Sat 6 Aug 2011
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: MICHAEL ROBOTHAM – Bleed for Me.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[5] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
MICHAEL ROBOTHAM – Bleed for Me. Sphere, UK, hardcover, 2010. Mulholland Books, US, hc, February 2012.
Genre: Unlicensed Investigator: Psychiatrist. Leading character: Joe O’Laughlin (4th in series). Setting: England.
First Sentence: I should start by telling you my name, although it’s not really important.
Psychiatrist Joe O’Laughlin is trying to deal with having Parkinson’s disease, being separated from his wife and only seeing his daughter part time. When his daughter’s best friend is accused of murdering her father, a former police detective, Joe can’t ignore his daughter’s plea to help.
I’ll admit I’m always excited when a new Robotham book comes out and, once again, he delivers. From the very powerful and disturbing prologue to the nail-biting ending, I was completely absorbed.
One thing I really appreciate is that, although this is the fourth book in the series, he doesn’t assume you’ve read any of the previous books. Without burdening the plot or slowing down the story, within a very short period the author does an excellent job of providing a comprehensive back story on the characters. You never feel as though you’ve missed something.
The portrayal of a couple who are amicably yet needfully separated is effective without being maudlin. I don’t know how accurate the psychiatry aspects are; it does seem Joe is, at time, a bit too insightful for belief, but it works and provides some interesting observations.
Having recently served on a criminal-case jury; albeit not a murder, I found his comments on juries fascinating as well as the demonstration that, with motivation, anyone can be pushed to violence.
It’s the balance of introspection and suspense that brings me back to Robotham every time. The plot is complex, twisty and fast-paced. I liked that all the clues were there to identify the killer, yet I didn’t, and that justice prevailed.
If you’ve not yet discovered him, Robotham is an author I definitely recommend trying.
Rating: Good Plus.
The Joseph O’Loughlin series —
1. The Suspect (2004)
2. Lost (2005) aka The Drowning Man (US)
3. Shatter (2008)
4. Bleed for Me (2010)
August 6th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Although some of the books in this series have been published in the US, this is an author and character new to me. I’m not fond of psychological thrillers, but LJ, you’ve convinced me that I ought to try one, if any should happen to come my way.
August 6th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Hello Steve,
Just finished “The Wreckage” by Michael Robotham, and it was as good as all the others. He switches main characters between Joe O’Loughlin and Vincent Ruiz, with the main character in one book a minor character in the next. A new character was added in the “Wreckage” book, Luc Terracini, that I hope to see again. He does a nice job creating three dimensional characters, which really makes you care what is going to happen to them. I think all his books except “Bombproof” (stand alone) are now published in the US. I hope so, he deserves a large following.
David
August 6th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
David
I hadn’t caught up to the fact that Ruiz is in some of the O’Loughlin books as well as a couple of his own. It certainly builds a sense of continuity or “Robotham Universe” between the two series.
All the more reason to start looking for his books! (To date, I’ve never seen a one.)
— Steve
August 6th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Hello Steve,
I thought it was pretty cool how he switches up main characters. Joe O is the main character in Suspect, with Ruiz investigating him. Book two has Ruiz, with a minor character Ali Barba. She is main character in book three, the Joe back (with Ruiz in a smaller role) for Shatter. Ruiz & Terracini are the leads in Wreckage, Joe shows up in a minor role. Seems to keep things fresh. Always look forward to his new book. Another UK writer that started about the same time is Simon Kernick, that I really recommend.
And thanks to whomever suggested reading Colin Watson a while back, just started reading the series, and can’t wait to read the next one.
David
August 7th, 2011 at 7:40 am
I was just going to add what David said – a minor character in one of the books is the main character in another. I’ve read the first three so far; good stuff.