One of my favorites, internationally bestselling crime thriller Australian author, Michael Robotham, returns with an emotionally charged standalone domestic thriller WHEN YOU ARE MINE—where lines are blurred between love and hate, right and wrong, justice and injustice.

This moving psychological thriller covers domestic abuse, domestic violence, toxic friendships, and all families’ baggage.

Set in London, Philomena (Phil) McCarthy is a young, ambitious police officer with the elite Metropolitan Police in London. Her name means strength. She is a strong woman and driven, but now someone is standing in her way that will threaten what she has worked so hard for her entire life.

When she responds to a domestic violence call, she finds the victim—Tempe Brown, trying to protect her abuser, a married man named Darren Goodall.

It turns out he is a decorated Scotland Yard detective afraid of no one. When Goodall assaults McCarthy, she arrests him. Later, Goodall’s male allies on the force make both assault cases go away, and he begins stalking her to get revenge. No one wants to go up against him. How can women report him when is a cop?

Philomena is the daughter of a notorious London gangster (along with his brothers) and she does not want to get her family involved; however, they may step in.

When she was 11 years old, she was injured in a bus terrorist bombing and knew she wanted to be a cop like the one on the bus that day long ago. She was her hero.

She has tried to pursue her career as a police officer without her father’s involvement, but now in her efforts to help a woman, she falls under suspicion of stalking and harassing Goodall (a total monster)! She may lose her job and reputation.

Her father married a younger woman Constance, and her stepmother is pretty close to her age. Her father is turning sixty, and he wants his estranged daughter home for the big party.

She has not spoken to him in over six years. It is difficult when she is a cop, and her father and three uncles are criminals with an empire. It took her more than four times to apply and she tries not to connect herself with her father’s way of life.

She is planning a wedding with her partner and love, Henry. Now the victim of the domestic abuse befriends her and says she is a wedding planner. She is around all the time. Can she trust her? She tries to protect Tempe, but it appears she keeps going back to him, and this guy has a hold on her.

Then Philomena discovers this decorated police officer which is violent and abusive also treats his wife the same way and children. She must stop this guy. She is suspended when trying to do her own investigation into his past.

Philomena soon interjects herself in the middle of both women trying to protect them, and her superiors and Darren Goodall has it out for her. She may lose her job and reputation for good. Goodall stalks her with a series of events. Should she get her father involved?

Heck, YES!

As she digs deeper into police files, she finds out more about Goodall and women in his past. She puts herself in harm's way along with an investigative reporter.

She is determined to save the wife and the girlfriend from the monster but then something happens which points the finger at her. She fears her father but loves him. When she joined the police force she was taught justice. Now she wonders and these events have changed her.

“Perhaps that’s the best way to ward off my demons—to have one of them at home.”

Robotham cranks up the intensity and delivers a final blow plot twist that will have your jaw-dropping!

A powerful and compelling story and read it in one day. The author is always at the top of his game and in a class all his own.

As always, the author never disappoints. Flawless. His writing is superb, action-packed with strong characterization. He always writes of strong women and conflicts between personal and professional and full of emotion. He is one of my favorite authors and have read all his books and anxiously await the next masterpiece. Even though I adore his standalone, I am missing Joe O’Loughin’!

Robotham is a top crime writer, and fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, and Lisa Unger will devour WHEN YOU ARE MINE. He is my "go-to" author for smart crime thrillers with heart.

The author includes more information and statistics regarding domestic abuse in the acknowledgments. It is astounding that an intimate partner in America kills three women a day. Two women a week die from domestic violence in the UK, and one woman dies every week in Australia. As he reiterates, if this were terrorism, we would have done something by now.

If you have not read Michael Robotham’s books, get started. He lands on my top books each year and he has an incredible backlist. This would make a super entertaining book to movie or TV series.

If you have not watched his "novel to movie" —“The Secrets She Keeps” highly recommend the book and the movie (landing on my top books of 2017). Starring the adorable Australian actress, Jessica De Gouw! Love her. Check it out on Amazon Video. You can check my top books of the year on my website under the BOOK STUFF drop-down, where you will find all my reviews for Michael Robotham.

PS Another all-time favorite of Robotham LIFE OR DEATH Highly impressive and still sits on the front shelf of my bookcase.

2022 is stacked and everything I have read thus far has been off the charts extraordinary.

What a treat to be able to read an advanced reading copy. Thank you #NetGalley and #Scribner! I also pre-ordered the hardcover copy.

