The devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for........

And nobody knows that better than PC Philomena "Phil" McCarthy of the London Metropolitan Police. She comes in contact with the dark-souled ones every day of the week in order to keep crime off the streets of London. They even reside within her own family with her father and her uncles wrapped up in the cloak of corruption: money laundering, extortion, racketeering, theft, and much much worse. Phil fought long and hard to get into the police force with the weight of her family dynamics much like the pressure of a heel on her career.

She'll be visited upon by the likes of another deep dark entity when she answers the call of a domestic disturbance. Seemed like a routine call at the time. Nothing is routine anymore. Tempe Brown, a young woman in her twenties, answers the door with a damaged face. Tempe denies that anything is out of the ordinary. But Phil presses on and finds Darren Goodall standing in the background denying all and everything. Turns out Goodall is a detective sargeant of Scotland Yard decorated in the past for his valor. Phil cuffs him for trying to attack her as well. And it's a living, breathing nightmare that has been set loose for Phil from here on out.

Philomena has stepped into the dog doodoo of life. No matter how you try to scrape it away, the smell permeates everything around you. Particles cling and stay. There's a brotherhood here in defense of the sacred Goodall. Phil is a marked woman from the onset because of her family connections, but now she's up against those who want to roadblock her for outing the behavior of Goodall. He's loosely married and an abuser at home as well. Phil has latched on to this case and she's not letting go anytime soon. Until it starts affecting her personal life......

Phil forms a friendship with the abused Tempe. Tempe assists Phil with her upcoming wedding plans with Henry. But there's something in this newly formed friendship that is making Phil feel uneasy. And it's here that our Phil begins to make some off-the-wall decisions. (Please note: I'm not with Robotham in how he keeps allowing the solid Phil to sink deeper and deeper into this wacko quagmire. Big eye roll here) Nevertheless, When You Are Mine is a worthy read that screams that there just might be a series rolling out after this one. But, Robotham, stencil in a stronger spine for our Philomena from here on out. Now you can sound the applause.........

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to the talented Michael Robotham for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of When You Are Mine.

I'm a fan of the author's Joseph O'Loughlin series so I was excited when my request was approved.

Philomena McCarthy is a young dedicated police officer with the Met, hoping to distinguish herself from her tainted family history, including her criminal father, the UK version of Kingpin.

When she becomes intimately involved with the mistress of a wife beating, corrupt police officer name Darren Goodall, Philomen is drawn into an intricate web of lies and obsession. Then, Darren is found dead and Philomena is implicated as the murderer; now, she realizes she may need her father's help, much to her dismay.

As always, the writing is great, and I expect nothing less from the author; the tone and style flows and is a comfortable read.

I didn't like Philomena as much as I had hoped. She's obviously smart and trying to prove herself that she's nothing like her dad and uncles, but as a police officer, she makes a lot of dumb decisions.

It takes her one too many pages to realize she's being manipulated by Tempe, the abused woman she strives to save.

There are a few scenarios which require a serious moment of disbelief including the subplot of Tempe's past and when her doctor comes to town. That suddenly resolve itself on the side and nothing more is mentioned of Tempe's disturbed past.

The narrative felt a bit long-winded since there's a lot going on; Philomena and Tempe's growing friendship, Tempe's past, Philomena trying to save Darren's abused wife, investigating Darren's past relationships, Philomena's tense relationship with her dad.

I did like the ending though the HEA between Philomena and her fiance felt a bit pat.

This is an excellent psychological and crime thriller…the reader is immediately drawn into the story, and the main character Philomena “Phil” is relatable and interestingly complicated, There are good many unexpected twists throughout and the ending is satisfying. Well-paced for the most part although there did seem to be a few tangents that I think were meant to add to character development, but felt unnecessary to me at times; and there were a couple of pieces of the plot that felt a bit unbelievable to me. I am fan of this author after having read The Secrets She Keeps and Cyrus Haven, and this newest novel does not disappoint!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Scribner
and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Fantastic protagonist in Philomena McCarthy. Michael Robotham knocked me off my toes with this winner.

I am constantly impressed with how wonderful Robotham is at writing suspenseful thriller drama... his books never fail to entertain. This was, admittedly, not my very favorite - but it was still a marvelous character study, even if the characters were often people I struggled to understand and relate to. I have a hard time reading stories about the abuse of women and children, and there is plenty of that here. The misuse of power is another topic I generally tend to find overly infuriating and to create a visceral reaction that often makes novels using it as a plot device difficult for me. Yet despite these things, I could rarely put this one down...

It's definitely due to Robotham's skill as a storyteller. That made all the difference in this one for me. In less talented hands, this could have felt overly dramatic or heartstring-tugging - instead what he delivered was a taut exploration of the role of women in modern society (even if that isn't what he intended to write) packaged in a cop story.

