About the author: Before becoming a full-time crime writer, Michael Robotham was an investigative journalist in Britain, America and Australia. He is the pseudonymous author of ten bestselling non-fiction titles, involving prominent figures in the military, the arts, sport and science. Since then, he has written six psychological thrillers. The Suspect is his first novel. He currently lives on Sydney's northern beaches with his wife and three daughters.
First line in the book: From the pitched slate roof of the Royal Marsden Hospital, if you look between the chimney pots and TV aerials, you see more chimney pots and TV aerials.
Product Description: Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life - a beautiful wife, a long daughter and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But even the most flawless existence is only a loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient and the biggest lie of his life.
When a young woman is found dead by a London canal with multiple stab wounds - all of them self-inflicted - the police ask Joe for help. Are they dealing with a murder of a suicide? Who is the victim? Reluctantly, he agrees to help and the brutalised body he views at the mortuary turns out to be someone he knows: Catherine Mary McBride, a nurse and former colleague...
At the same time, Joe is grappling with a troubled young patient, Bobby Moran, who suffers terrible headaches and violent dreams that are becoming more real. As Bobby's behaviour grows increasingly erratic, Joe ponders what he's done in the past and what he might do next. The truth is more sinister and frightening than he could ever imagine...
Caught in a complex web of deceit and obsessed by images of the slain girl, Joe embarks upon a search that will take him from London to Liverpool and into the darkest recesses of the human mind. Ultimately, he will risk everything to unmask the killer and save his family.
My take: I am impressed with this book. It does not give me the sense of trying too hard. In fact, it can be quite thought-provoking. What strikes me first is that it has a complex and complicated plot with more than the usual twists and turns and suspense. It is cleverly written and very absorbing from the word go. It is also written in an easy-to-read style and paced according to the dynamics of the story. The characters are believable, unpredictable and multi-dimensional. There is no shortage of humour and Robotham's wry observations of people and situations make an excellent read. I am particularly drawn to the family relationships angle of the story which is told very convincingly and realistically and in particular, the degenerative disease that the protagonist has to come to terms with, in relation to doing his job and raising a young family. It has been said that this book is a mixture of a psychological thriller and a love story and deals with themes of social isolation and alienation. For a debut, I would say this is a fairly successful one! Robotham has a strong writing style and in this regard and all that I have said, he has a permanent place on my bookshelf and worth coming back to soon.
"Pleasantly creepy...Plotted with precision and narrated with real intelligence." - The New York Times Book Review.
I read this book as an audiobook narrated by Crispin Redman whose rich baritone voice is perfect for capturing the mood and pace of the story. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to him.
To find out more about the author and his other books, check out Michael Robotham or you can keep up to date with him on Facebook.
Rating: 4.5/5
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