Michael Robotham has delivered another gripping, tension filled, shocking book and I enjoyed every page of The White Crow!! I love the character of Philomena McCarthy and how she has gone against her family of gangsters to be a police officer. If you read the first book in this series, When You Are Mine, you will be over the moon with addictive The White Crow! If you have not read the first book in the series, I highly recommend you do so. While this book will work nicely as a stand-alone novel, do yourself a favor and dive into the first book first, you will thank me.

While on patrol one evening, Philomena sees a barefoot young child covered in blood who informs Philomena that she cannot wake her mother. At the same time a London jeweler is discovered with a bomb strapped to his chest. As the investigation progresses, a recently married Philomena finds her career, her marriage and even her life in danger!

Woohoo! I was so excited to see that there was a new book featuring Philomena McCarthy. I love her brave, strong, vulnerable, intelligent, and caring character. Her husband is a wonderful character as well. Then there is her father and uncles who are notorious London gangsters. Whew! They make for some interesting and intriguing characters! I love how Philomena's character is often seen walking a tightrope if you will between her family and the law. Michael Robotham handles this brilliantly with having her always side with the law while showing the complexities of her life, her allegiances, her family and her values.

I enjoyed the mystery in this book. I also enjoyed the tension, the mounting danger, the growing suspense, and the sense of dread that sprang off the pages! Robotham has a knack for creating fully fleshed out characters that I grow to care about. He has me fully invested in them and when he puts them through the ringer it is like experiencing an emotional punch to the gut.

As with all his books, The White Crow was beautifully written, well thought out, perfectly paced, and gripping. If you have not read a book by Michael Robotham before, you are seriously missing out.

Will she put her trust in the law or her family?

PC Philomena McCarthy is an ambitious police office with the Metropolitan Police, newly married and working to juggle the demands of the job and her new home life. Her career is an unusual choice given that her family is the notorious East End gang the McCarthy Brothers, headed up by her father and his brothers. While on patrol late one night, she spies a young child in the street and stops the car to investigate just as there is a call over the radio for officers to respond to a major incident. Phil stays to look for the child while her partner responds to the emergency. She finds six year old Daisy, dressed in pajamas that have blood on the sleeves, who says she came outside because her mother wouldn't wake up. Phil returns the girl to her home and finds the mother Caitlin dead, tied to a chair in the kitchen. As she reports the situation, three miles away DCI Brendan Keegan is dealing with a jewelry store that has been robbed and its owner left behind with a bomb-laced vest on him. When it is discovered that the man in the jewelry store is Daisy's dad and the husband of the murdered woman, Phil finds herself involved indirectly in a high profile case, one that also has ties to her family (who are being pulled into a gang war). The murdered woman's husband, who was once an actor, comes under suspicion early on, but if the robbery and home invasion were staged for the insurance money why was Caitlin killed? Phil's career comes under fire because of her family's involvement in the case, her husband may be losing patience with her and her family, the rival gang is threatening the whole extended McCarthy clan if their demands aren't met...and somewhere Caitlin's killer may be getting away with murder.
The White Crow is a suspenseful thriller that features an assortment of fascinating and well-developed characters (first seen in When You Are Mine) with an intriguing plot. Phil is a great female protagonist, strong, stubborn and living with the conflict between her job in law enforcement and her family of gangsters, Said family...father Eddie and his brothers Daragh the enforcer, FInbar the mechanically inclined sibling, Clifton the technologically savvy one, Eddie's second wife Constance (a minor blue blood), and more... are engaging and frequently funny, but with a criminal streak a mile wide and completely comfortable with violence and flouting the law. As law enforcement tries to get to the bottom of what happened to Caitlin and the missing jewels from her family's store (including 11 million pounds worth of the McCarthys' uncut diamonds), Eddie and his crew are dealing with a significant threat to both their business enterprise and the family's health and well-being from a newly arrived gang that is as ruthless and amoral as they are (possibly more so) and are younger and hungrier to boot. The story is told from the perspective of several different characters, and the pace starts off strong and doesn't let up. There are plenty of plot twists and turns, more than a few of which as a seasoned reader of thrillers and police procedurals I suspected were coming, but for me the best part of the book was the array of characters (I have a fondness in particular for Daragh). Readers of Michael Connelly, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin should grab a copy of this book, as should anyone who enjoys strong female leads, moody London settings, and twisty police procedurals. My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Books for allowing me access to a copy of The White Crow in exchange for my honest review. Here's hoping that Phil and crew will be back in another adventure soon!

