Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for an e-copy to read and review. This is a difficult book to write a synopsis of without inadvertently giving spoilers! When she was Good centres on a young woman, known as Evie Cormac, who has endured unimaginable events and is now living in a secure children's unit. She has few people in her life that she can trust, and one of them is Cyrus Haven, her previous forensic psychologist, who still visits and looks out for her. Cyrus knows more than most people about Evie's past, but nothing about her true identity or the reasons she can't tell anyone about it. A retired policeman is murdered. Cyrus is called because it relates to other work he has done for the police. He immediately makes the link to the circumstances of Evie's discovery. He tries to get Evie to open up about her past, to bring the perpetrator of this recent crime to justice. As Evie suspects, this is a very bad idea and soon they are both in grave danger from people with seemingly unlimited resources. This thriller races along, and events take the reader from the far reaches of England to the north of Scotland, with some particularly nerve-wracking and well realised chase sequences. At no time did I know how things would pan out for Cyrus and Edie or the people they enlisted to help keep themselves safe: I was too involved in events to second guess the outcome. Characters seemed internally consistent and plausible throughout, which is a real strength of Robotham's writing. There is a previous book featuring Evie and Cyrus, but this works extremely well as a standalone thriller. When she was Good has been shortlisted for a Gold Dagger.

Oh, my! This is a fabulous read. It's an 'edge of the seat' thriller with characters you not only care about, but, immerse yourself in and an excellent storyline that had me gripped from beginning to end. It's sooo well written. A heartbreaking follow up to 'Good Girl Bad Girl'. However, this can absolutely be read as a stand alone. Cyrus is a psychologist who became involved in the story of Evie, a young girl, rescued from a house of horrors and who is now in a secure children's home. Sasha is the Special Constable who found Evie and who has since become something of a hermit. Then there is the suspicious suicide of a policeman involved in Evie's original case. All of the characters are incredibly drawn and interesting and the author cleverly weaves the tale as it's told from the perspective of either Cyrus or Evie. Evie has a heartbreaking history and what I particularly loved about the book is that, despite being emotionally connected to her story, this is achieved without the need for detailed descriptions of her past pain and experiences. It's fabulous the way that the author manages to influence such depth of feeling without lots of detail which, in my view, would have ruined the story. The underlying darkness and sinister depth that permeates the story had an incredible impact on me both throughout the book and since finishing. I loved it!

When She Was Good is the 2nd book in Michael Robotham's fantastic criminal psychologist series. Cyrus Haven is a man who has suffered serious trauma following the loss of his family. Being a survivor, he is racked by guilt though visits his brother, Elias, at Rampton, a high security psychiatric hospital. In this story, Evie (Angel Face) Cormac, now 17, who was found as a child hiding in the home of a gruesomely murdered man, is growing up in a secure children's home. Adam Guthrie, her social worker, is a professional without much skill and Evie has a hard time at the home. With a history of being let down, trust is a mammoth issue for her, and as Cyrus gets closer to uncovering answers about Evie’s dark past, he exposes Evie to terrible danger... When She Was Good, with its dual timeline, was suspenseful and dark and the flawed characters were both wonderful and fascinating with a richness to them that really drew me in. There was a fantastic flow to Michael Robotham’s writing which was extremely appealing. The perfect pacing allowed me to fully appreciate the story with no dips in concentration. The story itself highlighted some very uncomfortable issues, including human trafficking and both physical and sexual abuse but nevertheless, it was a thoroughly immersive and compulsively readable thriller and a possible contender for one of my favourites of the year. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment! I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Little, Brown Book Group UK/ Sphere via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

“People think they want the truth, but the opposite is true. Honesty is mean and rough and ugly, while lying can be kinder, softer and more humane. It’s not honesty that we want, but consideration and respect.” When She Was Good s the second book in the Cyrus Haven series by award-winning Australian author, Michael Robotham. Initially, it looks like retired Detective Superintendent Hamish Whitmore has committed suicide. But that’s not what forensic psychologist, Cyrus Haven sees when he examines the scene. It quickly becomes clear that Hamish was murdered, and that it is related to the old (closed) case he couldn’t let go. What disturbs Cyrus most is the tiny notation in a corner of Hamish’s case whiteboard: Angelface, London, 2013. Evie Cormac is back at Langford Hall, a secure children’s home, impatiently waiting to be deemed old enough to be released. But not everyone agrees that she’s ready. Meanwhile, she endures, hanging out for visits from Cyrus, and more importantly, their Labrador, Poppy. But Cyrus has been picking at the past, hoping to find out more about what Evie refuses to reveal; have his subtle enquiries tripped a wire that will put them all in danger? For all those readers who wondered just how Evie ended up behind the wall in that house where the tortured corpse was found, this instalment of Cyrus Haven eventually explains all that, and a lot more! Evie doesn’t trust anyone, and maybe Cyrus would do well to take a leaf out of her book. As he meticulously follows up leads, it’s like he’s pulled a tiger’s tail. This novel is filled with edge of the seat, heart thumping action. And the final chapter, oh boy! Another brilliant read! This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hachette Australia.

In the second of this dynamite series, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven learns more about Evie Cormac's dark and shocking past. Her story reveals a dangerous and powerful network who will stop at nothing to silence ‘Angel Face’. Evie should be safe as she’s back at Langford Hall, a secure unit but her enemies prove to have a very long reach. The story is told in alternating storylines by Cyrus and Evie. First of all, I love the character development of Cyrus and Evie. Cyrus really cares about Evie and wants to protect her as best he can. He understands her as he too has a shocking past that’s has led him to suffer, although in a different way to Evie but he means he empathises. He is probably the only person Evie really trusts. Evie is brave, quick thinking and incredibly resourceful which she has learned the hard way. Animals love her and they are very good judges of a persons character. The other characters are good too especially Detective Lenny Pavel and Badger. Although there is a great deal to praise in the book one of the standout features is the realistic portrayal of the characters. In this book we learn more about Evie’s past as she recalls her suffering and the darkest of dark black stories emerges and you learn her tragic and heartbreaking history. Her enemies are dangerous and depraved human low life who seem to have eyes everywhere. Interspersed with all the darkness are some touching moments when you realise that she does have protectors and people who really care about her. The novel is very well written and is every bit as good as the amazing Good girl, Bad girl of last year. At times it’s scary and tense, there are moments when my jaw hits the deck with a resounding thunk and at others it’s deeply sad. The plot is excellent with good pacing and builds well on the first book although this can easily be read as a stand-alone. Overall, this is very clever storytelling as the truth emerges slowly but surely and keeps your attention in a vice like grip. As a reader I feel invested in these characters and will happily read a third instalment as I want to see what happens next. More please Mr Robotham, thank you!!!