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Say You're Sorry (Joseph O'Loughlin #6)

by Michael Robotham (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,709 ratings · 333 reviews

TWO MISSING GIRLS. TWO BRUTAL MURDERS. ALL CONNECTED TO ONE FARM HOUSE. WHO IS TO BLAME?

When pretty and popular teenagers Piper Hadley and Tash McBain disappear one Sunday morning, the investigation captivates a nation but the girls are never found.

Three years later, during the worst blizzard in a century, a husband and wife are brutally killed in the farmhouse where Tash...more

ebook, 448 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by Mulholland Books (first published 2012)

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Oct 24, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. You know, for a hotshot clinical psychologist, Joe O’Loughlin is sure prone to making silly, sweeping generalizations about people. “Maybe she grew tired of being objectified, which would make her unusual among women,” or, “She’s an only child, which meant she was rather spoiled and bookish.” I’m a woman & an only child, and I don’t think I’ve ever been spoiled (although I daresay I am bookish) nor do I believe that I or any other woman I know enjoys being objectified. I’m just saying.
So wit...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read_2012, crime

The latest book by Michael Robotham, ‘Say You’re Sorry’, is a stark contrast in style and substance being more subdued and criminally contained than its predecessor, the grandiose action thriller ‘The Wreckage’. Clinical Psychologist, Joe O'Loughlin returns (last prominent role in 'Bleed for Me') to aid the police in profiling the person responsible for murdering two people during a blizzard. The investigation isn't what it seams and soon Joe is looking into a past incident involving two missing...more

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Dec 12, 2012 D.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers

Each year now, I await Robotham's latest thriller in the series with his character Joe O'Loughlin, psychologist. This novel was very well plotted and the author is proving that he doesn't disappoint in the crime thriller genre. I'll go further and say that there's many thriller writers out there that have a committed readership and each year they come up with something. Surely these books sell and the fans like them to whatever degree, but much of what they can write can be in the area of formul...more Each year now, I await Robotham's latest thriller in the series with his character Joe O'Loughlin, psychologist. This novel was very well plotted and the author is proving that he doesn't disappoint in the crime thriller genre. I'll go further and say that there's many thriller writers out there that have a committed readership and each year they come up with something. Surely these books sell and the fans like them to whatever degree, but much of what they can write can be in the area of formulaic, tired, or even forced.

Robotham has proved, to this reader at least, that he's a perfectionist. He's going to make everything in his story as credible as possible. Chapter five has the protagonist giving a lecture to peers on the nature of a psychopath. The author has done his research in faithfully describing this and it has its own shock value. Having read quite a lot of about psychopathy from interest, I can vouch for what the author has researched and has included in the fictional narrative.
Here's a snippet from page 47 (Sphere hardcover edition):

"...the ability to conceal from other people exactly what you are, to be able to hide your true nature. Nobody knows what you're really like...how little you care for other people...what you're capable of...
"What will you do with this power? That will depend upon what your desires are. Not all psychopaths are the same. And despite what that tabloid newspapers say, they're not all serial killers or mass murderers."

So, even in the context of this story, the fascination in reading this novel can lie in the reader attempting to guess just who the psychopath proves to be. Good luck with that!

Again Robotham uses a theme he has employed before in his O'Loughlin novels, the teenage girl and a teen girl's vulnerability from what could come from family background, own bad choices and being in a position where she could be sexually predated. In Say You're Sorry, one of the kidnapped girls owns a history of being very aware of her sexual allure and power that her sexuality had over those she would influence by it. If there's one thing, amongst several, that can be gleaned from this novel in terms of things that can make a reader think, is that no crossing of boundaries for any length of time could be without its consequences.

Robotham's crafted novel is solid reading. Only one thing that I could fault, and that is that even though there's much going on within the story, its pacing doesn't seem to thrill and shock as much as the events described might otherwise command. You can read this novel comfortably, in other words. If you only read one good thriller this year, I recommend this one. I would give it four and a half stars, but four will do.(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-release, aussie-authors, borrowed-from-library

Well, my first Robotham, and it won’t be my last!

