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mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
1.0
I think there are two prongs to why I did not like this book. First off, I really dislike books where the goodie is a regular goodie but the baddie is an all-seeing, all-powerful type with friends everywhere who do as they say, and therefore everyone is against the aforementioned goodie and no one believes a word that they say regardless of evidence or proof. Breathes. I find these books so frustrating because it seems like the easiest way to create obstacles is to stick another pal in a high place to pervert justice, it's not overly clever or complex. When the whole of the police force from top level to PCs start fitting Phil up, I totally lost interest. Was Darren really that powerfully connected? Did these men really just all want to let him get away with beating women and children? The actual plot was super repetitive anyway. He attacks someone, they call Phil, she gets involved and then they back track. Goodall fits her up. There was no progression from this cycle for well over half the book.
That prong is on my personal tastes.
Second prong was that it did not seem to know what the main plot was even meant to be. Was it Goodall and his all-bad police crew and the war on Phil? Was it weird, lying Tempe? Was it Phil and Henry and the development of her relationship with her father and his family? It dithered between all three plots but didn't want to progress any of them until too late on when my interest had waned. There was even a murder thrown in in the first half which was raised like this massive plot event but then was barely mentioned again. Nothing seemed to have a focus and so I lost mine.
Annoyingly I was so hooked when I started reading but by about 25% in i was already struggling. Previous experience with this author was really the only reason that I forged on.
That prong is on my personal tastes.
Second prong was that it did not seem to know what the main plot was even meant to be. Was it Goodall and his all-bad police crew and the war on Phil? Was it weird, lying Tempe? Was it Phil and Henry and the development of her relationship with her father and his family? It dithered between all three plots but didn't want to progress any of them until too late on when my interest had waned. There was even a murder thrown in in the first half which was raised like this massive plot event but then was barely mentioned again. Nothing seemed to have a focus and so I lost mine.
Annoyingly I was so hooked when I started reading but by about 25% in i was already struggling. Previous experience with this author was really the only reason that I forged on.
glammybird's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lavins's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book about the intense, deep bound formed between a police woman, Philomena McCarthy, and a girl that is an abuse victim, Tempe Brown. The plot thickens fast as the perpetrator is a policeman himself.
There are a few good twists and the story offers both the professional and personal side of Philomena's life. However, some parts are infuriating to read as they seemed to be obvious to everyone else, but Philomena.
The ending is somehow bitter and the entire book errs on the side of a gloomy, dark atmosphere.
There are a few good twists and the story offers both the professional and personal side of Philomena's life. However, some parts are infuriating to read as they seemed to be obvious to everyone else, but Philomena.
The ending is somehow bitter and the entire book errs on the side of a gloomy, dark atmosphere.
safcsue13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
livlivlaliv's review
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
w8godot32's review against another edition
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
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
lynnab's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
danielleandreula12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0