From the internationally bestselling author who Stephen King calls “an absolute master,” a “gripping and eerie” (Karin Slaughter) thriller about a dangerous young woman with the ability to know when someone is lying–and the criminal psychologist who must outwit her to survive. A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t … filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met–fascinating and dangerous in equal measure.
Meanwhile, Cyrus is called in to investigate the shocking murder of a high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan, who died on a lonely footpath close to her home. Pretty and popular, Jodie is portrayed by everyone as the ultimate girl-next-door, but as Cyrus peels back the layers, a secret life emerges–one that Evie Cormac, the girl with no past, knows something about. A man haunted by his own tragic history, Cyrus is caught between the two cases–one girl who needs saving and another who needs justice. What price will he pay for the truth?
Emotionally explosive and swiftly paced, this is an “impeccable thriller with a plot that encompasses murder, incest, drugs, abuse, torture, sex–you name it, this book has it” (New York Journal of Books).
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Exquisite descriptions that don’t overburden the prose. And the descriptions carry the same weight as a character and help enhance the fictive dream. The story moves at a nice pace with just enough backstory. Smooth, elegant, present tense, is done so well that it’s hardly noticeable. The attention to detail is wonderful.
Chapter 23 is some of the best description and writing I’ve seen in a long time.
With great deliberation multiple suspects are revealed just when I thought I knew whodunit. This is a real talent.
The ending was a total surprise. I usually figure them out ahead of time. While reading a book I ask myself, “Why is the author showing me this bit of information now?” It usually gives away the twist. In this book, I never saw it coming. The ending is as satisfying as the rest of the book. Robotham is officially moved up toward the top of my list. I highly recommend this book.
This book was amazing. The way Michael Robotham can lay out a story and give the details to a murder and then completely throw you off made this book hard to put down. The depth of the details really helps you understand what it would be like to try to solve a murder and how so many leads can steer you the wrong way. I also enjoyed the side story of Evie being there to show Cyrus in a different light not just a psychologist.
Another fabulous offering from a true master of the psychological thriller genre. It keeps you gripped right to the I-did-not-see-that-coming ending. A great read!
I absolutely loved this book! I really enjoyed the characters and the interweaving stories. I could even envision this as a television series. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. I had the audio version and was really impressed with not only the story itself, but the narrator, Joe Jameson. He voiced every character differently and there were moments when he made me laugh. I really recommend the audio version if you get the chance, it is so well done.
I hope this is the start of a new series and the publishers stick with the same narrator. I really look forward to seeing more of Cyrus and Evie.
Cyrus Haven is a psychologist with a dark past of his own to contend with. As he assists colleague Lenny on the murder of a fifteen-year-old ice-skater Jodie, who has been raped and murdered, he is also asked to help with troublesome Evie Cormac. Evie is under the court’s protection and has spent the previous few years in a secure children’s home since being discovered shut in a secret room next to where her murdered abductor lies rotting.
Her identity must be kept secret and her background is a mystery. No one knows her real name, where she comes from, or even how old she is. Evie is known as Angel Face to the public. Despite her lack of an education she can instinctively tell if someone is lying and has proved very hard to get to know. When the courts refuse to let Evie leave the home and make her own way in the world, Cyrus agrees to foster her until she is assumed to be eighteen. As they live in the same house he discovers quite how intelligent and complicated she really is.
While Cyrus delves deeper into murdered Jodie’s past, he discovers that she is not the person her controlling parents had imagined. The story kept me guessing as to who the good girl was and who was the bad but both girl’s lives were intensely claustrophobic in their own way.
I love Michael Robotham’s books and this was another book that kept my attention while I was reading it, as well as my thoughts when I had to put it down. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series. This is an intriguing thriller and well worth the five stars I’ve given it.
Loved this thriller. Had some very exciting twists. Can’t wait to read the sequel.
Excellent book. Can’t wait to read the sequel
He writes to be read. Few authors can do that. Characters are touchable. Plot is sensible. Looking forward to July 28 for next in series.
Good read, keeps you guessing.
Very engaging- characters are compelling. A Very good read!
This was so good. I was cheering the characters on in the story I just didn’t want it to end and I can’t wait for the next book. There’s still so many questions left unanswered. The storyline is fascinating stuff.
This book makes you want to read other books by this author.
Great start to a new series.. As usual Robtham creates great characters and always writes a great story.
Once again, Michael Robotham has captivated me in a thriller that I could not put down. I flew through this one. His writing is so unique and wonderful. It has a rhythm that gains tension as you’re reading faster and faster. The tone is dark and unsettling and it kept me on the edge. There are some twisted moments and crazy characters, and I highly recommend this to all fans of psychological thrillers.
Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist who consults for the police. He has been asked to determine whether a young woman, a human lie detector named “Evie Cormac”, can handle being released from institutionalized care into society. Evie has a harrowing past and was instantly made famous after being rescued from horrific circumstances six years earlier. Having no idea who she is, authorities gave her a new identity, hid her from the public and placed her in care.
Cyrus is also consulting on a disturbing murder case; a 15 year old promising figure skater is found dead and the pool of suspects is huge. The intersection of these two stories provides some interesting tension.
There is no question that Michael Robotham is a brilliant writer but it took me awhile, around the 25% mark, to invest in the book. It just didn’t move quickly enough. I ended up being mostly satisfied by the ending; I was left with a few lingering questions and it seems clear that we have not heard the last of Cyrus and Evie.
If you like dark, psychological thrillers, you must read this book. I think I was holding my breath in several parts, especially the last few pages. As is the case with all of his books, the characters are well developed and some are evil. This is a stand alone book but I understand there is a sequel coming in July.
I couldn’t tear myself away from this story! Two tragic, flawed, and uniquely skilled characters struggle to trust each other as they work to solve the murder of a teenage girl.
I bought this book back in July and never got to read it (too many books to read) but decided to tackle it now. Glad I did, such a heart wrenching story of a young girl living in a secret room after a heinous crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity.
Along comes Cyrus, a psychologist who, with his own baggage must determine if Evie can leave the children’s home and live on her own. There is also a second story here about Jodie who went missing and was found dead.
These stories overlap one another and keeps you glued to the book to find the outcome. There are still some questions I have about Evie….but since this book is labeled #1 I am sure there might be a continuing story about her???
FABULOUS!!!
This was a wholly engaging, thoroughly original, utterly captivating tale – and yes, it deserves and requires all of those adverbs, conventional wisdom against them be damned…
I loved the world Robotham crafted here. The characters are a marvelous amalgamation of broken bits pieced together into wholes that are truly stronger than their parts. The plot is well-crafted, complex, revelatory, and perfectly paced. And the setting is creepy and realistic and edgy. The result is a brilliant tale told with nuance and an eye for suspense that is superlative. The revelations at the very end were game-changing and left me frantically searching the internet for the announcement about the next book – which I didn’t find, much to my disappointment. Here’s hoping the next Cyrus Haven book comes quickly (with more immediately following) because there’s a LOT going on here and I cannot wait to see how it all plays out!
This book has the makings of a very good sequel. The conclusion is left open for more of the continuing story between our main characters Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac. Good Girl, Bad Girl also leaves the question of which girl was actually the good girl and which girl is the bad girl. Evie’s past is full of abuse, abandonment, and tragedy. The on-going investigation is about teenager Jodie Sheehan who has been murdered. Both girls are bad, and both girls are good girls. Many suspenseful parts of this book that keep you on edge, and it’s not always happily ever after.