I started reading this book on a whim - and I am very happy that I did! Cyrus Haven, a psychologist with a unique and heart-breaking past meets Evie, who has no past none to man. While Cyrus is working on a different case he is also asked to help with Evie. The two end up building a bond that lasts.

The characters, the multi-layered plot, the resolution, I loved it all!

Be ready to be taken on a ride and left wondering if what you think is going on is really true and prob not being right in the end. Mysterious and charming all at once this one won’t let you put it down.

The Good Girl, Bad Girl is a psychological thriller at it’s core. Cyrus Haven is a psychologist who works with the police department. This is two stories that merge together. The first with Evie/Angel Face, a young girl that is found, with no history. Cyrus asked to evaluate her to see if she is ready to be allowed to leave the group home she is part of and ends up fostering her. The second, the mystery of Jodie Sheehan’s death which Cyrus is helping to investigate.

For me I really enjoyed the portions with Evie. That story felt very fresh and when the story focused on her and Cyrus, I was super engaged. However, the murder investigation, felt very stale. I have read that story before, and was not surprised at all as the story unfolded.

Overall this book was ok. The writing was good, but to me this felt super long and slow. When I read this genre, I usually want a very fast book. This was slower and unfortunately did not have they payoff for that type of book.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 thrilling stars rounded down to 4 stars

What a great start to what appears to be a new mystery series by Michael Robotham!

Trigger Warning: There are some graphic descriptions of violence and child sexual abuse in this book. I’m squeamish when it comes to these types of scenes. I usually avoid books that have either of these elements. Some of the descriptions in this book were hard to absorb, but they set up the backstory. The scenes didn’t feel gratuitous or glorified.

I enjoyed Australian author, Michael Robotham’s, standalone book “Life or Death” so I was glad to receive an advance copy of this upcoming release. In “Good Girl, Bad Girl”, there are actually three storylines. We learn about Evie, Cyrus, and the mystery about who killed Jodie Sheehan. Jodie was a well-known figure skater who appears destined for the Olympics. Instead she is found dead along a footpath close to her home. Cyrus Haven is a psychologist brought in by the police department to help find Jodie’s killer. Evie and Cyrus alternately narrate the book.

A generation apart, Evie Cormac and Cyrus Haven both had deeply dark episodes in their childhood. However, Evie’s circumstances were much bleaker and longer-term than Cyrus’ was. As a young child, she was found hiding in a secret room in a house. After her discovery the authorities couldn’t locate any of her relatives. She was dubbed ‘Angel Face’ by the press since she couldn’t tell the authorities anything about herself. The government eventually named her Evie Cormac and sealed her file. She became a ward of the state. That status held its own set of horrors, instability and strictures.

Cyrus and Evie meet when he visits to her current group home. He’s providing an assessment as to whether or not Evie is competent enough to be declared an adult. She has petitioned the court to be declared an adult. If the court determines that she should be considered to be eighteen, she will be released from government custody and oversight. The gradual building of a relationship between two people who don’t trust easily starts from there.

Meanwhile there is Jodie’s murder case to solve. Cyrus is pulled deeper and deeper into the case as different elements surface. He’s not sure that the person arrested for the murder is the correct suspect as the police rush to mark the murder as ‘case closed’. This is part police procedural and part psychological thriller. The book is fast paced, and the ending was a surprise to me. I didn’t figure out who the killer was until right before the dramatic final scenes.

It appears to me that at least a second book is planned as there is future thinking and planning by some of the characters at the end of the book that leave us with a tiny bit of a cliffhanger. I want to see what happens to Evie and Cyrus, so I hope a second book is in the works.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Scribner; and the author, Michael Robotham for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange an honest review

A multi-layered mystery. A girl with a troubled past who wants to be on her own. A forensic psychologist who wants to help her. The murder case of a teen figure skater.

Told with the alternating points of view of Evie and Cyrus. Evie is teen girl with a dark and mysterious past. She's living in a children's home, but wants to be out on her own. Also, she has the unique ability to know when someone is lying. Cyrus is a psychologist called in to evaluate her. He's fascinated by her, and wants to help her succeed on her own. Meanwhile, Cyrus is also helping the police on a murder case. The police appear to find the killer, but Cyrus feels there is more to the case. The alternating POVs work well with this novel. Both Evie and Cyrus have suffered tragic events in their youth. Evie's past is the most mysterious, but Cyrus has a lot going on with him too.

