The Guilty Innocent
I don’t usually read contemporary fiction, but I read a recently released novel Suspect by Michael Robotham. It’s one of those rare books that you could probably sit and read in one sitting if it was healthy to do that sort of thing. Robotham has spun one of the most polished plots I’ve read in a long time, and this is only his debut novel.
To summarize the… summary on the dust jacket: Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin’s perfect life is deteriorating along with the slow bodily decay brought on by Parkinson’s disease. Police ask for his help in a murder of a woman they assume is a prostitute, but who turns out to be a former patient. Joe suspects another of his patients, but the police begin to suspect him.
In the BOMC interview (Second related extra), Robotham has this to say about his novel:
It’s not a book about some rock-jawed impossibly handsome hero; or about a burnt-out, twice married detective with a drink problem. Joe O’Loughlin is just an ordinary guy who makes a mistake. The result is all the more frightening when afterwards you say to yourself, ‘That could have been me.’
However, this is not a story centered around an “everyman.” Joe O’Loughlin can be a frustrating protagonist, and does some pretty unbelievable things, but Robotham eases it off at all the right moments. The line between good and evil are blurred… Well, I could go on describing the book, but that would risk giving too much away and ruining the experience.
If you like psychological mystery thrillers with ethical and moral issues, as well as really intelligent (possibly too intelligent) protagonists, this is for you. It kept me guessing until the last page, and I don’t think it’s because I’m a total dullard.
:: Related Extras ::
- http://www.michaelrobotham.com – Robotham’s website
- BOMC Interview – After the debut of Suspect.
- More – Suspect on Amazon.
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