Best friends, Piper Hadley (a quiet girl who loved to run) and Tash McBain (a young girl who seemed to attract trouble) went missing from the Bingham fair on the last weekend of the summer holidays…that’s where they were last seen anyway. They were called ‘The Bingham Girls’, and after the long, drawn out and extensive search over months failed to find any trace of them, the conclusion was that they had run away.

Three years after their disappeara...more Well, my first Robotham, and it won’t be my last!

Best friends, Piper Hadley (a quiet girl who loved to run) and Tash McBain (a young girl who seemed to attract trouble) went missing from the Bingham fair on the last weekend of the summer holidays…that’s where they were last seen anyway. They were called ‘The Bingham Girls’, and after the long, drawn out and extensive search over months failed to find any trace of them, the conclusion was that they had run away.

Three years after their disappearance, a couple were brutally murdered in their farmhouse in a terrible blizzard, the worst the country had seen in a while. When clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin was asked by the local police to talk to their suspect, a troubled young man, who was hearing voices, talked to a brother who wasn’t there, and had suspicious burns on his hands,Joe discovered the farmhouse was where Tash had lived with her family three years earlier.

Augie Shaw, the suspect in custody, seemed to know things, but could Joe trust his version of events? In any case, Joe’s suspicions were aroused, and he persuaded the police to re-open the three year old case of Piper and Tash’s disappearance. He became convinced the girls were still alive, but he also knew time was not on their sides. The police were sceptical…they didn’t believe the way Joe could ‘read’ a person, but the Chief of Police gave the go-ahead.

As Joe moved closer to the truth, the dangers escalated, and the combination of his beliefs, the terrible weather, the further deaths, and the Christmas season almost on them put him under incredible pressure…time was running out. Would they find the murderer before he killed again?

I really enjoyed the way this was written…starting off with Piper’s voice My name is Piper Hadley and I went missing on the last Saturday of the summer holidays three years ago… and Joe’s voice alternating throughout the book. I was gripped by the intensity of the story, and the extreme twist at the end, which I didn’t expect, had me shocked!

I highly recommend this psychological thriller…it will keep you up until you are finished!!
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May 10, 2013 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

3.5 stars
My first book by Michael Robotham and I have mixed reviews about this book. I loved the idea behind the book, the characters added the right dimension and the twists and turns were very good but I did not feel the adrenalin rush through my body as I read this book as I thought it should. The story began three years ago when two teenagers went missing. Piper and Tash are thought to have runaway and most people believe that they are dead. When their case was hot, people were investigated,...more

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May 05, 2013 Keely Bamber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I decided to read this book because my aunty recommended it and really enjoyed it. She said she absolutely loved it, so I was really intrigued to read it. Also I do not normally read thrillers, so it was a change from the normal books I read.

It fills the "a book written in 2011 or 2012" box on the bingo board. It was interesting because the book was written in a very modern fashion, and I found it easier to relate to. It was quite an easy read so that also emphasised on the modern way it was wri...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Cyndy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hated this book. I broke one of my steadfast rules and picked this book up knowing that I couldn't stand the author. January desperation, I guess. And at first, I was pleasantly surprised. It started off to be interesting. But unfortunately, the main character, Joe O'Loughlin, is a boring, self-centered, egotist, who by the way, has never been wrong. He's so well reknowned in his profiling profession that the police will beg him to help on their cases, oh and pay him oodles of money to sweeten...more I hated this book. I broke one of my steadfast rules and picked this book up knowing that I couldn't stand the author. January desperation, I guess. And at first, I was pleasantly surprised. It started off to be interesting. But unfortunately, the main character, Joe O'Loughlin, is a boring, self-centered, egotist, who by the way, has never been wrong. He's so well reknowned in his profiling profession that the police will beg him to help on their cases, oh and pay him oodles of money to sweeten the offer. Poor Joe, battling parkinsons disease, takes on serial killers, gets in the faces of police superintendents,is separated from his wife but still carries a torch, and nevertheless has beautiful women swooning after him, and yet in the midst of all this, it's good old Joe who single-handedly solves the crime. Forget the police. I particulary took umbrage with the chapter where he has taken his daughter on a business trip with him. He comes back to the room and she's gone. Of course! she's gone up to London to party with the boyfriend (who's 5 years older than her). After having one of his friends pick her up at the party wasted on drugs, Joe races up to London so they can concoct a story that the mother will find believable. See Joe's been asked by the mom to speak to precocious little Charlie because she's been suspected of having sex with this BOY. Yeah what's a little sex and drugs, heh Joe? Hmm. Maybe because she's fifteen? Joe's a real liberal dad who actually angrily brands someone else in the book as a "self-righteous social conservative". As if that's something to be ashamed of. Hmm. This book is laced with observations like that. Joe is very judgmental of religion, conservatism, discipling children (obviously), etc. I know Joe is fictional but now I'm beginning to wonder if Mr. Robotham is letting his own particular issues spill out into his novels. BORING. Don't tell me yours and I won't tell you mine. I wanted a simple novel of suspense to keep my mind occupied. I did not want to know what the author thought of my politics, especially when I can't tell him what I think of his. Note to self: No more of Michael Robotham. (less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Suspense Magazine added it · review of another edition

