This book was book two of a series, I didn't read the first book but this book gave enough background to make it a stand a lone. complex interesting characters and the required number of bad guys. The mystery was interesting and i was rooting for the main characters so an interesting enjoyable read

When She Was Good is a gritty and nerve-racking thriller that reveals a backdrop of unthinkable child abuse, and a cast of characters that are absorbing and mysterious. Cyrus Haven and Evie alternately narrate the story as two characters that are brilliantly drawn and captivating. Both have disturbing pasts but are armed in this dark world with unique abilities that enable them to investigate crimes with clever insights.

Evie is fascinating, and her background and history are gradually revealed illustrating how she suffered as a child and struggles daily with the memories. Evie has an uncanny ability to tell if someone is lying – brilliant ability to have in solving crimes. In a world where she sees everyone with suspicion, she connects with Cyrus as her only source of reassurance and trust. Cyrus is a forensic psychologist and first met Evie in Good Girl, Bad Girl - a book I wished I had read before embarking on this one. Anyhoo, Cyrus has been called to the scene of a suspected suicide and quickly suspects murder. The victim, Superintendent Hamish Whitmore, had been investigating crimes connected to Evie’s past, and the more Cyrus digs, the greater the threat that emerges for Evie. Is it better to let sleeping dogs lie?

The riveting plot is full of danger and drama, and it totally enthralled me and kept me eagerly bound to the story until it was finished. More fool me, but I found answers to questions I did not know to ask. I should have done the sensible thing and stopped to read the first book, so the big tip here is to read Good Girl, Bad Girl first.

This is a series that is well worth reading so I can recommend that you should start this series before it gets away from you. I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the thriller and going through this journey.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of When She Was Good by Michael Robotham.

This is the sequel to Good Girl, Bad Girl, which I read first. I noticed that the ratings of this one were slightly higher than the first, and I concur. I enjoyed the first, but the second really gets into the history of Evie, a mysterious young girl who was rescued from a seemingly abusive abductor.

Holy cow, Robotham can tell a TALE. He reminded me a lot of Lisa Gardner in that respect, like, where did this incredibly intricate story come from? The characters are very complex and knowable, and it's easy to relate to them while they are put into impossible situations. I was also intrigued with the concept of Evie being a truth wizard. It's a phenomenon of a person who can almost always tell if someone is lying. I don't know if it's a real thing or not, but it added a fun, subtle superpower to the story.

In Michael Robotham's gripping When She Was Good, psychologist Cyrus Haven digs into the past of Evie Cormac, the teenage girl he encountered in Good Girl, Bad Girl. As a child, she'd been found, filthy and feral, hiding in a house containing the corpse of a man who'd been tortured to death months earlier. Evie has never spoken about what happened, or even disclosed her real name and age. Authorities put her in a home for troubled teens after concluding the dead man was a pedophile who had kidnapped her.

But Evie is far from safe. A killer is still hunting her, and the only way to stop him is for her and Cyrus to confront her terrifying past and expose the truth about how and why she ended up in that murder house.

The Edgar-nominated Good Girl, Bad Girl establishes the relationship between Cyrus and Evie, but this well-paced follow-up provides sufficient background information. Like Joseph O'Loughlin from Robotham's long-running series, Cyrus is a psychologist with acute insight into the most damaged of people. This comes from having experienced trauma himself in his teenage years, a family tragedy he's still grappling with. He's the only adult Evie trusts with secrets from her past, but she's no damsel needing to be saved. She's strong-willed and resourceful and a "truth wizard," someone who can always spot lies. Though Cyrus and Evie know they will never outrun their demons, their determination to survive and refusal of victimhood are what make this series so powerful.

Perhaps I should have read the prequel because I felt a bit lost at times. This was just an okay thriller for me, I had a hard time feeling invested. 3 stars ⭐️.

At the end of 'Good Girl, Bad Girl', Michael Robotham left us with many questions about how Evie Cormac came to be found as the young, ragged child hiding in a house

Now living in Langford Hall, a secure unit for children, Criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven met Evie months before when he was asked to assess her and although they have become friends, she has still refused to talk to him about her past. Due to a new investigation she starts to open up to hiim.

