Nothing to be sorry about in this one...

Reading Robotham’s novels is like playing Ping Pong. One is good, the next not so good, then good, and on and on. This is a good one!

It seems when he writes the protagonist, in this case Joe O’Loughlin, in first person and adds one other character in first person, Robotham’s writing excels. He did this in Shatter, where the other point of view character was the villain. In this novel the other first person point of view is a teenager, Piper Hadley, who was kidnapped three years ago along with her friend, Tash McBain. Robotham’s ability to get into the heads of these characters makes for an outstanding read. In this case, he reveals the mind of a teenager in a way that is not only believable but made me forget it was the author writing.

This novel has a great deal of tension, a few scenes that made me cringe, and plenty of twists at the end that kept me guessing. Once the kidnapper is revealed, I had to stop for a minute and think about whether it made sense for that character to be the culprit. And yes, it did. There is even a moment when I caught myself saying out loud to the character, Piper, “Don’t do that, don’t you know who that is!?” I will let you figure out when I did that.

My only concern now is since the last book, The Wreckage, was not one of his good ones, and this one is, what will the next one be like in this game of back and forth?

In the meantime this one gets four stars. This one loses a star for a couple of plot points that I can’t point out without this review being a spoiler.

I really enjoy Michael Robotham's books for the intriguing, nuanced characters (both old and new) as well as the page-turning pace. This one didn't disappoint. The scenes of violence were more graphically detailed than in the other books I've read by him, which did put me off a bit.

I was delighted to find this unread treasure hiding out on my Nook - I hadn't realized I had a couple of Joseph O'Loughlin books waiting for me. I enjoyed the chapters which alternated between Piper's and Joe's viewpoints. Great pace, good thriller - a worthy distraction.

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars, rounded up, because the book is such a perfect example of how to construct a taut, minute-by-minute thriller. I've read a couple other Robotham books in his Joseph O'Loughlin series, and really liked them, but this book just hits all the marks.

There are lots of blind alleys and interesting, imperfect characters, for starters. The plot leads you here and there without being insulting--and there are lots of bits of information (nuclear poisoning, psychopathic behaviors) dropped in without a hint that the Robotham has done excessive research and wants you to know it. I'd already been introduced to Joe O'Loughlin, and know that he keeps his Parkinson's under control as much as possible, and that his home life is a mess, but he's not a character you get tired of.

And the best part of the book is the structure, where chapters written by one of the killer's victims are interspersed with the main narrative. The longer you read, being given this additional information by one of the victims, you eventually have more knowledge than Joe and the cops--so you're ahead of them. If you're paying close attention, that is. That--in my opinion--is good writing.

Three years ago two 15 year old girls vanished. There is a police investigation but they are thought to have run away to London. Until the body of one of the girls is found after a blizzard, barefoot and sexually mutilated. Joe O'Loughlin is asked to review the original investigation in light of the girls obviously not having run away. Told by both Joe, and Piper Hadley, the surviving teen, Robotham writes yet another perfect suspense-filled mystery.

4.25 stars

Two girls went missing three years ago and everyone but their families have moved on until an older couple is murdered and a young girl is found frozen in a lake. Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin convinces the police to reopen the case of the missing girls and offers to help with the investigation.

This book was disturbing and hard to put down! I thought Joe O’Loughlin was a great character - he’s smart and flawed and struggles with some things in his past - and I look forward to reading more of Robotham’s books featuring him. I thought I had the case figured out about three-quarters of the way through the book but I was wrong. Pick this book up if you like mysteries and/or thrillers.

another excellent, taut psychological thriller. this is my second Robothm novel and i'm sure i will return to him again soon. highly recommended.

The first of Michael Robotham's books that I have read. Really enjoyed it. Will seek out some others.