Title: Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 369 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From the bestselling author of The Secrets She Keeps, the writer Stephen King calls “an absolute master…with heart and soul,” a fiendishly clever suspense novel about a dangerous young woman with a special 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 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. Evie knows when someone is lying, and no one around her is telling the truth.
Meanwhile, Cyrus is called in to investigate the shocking murder of a high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan, who dies 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? Fiendishly clever, swiftly paced, and emotionally explosive, Good Girl, Bad Girl is the perfect thrilling summer read from internationally bestselling author Michael Robotham.
Review:
Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham is an absorbing, character driven mystery that features a multifaceted storyline.
Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven is assisting with an upcoming court case to see if Evie Cormac is ready to transition to living on her own. The young woman’s history is shrouded with mystery and she refuses to tell anyone the truth about her age or identity. Evie has been living in secure children’s home and she is ready to be declared an adult. However, Evie’s time in care has not be trouble free since she is self-destructive, aggressive, rude and prone to occasional violent outbursts. She lacks social skills and she is heartbreakingly naive due to her tragic past. Cyrus feels empathy for the young woman and he makes an impetuous decision to foster her until she turns eighteen. Will Cyrus help Evie heal from the heart-rending trauma she refuses to discuss?
Cyrus also works part-time with the police and he is currently assisting his friend and mentor DCI Lenore “Lenny” Parvel with her current case. She is investigating the murder of fifteen year old figure skating prodigy Jodie Sheehan. While Lenny quickly zeroes in a suspect, Cyrus has serious reservations about whether she has arrested the wrong man. He continues to look deeper into Jodie’s background and he uncovers some very intriguing and worrisome information. Will what Cyrus has unearthed lead to the truth about what happened to the teenager?
Good Girl, Bad Girl is a suspenseful mystery with an enthralling plot and fascinating characters. Evie is a well-drawn young woman whose short life has been marred by horrific trauma. Cyrus is a flawed yet extremely likable psychologist who has also endured shocking loss and heartache. The investigation into Jodie’s murder culminates with a dark and disconcerting breakthrough. With stunning revelations, Michael Robotham brings this scintillating mystery to a pulse-pounding, dramatic conclusion. With Evie’s aspect of the storyline not completely wrapped up, readers will be hopeful both she and Cyrus will star in future novels.