Blog Review:
@JudithDCollins
#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/of 5 Stars
Pub Date: Jan 4, 2022
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When You Are Mine is a police psychological thriller. There were some interesting twist between the police officer and a victim.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book as it had lots of suspense and mystery.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. Philomena McCarthy is a police officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. Philomena decided a young age to be a police officer to fight against criminals such as her father, Edward McCarthy. He is a mobster of sorts and comes from a "mob" type family. Due to her family background and due to fact that she is a woman, she is always fighting to be heard at her job. This fight really comes to light when she responds to a domestic disturbance call where she finds Tempe Brown. Tempe is definitely frightened of her boyfriend, Darrell Goodall, and he is definitely responsible for her pain. He attacks Philomena when she tries to intervene, and she puts him on his back. (I particularly enjoyed that scene!) The only problem is that he is a decorated detective with Scotland Yard and a hero. He is about to make Philomena's life miserable. She just does not know it yet! She has stirred up a hornet's nest. This starts the reader down a path of threats, stalking, abuse, corruption and possible obsession. You will be tearing through the pages and be totally absorbed in the story and the characters. There is complex character engagement and you will feel you know each character personally and will be booing and cheering for the good and the bad. Forget sleep when you start reading this book because you will not be able to put it down!

WHEN YOU ARE MINE is another Michael Robotham classic thriller involving a protagonist with layers of work-family connections, all of whom alternate between friend and foe with the blink of an eye. If the protagonist seems oddly blind to this wavering amongst her kin and work colleagues, or strangely complicit through years of denial, well, that’s part of the story. I admit I found parts of the tale as frustrating as thrilling, but perhaps that is the tension necessary for the ending which is excellent. I received my copy from the publisher.

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham. Intense psychological thriller packed with corruption, collusion, cover-ups, a dysfunctional criminal family, and crooked politicians/cops. Then there is Phil with her naive, questionable and unrealistic choices. Favorite characters were the Uncles. Tempe and Phil are an odd pairing being “friends”. Entertaining read but does stretch one's credulity

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Very good story about Phil. a British police woman who also happens to be the daughter of a criminal. Phil befriends a woman who was abused by her (married) police boyfriend. But the crime and his alleged abuse of his wife is covered up by his fellow officers. Phil is suspended for continuing the investigation. Then worse things happen.

The characters, especially Phil and her fiance, Henry, were likeable and well-written. I would love to see them continue their story in a future book. The plot was a little slow at first, but once I reached about half-way I took the rest of the day off to finish it. It is a solid British police procedural with good insight into the psyche of a battered partner.

4 1/2 stars

When You Are Mine written by Michael Robotham is a very timely novel containing several “hot” topics — domestic abuse, family conflicts, the press, murder, unfaithful husbands and police brutality. The depiction of local police standing together to protect their own could be culled right from today’s headlines.

The novel is well written and replete with details of personal relationships and filled with a plethora of lies and deceit. The main characters may be a little less defined than expected; but, the reader is swept along by the pace of the story that it does not actually matter.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Shuster, Inc. (Scribner) for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of the novel.

This is my third [author, Michael Robotham novel. The other two I read were great!

Philomena “Phil’ McCarty has wanted to be a police officer with the elite Metropolitan Police since she was nine. It was a long hard struggle ~ due to her father’s reputation as a mobster but she is final there!!

Story starts when she and her partner PC Anisha Kohli are called by someone in an apartment reporting a disturbance that definitively sounds like domestic violence.
However, when they arrive at the apartment, Tempe Brown answered the door with blood on her dress, swollen eye, and a split lip but is unwilling to admit that she is being abused by the man who is there. He appears and physically attempts to throw out Phil when she stated they are taking Tempe to the hospital for what looks like a broken jaw. He announces that he is also a police officer and attacks her but her martial arts training comes in handy and she over powers him (which later is used against her).
She proceeds to do her job by arresting him for attacking an officer.

Phil soon finds out that DS Darren Goodall is a hero ~ won a medal for saving lives when he tackles a man with a knife who has killed and injured several people. When Phil handcuffed him he asked for his Police Federation rep ~ yep he is a member of the ‘good old boy’s culture’~ other police officials will protect him.
So Phil is the one who is threatened by Chief Superintendent Drysdale to back off.

Goodall is married and there no is doubt he is a very nasty person.

Tempe befriends Phil. Turns out they went to the same high school. Tempe leaves Goodall and wants Phil to teach her karate as she also wants to be able to protect herself. Since she left Goodall is homeless and Phil arrangements for Tempe to stay with her Mom in her spare room.
( I am sure I am not the only one yelling … “Nooooo!”)

As mention Phil’s dad is a well know mobster. He and her mother divorced many years ago and Phil refused to have anything to do with him.
He is turning sixty and his new wife is having a big birthday celebration and wants Phil and her finance Henry to attend. They do and her father nearly has a heart attack when he sees her. He tells her that he is ‘so proud’ that she is a police office and actually snuck in to her graduation ceremony.

