After waiting almost a year, I finally got to hear Evie's story. This book picks up with Cyrus hunting down Sacha, the officer who found Evie, to find out what she knows. Evie is living at a juvenile psychiatric home, deemed the safest place for her, but it soon becomes apparent that no one around Evie is safe.
If you liked the first book and the tender relationship between Cyrus and Evie, you will likely enjoy this story's satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of When She Was Good.

I enjoyed the first book in the Cyrus Haven series so I was excited when my request was approved.

In the second book, a staged suicide of a well respected detective is tied into Evie's past, causing Cyrus to dig deep into a horrific investigation that involves a cabal of powerful men with disgusting perversions.

When Cyrus comes close to exposing the truth, he puts not only Evie in danger, but himself as well.

When She Was Good was a compelling read, I barely put it down and despite its length, finished it within a matter of days.

Cyrus and Evie as individual characters are better developed here as readers are given insight into their past; how Cyrus is dealing with the loss of his family and schizo brother, which makes him closed off to fostering any intimate and long lasting relationship; Evie's love and gratitude for Terry Boland, but also her love for his parents and sister, whom she misses deeply.

I especially enjoyed Evie's reminiscences about her family, how she and Terry met, and how he saved her life by sacrificing his.

I also liked the procedural aspects of the story, how Cyrus and Sacha pound the pavement, interviewing leads, speaking to suspects or potential suspects, gleaning details of the past and present and how it all relates to Evie.

The only thing I had a quibble about was how Cyrus immediately dismissed Evie's fear when she told him someone was searching for her.

Given how much he respects Evie's truth finding talents and the shocking abuse and suffering she's endured, I would expect Cyrus, as a psychologist, to give her the benefit of the doubt and take her concerns and fears seriously.

After all, considering the way she was discovered, its obvious Terry knew powerful men would come after them, and Evie's safety will be called into question once those in power knew she was alive.

Overall, this was a compelling and exciting read. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received this advanced reader copy from Scribner and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks!

I am already a huge fan of Michael Robotham, and have enjoyed every one of his books so far.

This is the second book in the Cyrus Haven series, and we return to the lives of Cyrus Haven, forensic psychologist, and Evie Cormac, the very disturbed teenager he encountered as part of a case that he worked with the police.

Cyrus is trying to find out who Evie really is, where she came from, and much more importantly, who is trying to find her. Clearly someone or some organization wants her dead. The more he digs, the more dangerous the situation gets. Evie continues to distrust almost everyone apart from Cyrus, and relies on her own intuition and street smarts to keep herself as safe as she can. Evie can tell when people are lying to her, and uses this ability to help keep her safe.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book was the way we begin to see the 'real' Evie, and find out some of what happened to her and where she came from. We see how deeply traumatized she is, and realize how much of the life and education of a typical teenager she has missed. While she is almost adult, she is very childlike in a lot of ways. In a similar fashion, we begin to see into Cyrus's life too.

I really enjoyed the book, and can't wait for another in the series.

When She Was Good by Michael Robotham is a great follow-up Good Girl, Bad Girl.

Despite Evie Cormac's resistance, forensic psychologist Cyrus Vance continues his search into her past. His intentions are good, but Evie's insticts are better--someone wants her dead and Cyrus' investigation is dangerous.

As a child, Evie was trafficked in an exclusive pedophile ring. Although Robotham does not provide details, the implications are clear and unpleasant. The exposure of those involved would mean devastation of their careers and reputations and jail time--and someone has no intention of letting that happen. The organization has a long reach and silencing Evie is a priority.

The immediate situation is wrapped up, but there are several unanswered questions that should be resolved in the next book.

I hope there will be more than just a third book that finalizes the initial plot. Evie, Cyrus, and Sacha are interesting characters, and Robotham's plot could easily take another direction. I want more of these characters.

Read in May. Blog review scheduled for July 8, 2020.

NetGalley/Scribner
Psychological Suspense. July 28, 2020. Print length: 352 pages.

Ohhhhh, I was so excited to dive into this novel! When She Was Good is the second book featuring criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac and let me say it was just as epic as the first novel (GoodGirl, Bad Girl)!

