I love Michael Robotham. He knows how to tell a thriller story! If you’ve read any of his books you will also love this one. Philomena is a detective who chasing one disturbance after another. Her dad had a big empire and she may have to check into his activities.

This is an enjoyable thriller.

I have to admit that it took me a little bit to enjoy reading Philomena. I sort of wanted her to embrace her gangster-blood and I lost patience with her when it came to how she dealt with her fellow police. I also thought her reactions to Tempe were way too naïve for a woman who really had the experience to know better.

However, I definitely enjoyed the story and was surprised by a lot of what happened!

This was a good read and I’d definitely read the author again.

*ARC via Publisher

I absolutely HAD to squeeze in one last thriller for the month of November. As I'm sure you all know we had the "netgalley November" challenge going on among our little bookstagram community. I ended the month with 32 netgalley reads for the month and ended on a high note with my favorite author, Michael Robotham!

I think Michael Robotham's books go without saying that they will always be FIVE star reads.

If you are looking for a book that will blow your mind, look no further. This book is jam packed with edge of your seat suspense. Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down. The character development was on point and created very complex people that you really felt like you knew them in real life.

I am typically not into police procedural books but given this was one of my favorite authors I had to give it a whirl. I can tell you without one doubt that it was worth it! I absolutely loved this book!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of WHEN YOU ARE MINE.

This novel started off with a great hook that reeled me in. The tension mounted as the protagonist, Constable Philomena faces several serious challenges. She arrests colleague Darren Goodall, a decorated police officer, as he is caught abusing his mistress. Then Phil becomes emotionally involved with the abused mistress. After that, she becomes emotionally involved with Goodall’s wife, who is also a victim of marital abuse. Phil is estranged from her gangster father but reconcile on his 60th birthday. There is a lot of tension building as these threads are tossed up and around and juggled. However, the juggling of all these characters could be interesting, but for some marked problems.

Phil’s motives aren’t clear in relation to befriending Tempe, the abused mistress. Their relationship is unbelievable. The characterization of Tempe is unbelievable. The same goes for Goodall’s wife. Phil keeps putting herself in dangerous predicaments; at first that built tension. However, it became clear that it demonstrated her lack of intelligence. Her character is not authentic because no police officer would self destruct in such a manner. Tempe’s character is credible, but too much time is spent on her mental illness and the psychiatrist who visits. Nothing is mentioned again of this encounter with the psychiatrist, so what’s the point in introducing it?

Even though Phil’s actions were stupid and or unbelievable, I still thought the tension and suspense was great. Until the last 20% of the book. The ending was rushed. The narrative becomes disjointed. There are many, many holes. As Phil is being chauffeured to her wedding venue, a victim’s mother comes from out-of-the-blue knocking on Phil’s car window to thank her; as she continues to drive to her wedding, she makes a detour to Nathan Goodall’s school to confront Mrs. Goodall. Then nothing. Nothing about the wedding. What happened? Disjointed indeed.

The ending has an interesting twist but it, too, has holes. How does a petite woman handcuff a domineering man? Unrealistic.

The characters started off to be intriguing. None of the characters were
likable. The storyline lost intrigue when scenarios loss realism.

Disappointing.

I haven't read a book by Robotham before, but when I saw a blurb by Stephen King, it moved to the top of my list (that and the fact that 2021 books are leaving me in such a slump, I decided to start on my 2022 ARCs). This book tackles some heavy topics (domestic violence, mysogyny, and stalking/obsession), and I mostly enjoyed it. Philomena is a strong protagonist; however, for her overall intelligence, she was quite naive and annoying when it came to her "friendship" with Tempe. This was a quick read and I was interested throughout...add it to your list if you're looking for a page-turning thriller to get lost in!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This thriller seems like sort of a normal life at the beginning. Phil (short for Philomena) is engaged to Henry, they are both hard-working public servants, she a police officer and he a fireman. Things start to go sideways when Phil goes on a call to help a woman who is being abused by her lover. Phil has to use her karate to keep him under control and cuff him. She arrests him for attacking her as well as the woman who is named Tempe.
As it happens, Tempe's lover is a decorated police officer and married. He did not take kindly to the fact that a tiny woman like Phil could put him down so quickly, nor does he appreciate her arresting him. He becomes a large problem in Phil's life. Tempe is so grateful, she and Phil become close friends very quickly.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and the action moves quickly. This is a book that caused me "book hangover" at work for a few days, which is ok because I finished it quickly. Truly a pageturner and impossible to put down.