A dark suspense novel. Flawed characters and an intricate plot. Some things are not resolved by the ending, so it appears there may be a sequel. A good read for fans of gritty thrillers. Clever and addictive.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist living in the area of Nottingham, England. His chosen field may have stemmed from a horrific family tragedy that challenged the trajectory of his life. But he seems to deny it. In fact, he seems to believe it gives him insight into youngsters who may have been through extreme hardships, too. Cyrus needs all his skills when he asked to observe Evie Cormac. She has been a ward of the state that has experienced horror that she refuses to discuss or perhaps even remember. Evie will not readily give out any information about the past or present. She is always in protective mode. But her observational skills can supersede those of the trained Cyrus. But Cyrus must ascertain if she is of age and ready to be emancipated from the system she is in. He needs to gain her trust – a commodity that Evie seems incapable to expose.

Adding to Cyrus’s duties is his role as a consultant to the police. When a young girl’s body is discovered in a nearby park, there are both too many and too few suspects who may be implicated in her death.

Robotham unfolds this story from mostly alternating chapters reflecting the viewpoints of Cyrus and Evie. Eventually their perspectives merge as the story builds to a heart-pounding conclusion. Be prepared to read late into the evening! This is an excellent addition to this author’s body of work which is already most impressive.

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for providing the opportunity to read this book.

A great psychological thriller that is good any time of the year but is perfect for the summer. The verbal repartee that flows between Cyrus and his charge Evie is perfectly nuanced and logically illogical when it comes to human emotions and the abuse that she had endured. I found myself rooting for her despite her ugly actions and reactions as we found ourselves unpeeling the layers of the onion to examine the inner core of her being.She became, for me, a likable and sympathetic character in the end. The story focuses on Cyrus, a psychologist who allows Evie to live with him when she truly wants to leave her secure childrens' home, and discover what freedom is after being boarded up and abused most of her life. Concomitantly he is trying to solve the murder of a teenage ice skater whose murder has a lot of question marks attached to it. No one but Cyrus knows that Evie has a gift of being able to ascertain when someone is telling the truth but that skill helps him in his search for the truth. Along the way, both get into skirmishes as they search, winding up with an ending that is soaked in realism.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham. I like this author, but some books of his are better than others.

Cyrus Haven is a forensic doctor who evaluates people for a living. He is very good at his job. He is called upon to evaulate a young woman who has no idea who she is or much of her past. WHile doing this Cyrus has other cases he is working on. Soon the two cases start to be one in the same and the circumstances are about to change Cyrus' life and those around him.

I did find this a bit slow in the beginning, however, it picks up by the middle. Keep reading this book for a satisfying ending with unexpected twists.

3 stars.

Good Girl, Bad Girl



A fabulously creative and cleverly layered psychological thriller.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy she won’t tell anyone her name, her age or where she came from. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. Evie initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, and forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he has ever met—fascinating and dangerous in equal measure. Evie knows when someone is lying and no one around her seems to be telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Cyrus is also called to investigate the mysterious death of a high school figure-skating champion. Jodie Sheehan is murdered on a dark footpath close to her home. Pretty and popular Jodie is portrayed by everyone as the ultimate good girl, but as Cyrus investigates, a secret life emerges. A man haunted by his own tragic family history, Cyrus is caught between with the two cases—one girl who needs saving and another who needs justice.

REVIEW
Good Girl, Bad Girl is fabulously creative and cleverly layered. The title suggests a story of a good girl and a bad girl, but which is which? We see the lives of both girls either transformed or be revealed to be something different than our stereotypical expectations. Masterfully done!

The characters were well-developed and delightful complicated. Evie’s past and her ability to determine if someone is telling the truth is intriguing. Jodie’s secrets are astounding, and Cyrus’s family’s past is exceedingly dramatic. All three characters leave you wanting to know more. I particularly loved the growth of the relationship between Evie and Cyrus and Cyrus’s persistence in finding Jodie’s murderer.

The writing was both grabbing and consuming. The suspense of Jodie’s death kept me on edge the entire book. I thought I figured it out time and time again, but I was always wrong. Impressively elusive!

My favorite part was when Evie wonders if this is what happiness feels like, as she sits on the back porch steps in her pajamas, wrapped in a blanket next to Poppy, a foster Labrador whose tail is thumping as Evie scratches her behind her ears. It is here that you truly realize how evasive happiness has been for Evie. This one small scene evokes tremendous sympathy, compassion and understanding. Stellar and pivotal!

