My Review: The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham

The central character is Detective Constable Alisha Barba, a young Indian woman of Sikh heritage who grew up in London's East End. She was introduced to us previously in Michael Robotham's novel Lost, where she suffered significant spinal injuries. In this novel she is mostly healed, almost married, nearly transferred and virtually sacked from the police force as she undertakes her own rogue investigations.

Alisha is drawn into the plot when her estranged friend of 8 years Cate Beaumont and Cate's husband Felix are intentionally run down and murdered outside a school reunion. The plot thickens when seemingly pregnant Cate, is found to be wearing padding and in fact faking the pregnancy.

Having wronged Cate 8 years ago, Alisha commits to a journey of retribution, seeking to find the answers to why her friend was murdered and why she was faking the pregnancy. The journey reunites Alisha with her now retired former Police boss Vincent Ruiz and takes her to the seedier side of Amsterdam, as she slowly unravels an international people-smuggling and illegal baby surrogacy racket.

I really enjoy Robotham's books and this was no exception. Despite some less-than-flattering reviews I found Alisha an interesting and believable, albeit sometimes flighty protagonist. And sure, maybe the book was a little padded. I am not sure that I needed to know the intricacies of Dutch prostition, Amsterdam's street geography, or about Alisha's brother's love life and perhaps a red pen might have purged 50 or so pages. This aside, I found the book intriguing and absorbing. Infused with the moralistic issue of helping childless couples to become parents versus the risk, inhumanity, persecution, prostitution and even slavery associated with people smuggling. In this sense the book appealed to me. The novel made me think, it had depth, suspense, twists, turns and resonated in my mind by posing questions well after I had turned the last page. Congratulations to Mr Robotham on another quality novel.

MY RATING: 4/5

My Review: Shatter by Michael Robotham

The Plot
A naked woman in red high-heeled shoes is poised on the edge of a bridge. Clinical psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin is only feet away, trying desperately to talk her down. She whispers, 'You don't understand', and jumps.

Later, Joe has a visitor - the woman's teenage daughter, a runaway from boarding school. She refuses to believe that her mother would have jumped off the bridge: she wouldn't have committed suicide and she was terrified of heights.

Joe wants to believe her, but how could a woman be driven to such a desperate act? And who might drive her to it?

My Review
Australian author Michael Robotham has concocted a chilling and unputdownable psychological thriller. The book title refers to the method in which the villian, Gideon Tyler 'shatters' the victim's minds. It also shattered my sleep patterns. Once started, I could not stop reading - all 460+ pages in one (very late) night.

Gideon Tyler is military trained in psychological warfare. He uses his voice as the tool of torture and manipulates his victims into killing themselves. He is sadistic, intelligent and furtive - a potent mix.

The main protagonist is psychologist, Professor Joe O'Loughlin. Joe is highly skilled at reading people, yet he is flawed. He is suffering from an incureable disease, his wife is seemingly having an affair, he's dealing with a grief-stricken teenager and he brings danger to his own doorstep simply by serendipitous association. He is an absorbing character, and I empathised with him every tremor-filled step of the way.

I was drawn into this novel very early on. The plot was captivating and built suspense, intrigue and even terror. The characters were beguiling and Robotham's writing style flowed easily from the page. This was my first Michael Robotham novel, it won't be my last, and I am now an unabashed Michael Robotham fan.