Cyrus Haven and his housemate, Evie Cormac, are enjoying a day at the beach when they witness a distressing sight. The bodies of migrants are washed ashore, and the sole survivor tells of their boat being deliberately rammed by another. Evie is deeply affected by the sight and becomes catatonic due to reminders of her own past. As Cyrus helps the police investigation, the pair uncover more about Evie’s life.

Storm Child from Michael Robotham is the fourth book in the gripping Cyrus Haven series. The series focuses on the relationship between Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, and Evie Cormac, a young woman he has worked with to help her overcome the trauma of abuse. In the previous books, we discovered that as a child Evie was trafficked to the UK, a journey on which her mother and older sister died. Once in the UK Evie was tortured and sexually abused. When she was eventually rescued Evie couldn’t settle in foster care, her rebellious nature resulted in her being placed in a secure facility where she met Cyrus. As a psychologist, Cyrus was asked to try and help Evie. A strong bond was formed between the pair, with Cyrus becoming Evie’s guardian, giving her the opportunity to leave the secure facility and begin to heal. Cyrus has his own traumatic past and it is this past that has driven him to help others overcome their trauma.

Evie is still living with her past trauma, there are parts of her experience she is still not prepared to talk about, even to Cyrus. The sight of the bodies on the beach has a devastating effect on her, bringing on a catatonic state. As she slowly recovers, she forms a bond with the only survivor of the migrant crossing, Arben, a teenage boy, who is desperate to know if his sister survived. With help from Evie and Cyrus the police discover that the boat the migrants were in was deliberately rammed by a trawler after it refused to turn back towards France. Was this a far-right group taking matters into their own hands, or something far more sinister? They learn of the legend of The Ferryman, the person who controls all Channel crossings. For years it has been assumed he was just a bogeyman, used to frighten off people considering the crossing, but now it looks as if he may be real.

As the investigation digs deeper, Evie’s memories begin to resurface, memories she has kept buried because they are so painful. The threat of these memories being disclosed means that both Cyrus and Evie’s lives are in jeopardy.

A bittersweet conclusion offers Evie, and the reader, some answers to her past. Those answers are another step along the way to giving Evie the normal life she so desperately craves but feels she doesn’t deserve.

This year marks 20 years of my all-time favourite author, Michael Robotham, and his latest psychological thriller, The Storm Child, shows exactly why Stephen King calls him "an absolute master." The newest instalment in the Evie Cormac and Cyrus Haven series is a thrilling conclusion, finally uncovering the secrets of Evie’s dark past, her family, and how she ended up in England.

The story begins with Cyrus and Evie on a beachside holiday, which takes a dark turn when bodies of asylum seekers start washing up on the shore after their boat overturns. This tragedy triggers Evie’s traumatic memories, and as Cyrus dives into the investigation, he discovers Evie’s unsettling connections to the people smugglers involved.

Michael Robotham’s brilliance lies in his nuanced, complex characters. Now in the fourth book of the series, Evie and Cyrus are so vividly real, they leap off the page. The plot is taut and smart, weaving through dark themes as it unravels Evie’s disturbing past. I was gripped from start to finish, unable to put the book down.

For thriller enthusiasts who haven’t yet delved into this author’s books, you need to. All is his books are a masterclass in suspense and character development including this new one. I eagerly anticipate more adventures with Cyrus and Evie, but even if their journey concludes here, I can't wait to see what Michael Robotham has in store for readers in the next 20 years.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrowngroup for an ARC of Storm Child for honest review.

I really enjoyed this book with Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac. Cyrus is a psychologist, teacher and guardian of Evie living in the same house.

Evie’s mystery childhood had followed her into her adulthood and she starts to recognise people from her past. Cyrus tries desperately hard to help and support her

Finally, Evie finds her past, with Cyrus’s help, and Police find the human traffickers associated. A fantastic read. Highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group

I have loved this series but I think this is the weakest book so far. Evie and Cyrus are working to uncover an organisation involved in human trafficking of refugees seeking asylum that they think were involved in Evie's forgotten past.

I think that a plot surrounding the danger that asylum seekers face should have carried more heart and emotion than I felt whilst reading it. I understood the decision to link Evie's backstory to this plot and whilst my favourite parts of the book were when Evie was remembering more of her childhood in Albania, I felt like the inclusion was a bit forced. I also found that the overall "mystery" plot line wasn't much of a mystery - instead of feeling gripped throughout as I have found Robotham's previous books, I found that the story was falling a bit flat for me.

