When you are mine by Michael Robotham

What a gripping read! I could not put When you are mine down and had to re-read the last two chapters because I raced through them so quickly in my frantic attempt to see all the outcomes of the twists and turns of this riveting psychological thriller. Phil McCarthy is a young police officer who has had a struggle to be accepted into the London Metropolitan Police force because of her family’s criminal background. When she is called to a domestic violence crime, she discovers that the perpetrator is a decorated detective, and while trying to help Tempe Brown, the young woman who was assaulted, she comes up against intense opposition from within the police force. In her efforts to help Tempe get away from the detective, she uncovers more secrets from his past and finds herself in the middle of murder and intrigue.

Robotham is a master of the crime genre, winning the CWA Gold Dagger for Life or death in 2015, and again in 2020 for Good girl, bad girl, and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller for When she was good. When you are mine is a stand-alone thriller, with a gutsy heroine in Phil, who narrates the story. Although her family have criminal ties, she believes in justice and policework, but when she most needs help it is her family that comes through for her, not her colleagues at work. Phil too, finds out about friendship, as she grows closer to Tempe, who starts to take over her life even as Henry her partner and her close friends warn her about her obsessive behaviour.

Robotham could have stuck to one main theme, instead he has melded together complex strands detailing serious issues of domestic violence, friendship, stalking, family relationships and police corruption. This is a thrilling adrenaline fuelled story that is sure to be on award winning lists and I cannot wait to see what Robotham comes up with next.

Themes: Domestic violence, Toxic friendships, Police corruption, Murder.

Pat Pledger