“Nobody writes like Robotham” is stamped across the cover of my review copy of his latest thriller,
“Say You’re Sorry.” After reading this fourth addition to his ‘Joseph O’Loughlin’ series, I would have to say if anyone does write like him then they too can count themselves as a master storyteller. I dare anyone to begin reading this and not finish it in more than four or five sittings. As a bedtime reader, the only thing that drew me away was sleep and I cursed my weary eyes each time. Robotham...more “Nobody writes like Robotham” is stamped across the cover of my review copy of his latest thriller,
“Say You’re Sorry.” After reading this fourth addition to his ‘Joseph O’Loughlin’ series, I would have to say if anyone does write like him then they too can count themselves as a master storyteller. I dare anyone to begin reading this and not finish it in more than four or five sittings. As a bedtime reader, the only thing that drew me away was sleep and I cursed my weary eyes each time. Robotham has written a credible rounded character in psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin, suffering not only from early stage Parkinson’s disease but also, separation from his wife. He doesn’t arrive at conclusions easily, but as he is drawn into solving the mystery of a brutal double murder and two missing teenagers, the twists tangle themselves around our hero as much as the reader.

Police believe that teenage best friends, Piper and Tash, who went missing one Sunday morning, will never be found and are likely dead. In reality, they are still held in a dark basement by a sadistic captor. Three years later, O’Loughlin is brought in to consult on a couple murdered at a farmhouse in a blizzard. A young man with psychological problems claiming to be innocent is the chief suspect.

Simultaneously, a young girl’s body is found in the nearby frozen river. Only O’Loughlin senses that the seemingly unrelated deaths could be connected and possibly linked to the girl’s kidnapping.
We know the girls are alive as Piper’s narrative describes the girls’ disappearance and horrors of captivity over the years. The story switches artfully between her viewpoint and O’Loughlin’s with each adding to the building suspense. Piper desperately plots to escape their captor and O’Loughlin, just as desperately, attempts to solve the girl’s puzzling disappearance.

You will think you see the twists and turns coming, but you will be wrong and that is the best kind of thriller. This one is that good, that for many books afterwards, I found myself cursing, “Nobody writes like Robotham.”

Reviewed by Susan May http://anadventureinreading.blogspot.... for Suspense Magazine
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Jan 07, 2013 Randi Reisfeld rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yummy! I love Robotham, especially when his books "star" characters I've become invested in, retired cop Vincent Ruiz and mainly: Clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin, who copes with Parkinsons and a fractured family. He's called to help police figure out who-and-why-dunnits. We looooove Joe: he trembles, he hurts, he wants his family back; he's smart, perceptive, and along with Ruiz, will go to any/all lengths to punish perps and save victims.