The thing I love most about this series are the characters Evie and Cyrus and their relationship, however, this also fell flat for me in this book. Even though it seems they spend the most time together in the whole series, I felt like I was being told a lot of the time how each of them was feeling rather than being shown.

I'm also getting a bit tired of every book there being a new female character introduced to be Cyrus' love interest - it's starting to feel a bit predictable and I would much rather if one could stick around longer than one book (although I do like Florence in this book, no hate to her!).

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Storm Child by Michael Rowbotham is the fourth in the Cyrus Haven series and it is a stunning read, having read the other three books in this series, I was impressed with the way all of Evie’s earlier questions and recollections are dealt with in this book.
The storyline was haunting, with the tale of the migrants boat being rammed and people dying needlessly. It is all too familiar a picture in the summer months in the UK, when migrants end up washed up on beaches having drowned on their way here for a better life.
An impressive read of a fascinating series of damaged people.
Highly recommended

This is my first time of hearing of this author, and after reading this I quickly went over to the Kindle store to purchase the first book in this series.

This was written really well, with good pace and a solid plot.

Definitely look forward to reading more from Michael Robotham

This is the fourth in a series featuring psychologist Cyrus Haven and his former foster child, now friend and housemate, Evie. In this book we find out more about her traumatic past after she witnesses the bodies of migrant refugees being washed up on a beach after their small boat is sunk by a fishing trawler. When it becomes evident that this was no accident, Cyrus steps in to help with the police investigation, and it soon becomes clear that there is a connection to Evie who was herself an Albanian refugee. As with the previous novels, this is a hard-hitting crime story that racks up the tension, and offers humane insight into a very current issue. The developing relationship between Evie and Cyrus continues to be a joy-he is compassionate, ethical but not always cautious enough, she is a feisty, independent survivor of horrendous experiences, and somehow their unconventional partnership works. The psychological aspects of the narrative are also fascinating. A book that will grip from the start and packs a punch, but also offers empathy and heart.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! It was such a great read, kept me engaged the whole time! This book follows Cyrus and Evie on another adventure where we learn more about Evie and her past. Such a great story which sheds a light on some issues that are very relevant today. So happy to be reading Evie and Cyrus again
Thanks NetGalley!

I just love Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac.
This book is full on with a lot of action to it.
We get to learn more about evies past in this book.
One day a group of migrants wash up on the shores all are dead except for 1 a teenage boy where did they come from and why are they all dead what happened??
The ending of the book was brilliant.

Cyrus and Evie make a good team and I’ve enjoyed reading about their previous adventures and how they met when Cyrus was Evie’s psychologist.
In this book the focus is on Evie and particularly her background. She is gradually remembering what happened to her in her childhood and how she came to be in the UK although there are many blanks. When she witnesses the aftermath of a migrant boat sinking in the sea she is so traumatised that Cyrus rushes her to hospital.
Once she has recovered sufficiently she helps a teenage boy survivor , rescued from the ocean who is in the same hospital. She uses her long lost Albanian to find out how the boat came to sink and is appalled to discover it was deliberately rammed by another boat.
Cyrus and Evie decide to investigate but Evie is given some worrying news which she has to deal with in the course of the book.
Following the trail to Scotland and helped by Florence, a lawyer acting for a refugee charity, Cyrus drives them both up there as Evie recognises one of the men accused of sinking the boat and he comes from a fishing village north of the border. She cannot remember how she knows him but it is clear it has something to do with her past.
I really liked how this book looked into Evie’s background and was moved by the touching relationship between Cyrus and Evie as he tries to help her navigate what is happening.
There were some interesting twists, particularly one towards the end of the novel which almost brought a tear to my eye.
I can’t work out if this book is the last in the series, I sincerely hope it’s not as I thoroughly enjoy reading about these two wonderful characters.
I recommend “Storm Child” and although it is possible to read it as a standalone I would suggest reading the previous novels as they serve to set the scene as both characters have interesting back stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I enjoy Michael Robotham's books, and this one was a ripper. This one goes into Evie's backstory, and is all about people smuggling. Lots of twists and turns, with an unlikely villain and a wonderful ending. The introduction of feisty Florence was great, and hopefully she appears in any future books featuring Cyrus and Evie. The arguments about refugees and asylum seekers seem to be the same around the world, a truly sad situation that some people are exploiting. All in all, an engrossing read that I devoured in quick time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cyrus and Evie are at the beach when a host of dead bodies wash up. They turn out to be refugees seeking asylum in the UK. Evie is in the hospital after having a sort of mental breakdown at seeing the dead bodies. While she is in the hospital, a lone survivor that is eventually found is brought into the hospital. He is Albanian and Evie is able to communicate with him because she was originally from Albania. He says that their boat was hit by another boat and drowning all of the refugees was intentional. Cyrus and Evie wind up investigating the situation.

