Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I am a huge Michael Robotham fan (I need more Cyrus and Evie!) and this book did not disappoint.

Philomena McCarthy is a police officer in London--even though her father and uncles are huge mob bosses. Phil has reconnected with her father after ten years of no contact and she tries to keep her relationship and her job separate.

Phil finds a barefoot child during patrol who's mom was killed. Phil gets involved in solving the case at the same time her father's business is being attacked by a truly creepy guy.

Great read. Highly recommend.

Michael Robotham has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors. I was introduced to his Cyrus Haven series and instantly was a fan. This is the first book I have read outside of that series. While this book is the second in his Philomena McCarthy series, it can be read as a standalone.

Philomena McCarthy is a police officer with the Metro police in London. This is despite her father and extended family’s connection to organized crime. During a routine patrol, Philomena finds a child alone, outside at night. After the child’s residence is found, her mother is found inside bound and deceased. Across town, the child’s father is also bound but with a bomb strapped to his chest inside the family’s jewelry store that has been ransacked. What follows is a collision of Philomena’s personal and professional life that can only end badly for her. As Philomena becomes more involved, she’ll have to make a decision between her family or her career. And one of those might cost her her life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially parts focused on Philomena’s extended family. While I’m sure they were meant to add context, I found the characters and their exploits the best part of the book. I thought the concept of having to balance being apart of a criminal family while being a police officer was really interesting for the main character; especially when the character is an unwavering, honest police officer. I kept waiting for Philomena to bend the rules for her family, but she did not. At times, I felt like there were two different stories occurring in the book. One focused on the family issues and another one the murder/robbery; however, I think the author did a good job of tying those aspects together. I still had a few unanswered questions by the end but was confident in who the killer was early on. I will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Robotham, and Scribner for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up
The White Crow is an engrossing, fast paced second book in the Philomena “Phil” McCarthy series. Phil is a police constable, but she’s also the daughter of a well known criminal boss. Talk about walking a fine line! One night on patrol, she sees a child out in the middle of the night. Taking the little girl home, she finds the child’s mother dead, the victim of a home invasion gone wrong. Meanwhile, a jeweler is found at his burgled store with a bomb strapped to him.
The book flips between multiple POVs, including those of her father and uncles and the actual detective on the case. I appreciate that all the characters were well developed, to the point I wanted to see her father come out on top. Flip side, there was one senior police officer I wanted to see get his comeuppance.
Robotham writes easy to envision scenes. I kept finding excuses to read, including in the middle of the night. Trust me, this one does not help cure insomnia! I was willing to just keep reading.
I hope that Robotham writes a third in the series.
The book would easily work as a stand-alone, but trust me, you’re going to want to read both books.
My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

Philomena McCarthy, a police officer in London finds a little girl wandering the streets at the end of her night shift. Phil takes her home only to find that her mother was dead and tied up in the kitchen. At the same time Detective Keegan is at a jewelery shop that just has been robbed. The owner is tied to a chair with a bomb. As Keegan dives deeper into this case only one thing stands out to him. Phil is the daughter of Edward McCarthy, a mobster in London and now he thinks that Phil knows more then what she is telling him. Just like with all of Michael Robotham books you will be hooked by the first page. This is a fast paced read that is full of emotions that will make you laugh and cry til the very end. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Scribner for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect amount of mystery and suspense. Philomena is a young police officer in London with ties to a notorious crime family. One night while patrolling, her and her partner and dispatched to a jewelry store bombing. Before she can respond she glimpses a young child wondering the streets alone and stays back to search the area. Everything from that point on is a wild ride. Definitely add this to your TBR!
⬇️see description⬇️

Philomena “Phil” McCarthy has been an officer on the job for four years. She’s looking forward to a well-deserved vacation in Paris with her husband after this shift. She has managed to keep her life as Edward McCarthy’s daughter a secret. Edward is part of the well-known McCarthy brothers, infamous London gangsters.