If you're not familiar with his work you really should be. This is not necessarily the place where I would tell you to start - for me, that would definitely be the Cyrus Haven novels - but if it is the first book of his you stumbled across, it's still worth the read... Once you start entering his worlds, you won't want to stop!

I have read close to a dozen books by Michael Robotham, and have enjoyed many of them (particularly the Joseph O’Loughlin series), so I was happy to receive a copy of When You Are Mine from Scribner and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The female protagonist in this psychological thriller is an officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. Philomena (“Phil”) McCarthy is called out on a domestic violence situation where she meets a woman named Tempe Brown, who is a victim of her married boyfriend — who happens to be a detective with Scotland Yard. As she tries to get Tempe to safety and to ensure there are consequences for the creepy boyfriend, she meets resistance from police, who are unlikely to take the word of a woman who isn’t totally reliable. In addition, Phil has a family that isn’t going to win any friends on the police: her father and uncles run a criminal enterprise, and Phil has tried NOT to be affiliated with them or their “business” as she pursues her career goals in law enforcement.

As usual, Robotham is incredibly good at creating characters we feel like we KNOW, particularly Phil. There are complex situations and relationships as Phil explores the case involving Tempe Brown, wrestles with her conflicted feelings about her family (especially her father), and moves ahead with her plans to marry her boyfriend Henry. The plot is strong, and I came away hoping for more stories about Phil, her family, and her career. Stephen King calls Robotham “an absolute master,” and I’m inclined to agree on this one. Five stars.

4 Stars!!

After responding to a domestic violence call, police officer, Philomena McCarthy becomes entangled in a case that will forever change her life. The accused abuser is a fellow police officer who is highly decorated in the field. Philomena (Phil) befriends the alleged victim, Tempe and works to keep her and others safe from Officer Darren Goodall. Pursuing the case against officer Goodall may put Phil , her career, and everyone she cares about in jeopardy. Things are even more complicated by Phil’s criminal father and Phil’s attempt to distance herself from his shadow.
Michael Robotham is fast becoming one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. When You Are Mine is engaging, well written and perfectly paced. The story unfolds with twists that you may see coming and others that will catch you off guard. I was invested in the story from page 1 and didn’t want to put the book down until the end. The author did well with portraying the cycle of domestic violence and the ins and outs of working through the justice system. Diving into the protect our own culture within the police and justice system. The characters are well developed, complex and flawed. This book is perfect for those that love a good police procedural novel with twists and turns along the way.

Thank you to the publisher, Scribner and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Constable Philomena McCarthy has it all: a devoted fiance, a promising career, a loving mother, a gangster father, and a new friend with a closet full of secrets that threaten everything Philomena holds dear.

I quite enjoyed the novel and found myself wishing Eddie was my dad or that I was married to one of his brothers.

I was disappointed and frustrated by many of Phil's decisions, which were impetuous and irresponsible. However, I kept reminding myself that she is young, naive, not jaded, and quite idealistic. She has put the police force on a pedestal because of an incident that happened when she was young and made an almost indelible impression on her. She becomes somewhat of a Don Quixote.

I would have liked an epilogue that detailed the investigation of the MDM brotherhood once the newspaper broke the story utilizing the memory card Phil received.

Being a Robotham fan, I expected nothing less than a great book and that's what I got.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve only read one other book by Mr. Robotham & loved it. This book was good, but not great. However, I will recommend it once it’s released. Loved the ending.

I am a huge fan of Michael Robotham's Joseph O'Loughlin series so when I saw he had this standalone I was excited to read this. I really tried hard to like the main character, Philomena, but I just couldn't. She definitely started off as a character that I felt like I could like but then fast became someone I ended up yelling at and baffled at the decisions she was making. Her quest for justice for victims of domestic abuse was admirable however all of her issues in this book ended up being because of her lack of good judgment. She couldn't see what was right in front of her and that did not feel believable to me. This was not my favorite by Michael Robotham but I am curious to see what he puts out next. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - and what a book this is!
Phil, a police woman answers a domestic call and finds Goodall a decorated detective with Tempe who he is having an affair with. He is married and also abuses his wife but Phil finds out how hard it is to put together a case against the detective when all the boys stand together. And as she struggles to put the case together she becomes too close to Tempe. Suddenly Tempe knows her every move, and etc....Phil decides she must find out more about Tempe and what she finds is lies. And then a murder which Phil is accused of. Will she be convicted? How can she get to the bottom of this? You won't want to miss this book

This being my first by Michael Robotham, I was very pleased. Philomena McCarthy is a fabulous, real character, and while I didn't understand some of the choices she made, I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her dedication to the police force (Robotham ties it back to an incident from her childhood) and her family history (her father is probably a mobster). One nit I might have is her inability to see what Tempe was doing; it didn't make sense as Phil is not lacking in friends or a support system (her uncles are terrific and add some comedic flavor), but perhaps having someone so completely dedicated to her was hard to see past. And the Tempe thing - yikes - talk about relentless! We are given the impression that while not everything ended on a high note, Phil learned SO much about the people in her life, and came to understand a little more about loyalty. Hopefully, we'll be treated to her future endeavors in another novel (private eye, anyone?). Very well done, adding Robotham to my list of favorite authors!