This was my first novel by Australian born author Michael Robotham and I am now a fan. He began his career as a newspaper journalist in 1979 and became a ghost writer in 1993 collaborating with politicians and celebrities to write their autobiographies. His first novel was THE SUSPECT (2005) which became an international bestseller. GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL is his 14th psychological thriller. Robotham’s website spins this book as “a new series. a new mystery. a new hero.” You’ll want to read it now, this may be the beginning of something special!

Thanks to NetGalley, Scribner and Michael Robotham for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Scribner
Published July 23, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham is a fantastic thriller. Cyrus Haven is a psychotherapist who works with the police. He’s currently working with Evie Cormac, a young woman who was found hiding in a secret room with no name, no parents, no biographical info. He’s also working the murder of figure-skater Jodie Sheehan, who was found in the woods near her home. Evie has a gift, she is a “lie detector”, a person who can tell instinctively when someone is telling the truth. As Cyrus works more closely with Evie, he begins to feel protective of her, ultimately taking her into his home as his foster child. Meanwhile, the murder mystery of Jodie takes many, many twists and turns. This golden girl from a good family isn’t who she appears to be and there are family secrets to be revealed. I really enjoyed this story. It kept me guessing until the end and I didn’t guess who did it. I will read more from Mr. Robotham in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced e-Copy of this book for an honest review. #netgalley #goodgirlbadgirl

4.25 stars

Murderers, Truth Wizards, and A Girl Named Angel Face all come together in Good Girl, Bad Girl!

Good Girl, Bad Girl is a complex and compelling character-driven mystery about a girl with a mysterious past and the forensic psychologist who takes her under his wing (no pun intended--if you have read this book you will understand!).

When a teenage superstar figure skater turns up dead, Cyrus, a forensic psychologist who assists the police, is brought in to help with the investigation. At the same time, an old friend of Cyrus’s also asks for his assistance in evaluating “Angel Face” a girl with no past, no name, and no determinable age, who has been a ward of the court since she was found several years ago hiding in an abandoned house with her captor’s decomposing body. “Angel Face” has been renamed, Evie. She won’t share her real name, her past, or her age. What she will share is whether or not those around her are lying, as she possesses the unique ability to read people’s faces to determine whether they are speaking the truth or lying.

There are two mysteries: One surrounds the dead figure skater, but the more intriguing mystery surrounds Cyrus’ and Evie’s murky pasts.

Good Girl, Bad Girl is enthralling. The narrative is split between Cyrus and Angel Face, both of whom lured me in. I haven’t come across characters in a long time who are so intriguing! I wanted to know everything about them. They are multidimensional with fascinating backgrounds. Part of ht mystery lies in trying to unearth their secrets.

This is a suspenseful and fascinating read. The tone is dark and unsettling and kept me on edge. There are some dark moments and some crazy characters. I was left with some questions about Cyrus and Evie--I hope their story isn’t over and we get to see them again soon!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Good Girl, Bad Girl is even better than The Secrets She Keeps. Robotham is in top form with this superb read

This book hooked me within the first few pages. I immediately was fascinated by Evie and excited to hear her story. This was a very well written book with fascinating characters and an intriguing plot. I am excited to read more from this author.

Can I please hand out 6 shiny stars? Because Michael Robotham has done it again!

Lately, thrillers have been hit or miss for me. Maybe more miss. Well thriller fans, let me inform you, this was that perfect thriller that I’ve been searching for all year! Straight to my favorite shelf!

Evie Cormac is a young girl who’s been a ward of the court for years. With a hidden past, she has no proof of her real name, birthday, parents or even where she’s from. When she petitions the system to release her as an adult claiming to be eighteen, the court has other ideas.

Psychologist Cyrus Haven agrees to assume responsibility for her as her foster parent. Maybe this will buy her him time to unlock some of Evie's secrets.

Michael Robotham has a gift for writing the most ingenious, captivating thrillers, guaranteed to hold your undivided attention as you binge read right to the end.

I cannot believe how quickly I flew through this book. Loving every minute of it. The ending.... well all I can say is I was left with chills running down my arms! Wow!

I highly recommend this latest stand-alone from Michael Robotham to all thriller fans!

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both speechless at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Simon and Schuster - Scribner and Michael Robotham for an ARC to read and review.