In this case, the victims are teen bffs, Piper and...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-audio-books, 2011-general-fiction

Say You’re Sorry, by Michael Robotham, a-minus, Narrated by Sean Barrett,Produced by Hachette Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Joe O’laughlin and Vince Ruiz become involved in solving what turns out to be two connected cases. A couple is brutally murdered in their farmhouse, and, the same night, a girl who has been missing for three years is found drowned in the lake. Three years previously, two highschool girls, Piper Hadley and Natasha McBain, disappeared. No one has seen them and their bodi...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Alph rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Predators Beneath

A few years ago I spent a couple of weeks exploring in the Daintree National Park in Far North Queensland. A crocodile expert told me that victims of crocodile attacks were more often than not locals. Locals get used to their neighbours and get a bit casual with what lies beneath. They forget the reptilian brain lying in wait…the opportunistic hunter. They forget the crocodile just wiling away invisible beneath the surface of the still water, saving its energy, its body on i...more The Predators Beneath

A few years ago I spent a couple of weeks exploring in the Daintree National Park in Far North Queensland. A crocodile expert told me that victims of crocodile attacks were more often than not locals. Locals get used to their neighbours and get a bit casual with what lies beneath. They forget the reptilian brain lying in wait…the opportunistic hunter. They forget the crocodile just wiling away invisible beneath the surface of the still water, saving its energy, its body on idle and its senses on alert. Waiting.

In our civilised communities, the reptile brain hides beneath the surface too. It lies beneath the surface of the man on the bus sitting across from you. He’s friendly, chatty and unassuming, such a nice man, the reptilian predator just wiling away beneath the surface. Waiting.

This is the wilderness Robotham explores in “Say You’re Sorry”. This is the wilderness of the mind, of the injured soul, of the sociopath, the serial killer, the child molester, the thrill killer. He doesn’t appear dressed in a dark cloak, black hat looking weird and scary. He looks like your chubby Uncle Charlie or your chatty Aunt May. He looks like you. Hell, he might even be you.

The novel is set in Oxford during the Christmas Season. Robotham makes it a familiar place. Oxford becomes the metaphor for our own communities. Whether we live in Australia or the U.S. or Britain…we recognise the characters. They are our neighbours, our friends. They are people we like, people we fear and people we despise…we know who they are. Here, Oxford is not some exotic locale. It’s everyplace. This is verisimilitude. It’s an honesty and truth that sings to us. We believe it. We know this place even though we may have never been there. And we believe it because it is so well done. And this is no mean feat. It takes skill to craft such a thing and do this well.

Two narrative lines run in this book and the voices are pitch perfect. If Robotham were a singer he’d be a bloody Opera star. Their pitch and tone are so perfect they could shatter champagne flutes at a hundred paces.

One is the voice of young Piper told through the pages of her diary and the other is the voice of criminal psychologist, Joe O’Loughlin.

Piper’s diary makes us laugh, makes us care and at times breaks our hearts. Like many teenagers, she is full of doubt about herself and her place in the world. She is a whisper from our own adolescence no matter how long ago we were there and her voice rings true.

O’Loughlin is a regular in Robotham novels. He’s not wise cracking tough guy. He’s not a two fisted avenger or a fast draw shoot ‘em up. There is something universal about Joe. When he looks into the mirror and faces the palsied reminder of his own mortality…there is something familiar and something frightening. Joe is a constant reminder that the world isn’t right yet and there’s so much to do before we leave it to protect those we love. With Joe salvation doesn’t come from the end of a gun barrel or with two fists…it comes from learning, it comes from knowing his fellow man…even the sick the bastards that do sick things.

We live in a jungle, whether it be the asphalt and cement of big city means streets, the manicured lawns of suburbia or the bucolic peace of the country. They all have their predators, those who have adapted as we have adapted and those who use their jungle… to hide in wait. Robotham reminds us that our salvation lies not only in how we survive that jungle but how we retain our humanity.

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Dec 27, 2012 Ellen Keim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm so relieved! After a long string of disappointing novels I finally found one that kept me reading without sleep or food! I'm going to look up the author's other novels now and hopefully have as good an experience as I had with this one.