While responding to a call, Phil sees a child alone on the street at night. She follows, only to discover it is a little girl, Daisy, who leads her to the body of Daisy’s mother. At the same time, Chief Inspector Brendan Keegan is responding to a violent robbery of a jewelry store. The owner is left with millions missing and a bomb strapped on him. It’s Daisy’s father. The case becomes more complicated when the McCarthy brothers are seen on video footage at the jewelry store. As Phil’s loyalty to her job and her family is tested, the threats get closer and deadlier.

I am a huge fan of Michael Robotham and all of his works. This one stood out to me as a continuation of a newer series and the way he is able to build complex characters along with layered plotlines that carry through his mysteries.

I highly recommend The White Crow. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to more in this series and more from Robotham - soon, hopefully!

In this second Robotham title featuring London police officer Philomena McCarthy, the action, danger, and mystery make for an exciting reading adventure. “Phil” works to earn respect and rank in spite of having to live down her family background as the daughter of a mobster boss. With her intelligence and efforts she takes risks to work and solve a baffling and sinister case.

Michael Robotham is one of my go-to authors for masterfully written police procedural thrillers. I must say, however, that I admired The White Crow more than I actually enjoyed reading it. It is the sequel to When You Are Mine (2021), which introduced Philomena (Phil) McCarthy, a London police officer who struggles with the fact that her father and uncles are all criminals--only Phil's father hasn't spent time in prison. Her colleagues in the London Metropolitan Police already resent her for her skills and ambition and wouldn't be amused to learn about her family background. Phil is also recently married to Henry, a firefighter. In this story, she sees a 5-year-old child hiding outside after dark and finds out, when she helps the little girl, that her parents have been involved in a home invasion that led to the burglary of their jewelry store and left her mother dead. Although not yet a detective, Phil convinces her boss to allow her to join the investigation into this crime, thanks to her excellent instincts.

There is quite a bit of action in the story, especially a spectacular, complicated scene late in the book, and the author handles it with finesse and breathtaking suspense. But this book, much more than the first in the series, focuses more on Phil's family than it does on Phil herself. The characters, especially her father, are well drawn and interesting, but I am no fan of gangster vs. gangster storylines and the hopelessness of innocent bystanders in such situations. I am more interested in any future books in Robotham's Cyrus Haven and Joseph O'Loughlin series.

My thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Based on the review of others I read the initial book in the series first. It was a great book and provided me with the background to fully understand the second title in the series. I enjoyed this title but not as much as book one. I felt more time was spent on the main character’s family and their troubles rather than her. It was fast moving.

Michael Robotham’s When You Are Mine (2021), featured Philomena (“Phil”) McCarthy, an officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. When I read and reviewed that terrific novel, I noted that 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.” The followup to that one, The White Crow, is another 5-star winner featuring the adventures of Phil, and it’s terrific!

Phil is still a police officer in London, and still a puzzle to her mobster family, including her father Edward and her many uncles, all of whom seem to have good hearts, although their “career paths” are totally at odds with Phil’s.

One of the intertwined stories in this novel involves the McCarthy “family business” and the way it is being hassled by Bulgarian bad guys. While that is going on, Phil is investigating the death of a woman during a home invasion that included the robbery of a ton of jewelry…and of course both stories intersect.

Robotham is a master at creating characters that the reader feels they know and care about, including the McCarthys, Phil’s husband Henry, a firefighter, and Phil’s boss, DCI Keegan. And the plot is so good it keeps the reader completely invested and curious. As usual, I didn’t guess the end (generally true for me, I admit) and, while it is part of a series, it is NOT necessary to have read the first book to appreciate this one. Five stars, once again, for Robotham. Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

White Crow by Michael Robotham is the second in the Philomena McCarthy series, the first being When You Are Mine. Phil is a police officer in London, still a source of dismay within her mobster family whom she has had to dissociate herself from to have a career. But family is family. And it’s hard not to love her father Edward and her many uncles, who have good hearts despite their chosen paths in life. The McCarthy family makes this book. I loved them.
In this story, the McCarthy business is getting squeezed by a Bulgarian group of nasty fellows. They want a big piece to the pie and will steal, blackmail, kidnap and murder to get their way. At the same time, Philomena is investigating a home invasion that ends in the death of a woman and theft of millions of pounds of jewelry. Of course, the two stories intertwine and it is such a fun and entertaining read! This was a page turner that I could not put down. What I love about Robotham novels is the depth of the characters he creates. Good or evil, right or wrong, they each are ones to root for or rally against. In addition to the McCarthy family characters, Phil’s husband Henry, a firefighter, is a star is his own right, and his love for Philomena is undeniable. DCI Keegan who has a lead role in the police investigation makes a transformation that I also really enjoyed to see.
While I do not think you have to read the first in this series to enjoy this, it will help with some backstory, and getting to know the characters better. However, I liked the first one, but I loved the second one. So stick with the series if you start with the first.
I also really enjoyed learning where the title came from, “White Crow” has significant meaning.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for my ARC.