Oh. My. GOSH.

Clear your schedules because Michael Robotham is BACK, and just dropped a bomb (pun absolutely intended!) on us with The White Crow!

Seriously, how am I supposed to function after a book like this? I'm still reeling!

My Mind Is Officially Blown

You know how much I adore a gripping thriller, and Robotham has cemented his place as an absolute master with this one. We're back with the incredible Philomena McCarthy – a young London cop with a seriously complicated family tree (think notorious gangsters, yikes!). Right away, you're rooting for her because she's defying ALL the odds.

Then, BAM! It's night patrol, and Philomena finds a barefoot, blood-covered child who can't wake her mom. Simultaneously, three miles away, a jeweler has a bomb strapped to his chest and millions are GONE. My jaw was on the floor! These two seemingly separate events crash together in a way that threatens everything Philomena holds dear: her career, her new marriage, her life.

Why You NEED to Read This ASAP!

This book is a masterclass in unbearable suspense. Told in real-time from multiple points of view, The White Crow is a pulse-pounding, page-turning thrill ride. You'll be questioning everyone and everything right alongside Philomena as she tries to figure out who to trust – her notoriously shady family or her police colleagues. The line between right and wrong blurs so deliciously, and you'll be tearing through pages desperate to know which side she'll land on.

Michael Robotham is truly at the top of his game, delivering a twisty, high-stakes narrative that will leave you breathless.

If you're looking for a thriller that will consume your every waking thought and keep you guessing until the very last sentence, stop what you're doing and pick up The White Crow. You won't regret it!

I'm a fan. This is the return of Phlomena, law enforcement officer and daughter of Edward McCarthy, in a twisty thriller that starts when she spots a small girl in pajamas alongside the street. Daisy's mom is dead, tied to a chair in their home and her father is tied to a chair with a bomb strapped to his chest at his jewelry store. Who did the home invasion and robbery? And what did Edward and his brothers (who are terrific characters) have to do with it? Edward is being pressed by someone who wants to take over his real estate development and he's fighting back. Philomena has always been able to hide her relationship to her father, partly because they were estranged for years, but now it comes out to her higher ups, who suspend her because they think she's tied to the all of the crime. Not Philomena, who keeps searching for answers, partly because of young Daisy. This has many twists (no spoilers from me) and surprises right up to the end. It's got terrific pacing and tension but it's the characters that shine and make the plot come alive. And there are humorous spots even with the villains. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It should be fine as a standalone and if Phil is new to you you'll find that you, like me, are hopeful we will see her again. This is a terrific read.

Michael Robotham writes excellent thrillers and the second entry in the Philomena McCarthy series is no exception. Philomena is a police officer, but also the daughter of an old-school mob boss. Her two worlds collide when a jewelry store is robbed and one of the owners is killed. Can she prove her father is innocent while also saving her career? The character development in this second novel is great; I loved learning more about Philomena's husband Henry and her extended family. There are several twists at the end that will keep you guessing. Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Scribner for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Philomena “Phil” McCarthy is a twenty-nine-year-old police constable with the London Metropolitan Police. She is married to Henry, a firefighter. Until recently, she was estranged from her father and her two uncles, who are notorious gangsters now claiming to be property developers. When Phil rescues Daisy, a five-year-old girl she finds wandering the streets at night with blood on her nightgown, she becomes entangled in a case that involves a high-stakes jewelry heist and a murder. When some clues lead to her family, the situation gets complicated. Despite her commitment to the law, Phil's loyalties are challenged as the police suspect that she may be connected to the crimes.

Michael Robotham first introduced Philomena in When You Are Mine. I was pleased to see the author bring back this very likable, highly moral character in The White Crow. (You can easily read this book as a standalone.) Phil is not the only strong character. Henry is quite a fabulous husband, and it is impossible not to find some goodness in the McCarthy brothers. Dimitar Popov, head of a rival gang of Bulgarians, is one of the meanest villains I've come across in a while. If you enjoy smart crime thrillers, this is one to check out. It's a well-crafted nail-biter.

4.5 stars.

