O'Loughlin is a clinical psychologist who has worked with the police in the past as a consultant profiler. He has retired himself from that job, focusing instead on teaching, his daughters and his health as he copes with living with Parkinson's Disease.
When DS Cray calls him for help, his immediate response is no. Until she tells him that one of his past students has injected himself into a murder investigation with negative results. He's calling himself The Mindhunter, telling everyone O'Loughlin taught him everything he knows, and using Joe as a reference. It's not true and is enough to have Joe saying yes and agreeing to taking a look at the case - two murdered women. The killer has his own chapters - letting the reader know that he's watching the investigation as Joe begins to make progress......
I like Joe very much as a lead character. The way he thinks and his processes of deduction. But it his his personal life that rounds the character out, making him more 'real' to me. Things are always progressing, changing and evolving - his marriage difficulties, his mistakes and his interactions with his daughters as they navigate growing up. His oldest daughter, Charlie, plays a larger role in this novel. (And I must admit to wondering where Robotham would take things next - I found the ending quite surprising.) O'Loughlin's health concerns also set this character apart from many other crime leads. The Parkinson's is portrayed realistically. Every good lead character needs a sidekick. In this series, it's now retired police Detective Vincent Ruiz. He's tough, intelligent, loyal and brings an alternate view to the crimes being investigated.
Robotham has crafted another great plot. There are many suspects to choose from and Robotham keeps the reader guessing until the final pages for the 'whodunnit".
It's that blending of 'professional' and personal that make this series work for me. Can't wait for the next entry in this series. Read an excerpt of Close Your Eyes.
Robotham is one of my favourite authors - for me, he simply can't write a bad book. He just can't write fast enough for me! You can connect with Michael Robotham on his website, find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
1 comment:
I really enjoy all of his books too. I can't wait to read this one!
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