“The White Crow” is Michael Robotham’s newest Philomeana McCarthy thriller and once again, he doesn’t disappoint.
Philomeana is once again forced to grapple with being a police officer up against her corrupt family. There’s so many twists and turns and it was a satisfying read.

Overall I liked this book, a police proceedural. It did start slow for me, not the initial crime but all the details about her family and the ins and outs of their enterprise. I also liked that storyline less though they were connected. Phil is an interesting character as is her struggle to reconcile who her family is with her career as a police officer.

5 stars
Expected publication date - July 1, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley and Scribner, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Philomema 'Phil' McCarthy is back on the police force, on a food run with her partner in the early hours of the morning. After almost colliding with a cyclist, she thinks she sees a small girl in her rearview. She goes to investigate and not only finds the girl, but her murdered mother and father missing. This begins an investigation that hits close to home for Phil and may take away everything she loves.

I love all Michael Robotham books, and this did not disappoint! I loved reading about the McCarthy clan in the first book, love them in this book, and hope to read more about them in the future.

I have a particular affinity for strong female police officers and detectives, which is one of the reasons I thoroughly enjoyed "The White Crow" by Michael Robotham. The story becomes even more compelling due to Philomena's familial connections, as her father and uncles are entrenched in London’s historic underworld of gangsters. When Philomena discovers a young child in pajamas, covered in blood, on the street, the investigation inevitably leads to her father. However, the narrative is filled with numerous twists and unexpected developments. I would love to see a series centered around Philomena and her family.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC for reading and review.

I truly enjoyed the first Philomena McCarthy book and was excited to get to read this one. She goes by Phil and is a police officer who comes from a London crime family that consists of her father and her three uncles.

In this book, she is patrolling in the middle of the night when a call for an armed robbery comes in. But she sees a small child and goes to find her on foot. That leads her to a second crime scene where a woman has been murdered in her home. It turns out that the two crimes are connected, and of course, her family finds itself right in the middle of it.

Phil is a great character and her firefighter husband is as well. Her background and job make her very complex. While circumstances conspire against her, she is devoted to doing right and being a good cop.

As we learn who committed the crime, the McCarthys find out they have a new and ruthless rival. This dynamic becomes a focus, as well as the police search for the murderer. The writing is fantastic and the narrative tight as the plot unfolds. I highly recommend this book and will be reading more of his work.

Another tense chilling Michael Robotham thriller a true page turner.This is the second in the series Philomena is a great character a gangster’s daughter who now is a cop.This was a story that kept me reading late into the night.Looking forward to to the next in this series.

Second in what I hope will be a continuing series, The White Crow is further proof of Michal Robotham's skill as a constructor of police procedurals and an observer of character. With so many plot twists and forks in the road, it kept me up at night until I finished, anxious to know the answer which was satisfying as well as plausible. Can't wait to see what happens with Philomena next.

This one had all the right ingredients—a badass female cop, a blood-covered child, a high-stakes crime—but somehow, it didn’t fully land for me. The multiple POVs were interesting, but they slowed things down at times, making it harder to stay fully hooked.

Philomena is a solid lead, and the tension between her past and present is compelling, but the story felt a bit stretched in places. The mystery itself had some great moments, but it didn’t quite deliver the level of suspense I was hoping for. Not a bad read, just not my favorite.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of The White Crow by Michael Robotham. I’ve been a fan since Joe O’Loughlin and Cyrus Haven. Those will always be my favorite characters but I really enjoyed Philomena McCarthy. Lots of good characters in this one and like the way the story played out.