This isn't the first novel with the same protagonist, but not knowing his back story didn't make it hard to identify with him. I like the fact that he's a psychologist; he reminds me a bit of Val McDermid's Tony Hill (The Wire In The Blood, etc.). It's always...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fabulous

Michael Robotham is by far one of the best thriller writers around today and one of my favourites. He once again weaves a magic web that ensnares the reader from the first until the last page.Then the let-down as you realise what a superb book you have just finished and the next book you pick up can only be disppointing unless it's another Robotham.

Clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is asked to assist in assessing a crime scene where a couple in an old farmhouse are brutally murdered during a...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Say You’re Sorry is a gripping story of two young girls who became known to the public as the "Bingham Girls". Bingham is a small English village and the girls had attended a local funfair the night of their disappearance. There are rumors that Piper Hadley and Tash McBain ran away. Although hundreds of people were searching for Piper and Tash it seemed as though the girls just vanished into thin air. Eventually the public eye moved on to other news.

Piper Hadley tells the girls' side of the stor...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh boy! I'm a big fan of Michael Robotham and his latest book - Say You're Sorry - is absolutely one of my top thriller reads for 2012.

I was hooked from the opening chapter....

"My name is Piper Hadley and I went missing on the last Saturday of the summer holidays three years ago."

In Say You're Sorry, Robotham brings back recurring character Joe O'Loughlin, a clinical psychologist, in the sixth entry of this series. Joe is in Oxford to give a lecture to his peers. "Only in the last few years hav...more Oh boy! I'm a big fan of Michael Robotham and his latest book - Say You're Sorry - is absolutely one of my top thriller reads for 2012.

I was hooked from the opening chapter....

"My name is Piper Hadley and I went missing on the last Saturday of the summer holidays three years ago."

In Say You're Sorry, Robotham brings back recurring character Joe O'Loughlin, a clinical psychologist, in the sixth entry of this series. Joe is in Oxford to give a lecture to his peers. "Only in the last few years have we begun to investigate the psychopaths who hide successfully among us."

Joe is asked to stay on to assist when a snowstorm turns up not two, but three bodies. A married couple in a farmhouse have been brutally killed. A young man with mental illness seems to be the likely suspect. Another body is found beneath the ice, just beyond the house. And when this body is identified as that of Tash, a young girl who went missing three years ago with her friend Piper, all the stops are pulled out - could Piper be possibly still alive?

Robotham cuts the narrative between the current search for Piper and the journal she has been keeping during her captivity. We become privy to the details of the girls' imprisonment, but we also come to know Piper herself. Robotham has done a fantastic job of bringing this character to life. I had a hard time stopping for the night as I wanted to get to the next entry in Piper's story.

Joe's personal story is engrossing as well - his battle with Parkinson's Disease, his failing marriage and a teenage daughter determined to live older than her fifteen years. Joe is especially well drawn and comes across as a real person, not a character in a book. Retired cop Victor Ruiz is also back, but in a supporting role. These are both characters I've really come to like.

This was a breakneck read for me - I literally couldn't put it down. The plot is great, the action never lets up, the suspense is palpable and and I adore twist endings! If you love suspense/thrillers you've got to add Robotham to your must read list. Trust me - you won't be sorry......(less)

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Jul 20, 2012 Karen Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fortunate enough to get a hold of an ARC of this novel, I couldn't wait to read it. I'd never read a Robotham book before, but I'd always intended to based on the fabulous reviews and recommendations from others. I was not disappointed. Say You're Sorry gripped me from page one to its climactic finish, with brilliant characterisations, dialogue that simply zinged, and a plot that had me turning the pages breathlessly.

Written from alternating points of view, SYS follows the gruesome murder of a c...more Fortunate enough to get a hold of an ARC of this novel, I couldn't wait to read it. I'd never read a Robotham book before, but I'd always intended to based on the fabulous reviews and recommendations from others. I was not disappointed. Say You're Sorry gripped me from page one to its climactic finish, with brilliant characterisations, dialogue that simply zinged, and a plot that had me turning the pages breathlessly.

