The White Crow by Michael Robotham – Our Review

Our Review…

Philomena McCarthy is no stranger to difficult choices. The tenacious daughter of a notorious London gangster and leader of a feared crime family, she chose a path that set her firmly against her bloodline – becoming a police constable. Her marriage to a fireman offered a sliver of fragile reconciliation, but the peace is tenuous at best. That delicate balance shatters one night on patrol, when she discovers a small child, bloodied and alone. The horrific scene unfolds into a brutal robbery: the child’s mother murdered, her father left alive – with a bomb strapped to his chest. As Phil delves deeper into the case, unsettling threads begin to point toward her own family’s involvement. What follows is a harrowing investigation that endangers not only her career, but her life.

Michael Robotham’s prose is as gripping as ever, marked by vivid characters and a breathtaking pace that refuses to relent. While the novel teems with a memorable cast and brims with tension, yet it’s Philomena herself who remains firmly at the heart of the story. Her grit, determination, and moral compass make her compelling, even as her choices occasionally veer into the reckless.

Robotham skilfully weaves in moments of levity and wit, lending the story a buoyancy that keeps it from ever becoming too bleak. Suspenseful, smart, and thoroughly absorbing, this is a terrific, compulsive thriller.

Review by Nicole