Suspect

Rating:
Summary: The dark night of the soul
Review:

Robotham tackles the mystery/thriller genre and puts a new twist on "the wrong man", as psychologist Joe O'Loughlin finds himself at the center of an investigation into the murder of Catherine O'Brien, a former patient. The dead woman, a nurse, developed an attachment to her psychologist, not an uncommon event in therapy, and harbored hurt feelings when he could not reciprocate her attentions. But that was years ago and when Catherine's self-mutilated body is discovered, O'Loughlin is forced to reveal the painful doctor-patient relationship to a very suspicious Detective Ruiz.

Conscientious to a fault, O'Loughlin takes his role seriously, frequently helping his patients at his own expense. His actions are tempered with the knowledge that he has Parkinson's disease: "So here I am- not so much at a crossroads as a cul de sac." The only certainty is that his body is deserting him by degrees at the age of forty-two.

A new patient of O'Loughlin's, Bobby Moran, has been experiencing violent dreams, which have bled into his waking life, recently charged with an assault on a woman, a total stranger. Trying to navigate Bobby through a morass of complicated emotions, O'Loughlin is fearful of pushing Bobby's delicate psyche too far. At the same time, Bobby's behavior becomes increasingly more erratic and unpredictable, ranging from grief to sudden rage.

Detective Ruiz demands cogent answers from the psychologist, but the evidence skews to point directly at O'Loughin, desperate by this time to prove that they are chasing the wrong man. Using limited resources, O'Loughlin does some sleuthing of his own, getting into a considerable amount of trouble in the process. Hampered by his disease, but believing he has a clue to the murderer's identity, the psychologist bumbles through a treacherous web of misinformation to uncover the real culprit.

Suspect is well-written and engaging, Robotham's a fresh voice. The protagonist is personally flawed, immensely believable in his human inadequacies. Yet, O'Loughlin clearly has a good, if misguided heart. It is that very compassion for his patients that gets him into trouble in the first place, his compassion as a healer who cares deeply about his work. These are vulnerable people who require the psychologist's special skills to guide them through crises toward more viable lives.

Even Inspector Ruiz is a quirky, cranky character, with his own set of idiosyncrasies, the perfect foil for the often too-cerebral O'Loughin. London and Liverpool are equally vivid in their differences, lifestyles and citizens. Robotham has created a malleable personality in Joe O"Laughlin, a man positioned for more such hair-raising tales. Luan Gaines/ 2005.


Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable...
Review: I chanced upon this book when it given to me by my aunt. I started it with no expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. This book is extremely gripping. Usually I can predict the way these books are going to: this story kept me guessing up until the end. The narrative was smooth and interesting, the protagonist flawed and compelling, and the characters and situations were not clichéd (with the exception of a scene between O'Loughlin and his father). I am sure other reviewers have provided synopses, and I do not want to give away any of the numerous well-crafted plot twists. I will instead heartily recommend this book, and suggest that you read it when you have a block of time set aside so you are not forced to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Book!!
Review: I wish this book had never ended. I loved it so much that I could not put it down. I can't believe anyone could think it was confusing or convuluted in any way. If not able to understand this book perhaps one should give up reading entirely. As for one person's review saying it was boring I had to laugh. This book is so exciting and the author so talented that I can only hope this book is first in a series. I will certainly buy the next book at hardcover price. This is like an Alex Delaware and Alan Gregory novel mixed into one, only better. This novel was written not only with wonderful character development and fantastic plot but also with a deep understanding of human emotion. It is a deeply involved book that shows such great talent and deserves to be a bestseller.

Rating:
Summary: On the run from an unseen enemy.
Review: Michael Robotham's debut thriller, "Suspect," is about a clinical psychologist named Joe O'Loughlin. Joe has a beautiful wife and a adorable eight-year-old daughter. He also has a crippling progressive disease that is scaring him out of his wits. When Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz invites Joe to give his professional opinion concerning the murder of a young woman found in West London, things begin to get really dicey. Joe realizes that he knows this woman. Her name is Catherine McBride and she was once his patient.

Ruiz soon finds evidence linking Joe to Catherine and Joe becomes the prime suspect in the case. His troubles, alas, are just beginning. Eventually, Joe is in danger of losing his family, his practice, his freedom, and maybe even his life. His only hope is to track down the real killer before it's too late. The book is told through Joe's eyes and he is a sympathetic and appealing character. Besides being a loving husband and father, Joe is a caring mental health professional who goes the extra mile for his patients. He is a person the reader can root for.