Written from alternating points of view, SYS follows the gruesome murder of a couple in a remote house who are, in the novel's early stages, found brutally beaten and burnt to death. When the body of a young girl is also found, frozen, in a nearby lake, connections start to become apparent. Brought in to help is psychologist Joe O'Loughlin, a character who features in other Robotham books. Clever, compassionate and with an uncanny knack of reading people and situations, he finds himself both perplexed and fascinated by this case and the reluctance of some of his peers to accept alternate scenarios and motives.

Alongside this narrative is that of a young girl. While as a reader you're aware she's been kidnapped or trapped, it's the poignancy of her memories and how she reflects upon the situation she finds herself in, her vacillation between hope, regret and despair that is beautifully and heart-wrenchingly crafted. As the novel progresses, these separate narrative strands and points of view start to merge and it's when this occurs that I dare you to be able to put the book down - I could not.

I don't want to say too much more for fear of revealing something that would spoil the reading experience as it's one so worth taking. In fact, after finishing this taut and terrific thriller, I downloaded Robotham's other books and am looking forward to reading them very soon. If you enjoy good psychological thrillers, tight, masterfully woven crime with believable characters and plots that have you second-guessing, then this is the book for you. Robotham is up there with the very best. (less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-suspense

Hm. My tastes might be changing, or else Robotham is starting to trend towards even darker material, which means we might be divorcing soon. I enjoy a good crime novel, but when the plot involves Characters Who Are Pure Evil (I have serious problems with Pure Evil, although I know it makes for a more marketable and popular book) and kidnapping, torture, and rape, I think my time is up. I love psychologist Dr. Joe O'Loughlin, I love his interaction with former Det. Victor Ruiz, and that's the rea...more Hm. My tastes might be changing, or else Robotham is starting to trend towards even darker material, which means we might be divorcing soon. I enjoy a good crime novel, but when the plot involves Characters Who Are Pure Evil (I have serious problems with Pure Evil, although I know it makes for a more marketable and popular book) and kidnapping, torture, and rape, I think my time is up. I love psychologist Dr. Joe O'Loughlin, I love his interaction with former Det. Victor Ruiz, and that's the reason I've read most of Robotham's books. That spark is still there, and those characters ground the story beautifully, but the plot just didn't hang together for me.

Ok, so the story opens with a couple viciously murdered in their farmhouse--he was bludgeoned to death, she was burned alive in her bed (seriously?) Spoiler--the murders get solved in the end, but the motivations for the gruesome killings and the way the events went down do not, so don't wait for that. These deaths are connected to two teenage girls who went missing 3 years ago. The chapters with O'Loughlin (who has Parkinson's, and is separated from his beloved wife based on the fact that he's always too involved in these types of violent cases as a brilliant profiler) are intercut with ones written by one of the girls. They didn't run away, but instead were abducted by a madman and imprisoned for 3 years (think Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard)--this isn't a spoiler--you learn that within the first 30 pages. As usual, I liked the book's writing except the crazed madman (and we learn his identity in a twist ending), and frankly the book did little to resolve why he was such a nutcase. Yes, he had some issues (that O'Loughlin explains in the final pages) that made his life difficult, but nothing that would lead him to abduct, control, rape, mutilate, and torture two young women. Seriously. If you're going to have a psychopath (who of course seems normal to the rest of the world, that's why his 11th hour identity reveal is a twist!), give him some better motivations then physical childhood trauma. And reading the girl's chapters just made me so sad, even though it was well written and I related to her as a character. I love the quiet, exhausted but ongoing honor of Joe and Vincent--they have a great friendship that makes the book hum, and their motivations to do right despite the detriment to their personal lives always win out. I just thought they deserved better than a crazy psycho torture killer (and they didn't even really explain the killing part! Argh)

I felt about it the way I felt about the latest Batman--it's well done, but it was so dark I couldn't enjoy it. I was just happy when it was over. But it's not like this dark subject matter is a huge shift for Robotham. Shatter was not the feel-good book of the year, and yet I understood the motivations of the main bad guy character. I was just disappointed in this and I'm getting to the point where I don't enjoy the subject matter. I think it's more personal preference than anything. Next up: A Room with a View, which should be a good palate cleanser.(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 110-books-in-2012-and-do-it-again, action-thriller, family-relationships, free-book-for-honest-review, mystery, narrative, own-it, read-in-2012, reviewed, series, thriller, won-in-book-giveaway

This is Australian author Michael Robotham's eighth novel and once again, he shows his skills in creating suspense, building memorable characters and writing a captivating story.