P.S. Thanks to Netgalley and Edelweiss for the ARCs. Very much appreciated.

This was my first novel by Robotham and I really enjoyed it! Funnily enough, my favorite thing about the book ended up serving as the basis of my least favorite thing about it. Multiple people addressed this and stated that there seemed two be two main plots going on at once. To me, this mirrors real life more closely. The fact that Phil is dealing with Goodall and also has this mob family lingering in the background is more akin to an actual real life scenario than what I think most authors try to accomplish by isolating one single issue at a time. I think the characters were very well flushed out and while Phil seemed to be "naïve" at times, there were reasons for her being that way and I felt satisfied enough. I think her relationship with Tempe was very well done and relatable at times for me and friends I have made along the way.

I will for sure be reading more from Robotham. The craft of building suspense and delivering was A+!

Another fantastic book by the author.He writes characters so well they come alive the storyline drew me right in till the last page and the ending that shocked me.Will be recommending #netgalley#scribner

A really fantastic, exciting yarn, and I love the surprise ending. A perfect read, and entertaining in every way, and as psychologically astute as always. Will joyfully recommend

Explosive, thrilling and compelling! Do estic abuse between a wife and a cop, drugs, a women losing her touch with reality make for an exciting thriller not to be missed. Superbly written!

The author’s latest standalone is a claustrophobic chiller that kept me reading compulsively to the last page.

From the start, it is evident that Philomena (Phil) McCarthy, a young London police officer, has the deck stacked against her. She doesn’t want her coworkers to know that her father is a former crime lord who has never served time in prison. He is now ostensibly running a legal business, but Phil has decidedly mixed feelings about him.

When Phil answers a domestic abuse call with her partner, they find a woman who has clearly been beaten but won’t press charges. And when Phil tries to help both the assailant’s wife and his mistress escape from his abuse, she learns that he is a popular police officer himself—hailed as an untouchable hero who courageously saved several potential victims and was wounded in the process.

As Phil tries to do the right thing, while at the same time planning her own wedding, she is thwarted at every turn and begins to wonder who can be trusted and whether she can possibly keep her life from being irretrievably turned upside down . . . or worse.

Robotham is truly a seasoned master of suspense. I was drawn into Phil’s feelings of helplessness and outrage and suffered along with her, and I needed the release that came at the end of the story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I received my copy of Michael Robotham's latest book, I immediately put it at the top of my TBR pile which was an excellent decision!

Phil (Philomena) McCarthy is a young police officer whose family are well known lifelong criminals. During a domestic violence call, Phil arrests a decorated detective. The police all back the abuser and make life hard for Phil. Meanwhile, Phil and the victim, Tempe, become close but Phil's life starts to unravel.

The book was fantastic and I plowed through it. Great characters, fast paced--it's a must read.

A true must read!! Michael Robotham is an absolute master a writing mystery/thrillers and his latest book When You Are Mine is the perfect example of that! I adore novels that have me creating conspiracy theories only to find out I was completely wrong— I’m not too proud to say that all of my theories proved to be real wrong lol! Michael Robotham does a fantastic job with writing this storyline like an intricate web—so careful and well-planned out! I was so completely captivated by this 5 star novel that I completely forgot about the real world—love that!! When You Are Mine comes out at the very beginning of 2022, but I promise it will be one of my favorite thrillers of the entire year! If you haven’t read Michael Robotham yet, you need to remedy that ASAP!! I highly recommend this gem!

More readers need to know about Michael Robotham and I love to recommend his books to patrons at the library. "When You Are Mine" will be one that I can't wait to hand to EVERY single patron that comes looking for the new suspense book of the season.

Phil is a young cop in London trying to outrun her family ties. She unwittingly crosses paths with another cop when answering a domestic assault call. Also during the call, she befriends the victim, Tempe. Becoming friends with Tempe seems like a wonderful addition to her life as she plans her wedding. Tempe understands her horrific run ins with her former lover when no one else seems to believe her. But when things start getting out of hand, people start blaming Phil for everything that goes wrong.