Book Review for Storm Child by Michael Robotham #gifted @scribnerbooks @simon.audio

The fourth book in the Cyrus Haven series, I’m jumping in a little late. Does Storm Child work as a standalone? Maybe, it did take me a little longer than normal to orient myself with the characters but I was able to infer enough about the backstory to keep up. I would recommend reading the other books first, as Storm Child is character driven not plot driven so you may have a disconnect.
With that said, once I oriented myself to the characters of Cyrus and Evie I found I enjoyed Storm Child. A deep look into illegal immigration into Britain, I will say politics plays a heavy handed role in the book. It didn’t bother me, or interrupt my reading too much, but if escapism is your thing it may be a dealbreaker for you.

Evie is twenty-two but given the extraordinary hard life she’d had she comes off as a teenager. Cyrus is a forensic psychologist whom she lives with but isn’t with. Their dynamic is certainly interesting and a little convoluted at times. It gave the book an extra layer of intrigue. The points of view do flip back and forth between Cyrus and Evie throughout. The book also takes place in both Britain and Scotland, if you’re working on any read around the world challenges.

#AudiobookReview Joe Jameson narrated the audiobook and I felt he did a really good job. I often dislike when male narrators voice female’s because it often pulls me out of the story, but Jameson had a compelling voice for Evie and Cyrus which I enjoyed. The book is darker with heavy themes and I felt he did a great job at conveying those nuances.

We're so lucky to have Michael Robotham. He consistently churns out engaging, well-researched, and thoughtful procedural thrillers. Cyrus and Evie have become old friends and I'm always eager to see where their next adventure will take them. Storm Child is no exception. Evie matures a lot in this book as her past is dug up and memories come to the surface. If you're a fan of the other three Cyrus and Evie books, you won't be disappointed, although I think it would be enjoyable even if you haven't read the previous three books.

This book was an ARC from NetGalley. I am a fan of the Cyrus Haven series, and this is the fourth book in the series. This book focuses heavily on exploring Evie's past tying it to the present human trafficking events.. There was a lot of stretching and coqueidences to make the storyline work. I did appreciate the character development in Evie, and how she is still coping with her past, but fully has transitioned to an adult. I wasn't all that interested in the present day story, but did appreciate learning about Evie's past. This book didn't set itself up for another in the series. I enjoy the scarred duo of Cyrus and Evie. I hope the series continues. I am interested in where the storyline could go.

I finished this book and was absolutely speechless. It was absolutely amazing! Right from the beginning the story had a grip on me and I couldn't put it down. Michael Robotham is an absolutely tremendous writer as I found out today. This is technically book 4 of a series but I didn't realise and it held up perfectly as a standalone.

The plot was both heart-warming and heartbreaking, suspenseful and cosy. Topics that can be hard to write about realistically - mental health, refugees/trafficking, PTSD etc - were beautifully described and I honestly cried multiple times.

At times it felt like I was reading a life story.

I know I've given 5 stars multiple times, but I may need to reevaluate my rating system, otherwise this will have to be a 6 star.

I 100% recommend this!

Thank you to @scribner for sending me a copy of this book and a @netgalley copy, all thoughts are my own.



Evie has grappled with her past and that hasn’t changed since she’s become an adult. As a child, she was held captive, and those memories still haunt her. Now, years later, she’s catapulted to the past when the bodies of seventeen migrants wash up on a beach.

There’s one survivor, and he tells authorities they were intentionally rammed and sunk by a larger vessel. Psychologist Cyrus Haven, and Evie previous guardian, sets to help the police investigate what happened that fateful day.


I read the first book in this series, and enjoyed it, but I’m not huge on series, so I didn’t really keep reading. However, I missed out. So, when I saw this one, I knew I had to grab it and read it. I did not go back and read books 2 & 3, but I recommend you do. Not because you won’t be able to follow the story, but because it is a great story. I think that this book is even better than the first. The story was really entertaining and interesting. This book talks about migrants and while at times the journey that the characters took was difficult to read, I think that it was an important one because people face this journey all the time. This one was particularly interesting for me because it is set in the UK and it was enlightening to read how immigration works there. This book is a suspense book at its core, and I was for sure kept trying to figure things out.

I can’t wait to find out what happens with Evie and Cyrus next!