Thank you @ScribnerBooks #simonandschusterpartner #ScribnerInfluencer and Michael Robotham @michaelrobotham for the free book for review.
“The White Crow” (Philomena McCarthy #2) by Michael Robotham⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Psychological Thriller. Location: London, England. Time: Present.

THE SERIES: Philomena McCarthy’s father and uncles are the notorious gangsters Edward McCarthy and the McCarthy Brothers (Daragh, Finbar, and Clifton). Despite this, ambitious young Phil defies the odds to become a London police officer. After several years on the job, she’s loving her career, and happily married to firefighter Henry. Still, she knows there will inevitably come a time when her father’s interests and hers will collide.

THIS BOOK: On night patrol for Kentish Town station, Phil (now 29) finds barefoot, bloody 5-yr-old Daisy, who says she can’t wake her mother. Inside a ransacked jewelry store 3 miles away, Detective Brendan Keegan finds a London jeweler with a bomb strapped to his chest. Millions are missing. These 2 events threaten Phil’s career, marriage, and life. She must decide who she can trust-her family or her colleagues-and on what side of the law she wants to live.

Author Robotham has written a detective crime novel full of conflicting morals. He alternates multiple points of view: the law-abiding side of Phil and Keegan, the criminal side of Edward and his brothers, and the robbery victims’ side. Former investigative journalist Robotham makes me like the old-school, East End gangsters sometimes more than the morally-grey police characters! The many metaphors and similes are sometimes a bit off, but the overall writing quietly ramps up the unease to an intense, tension-filled ending. This is book 2 in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. It’s 4 stars from me👩🏼‍🦳#thewhitecrow #michalrobotham

I'm officially a Philomena McCarthy fan. I love Phil, her husband Henry, and her whole family is nuts (in a good way). Even though this was a crime thriller, I felt myself tearing up at the end as she goes through some emotional family stuff. She is my favorite character from Robotham!

Phil finds a young girl that ran away from her house after finding her mother dead and tied to a chair. Her father was found at the jewelry store they own with a bomb strapped to his chest. Although Phil is just a young police officer, she starts digging into the child's family. Detective Keegan, who is responsible for investigating the crime, starts to find links to Phil's family... and from there things start to get complicated for everyone.

I love the mystery surrounding the case, and the action-packed ending, however I especially loved the family dynamics of the McCarthy family, including Phil's husband Henry. I hope Michael Robotham continues this series because I will definitely be reading them all.

The White Crow is the second crime novel featuring Philomena McCarty, but can be read as a standalone.

Philomena is a young police officer at the Metropolitan Police, who is the daughter of Eddie McCarty, a local crime family leader. Philomena is married to Henry, a firefighter. As she patrols during one of her night shifts, she encounters a child (Daisy) alone on the street and after finding her, Phil tries to get her safely back home. This leads to the premise of the book, where Phil will try to figure out who led the two crimes involving Daisy’s parents.

Phil’s credibility and loyalty will get questioned as her father’s name comes up on the very case she insists on investigating.

Robotham does a fantastic job showing multiple POVs, developing the characters and throwing twists and clues along the way. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is fascinating how there were so many items the plot needed to address and it did. I enjoy all books the author writes, as the characters and the plot are always well detailed and developed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with the ARC of the book.

I loved the character of Phil! I didn't realize that this was the second book, so I went back and read the first one and it just reemphasized how much I enjoyed this character. I particularly liked the relationship that Phil has with her family, how she is able to compartmentalize her notorious family with her police work.

I hope we get more of these books. Solid police suspense/mystery with well thought out plots and developed supporting characters.

The White Crow by Michael Robotham is a highly recommended crime novel/procedural. This is the second novel featuring police officer Philomena (Phil) McCarthy (the first one is When You Are Mine) but can be read as a standalone novel.

Philomena McCarthy is a young officer with the Metropolitan Police and her husband Henry is a firefighter. When she sees a child wandering in the streets alone at night she stops and helps her. It's a little girl, Daisy, who leads Phil to her home and the discovery of the body of her mother. At the same time across town Chief Inspector Brendan Keegan responds to a violent robbery of a jewelry store and a man left with a bomb strapped to his body. The man is Daisy's father, who was taken from his home and forced by masked men to open up the store. Millions of dollars of jewelry is gone.

