The white crow by Michael Robotham
The white crow is a thriller that I couldn’t put down. I first met Philomena McCarthy in When you are mine and couldn’t resist reading about her again – although The white crow can be read as a stand-alone. She is an irresistible character – the daughter of a London crime boss Edward McCarthy, she has decided that she wants to be on the right side of the law and has spent the last four years as a young officer with the Metropolitan Police Force. This has not always been easy as her colleagues don’t always trust her and it strains her relations with her family. One night she is with another officer when she spots a young girl cowering in a hedge, her nightdress covered in blood. Daisy, the little girl, tells her that she can’t wake her mother, and while her colleague rushes off to a burglary in a jewellery shop across town, Philomena investigates and finds the body of the girl’s mother. When the two investigations clash Philomena is faced with some difficult choices. Who can she trust? How involved is her father in the burglary? Will she be allowed to investigate the murder?
Robotham has combined all the elements of a police procedural with a gripping thriller, and fans of both genres will be taken along for an exciting ride. Details of Philomena’s father’s empire and the tactics he uses to make money are explored as he is faced with a takeover by a violent gang boss. His problems lead to Philomena facing extreme danger and the reader is left wondering who will come to the rescue – her new husband Henry, her family or the police force. The underlying mystery of the death of the little girl’s mother is a tantalising thread throughout and the officer in charge, DCI Brendan Keegan, is also faced with choices between expediency and truth.
This is a gripping story, told by a master storyteller, and I can easily imagine it being made into a film or TV series. I eagerly await more books from this wonderful author.
Themes: Thriller, Murder, Gangs, Police corruption, Family.
Pat Pledger