Right from the start I was glued to my kindle. Michael Robotham has an incredible talent for writing books that play out like a movie in your mind! The storyline is brilliantly planned out and executed—you will not see the perfectly timed twists and turns coming (which is my absolute favorite part of a well-written thriller)! I find the father/daughter(ish) relationship that Cyrus and Evie have developed really heartwarming and although this novel is a thriller it adds a surprising emotional element to the storyline. When She Was Good is a 5+++ star read that I highly recommend! I really hope Michael Robotham has more in mind for Cyrus and Evie in the future!

I couldn't put down the first book in this series, Good Girl, Bad Girl, so when I realized the second book was out, I had to snatch it up. Evie and Cyrus pick right up again (with Poppy the doggo coming along, naturally) and though they're apart, they still orbit each other in the most compelling of ways. Faster paced and offering a bigger and more complete explanation of Evie's past, I devoured every bit of this book, eager to see the conclusion. As always, I wanted more, but I was happy to see questions answered, even if it felt like this was probably the conclusion to the series. I would definitely recommend this book, I love the dynamic between Cyrus and Evie. I wish there was more to their story, but this was a nice ending.

I'd been a fan of Michael Robotham's others books, but I really loved the first Cyrus and Evie book, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. And while I would have been happy with the characters in any story, I'm glad this one was focused on unearthing Evie's past. I don't want to give specific examples of parts I liked, because I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say, though, this is worth reading.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for this review copy.

Robotham’s new series featuring Cyrus and Evie started off phenomenal, but this second book in the series didn’t blow me away. It did provide much of Evie’s backstory. I recommend Robotham’s books to readers looking for a new author to enjoy in psychological thrillers.

Thank you Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. Since this is a sequel and other reviewers recommended reading the first book I will do that then come back to give an updated review. So excited to read them both!!

I was elated to receive this advance electronic reader’s copy from Netgalley

I’ve been anticipating the continuation of Evie’s and Cyrus’s story since the first in the series, Good Girl Bad Girl got under my skin.

The narrative resumes in When She Was Good with a brief recap as Cyrus meets the mysterious woman discovering Angel Face aka Evie as a wild child. It fits in seamlessly and then we’re off to the races.

Answers to Evie’s past and a conspiracy theory encompass players from a murdered detective, to ex-convicts, to those of higher nobility and many in between. How do they all connect?

Pay attention because some of the seemingly mundane clues are significant. Not many red herrings, it’s just figuring out how the puzzle fits together. So much fun -I didn’t want the book to end!

First, I need more Cyrus Haven books. Many more. This is book number two....you don’t need to read book number one to be in the loop, but you should. Because it was great.
Cyrus and Evie are back in When She Was Good, and many questions are answered that we were left wondering. I don’t want to give anything away, but Evie and Cyrus need to work as a team again, because they know they need each other.
Awesome follow up!

I was absolutely thrilled to receive this ARC. It truly felt like winning the lottery. I dropped everything to read it as I have been anticipating this book since I read Good Girl, Bad Girl last August.

This book was fantastic! Michael Robatham is a masterful storyteller of crime drama and he also does an excellent job creating of developing characters you care about. This book is no exception and did not disappoint. He wove an interesting mystery and slowly revealed bits and pieces ending in a satisfying conclusion.

Although this book can easily stand on its own, it was even better having read the first in the series.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a page turner! Great suspense read that will take your mind off the real world. You won't be able to put When She Was Good down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of When She Was Good by Michael Robotham. I read Good Girl, Bad Girl and couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series, as it ended without a lot of answers about Evie’s past.

Evie Cormac, AKA Angel Face, is back in the group home, while Cyrus Haven investigates the murder of a retired detective. He soon learns that this investigation contains clues to uncover the identity of the person who Evie called Uncle, the man who is responsible for her mistreatment and captivity. Evie must confront the memories that she has been fighting so hard to forget in order to find Uncle and solve the murder and mystery surrounding her case before he finds her.