Complicating matters further is that Phil's family may be implicated in the robbery. Phil is the daughter of Edward McCarthy, a London gangster and leader of a criminal empire he has built with his brothers. This case may put her career and possibly her life in jeopardy, especially if it really does involve her father and uncles. Chapters alternate between Phil and the police investigation, and her father and uncles concern over a new mobster/crime boss from Eastern European moving into London.

Once again Robotham provides an extremely well written, perfectly paced, and wonderfully intricate puzzle of a thriller. The complicated, layered plot moves quickly while keeping the tension high. There are so many clues presented and questions that will arise concerning Phil's investigations along the way. It's always a pleasure to follow an investigation with twists and surprising discoveries along the way.

Phil continues to be a fully realized, complex character and an engaging protagonist. She has keen investigative instincts, but you may question her judgment at times in the novel. You will want the best for her, but she can be a frustrating character for me. Her family is a colorful but loyal group of mobsters. DCI Keegan who is leading the police investigation can be a frustrating character, but he does experience growth.

The White Crow is a good choice for those who enjoy procedurals. Thanks to Scribner for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

While on patrol one night, police officer Philomena McCarthy discovers a young girl covered in blood, just as reports come in about a home invasion and jewelry store robbery. As she investigates, Philomena’s ties to her infamous mob family complicate everything, forcing her to confront her past to prove she’s not her father’s daughter. In this second installment, Robotham delivers another gripping, twist-filled thriller. Fast-paced and emotionally rich, it’s perfect. Philomena is a compelling heroine in a story that lingers long after the final page.

Like many others, I didn't realize this book was the 2nd book about our main character, Philomena McCarthy, but no worries, you definitely don't need to go back and read it to read this one, although I most certainly plan on reading it.

This author has become one of my fav mystery suspense writers. I used to love James Patterson books and while that author does quick hitting chapters, Robotham's writing is so much fuller, but not in a filler type way. I love dialogue, I hate when authors get bogged down by describing the setting or the city too much. This author makes me want to read every single word he writes because every single word has a purpose. His crafting of sentences are perfect and that may sound like a weird thing to say, but when you read as much as I do, you sit up and take notice when someone does a great job.

Back to the story and Phil! I was immediately drawn into the story and my attention held to the last word. The pacing was good, the characterization spot on and I felt like I got a true sense of how the author wanted the story and characters to be viewed. It was just very enjoyable and I found myself annoyed every time I had to stop reading. Reading books by this author is a real treat and I wish more people knew about him!! Definitely recommend for those that like police procedurals with a family drama side dish, think Law and Order vs Blue Bloods vs The Shield.

Philomena McCarthy is the daughter of a notorious gangster who is leader of a local crime family. She severed ties with the family by becoming a police constable in London. Her marriage to a fireman brought a fragile reconciliation with her family. Now, her two worlds collide when, on patrol in the middle of the night, she finds a young child wandering, covered in blood. It seems, as part of a robbery of the child’s parents’ jewelry store, her mother has been killed and her father is found with a bomb strapped to him. Some evidence suggests Phil's family may be involved in the case. The investigation puts not only her career but also her life in jeopardy.

I was first introduced to Philomena in 2021 in what was touted as a standalone novel, When You Are Mine. In my review at that time, I said that I hoped this would become a series. Well, wishes sometimes come true, as this is the second book in what is now being called a series featuring this character.

Robotham’s writing style and character development are captivating. The book boasts a colorful cast of characters and a rapidly paced, suspenseful plot that kept me utterly engrossed. I particularly enjoy Phil. Her strength and persistence which sometimes lead her to make questionable decisions. Perhaps these flaws will be rectified as she matures in her role. Despite the underlying darkness, humor is a constant presence throughout the book, making it a very entertaining read.

This series is so good and just keeps getting better. I love Phil and her family, and the complexities of being on different sides of the law.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Philomena McCarthy, four years in to her career as a Metropolitan Police officer, wants badly to become a detective. One major roadblock is the fact that her uncles have long rap sheets and her father Eddie, though never convicted, is known to head their gang. The fact that Philomena, a/k/a Phil, and Eddie have long been estranged because of their different career paths, makes little difference to Phil’s chances of advancement at the Met.

