Say You're Sorry by Michael Robotham

Say You're Sorry by Michael Robotham, 433 pages
Joe O'Loughlin series book 7

The Oxford police ask psychologist Joe O'Loughlin for help in profiling a murder suspect.  Joe gets more than he bargains for when the murder becomes connected to a larger case involving missing children who have been lost for years.  The narrative alternates between Joe working with the police and the journal entries of one of the missing girls.  The suspense builds slowly as more facts are revealed.  The plot brought to mind for me some elements of the Shawn Hornbeck kidnapping which made it seem more believable.

Shatter by Michael Robotham

Shatter by Michael Robotham - 496 pages

Psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is transitioning his life from having a practice to teaching seminars at the local college.  A twist of fate draws Joe into assisting the police in trying to talk down a female jumper from a local bridge.  Joe isn't able to save her and is haunted by wondering if he could have done anything different.  The jumper's teenage daughter finds Joe and demands answers since her mother wasn't suicidal in the least.  Joe's quest for the truth unravels a criminal mastermind's plot to dominate victims by preying on their deepest fears.  This very suspenseful book shares elements with the new movie Compliance that lead you to wondering how far would you go based on what you are being told by a voice on the phone.

Suspect by Michael Robotham

Suspect by Michael Robotham - 368 pages

Kudos to Robotham's publisher for their strong cover art.  So many books' covers are so bland that you just walk on by but this one makes you stop to pick it up.

London psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin seems to be living the perfect life with a rewarding job and a great family.  But behind this facade lies a wealth of secrets. Joe's life was shattered by a Parkinson's diagnosis that he is hiding from his family.  When he is asked to consult on the stabbing death of a young girl, Joe's perfect life starts to unravel.  He is forced to re-examine his life choices and to truly understand how far he would go to save his family from threats from within and from outside. 

This is the first book in a series that I accidentally started on the third book so some of the suspense was lost on me since I knew the status of the characters in book three.  But this is a strong psychological thriller that harkens back to the classic Primal Fear. 

Bleed for Me by Michael Robotham

Bleed for Me by Michael Robotham - 432 pages

I picked up this book solely based on cover art and title alone so bravo to the book publisher!  Unfortunately I didn't realize this is the author's third book in his Joseph O'Loughlin series because it isn't noted anywhere on the book jacket or the description inside.  The mystery is resolved within this book but it did feel a little like I entered the characters' lives mid stream which makes sense when accidentally entering a series at book three. 

Joe O'Loughlin is a former practicing psychologist who is trying to adjust to a new life separated from his wife and children along with no longer seeing patients.  Joe is afflicted with Parkinson's disease which makes for awkward social interactions and frustrations over lack of mobility.  Joe is drawn back into the darker side of the human mind when his teenage daughter's best friend, Sienna, shows up on his former doorstep covered in blood and runs into the woods.  The mystery of what happened to Sienna is far reaching and takes Joe from hospitals, to jail, and to the halls of power.  Child predators and anti-immigration protestors are just a few of the forces at play.  The characters are very modern and real and the plot could be taken from a current newspaper.  As soon as I finished this book, I went and picked up the first two to fill in Joe's backstory.