This was another good one in this series. We wound up getting a lot more info on Evie's background. I found the topic of trafficking and immigration in the UK to be interesting. I really like both Cyrus and Evie. I look forward to reading more of this series.

I’ve loved this series of books. Each one is very different but links together through the main characters. This book is all about how the main character got to be where she is today. It’s very cleverly written, with lots of twists and turns along the way.
The sweet surprise near the end was so welcome- a little ray of sunshine in a very traumatic and stressful life.

I was very much looking forward to reading this, having read the previous 3 books in the series, and many of Michael Robotham's other works. It dealt with the issue of human trafficking very well, but I just felt that the plot was thin in places with some very coincidental leaps, which left me feeling rather frustrated and disbelieving. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

The fourth instalment of the Evie and Cyrus chronicles is the best of the lot, and all are compelling. If you are new to this series it is well worth starting with book 1, Good Girl, Bad Girl and continuing along in order. The plot here, unsurprisingly is excellent and the character development intriguing- more in this 4th book than in previous editions and yet there is scope for that byline to develop over plenty more books. FYI, Subject matter here is confronting, with kidnapping, sex trafficking, rape, paedophilia, repressed memories, murder and plenty more covered, but many of the references are oblique. If you feel like you can cope with the above and you are a fan of crime thrillers, this one is of the highest order.

This is a tender thriller with two characters, each haunted by their past, and united by their care and pain.
The book touches upon important topics such as human smuggling.

The tone and the pacing are perfect. The plot is where it was 4 stars for me. If you have read the other instalments in this series, you may enjoy this book a bit more, however it is great to read as a stand alone book.

The complexity of Evie and Cyrus and the craft of the writer are top notch.

Part of me wishes it was part of a series before starting so I was slightly confused at first but I kinda got the gist. I was well written and my own fault for not knowing it was part of a series.

A young adult , suffering amnesia for more than ten years, as her method for dealing with a childhood trauma. A psychologist, dealing with his own childhood traumas attempts to use his professional training to assist her in regaining her memories in a safe way. A friendship evolves that leads to an ordinary day out at the coast and culminates in the two friends viewing the sinking of a boat with multiple fatalities . This traumatic experience leads to a complex storyline in which the perpetrators of people smuggling is explored and exposed as the new age form of profitable business, corruption and slavery. Our two protagonists find themselves not only investigating and following the trail of the criminals and profiteering from people trafficking gangs but also exposing the trail leading to the decade old mystery of who is and what happened to that young child many years ago in an effort to regain her long lost memories. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Hmmm, I was so excited to read the next instalment of Evie and Cyrus, but felt let down by this plot. Obviously there was a need to reference refugees and asylum seekers at this was central to the plot and unearthing Evie’s hidden past. However this subject felt over emphasised and raw opinions making it an uncomfortable read. Evie’s edge seemed tamed and not as gritty as usual. Plus all the various characters in Scotland became a bit muddled. But at least it came to a conclusion, not sure if this is the end of the Evie and Cyrus saga, hopefully the next instalment will be in the same league as books 1-3. It would be beneficial to read this series in order to appreciate their relationship and Evie’s nature.

I’ve read two of the earlier books in this series so was familiar with the central characters, Cyrus and Evie. There’s sufficient backstory in this volume for it to work well as a stand alone. I think they’re both strong and plausible characters. Evie, in particular has really developed since she was first introduced and her demons are set to haunt in this tale. The setting is right on the money given the daily tragedies reported about refugee deaths as they attempt to enter the UK by water, illegally. There’s a genuine human interest aspect to the plot and much food for thought.

Michael Robotham is a master storyteller and I find it very easy to get lost in his books. This one takes the character development of Cyrus and Evie further forward, but the plotting I found relevant and at times quite emotive. It’s all about the human predicament without being preachy. For me, this is a winner. Great pace and I finished it in a couple of sittings.