Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Apr 03 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

When an idealistic young police officer responds to a call of domestic assault and subsequently becomes friends with the victim, the lives of the two women become intertwined in an increasingly sinister way and the line between rescuer and prey becomes fatally blurred.Philomena McCarthy may be the daughter of a notorious London gangster, but ever since the age of 11, when she was injured in the terrorist bombing of a bus, she has known that she wanted to join the London Metropolitan Police to become the kind of officer who saved her that day. And 16 years later, she has fulfilled that ambition and witnessed a great deal. "Most people look at London and see landmarks," she explains. "I see the maimed, broken, and the addicted, the eyewitnesses, the innocent bystanders, and the bereaved." Something new awaits Phil, however, when she assists Tempe Brown, a terrified young woman, and arrests Tempe's assailant, who turns out to be a high-ranking police officer hailed as a hero for his courage during a headline-grabbing knife attack. As the expertly paced first-person narrative accelerates, the reader is drawn into Phil's personal life and, at the same time, immersed in the world of everyday policing and the darker realm of corruption and dirty politics. "I am a good police officer," Phil protests. "You don't have to convince me," her partner replies, "but they are trying to drive you out. And you can't afford to make any mistakes." But is her most serious mistake her new and needy best friend? Sidestepping all the clichés-the tough-girl humor is perfectly pitched and never overdone-the novel is as psychologically nuanced and emotionally engaging as it is suspenseful. There will be a wedding finally, after several funerals, but "summer has ended," Phil notes, "and the air is growing cooler as the days shorten. I am not the same person I was four months ago, or even a week ago, or even this morning." And the reader believes her.A flawless and compassionate psychological thriller.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

When an idealistic young police officer responds to a call of domestic assault and subsequently becomes friends with the victim, the lives of the two women become intertwined in an increasingly sinister way and the line between rescuer and prey becomes fatally blurred.Philomena McCarthy may be the daughter of a notorious London gangster, but ever since the age of 11, when she was injured in the terrorist bombing of a bus, she has known that she wanted to join the London Metropolitan Police to become the kind of officer who saved her that day. And 16 years later, she has fulfilled that ambition and witnessed a great deal. "Most people look at London and see landmarks," she explains. "I see the maimed, broken, and the addicted, the eyewitnesses, the innocent bystanders, and the bereaved." Something new awaits Phil, however, when she assists Tempe Brown, a terrified young woman, and arrests Tempe's assailant, who turns out to be a high-ranking police officer hailed as a hero for his courage during a headline-grabbing knife attack. As the expertly paced first-person narrative accelerates, the reader is drawn into Phil's personal life and, at the same time, immersed in the world of everyday policing and the darker realm of corruption and dirty politics. "I am a good police officer," Phil protests. "You don't have to convince me," her partner replies, "but they are trying to drive you out. And you can't afford to make any mistakes." But is her most serious mistake her new and needy best friend? Sidestepping all the clichés-the tough-girl humor is perfectly pitched and never overdone-the novel is as psychologically nuanced and emotionally engaging as it is suspenseful. There will be a wedding finally, after several funerals, but "summer has ended," Phil notes, "and the air is growing cooler as the days shorten. I am not the same person I was four months ago, or even a week ago, or even this morning." And the reader believes her.A flawless and compassionate psychological thriller.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this nail-biter from Edgar finalist Robotham (When She Was Good), Police Constable Philomena McCarthy-s devotion to duty and empathy for victimized women threaten to make her time with the Southwark Police short after she and her partner, Anishi Kohli, respond to a report of a domestic disturbance. After conferring with a woman who says she could hear her neighbor screaming, McCarthy and Kohli go to the neighbor-s door, which is answered by a battered young woman who calls herself Tempe and claims that her injuries are accidental-and that she-s alone. Behind the door, McCarthy finds Tempe-s abusive boyfriend, a decorated detective sergeant, Darren Goodall. When Goodall assaults McCarthy, she arrests him. Later, Goodall-s male allies on the force make both assault cases go away. Though she-s warned to distance herself from Goodall, McCarthy pursues her suspicions that he may also be abusing his wife, while also trying to find a refuge for Tempe. Those unauthorized endeavors jeopardize her job and her life. Robotham tightens the screws on his sympathetic lead incrementally as the action builds to a satisfying climax. Lisa Unger fans will be riveted. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management. (Jan.)