You could argue that the title of Robotham's latest refers to one person -- Evie Cormac, who is introduced in this book and likely will appear again soon. Evie -- not her real name, by the way -- is the survivor of an apparent several-years-long abduction and is taking out her misfortune on the world. Yet she is a kidnapee with a tender heart to go with the gigantic chip-and-fish on her shoulder and, most significantly, she has a superpower: she can tell when a person is lying. This unique talent is very entertaining, but also ultimately useful to our hero, psychologist Cyrus Haven, who has been called in to consult on the murder of a young woman, an aspiring Olympic ice skater. So the stage is set for Cyrus, Evie and the local head of D's -- detectives -- who lost track of some key witnesses but has strong personal ties with our guy, Cy. It's a winning tale, artfully told -- and that is no lie!

Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist who consults for the police. He has been asked to determine whether a young woman, a human lie detector named "Evie Cormac", can handle being released from institutionalized care into society. Evie has a harrowing past and was instantly made famous after being rescued from horrific circumstances six years earlier. Having no idea who she is, authorities gave her a new identity, hid her from the public and placed her in care.

Cyrus is also consulting on a disturbing murder case; a 15 year old promising figure skater is found dead and the pool of suspects is huge. The intersection of these two stories some interesting tension.

There is no question that Michael Robotham is a brilliant writer but it took me awhile, around the 25% mark to invest in the book. It just didn't move quickly enough. I ended up being mostly satisfied by the ending. I was left with a few lingering questions and it seems clear that we have not heard the last of Cyrus and Evie.

Thank you to Michael Robotham, Scribner, and NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Michael Robotham has written another hit of a book, containing universal themes of cruelty, mental instability, horror, loneliness, and grief.

Cyrus Haven is a clinical psychologist who works with the police in severe cases involving young people. Currently, he is asked to meet with a girl who lives in Langford Hall, a high-security children's home in Nottingham. The girl is non-communicative. She was found in a house where a gruesome murder took place. Her history is one of a string of children's homes. She has been kicked out or run away from all of them and can be violent if provoked. Cyrus agrees to try working with her, but meanwhile has another case given to him by an old friend.

The new case involves the death of a young girl, Jodie Sheehan, a superstar ice skater. Jodie has spent her entire young life working on getting into the Olympic competition, and it looked like she had an excellent chance at making it. Her death is a real tragedy and a mystery.

The narrative goes back and forth from Evie to Jodie. Their stories are layered mysteries that take all of Cyrus's skill to figure out. I loved this surprising and suspenseful novel. It is an excellent read for a long weekend.

Thank you, Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC of this new novel (July 23).

Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist tasked with determining whether a young woman can safely be released from care. Evie Cormac was the victim of years of being held captive and sexually abused. Once discovered, the authorities could find no trace of her past. And she’s never said.

Meanwhile, he’s also helping an investigation into the death of a young girl, a Junior Ice Skating Champion.

The book is extremely well written. It’s not often I highlight phrases in a mystery, but I found myself doing it here. I loved Cyrus’ take on evil, the difference between chance and luck. I love his explanation for why he went into psychology. We hear from both Cyrus’ and Evie’s POV. When the two are together, the volleys fly back and forth, each trying to suss the other out. Evie has the gift of being able to tell when someone is lying. As would be expected, she has major trust issues and lies regularly. But I loved that she kept two Alsatians alive for weeks after the death of their owner, her capturer.

I was drawn into this book and it kept me enthralled. Before I knew it, I had read the entire book in just over a day. There were lots of twists and turns and a strong ending. I’m actually hoping that Robotham develops this into a series with Evie and Cyrus.

My thanks to netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. THank you NetGalley!

I couldn't wait to read this book when I first saw it. We meet Evie when she is found locked in a room not telling her name, age, etc. All of the characters were interesting. The book had some great twists, was well-written, and was easy to follow. I"m read more of his author's work for sure.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL by Michael Robotham in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS rounded up

Criminal psychologist and mysterious teenage survivor Evie Cormac team up in a case involving the murder of a teenage figure skater.

If I were not a child psychologist, I would have enjoyed GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL more and rated higher, which is why I rounded up as most readers won’t be distracted by the elements that bother me. I was distracted by the lack of mental health authenticity and realism. I understand that Australian or UK education and rules may vary from those in the USA, the presentation of mental illness is fairly universal.

Cyrus, like most well-rounded protagonists has an unaddressed history of pain as does Evie. While I didn’t latch on to either character, the mystery kept me swiping forward on my Kindle to see if my theories would pan out.

Michael Robotham, a seasoned mystery/thriller writer, is at the top of his game in GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL and his fans will not be disappointed.