Two teenage girls go missing from their homes in the outskirts of London.

Nothing is heard until three years later, there is a double murder in the same house where one of the girls lived. This was during a terrible blizzard and police were unable to respond to the 911 call in time.

Soon after, the body of one of the girls...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Lynette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a good solid thriller that follows a fairly typical who done it type of a plot. The story is told from 2 characters, the girl in captivity, Piper and a clinical psychologist helping the police to find her.

I liked Piper, I like that she wasn't a typical beautiful innocent young girl but had a bit of spunk about her. She narrates well and is easy to engage with.

I struggled a bit with the psychologist, I couldn't really get a feel for him as a character. I also struggled a little with so...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Phillis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had to finish this today! Great book. This caught me from page 1 and it didn't let me go. It still has me. I can't start another book just yet. I must mull this one over for a bit more. I love it when a book does that to me. I never guessed who the kidnapper was until the author allowed me to. He didn't send me off on too many red herrings either. Just enough to whet my imagination with something to work on and then took it away. Robotham knows how to write. It is his 8th book and my first of...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I've read by Australian crime writer Michael Robotham. I found it very hard to put down - as evidenced by the fact that I read it in two sittings. The main character, Joe O'Loughlin, is a clinical psychologist who assists the police with criminal profiles. He has featured in several of Robotham's previous books, the events of some of which are referred to over the course of this book, but I did not find it a problem to have not read the others previously (nor feel that the...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who loves a gripping read

Shelves: favorite-reads

What a page turner! Three years before the opening of the story, two young girls, Piper Hadley and Tash McBain disappear.In spite of intensive searches and the questioning of multiple suspects, not a trace is ever found of either girl nor any likely suspect identified. As the girls were plotting to run away to London, there's the lingering question: did they disappear into that vast metropolis? The story begins with a diary entry by Piper recounting watching all this on TV--her parent's grief,...more What a page turner! Three years before the opening of the story, two young girls, Piper Hadley and Tash McBain disappear.In spite of intensive searches and the questioning of multiple suspects, not a trace is ever found of either girl nor any likely suspect identified. As the girls were plotting to run away to London, there's the lingering question: did they disappear into that vast metropolis? The story begins with a diary entry by Piper recounting watching all this on TV--her parent's grief, the long search for them and the fact that she and Tash are imprisoned somewhere.

The next chapter begins with Joe O'Loughlin, clinical psychologist and retired profiler. He's seeing one last patient on this day before going to Paddington Station to meet his teen aged daughter, Charlie, who will accompany him to Oxford where Joe will deliver a speech at a conference. The plan is that afterward, he and Charlie, who lives with Joe's estranged wife, will spend time together in London. On the way to Oxford on the train, Joe and Charlie see a body being removed from the ice of a small pond.

After Joe's lecture as he and Charlie are starting lunch, the local police ask him to help them with a suspect. Several days before, just outside Oxford, a man and his wife are murdered and the wife burned alive. The police have a suspect but want Joe to interview him and give his professional opinion. While Joe reluctantly agrees to this, it becomes clear that the body pulled from the pond is that of Tash. She's frozen under the ice of a small lake...and she hasn't been dead long. Maybe a day. She hasn't been dead for the previous three years, after all, so maybe Piper is still alive somewhere, too.