Now things are getting bad for Phil with Darren Goodall’s threats ... so is it Dad that has her back or Tempe?


I love to read the author’s notes and/or acknowledgements. In this case Robotham states this was not an easy book for him to write.
Aww I get that! It kept me interested. I didn’t want to put it down.
However, there were times I had to stop and ask ~ what just happened?
Sometime would reread to digest the situation.
I can assure you I cannot wait for the next Michael Robotham] story!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Scribner for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 4, 2022.

“The worst type of stalker is a stalker who doesn’t realize she’s a stalker.”

3.75 stars

When You Are Mine is a psychological thriller about an obsession that leads to murder.

Philomena, aka Phil, McCarthy loves her job as a police constable. But when she becomes obsessed with a domestic violence case involving a celebrated police officer, she finds herself in danger of risking losing all that she loves.

Phil is the sole narrator. She makes for an interesting lead made even more interesting by her family history, but there were times when I wanted to slap some sense into her. Phil makes some stupid choices, some of which make no sense given her police training. She clearly doesn’t read psychological thrillers, or else she would have caught on to what was happening much earlier! But in the end, she did me proud.

This is a fast-paced, gripping read. Some parts were a little too ridiculous for me to buy, but others made up for it. I thought I knew where this was heading, but Robotham adds some surprising twists and turns.

When You Are Mine wasn’t my favorite Robotham, but I did find it highly entertaining. Despite my criticism, I couldn't put this down. Even though I found Phil frustrating, I did enjoy her character, and even more so, I loved the ending.

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

A stand alone psychological thriller featuring a female detective. This was dark and entertaining. The family dynamics added a layer of depth to the story that was very intriguing. The characters were interesting and I was riveted from the beginning! 4⭐️

An excellent tightly knit storyline which I enjoyed very much. A well portrayed protagonist who I routed for and several twists and turns which held my interest throughout the book. I was saď when it came to an end. Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book had me guessing until the very end! It had well developed characters. I found myself sympathetic to the main character. I can’t wait to buy this as a gift for people.

LOVED this book from start to finish! The characters, the storyline, the suspense – it was all great! There are dysfunctional families, domestic abuse, stalking, gangsters, and corrupt cops all in one book, with a love story thrown in there as well. This is the first book in a little while that actually had me planning ahead as to when I’d be able to pick it back up to continue reading. You could definitely say I was invested from the very beginning.

This is the story of a young police officer in London who is trying to overcome her father’s reputation as the head of a “criminal empire” and make an honest career for herself. It seemed like things were finally going her way until one day she is called to an apartment because a neighbor hears screaming next door. What she finds and the actions she then takes will change her life going forward. You’ll have to read it to find out what happens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced copy to read and review. Please note, the above are my own unbiased, personal opinions.

Philomena Mc Carthy is a police officer with the Metropolitan police force in London. She Responds to a domestic violence call and feels the need to help Tempe Brown who is being abused by Darren Goodall. She gets Tempe medical help and gets her into a shelter. Tempe refuses to press charges because Darren is a decorated Scotland yard detective and is seen as a hero so laws seem to not apply to him. This isn't the first time he has gotten away with abuse and last time all evidence managed to disappear. Rightly so this infuriates Phil who tries desperately to get evidence against Goodall. This only angers him more and since he is part of the good old boy network things go his way. Phil looses her job and life quickly spirals out of control.

Tempe is now always around Phil claiming to be her new best friend. Henry is suspicious of her and tells Phil something is off about her. Phil just believes she is being nice for her helping her out. All her friends are trying to warn her away from Tempe but she doesn't listen.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy. (less)

Philomena McCarthy, daughter of a highly successful mobster is a rebel and, against all odds, has made a career with the Metropolitan Police force in London. During a domestic violence check, she meets Tempe Brown, a woman who was a few years ahead of Phil in school. Unfortunately, the man who is violently abusive to Tempe is a married and well-regarded "hero" cop. Phil, already navigating the difficulties of being a woman on the force with ties to an organized crime family does not make friends at work when she goes after the abuser. Tempe and Phil become close as Tempe starts to help Phil prepare for her upcoming wedding and becomes increasingly involved in Phil's life. Phil's estranged father wants to reconnect. Her best friends do not like Tempe. Odd things start happening to Tempe that suggest stalking, harassment and more by the possessive ex-boyfriend, This is a well-written novel with an interesting array of not always obvious victims and villains. Admission: I had not previously read Robotham and am glad I found him through a Netgalley ARC. It is obvious from reviews of his of his other work that he will become a go to author for me in the psychological thriller genre.