3.5 stars. I love Michael Robotham's books, especially the Cyrus Haven books. This standalone novel has a lot going on, including a strong female lead in police officer Philomena McCarthy, but there might be a bit too much going on. There are three or four storylines swirling around Phil and I think the novel would have been better if things were streamlined a bit more. But the parallels between Phil helping domestic violence victims and the situation she finds herself in were interesting. It's a shame this is a standalone, because I would actually like to read more about Phil's family and her future as a police officer.

What a gripping read! I couldn’t put this book down even though I read it on vacation and it took me forever since I was only reading a little bit each evening. When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham needs a place on your To-Be-Read list immediately.

The writing style, setting, pace, and characters come together perfectly in this serious suspense.

Take a look:

Philomena McCarthy is a young, ambitious police office with the elite Metropolitan Police in London. 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, a decorated Scotland Yard detective afraid of no one. As Philomena pursues the case against him, she not only encounters resistance from her police force colleagues but also becomes dangerously entangled with the victim—who is not at all whom she appears to be—much to the increasing endangerment of herself and Henry, her fiancée.

Complicating matters is Philomena’s estranged father Edward McCarthy, a powerful man who has built a criminal empire along with his brothers. Philomena has long tried to pursue her career as a police officer without her father’s involvement, but as she falls under suspicion of stalking and harassing Goodall, her father becomes involved.

As the situation escalates, Tempe’s sinister maneuvers further entangle Philomena in a web of secrets, corruption, and murder, putting Philomena’s impending marriage, career, and very survival in jeopardy…​

I can usually figure things out in books but this kept me guessing! I’m a big fan of this author’s work, if you haven’t read anything by him, I highly recommend reading one of his previous works.

3.5 stars rounded up. Philomena “Phil” McCarthy is a police officer in good standing. She’s also the daughter of an infamous monster. Her father’s reputation is a closely guarded secret to protect hers. She responds to a domestic violence call between a detective and his girlfriend. Phil befriends the girlfriend, Tempe, and Tempe quickly becomes entwined into Phil’s life. How involved is too involved? What are Tempe’s intentions? Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to the ARC got “When you are mine” by Michael Robotham. It is not a Dr. Joe Loughlin mystery, but a stand alone with DC Philomena McCarthy investigating a crime of domestic violence. This is an excellent thriller and I love this character.

Good story of a female officer determined to be the opposite of her father' whose mob like reputation makes it all the more difficult for her to fit in with those who have seen what her father is capable of doing.

Philomena is about to marry Henrywho has not yet met her family. She has been estranged from her dad until now, the eve of his 60th birthday. Reluctant to attend, she changes her tune after being called to a domestic violence sounding situation. The victim is involved with another officer who has a lot more clout than she does and takes offence to his being arrested by Phil. His connections come down hard on her and she's told to back off.

Sometimes Phil makes good choices and sometimes not so good. Refusing to listen to the warnings, she keeps looking into it and gets herself in ever deeper. More info than that will give away too much so I will stop there.

The story explores violence in relationships and the good old boys network of helping fellow officers if they are part of the group. Both are issues in the news often and both are issues that need some work; Phil is doing her part to try to change that. Another issue that played a role in the story is that of obsessive people and their actions and how it can be hard to spot. Some of her bad choices make things worse and I wanted to stop her from going down the wrong path, but then how much of a story would it be?

I always like books by this author and this one was every bit as good as his older ones. He is on my must read list. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

3.5*
Keep your friend’s close….

Philomena McCarthy is a young woman who’s fought an up-hill battle to become a police constable. Made even more difficult given her family history of doing business on the other side of the law. But not Phil! She takes things seriously. Even going up against one of her own police officers.