The strongest elements in "Suspect" are the psychological ones. We get to know the strengths, weakness, and quirks not only of Joe, but also of his wife, his friends, and his patients. The book has some big surprises that make for a slam-bang, if overly melodramatic ending.

"Suspect" also has some weaknesses. The plot feels derivative; the psychologist/psychiatrist whose life is being ruined by someone from his past has been done many times before. There are a number of coincidences and far-fetched elements to the story that strain credulity. What it lacks in originality, however, "Suspect" makes up for with its quick pace and excitement. It's an entertaining page-turner that will grab your attention as you, along with Joe, piece together the clues and finally learn the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Smart, gripping, crackling dialog.
Review: Robotham is a terrifically promising new writer, who I think is going to be huge. I read this book on the beach while I was on vacation and didn't stir all day. Thanks, Mr Robotham, for the sunburn! Great stuff, can't wait to read more.

Rating:
Summary: Twist and Turns that never stops!
Review: Slow moving through half of the book, but that's okay.... we get to know the principal characters. Out of the blue, once the Doctor is on the run, it doesn't stop !!!! If the author is reading this, I hope he will write again!

Rating:
Summary: Absurdly Overcomplicated But Good
Review: The book keeps you racing from chapter to chapter, but when you take a breather you start thinking, My God, this book has too many twists. It would be enough if we had a slower story with the hero trying to deal with the onset of Parkinson's. It would be enough to read a novel in which the middle-aged hero has to come to terms with his surgeon father's apparent indifference, if not hostility, to his own practice as a psychoanalyst. It would have been an interesting story to hear of such a man's affair with a former prostitute. And then on top of all of this we are given an nastily complicated serial killer story, a tale so convoluted the word "Byzantine" may be properly used to describe it. And an inspector (Ruiz) who treats our hero (O'Loughlin) with the same fierce intensity of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables.

Julianne, the beautiful and accomplished wife of the psychiatrist hero, was at one time the object of his best friend's affections, so that Joe and Jock are in a love triangle battling for Julianne's affections.

By the time one hundred pages are done, you start wondering what incredible pit of complication you've gotten into ankle deep. Before you know it, you're up to your ass in confusion, but due to Robotham's infinitely painstaking plotting, and the narrator's wry humor, you wind up liking the state you're in. I can't see this book being the first in a long-running series with O'Loughlin, but I am very happy to hear that Michael Robotham is writing another book. This one already will win him legions of fans, both here in the USA and abroad.

Rating:
Summary: Good debut novel
Review: This book by a new author begins a bit too slowly for my taste, but then starts moving fairly quickly, until near the end it practically races to a conclusion. It has a well thought out plot, although I found a few improbabilities in it, though they didn't keep me from enjoying the read. I don't like to give away anything about mystery or thriller books that I read, but I'd just like to say that you shouldn't take anything at face value when you read this book. There are a lot of red herrings and blind alleys, which add to the tension of the work. I think this author has a fine future as a thriller writer.

Rating:
Summary: BOOORRRRRING!
Review: This was the slowest book I have read in over two years. Every mystery writer I have ever read is better than this one. False advertising on this book. Plot is pathetic. Please don't waste your time or money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Too much
Review: Too many writers of thrillers (e.g., Dan Brown) apparently believe that they have to put some new and often ridiculous jeopardy on just about every page. As a result, the plots become silly. That is not good. Readers are not supposed to laugh while reading thrillers.

There are some surprising turns in this novel, some sparkling scenes, but they are seriously diminished by surrounding them with Parkinson's disease failures of limbs, cut lips that require stitches, broken ribs, a leap into an icy canal, a cut ear that requires stitches, a cut neck, etc. etc. for the hero--to say nothing of the other characters. And I haven't included all the events that are over the top.

The writer here would have done well to slow down just a bit and not try to put twenty pounds of danger and action in a five pound bag. He might have trusted the reader a little more, trusted him to be overwhelmed by the truly remarkable scenes.

The characters are interesting, despite some of the psycho-babble. Society and flawed parents cannot be blamed for every child gone wrong. And the atmosphere of pre-Christmas, dank London feels real. I just wanted to like this book more and couldn't, owing to the over-stuffed plot.