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham is a highly recommended crime/psychological thriller.

Philomena (Phil) McCarthy, a police office in London, and her partner respond to a domestic violence call. The victim, Tempe Brown, has clearly been assaulted. The abuser is Darren Goodall, a married man named and a decorated Scotland Yard detective, and he makes it clear that he is above the law and can't be touched. When Goodall tries to assault Phil, she stops him, cuffs him, and puts him under arrest, however his allies at the station make the case disappear and turn it against Phil. Phil, however, has had to overcome other challenges in her personal life and decides to continue to look into Goodall. She finds evidence he has been abusing his wife too and begins to investigate this.

At the same time, Tempe begins to insert herself into Phil's personal life, much to the chagrin of Henry, her fiancée. After finding her safe places to stay, it seems that Tempe is there at every turn, always running into Phil and wanting to help her, while Goodall is beginning to threaten her. Complicating matters further is Phil's background. She is the daughter of Edward McCarthy, a mobster and leader of a criminal empire he built with his brothers. Although she has distanced herself from him, his 60th birthday is approaching and she may attend the party and ask him for some help.

Phil is a fully realized, complex character and an engaging protagonist. You will want the best for her, although you may question her instincts and judgment several times in the novel. She should have noticed and could have curtailed Tempe's needy and clinging insertion into her life sooner. Tempe's behavior would have raised alarms for most people right away, but it does serve to further complicate the intricate plot and keep the tension high.

This is an extremely well written, perfectly paced, and wonderfully intricate puzzle of a thriller. There are so many pieces presented and questions that will arise concerning Phil's investigations, Tempe's actions, Phil's family, Goodall and his cronies, and corrupt behavior that seems to have infiltrated the police. The suspense and tension keep building on all levels. Once the novel starts the quick pace doesn't let up until the end and will keep you entrenched in the narrative. When You Are Mine is emotionally engaging, suspenseful, and compelling throughout.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Mystery and intrigue...realistic characters...a quick read...readers who enjoy mystery...murder...mayhem...will enjoy this book. This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley.

This standalone psychological thriller was the perfect introduction for me to Michael Robotham's writing.

Plot: Philomenia 'Phil' McCarthy and her partner with London's Metropolitan police answer a call of domestic disturbance. The woman who answers their knock denies anything has happened but they can see she has been badly beaten. A man steps from behind the door and tries to prevent them from entering the apartment. When he becomes enraged and strikes out at Phil, she takes him down and arrests him. It turns out he's Detective Sergeant Darren Goodall, a decorated officer, a hero in fact, and it's his word against Phil's. She finds herself in trouble as 'the good-ol'-boy' network closes in around the case, protecting one of their own.

Phil helps the abused woman, who is named Tempe Brown, seek medical help and find a safe place to live and soon they are developing a friendship. Phil is determined to prove Goodall is an abuser and digs more into his life.

Domestic violence to women is a big theme of the story of course but Robotham also delves into the boundaries of friendship. Can a friendship become too close, become overly possessive?

Tense psychological drama drives this story with characters who are multi-layered. There's a nice twist ending that I did not see coming but is quite believable. It's always nice to discover 'a new to me' author; I will look forward to reading more of his books. Many thanks to a new Goodreads friend for suggesting the author and particularly this book. I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

A domestic violence call spins Phil's carefully constructed career as a police officer and her life into a vortex. Darren Goodall has abused his mistress Tempe, who, as it turns out, is an old school acquaintance. But Goodall has power- he's a cop too and part of a fraternity so when Phil decides to do more investigating and approaches his wife Alison, he starts deeper into revenge. Then there's Tempe. She's got some, ahem, issues, that will slowly become more apparent. A fascinating character of a type we've seen before but Robotham manages to keep you guessing. And what about Henry, Phil's fiance, and her father Edward, a gangster she's been estranged from? I gotta admit- Phil's uncles are terrific. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. There's a lot going on but it works. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a real page turner (really, it is) and a great read.

3.5 stars

For me, this was just an ok psychological thriller. I thought it started out really well, but the ending was less climactic than I had hoped.

Philomena seemed like a pretty honest and ambitious police officer. When she went out on a domestic abuse call, she was surprised to find that the victim, Tempe, was protecting her abuser who also happened to be a highly regarded detective. Philomena was determined to protect Tempe, but as a result, she became entangled with someone who wasn’t quite who she appeared to be. It didn’t take long for her career, her impending marriage, and her relationship with her estranged father to become involved as the situation escalated.

Secrets, corruption, and murder are at the forefront of this story, and while the ending was quite surprising, I found that it fizzled out too quickly. I wasn’t really fond of Philomena’s character either, which made it difficult to enjoy the story overall.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4368819825