After Reading Good Girl, Bad Girl, I was really invested in Evie and Cyrus’s characters. I didn’t know when I began reading the book that it was going to be a series, which I sometimes avoid, because remembering where books leave off when the new title is released is difficult. However, the first book didn’t provide a real ending to Evie’s story, so I felt that I had to read the sequel in order to find out more. Thankfully, Robotham does a great job at reviewing past events so that it was easy to recall what happened earlier in Evie’s story. The same chemistry between Cyrus and Evie appears in the sequel as in the first book. It is such a fast read with thrills in every chapter. I had a hard time remembering all of the players involved in this mystery as it unfolded, as there are a lot, and a lot of time goes by before they are mentioned again. However, the story is well paced, leaving the reader with only a few lingering questions at the end of this book. Will there be another book in the series? Robotham has created very well-rounded likable characters and I hope that we get to see more of them!

4/5 stars

Yes, another mind blowing, heart throbbing, gripping Cyrus Haven and Evie story is finally out to keep you on your toes!

I’m so happy, dear Michael Robotham didn’t wait us too long after introduced one of the mysterious, brilliant character Evie with dark and hidden past.

After the first book’s ending , I wanted to know more about her story and my prayer came true: because at the second book, Cyrus teams up with Sasha who has found Evie when she was kid: raped, tortured, hidden in a closet and a nurse named her “angel face” at the hospital. After a police officer’s suspicious suicide, Cyrus finds out the very same officer investigate the case of child pedophile recently died in the prison and he thought it may be wrong conviction. There are still missing children connected to the pedophile’s kidnapping cases. When Cyrus searches for the names of those kids, “angel face’ s” name appears at the death police officer’s notes which forces him to dig deeper.

Now he is conducting his own secret investigation with Sasha to search more about the dark history about Evie ( starting by finding her real name) because there is cold blue eyed man with a scar on his face acting like a police officer and searching for Evie in everywhere.

In the meantime, Evie is still at the hospital, waiting for 18th birthday’s coming (actually she’s already 18 but she doesn’t share this information with anyone). And with the flashback, we start to learn more about her childhood times which are the darkest, most shocking parts of the book because there are so many heart wrenchingly disturbing issues including sex trafficking, child prostitution and child porn. Those parts give us the answer about brutally killed Terry who has found at the same house with Evie where she has been hiding. Was he her survivor or was he the responsible of all those tortures and nightmares she has endured?

Finally we learned everything and found all those missing pieces of puzzle about the back story of her including real name and of course we found out the person who was responsible from it. And it was more complicated and terrifying than we imagine because a real powerful and a big organization behind all these mess. Are Cyrus and Evie powerful and determined enough to stop them before losing their own lives? You gotta read and find out.

Overall: I wished I could see Evie in action because she is human lie detector and her unique talent helped the detectives to solve unique mysteries. But the author decides to explain all the missing pieces of her story to help us understand where she comes from and from now on where she goes so this book is all about her personal history which I gave me hard times to read: I ached for her and the things she endured truly caused a big lump on my throat and big whole in my heart. It was tragic, devastating and extremely traumatic. So many times I took several breaks during my reading to digest what I read.

But good part is I think on the upcoming series we’re gonna see Evie and Cyrus’ healing processes about their pasts and teaming up to solve other cases together.

I’m giving 4.5 stars and rounding them up to 5: from the beginning I enjoyed to read this series and I cannot wait to read more books of brilliant author. I literally devoured this at one sit and even it gave me nightmares it was definitely worth it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for sharing this incredible Arc copy with me in exchange my honest review.

I’ve been hopeful of a sequel to Good Girl, Bad Girl since the moment I finished it. I’m glad that we get more of Evie’s backstory. Since this book is a direct sequel I don’t recommend reading it until you’ve read Good Girl, Bad Girl first or else you won’t understand the intricacies of all the characters introduced in the first book, especially Sacha, who is mostly unknown previously but becomes fully fleshed out here. The murder mystery at the heart of it all, a dead detective trying to solve a cold case was intriguing but ultimately wasn’t the appeal as it only leads back to Evie and her story. The author’s writing keeps this book a page turner, while you’re aching to help all the characters. These are all damaged people.