Reviews

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

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livlivlaliv's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jenniferrosedoc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

w8godot32's review against another edition

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5.0

"...I didn't mean to hurt you, but everything I did was out of love..."

Again Michael Robotham illustrates how a great thriller is meant to grab you. Philomena McCarthy is a young London police officer who responds to a domestic disturbance call, confronting and arresting an assailant who has beaten a woman. It turns out the man she has arrested is Darren Goodall, a highly decorated cop with connections to the most powerful men in the department. She helps the victim, Tempe Brown, checking her into a shelter and trying in vain to persuade her to file charges. Philomena is a complex character driven to do the right thing no matter the risks, even as the reader wants to shake her and warn her to back off. Despite the threats from the police department, she pushes things further by probing into Goodall's violent history toward women-- his physical treatment of his wife and the suspicious death of a past girlfriend. We find this investigation will not be tolerated, it will be crushed.

In addition to the conflicts with the department and with Goodall, the victim she is desperately trying to help is a little "off". Tempe becomes attached to Philomena, offering to arrange her upcoming wedding, picking up dry cleaning, even seeing that the dishwasher is repaired. Tempe coincidentally runs into Philomena repeatedly all over town. Stranger, more disastrous developments eventually question how crazy Tempe is and how peculiar her obsession.

Philomena McCarthy has great potential to foster a whole series. In addition to her role as a woman in law enforcement, we learn she is the daughter of one of London's most notorious gangsters. This relationship has always been a source of friction between her and her career, casting an unfair shadow on her integrity. She has recently maintained a distance from her father... but such family bonds are not easily dismissed.

It turns out I will be reading everything by Michael Robotham. Thank you to Scribner Books, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #WhenYouAreMine #NetGalley @ScribnerBooks @michaelrobotham