The details of what happened to Evie are discussed and now bad people are looking for her.

I had no idea this was the second book in a new,series by Michael Robotham, but it's so good and so well written that you don't need to have read the first book, which makes When She Was Good perfect for new readers and long-time fans! The plot is as finely tuned as you'd expect, both in pacing and characterization, and there were more than a few times I paused to marvel at how well Robotham peers into a character's heart and offers up a glimpse into the abyss inside us all. Just really, really well done!

I am so bummed that this was a DNF for me. I didn't love #1 and I decided quickly that this one wasn't;'for me as well and I just couldn't continue. Thank you for the opportunity to read it, perhaps I will try again at a later time.

I recommend reading the first book in the Cyrus Haven series, GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, before this one. This is the second installment, and it picks up shortly after the first book ended. Criminal psychologist, Cyrus Haven, continues to explore the dark history of Evie Cormac's past. Rather than dragging out Evie's back story, Robotham answers most of the burning questions in this book. Still, he leaves room for further developments, so it's possible we will see more of these characters.

The novel alternates between short chapters between Cyrus and Evie's POVs. The pace is fast, and the suspense is strong. It's hard to say much about the plot without giving away spoilers, so I won't say much about what happens in the book. Suffice it to say that most readers will finish the book feeling satisfied that we finally get the answers that were raised in the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I love Michael Robotham! In 2015, I read The Night Ferry, then in 2016 I was KNOCKED OUT by Close Your Eyes! 2017’s The Secrets She Keeps was not quite as terrific (for me) as the other two, so maybe that is how I missed 2019’s Good Girl, Bad Girl. It was the first in a series, apparently -- and now we are in 2020 and we have the second book in the series featuring Cyrus Haven. Cyrus is a psychologist who turns out to be a former student of Joe O’Loughlin, the protagonist of Robotham’s primary series. The two men (Cyrus and Joe) have quite a bit in common. Besides being psychologists, each is a kind of wounded soul: Joe has Parkinson’s and a crappy marriage, and Cyrus is living with the knowledge that his wacko brother killed the entire rest of the family. OK, crappy and wacko are not the kindest terms for these two, but here we are!

Of course, I had to go back and read Good Girl, Bad Girl, which tells the story of Cyrus meeting Evie Cormac when he was called in to help after she was found trapped in a torture house. Evie has the uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying, and she helped Cyrus solve a tricky case in that first book. Now, in When She Was Good, Evie and Cyrus reconnect and, as Cyrus works to uncover the secrets of Evie’s past, he finds he is exposing her to serious danger. Dilemma time! Find the answer and risk her safety, or…?

Robotham is terrific at creating characters with whom the reader can become emotionally invested, and in presenting convoluted plotlines in a way that is fun without being overwhelming. I love this author! /great escape-from-pandemic reading! Five stars.

When She Was Good was a fabulous follow up to the equally fabulous Good Girl, Bad Girl. Before this series I had not read any of Robotham’s books, but I will definitely be seeking them out, ASAP. This book was an edge of your seat thriller that I finished in less than a day. When Evie Cormac refuses to talk about anything related to her past after her rescue from a house of torture and murder in Good Girl, Bad Girl, except to say that Terry didn’t hurt her, you have many unanswered questions. However, you find out the heartbreaking, tragic reasons why she doesn’t talk in this sequel. As the story goes deeper into Evie’s past, Cyrus Haven is trying to unravel a murder mystery of a former police officer that may or may not be connected to Evie’s past, or he may have simply figured out the connected people who were involved her story and been eliminated as a result. Excellent writing about horrific subject matter. This book was non-stop twists and turns. Best mystery/suspense series I have read in a long time. Very highly recommended.

Note I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

having not read the first book wasn't sure I would be able to follow along, but it was easy I loved the characters, Evie and Cyrus were awesome together. It had me hooked. I hope to read more from this author

There is something about Cyrus and the way Michael Robotham writes him that made me fall head over heels. How do you fall in love with a fiction character? Extremely well written book about them, a mysterious backstory that draws you in, This book is the second in a duology that jumps right back in to the parts of this tale that were itching to discover in the previous book. The wonderful interactions between Evie and Cyrus continue through I was missing more of it through this one. However, the backstory of Evie was so intriguing and deeply woven...It was like we were getting a glimpse into terrifiying world that we mostly see through episodes of Law and Order. This is definitely a great read and while the first book is a bit of slow burn..this one leaves us with more pieces of the puzzles as you read on.

With WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, bestselling author Michael Robotham delivers a dark and gripping follow up to GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, continuing the story of survivor Evie Cormac and criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven.
In GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, we met Evie Cormac—dubbed Angel Face when she was found dirty and malnourished in the home of a man who was tortured to death. After being placed in a secure children’s home, her identity remains a mystery even now. Cyrus, who grew close to the churlish, broken teenager when he temporarily fostered her, remains intent on figuring out who Evie is and what happened to her so long ago.

Despite good intentions, however, Cyrus puts Evie in danger once again as he makes an important connection from her past. Soon, she’s back on the radar of those who seek to permanently silence her.

To complicate matters further, Cyrus is pulled in to help assess the mysterious death of a retired police officer—a man who’d been digging into an old case with ties to child disappearances and murders.

Before too long, shocking connections are made as terrible secrets come to light and Cyrus races against the clock to keep Evie from being found and killed.

Robotham brilliantly weaves a narrative that’s horrifying and twisted as tension steadily ratchets. The danger feels urgent and real as the story deepens and darkens in ways unforeseen.

There are so many aspects of this book to love. The extraordinary writing. The visceral, textured atmosphere. The propulsive mystery of the case. But most of all, it’s the flawed, broken characters at the story’s center. Both Cryus and Evie make for a fascinating study. They’re deeply scarred survivors of trauma looking to mend the broken parts within and somehow, they’ve found something solid, a tremulous sort of solace, in each other.

A truly fantastic, utterly enthralling thriller. I hope there’s more to come.

This excellent fictional thriller mystery is a quick page turner. Evie, the victim, is a likable character who happens to know when people are lying. She’s experienced some pretty dark & tragic things in her life & you can’t help but to hope the best for her just as Cyrus Haven does. Cyrus is a Criminal Psychologist, who is trying to uncover the secrets to Evie’s past while many people will go to various lengths to keep the truth hidden

This book is part of a series, but easy to follow if you haven’t read the first book.

Trigger warnings: kidnapping, rape, trafficking, pedophilia, suicide/murder.

READ THIS SERIES! You know...I don't want to say it's true across the board, but usually you can expect the first book in a series to be better than the second. Maybe not by a bunch but sometimes the second book is a bit of a let down compared to the first. NOT THIS TIME. I highly recommend all of you out there picking up both Good Girl, Bad Girl and When She Was Good and read them NOW. The characters are well developed and so very interesting. The relationships are believable. The pace is perfect...you just want to continue reading and reading and reading to find out what happens and how/if everyone gets what you believe they deserve. I am so happy that I found these treasures by Michael Robotham. I can't wait to read more by him!!

Thank you NetGalley, Scribner and Michael Robotham for the ARC in return for an honest review. I loved it.

I haven't read the first book so maybe that's why I had a hard time keeping the characters straight for awhile. The first half of the book moved slowly for me but the second half had me glued. My heart ached for Evie and everything she had gone through in her young life. Thank heavens she had someone like Cyrus to care about her and protect her. What seemed at first like the ending was so frustrating - - and then the actual ending was heartbreaking for another reason. I won't give spoilers - it's a good book though with a dark subject.

I really enjoyed this book just as much as the first book which in my eyes is always a successful feat of a sequel! I really enjoy Robotham's writing style with quick, page turning chapters and dual POVs. I feel like the suspense picked up in this book which I enjoyed. There were a few bits of filler so the book maybe could have been 20 pages shorter but I don't think that took away from the book as a whole. I'm definitely still invested in Cyrus and Evie and would continue to read should Robotham continue the series!

Every time I read a Michael Robotham book it is so good I can’t put it down. This one centering on Angel Face was a page turner. I like the way he makes his characters people you care and hope the best for, even though they may not strictly good guys. This author never lets you down in his writing.