A domestic dispute sends Phil and her partner to the scene. While attempting to subdue the offender she inadvertently sets off a series of events that could cost her everything. Her career, her marriage, maybe even her freedom.

It just so happens the offender is a high-ranking police officer who has sworn vengeance. But Phil is determined to protect Tempe, the victim. Eventually, she ingrains herself into Phil’s life, becoming her new bestie.

But maybe there is more to Phil’s new best friend.

I enjoyed Phil’s character. She overcame a lot and blasted her way onto the police force against all odds. But then I found her making quite a few questionable decisions. But sometimes for these thrillers to work… you just have to go with it!

This is a stand-alone from one of my go to authors. Though not one of my favorite, I still enjoyed and devoured it in only a few sittings. Already looking forward to his next.

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner

Michael Robotham’s books never disappoint. This is full of complex characters and deals with the intricacies of familial relationships. There were times when I wanted to strangle the protagonist for the seemingly stupid situations she got herself into. She definitely was tenacious and when she made up her mind to do something, she did it. There were several shocking plot twists. The ending pulled everything together and was very satisfying. Another winner from Robotham.

One of Robothams best! Awesome domestic thriller. Phill is a female police officer trying to do the best she can considering her fathers criminal legacy. When she goes on a domestic abuse call that involves a fellow police officer who has friends in the highest positions on the force, she makes many enemies. When Phill discovers the extent of this officers abusive ways she sets out to help the victims, unknowingly putting herself in the path of a mentally unstable woman. Plenty of twists and turns make this novel impossible to put down. Highly recommend.

I'm a huge Robotham fan but this one wasn't for me. I was hoping for more suspense and twists but found it to drag on in areas that were not suspenseful. There was also a significant amount that was unbelievable with Phil's decision making skills. I'll continue to read Robotham for sure but not sure I can recommend this book to my friends.

Ooooooh kept me guessing. Left me wanting more. Plot was amazing and written so well. This has me wanting more. I hope to find similar books to this one

Robotham was one of the writers I discovered this year. He writes such a tight mystery it has you flying through the pages. I enjoyed this standalone novel following Phil , her family and a twisted friendship. Robotham can write women and that is a tricky thing sometimes for male authors. He caught the friendship between Phil and Tempe with just the right amount of caring, razor sharp envy and how these two emotions can overstep the boundaries,.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

Domestic violence by police officers has been done before, but Robotham uses it as a starting point and takes off from there.
Philomena McCarthy is a police constable. She’s also the estranged daughter of a criminal boss. When she takes a domestic violence call, the man in question ends up being a decorated DS. “I used to think my family had a Mafia mindset, using words like honor and loyalty, but the police are equally tribal.” The old boys’ club closes ranks against her.
Despite being a big fan of Robotham, I had some trouble with this book. The instant friendship between Phil and Tempe felt forced and unlikely, especially given how smart Phil supposedly was. I enjoyed the other relationships more - Phil’s reconnecting with her dad and uncles, her fiancé and her soon to be in-laws.
But despite my problem with the one relationship, I found this to be a fast paced mystery and I was dying of curiosity to see how it would play out. And I loved the end. For that reason, it still merits four stars.
My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

4.5 stars.

All in all, this was a solid psychological thriller with quite a few good twists! The story is well put together and the characters (especially Philomena & her criminal family) are well-rounded, which I really enjoyed. Another good Robotham read on the shelf. Already look forward to his next one!

Thank you to Scribner & NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author's other books featuring Cyrus Haven and Joe O'Loughlin and I think nearly every one I have rated as 4 or 5 stars. However, this one fell quite short of my hopes and expectations. I certainly appreciate the subject matter but I felt as if there were 3 stories going on at the same time involving domestic abuse, stalking and a family of criminals which somewhat came together at the end. Too often, I felt myself rolling my eyes and saying "Come on! Really?!".

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book and wish I had liked it more. I'm sure there are many other readers who will really enjoy When You Are Mine but I was disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance copy.