Michael Robotham, the Australian author of the Joseph O’Loughlin series, enjoys stimulating his own mind with standalone novels. However, reading about the adventures of policewoman Philomena McCarthy, it quickly becomes apparent right from the beginning of the book that this lady herself could easily handle an entire series. With his book “When You Are Mine,” Robotham adds to the lineup of strong female characters who seem to have been created for crime novel protagonists.
Do you hate those miserable cops? If you didn’t before, you’ll hate those bastards by the end of the book! Philomena McCarthy is just a simple patrolwoman, but guided by her own sense of justice, she stands up against anyone to protect the innocent. Now, who do you think is that dirty, rotten scoundrel, terrorizing both his wife and mistress, who clashes with Philomena?
Another cop.
Moreover, all his scumbag buddies rally behind him without a second thought. Of course, they’re all cops too. Heck, even the other cops who aren’t his buddies side with him. And they all behave in a really scummy way towards the girl.
Michael Robotham’s book makes you suddenly realize (besides making you hate the fuzz) that your blood pressure is through the roof, and you need to take breaks constantly just to calm down.
During these moments of calm, you have time to ponder about the cops. Who do they hate the most? Well, criminals. And their family members. Now, guess what? Philomena happens to be the daughter of a big-time gangster. Poor girl, she’s not in an easy spot in the yard, that’s for sure!
How does that saying go? God gives friends as compensation for family? Philomena manages to strike up a friendship with the girl she rescued. Well, imagine this, turns out the girl is completely nuts!
Yep.
Robotham’s “When You Are Mine” sits somewhere between crime fiction and psychological thriller. The book’s setting feels entirely like you’re reading a crime novel. Without the murder.
Philomena lives her life, prepares for her wedding, tries to mend her relationship with her father, tries to save the needy, but nothing happens that should in a crime novel. Or even in a psychological thriller. Just things that might serve as background in a simple crime novel. Plus some private investigation. And continuous nastiness. (From those damn pigs.)
But – and here’s the interesting part – the more prominent crime elements are hardly missed. Philomena McCarthy is such an exciting personality and a strong character, and her experiences are so interesting that you don’t feel any sense of lack. Moreover, the book’s main theme, the issue of extreme domestic violence, gives Robotham’s book enough weight on its own.
The other main theme, and the psychological thriller aspect of “When You Are Mine,” is presented in how it feels when someone close to you intrudes to such an extent that you feel like slapping them with a baker’s peel every other day…
Another drawing force for the book is that Philomena’s every action is guided by the maximally expected human helpfulness, yet she always ends up in deeper trouble because of it. Who wouldn’t be boiling mad about this?!
When the first murder finally happens… well, you’ll feel something’s missing there! Robotham simply doesn’t exploit the full potential of the book’s main villain. He just squanders it away. And exaxtly the same situation occurs with the book’s other anti-hero. When you’d expect this thriller to pick up even more momentum towards the end based on previous events, it does exactly the opposite.
Nevertheless, the conclusion of “When You Are Mine” brings the obligatory unexpected twist, which unfortunately seems quite weak in the light of all the preceding continuous tension. Also, it seems entirely disconnected from the character of the culprit. Is killing easy? Oh, not at all. Only if you’re trained for it. Or if you’re a brute animal.
Michael Robotham’s crime novel is a smart, well-crafted, and effective book that doesn’t disappoint, despite the fact that the raging madness you might expect in a psychological thriller somehow never seems to happen.
8/10
When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham – Book Review
368 pages, Hardcover
Published in 2022 by Scribner