another great book from Michael Robotham. I don’t know if there is anyone writing today who writes characters better. What makes them so special is that they face their own particular situations, no matter how horrifying, not with despair but with resignation. Almost as if they deserve it. It is not the physical scars that these characters bear, but the emotional ones that will wrench your heart.

Alternating narration from O’Loughlin in the present and a victim in show more the form of a diary tethers the past to the present and keeps alive both a sense of hope and a sense of dread. Robotham doesn’t let you remain detached. You feel for these characters and you become emotionally invested.

Joe O’Loughlin is a unique hero. His physical ailments prevent him from being a conventional action hero, but his powerful mind is wonderful to observe. He peels back layers and secrets with extraordinary observations and probes areas that most people would rather stay hidden. His intense sympathy for the victims or the wrongly accused give him a determination to succeed that often comes at great personal expense. He is an outstanding character.

A close reading isn’t necessary to thoroughly enjoy this book, but it is rewarded. Nearly everything is significant in one way or another. Saying that a book grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go has become cliche, but Michael Robotham has a way of making you identify so strongly with his characters that you can’t help but care about them.

Out of some 40 plus books I’ve read this year, I have rated three of them as 5 stars. Michael Robotham has written 2 of them. He’s moved to the top of my must read list. Highly recommended. I was fortunate to receive an early review copy of this book. show less

Life or Death – Beautiful Thriller

Life or Death that is the question that Michael Robotham poses to the reader throughout this excellent suspense thriller. I would go as far as to say it is a beautiful thriller in that it is an enjoyable read that is so well written the prose is beautiful and engaging the plot outstanding and the imagery as clear as day.

Audie Palmer has spent the last ten years of his life in prison for an armed robbery in which four people were killed and he pleaded show more guilty to the charges. According to the press and the wider world there is seven million dollars missing from the robbery and Palmer is the one who knows where the money is hidden. Palmer has had to avoid the attention of fellow inmates, criminal gangs and the guards every day who all want the money. He endures everything that they throw at him but somehow he survives. Then the day before his release he escapes from prison and nobody can understand why.

With the FBI, Dreyfus County Sheriff and the US Marshall Service all hunting him he also has a price on his head. We learn through the book that some people have very specific reasons as to why they want Palmer to die and that Palmer has a secret he wishes to deliver before he is killed. He knows he has a target on his back and is running for his life so that he can hide and deliver his secret and at the same time stay alive and away from prison.

Whether Palmer is believed by the person he wants to deliver the secret or the law enforcement officers actually care about what he has to say he knows he has to survive. The people who do not want him to deliver that secret keep increasing the bounty on his head to find and kill him. The question is whether he can and will survive and who can help him. The bodies pile up in the process and it seems like his luck, if he had any, is running out.

Robotham’s voice throughout the thriller is haunting and you identify with at times with Audie Palmer. We see both the good and bad of the human psyche which is one of the major driving forces throughout the book. Life or Death will leave you breathless and exhilarated at the same time and it is a pure pleasure to read. show less