Title: Shatter by Michael Robotham
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Imprint: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 496 pages
Book Rating: B
Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Joe O’Loughlin is in familiar territory-standing on a bridge high above a flooded gorge, trying to stop a distraught woman from jumping. “You don’t understand,” she whispers, and lets go. Joe is haunted by his failure to save the woman, until her teenage daughter finds him and reveals that her mother would never have committed suicide-not like that. She was terrified of heights.
What could have driven her to commit such a desperate act? Whose voice? What evil?
Having devoted his career to repairing damaged minds, Joe must now confront an adversary who tears them apart. With pitch-perfect dialogue, believable characters, and astonishingly unpredictable plot twists, Shatter is guaranteed to keep even the most avid thriller readers riveted long into the night.
The Review:
Michael Robotham’s murder mystery, Shatter is a gripping psychological thriller. Psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin is compelled to discover what drove Christine Wheeler to leap to her death. Was it suicide? Or was it something far more sinister?
Joe O’Loughlin is an incredibly complex protagonist. Stricken by early onset Parkinson’s disease Joe is a part-time psychology professor and full-time dad to daughters Emma and Charlie. While able to clearly read strangers and acquaintances, Joe readily admits an inability to understand his own actions and motivations. His involvement with the murder investigation strains his relationship with his wife Julianne and further undermines their increasingly troubled marriage.
With retired police investigator Vincent Ruiz’s aid, they quickly discover the twisted and sadistic killer’s identity. Their attempts to track down the elusive murderer turn into a game of cat and mouse as he skillfully eludes capture. When the killer strikes close to home, Joe is in a race against time to save the latest victims.
Told from both Joe’s and the killer’s perspective, Shatter is a fast–paced novel with a realistic plot. Michael Robotham engages the reader with unexpected humor, appealing characters and a unique and compelling storyline. Unexpected twists and turns along with a fascinating look into the mind of a horrific killer keep the reader on the edge of their seat as Shatter comes to its exciting and satisfying conclusion.
The third book in a series, Shatter can easily be read as a standalone novel but you won’t want to miss a single installment of this fabulous series. I am eagerly anticipating the next Joe O’Loughlin mystery Bleed for Me which will be available February 27th.