The McCarthy brothers have left behind dirtier crimes years ago and are now in the construction business, along with money laundering. But their big-risk new high-rise development is in danger, as they are being targeted by vandalism and threats from a younger Bulgarian gang leader determined to be the apex predator in London’s criminal class.

At the end of her shift one night, Phil spots a little girl outside in the cold in her pajamas. The girl, Daisy, tells her that her mother won’t wake up. Phil finds the mother, Caitlin Kemp-Lowe, tied up at the kitchen island, dead. Daisy’s father has been kidnapped and taken to the jewelry store he owns and forced to give away millions in jewels.

There are multiple POVs in the book, though Phil’s is the only one actually expressed in the first person. We also watch Eddie and his brothers trying to find a way to fight their opponents before they lose their business—and maybe their families. We follow the investigation into Caitlin’s murder and the store robbery as it’s led by DI Keegan, a detective slowly being crushed under the weight of his marital separation, pressure from his superiors to pin the crimes on the nearest convenient suspects, preferably the McCarthys, and his conflicted feelings that Phil has all the makings of a gifted detective but one whom he can’t mentally separate from her family background. And, of course, we follow Phil’s attempts to horn her way into the investigation, which leads to uncovering crucial clues, but also to life-threatening danger.

This is an exciting blend of crime thriller and police procedural, with vivid characters I’d like to see again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Philomena McCarthy is a police officer and her father is a shady business man with whom she has a tense relationship. One night she finds a child, covered in blood, who let's her know that she can't wake up her mother. Meanwhile, a jeweler is tied up with a bomb on his chest in his store, which has been robbed. These events turn out to be related and Philomena finds her father may be involved.

This was a good read. It was a little long for me and my interest waned at times, but overall, it was a solid mystery. I look forward to more in this series.

"A lucky man is rarer than a white crow." (Juvenal)

Michael Robotham presses upon that fact in the latest book in his Philomena McCarthy Series. All the luck in the world doesn't sit on your side when it comes to facing crime in its darkest degree. We met PC Philomena "Phil" McCarthy in the first book, When You Are Mine (2021). She's seemed to have grown a spine since her last outing.

Picture this: You've fought your way into becoming a member of the London Metropolitan Police. You've got a ton of baggage in the likes of your own family who are extortionists, money launderers, and all around gangsters within the McCarthy clan. Now that same family association will throw shade on you around every corner.

Philomena is on patrol with her partner at the crack of dawn when she spots a young child on the street at daybreak. She sends her partner to cover another call and takes off after the child. What she discovers at the child's home will boggle the mind. It appears to be a home invasion gone terribly wrong.

And across town, the child's father is sitting in his jewelry store strapped to a bomb. Things are gonna get rough from here on out. And somehow the McCarthy family will be leaving their prints on all these situations. And their actions and those of Philomena's will cause her to be faced with an inquiry and a possible dismissal from the Metro Police.

The White Crow can definitely be read as a standalone. Robotham threads his storyline with the reality that white crows' existence goes against the norm of Nature. People have rigid views that there are no exceptions to what the eye usually perceives. But sometimes we must admit that not all things, and especially people, fit into the same mold.

This is my 11th book by Michael Robotham so I won't steer you wrong by picking up any of his books. Philomena has come a long way from the first book. Robotham is determined to showcase her ability to swim against the tide. And in The White Crow......she truly does.

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.

While on patrol one night, police officer Philomena McCarthy finds a young girl distressed and covered in blood. Simultaneously, there is the report of a home invasion and jewelry store robbery. As Philomena investigates the case, the ties to her notorious crime family are a hindrance and she realizes that she cannot separate the two. She puts her life at risk trying to solve the case and prove that she is not her father’s daughter.

This is the second book in this series and it is another excellent thriller from an intelligent and consistently entertaining author. I have found all of his books to be well-written, engaging and twisty, leaving the reader with a lot to ponder over. For fans of Heather Gudenkauf and Joanna Schaffhausen.

Another fantastic novel by Robotham! I was thrilled to read another book with the excellent police officer Philomena McCarthy, who just happens to have a mob boss as a father. Just as addictive as the book “When You Are Mine,” this novel finds Philomena investigating the murder of a young woman who was in a hostage situation. With no clue why the woman was murdered and her young daughter was allowed to escape, Phil must investigate the woman’s family, even if it is linked to her own. Excellent, fast paced story that will stay with you.