The chapters alternate between Joe's work on the case and entries in Piper's diary. It's been a long time since I was so mesmerized by a book that I had to force myself to put it down and attend to life. Readers familiar with Robotham's work will be happy to see the reappearance of Joe O'Loughlin and retired cop, Vincent Ruiz and may feel, as I did, that Say You're Sorry may well be his best work yet. Strong on character and well plotted all of Robotham's books are excellent and well worth reading. (less)

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Jun 14, 2013 Trace rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: loved-almost-every-minute

Really good whodunnit book! I bought a whole heap of books, approx 80 for a good price. This was one of those said books, I picked at random then looked at the reviews, which were mostly all quite favorable. I am glad I chose right! What makes a book 5 stars to me? Well for starters it doesn't have to be great literature or a book that pleases the populous! It just has to hold my level of excitement to continue reading long after I put the book down. It also helps to have entertaining dialogue a...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Teenagers Piper and Tasha have been missing for three years, when Tasha's body is found frozen in water near the scene of a double murder. This reignites the investigation, this time including psychologist Joe O'Loughlin.
Told in two points of view, Piper's and Joe's readers are included in on the investigation, and the brutality of being held captive for three years.
The mystery kept me guessing until the end, as several suspects emerge.
At times the book dragged with an excess of detail, but what...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Miranda Mowbray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrillers-and-mystery

RATING: 3.5 stars

I bought this book from a Kindle Daily Deal sale, having never heard of this author before. After reading it, I'm surprised that I hadn't read anything by him before. I usually love psychological thrillers, and Robotham's "Say You're Sorry" was not a disappointment. Even though I didn't read Robotham's earlier novels in which the main character, Joe O'Laughlin, is introduced and developed, I was still able to like and relate to his character, although I wasn't as attached to him...more RATING: 3.5 stars

I bought this book from a Kindle Daily Deal sale, having never heard of this author before. After reading it, I'm surprised that I hadn't read anything by him before. I usually love psychological thrillers, and Robotham's "Say You're Sorry" was not a disappointment. Even though I didn't read Robotham's earlier novels in which the main character, Joe O'Laughlin, is introduced and developed, I was still able to like and relate to his character, although I wasn't as attached to him as I wish I'd been. I also thought that his psychologist work was probably a little far-fetched.

One thing that I really liked about this book was that I honestly had NO clue who the kidnapper was going to be. Usually I'm fairly decent at seeing things like that coming, but I was truly surprised when it was finally revealed. Although I liked not being able to figure it out, I think that the author could've done a better job with the kidnapper's character. The main reason I was so surprised was that he was such a minor character in the novel. Maybe it's just me, but I was almost like, "Wait, who is this again?" I think that the author could've fleshed out his character a tiny bit more without being so obvious as to give him away.

Along those same lines, after you figure out who it is, the author does little to resolve the lingering questions. There is an explanation as to why he kidnapped the girls, but I wish that it had gone into a little bit more detail. It just seemed a tiny bit far-fetched. There is also an event (which I won't give away) that occurs at the beginning of the book that has no resolution. We find out about who was responsible for this event, but don't ever learn why or how it happened.

The rest of the novel was pretty good, though. Piper's chapters were really creepy and I found myself having a hard time reading this book alone in the dark, particularly as it got closer to the end. I thought that the character development between the minor characters in the book — specifically the parents of Piper and Tash and their "friends" from the town — was interesting and very well done. We learned a lot about each of them, which made pinpointing who the kidnapper was going to be even harder.

Ultimately, it was a good, thrilling read, but I wasn't jumping up and down about it. But I am interested in reading more from this author.(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I inhaled this book in a few hours--and yes, I'll admit I did inhale, although there were some sentences in this book that make me embarrassed to admit I did so. The inevitable "he cocked one eyebrow" appears, as it does in so much of the popular fiction I've read recently. The minute I actually see a REAL person raising one eyebrow, I'll stop complaining about this trend. Until then, ICK.
That being said, this book's pacing was excellent, and I thought I was clever enough to have figured out th...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After the disappointment of my last crime read it was heartening to seek sanctuary in the criminal bosom of Michael Robotham. Robotham is a firm favourite of mine and once again provides a fine lesson in the craft of crime fiction with an utterly absorbing read. Drawing closely on real-life incidences of child abduction Robotham weaves a compelling tale focusing on the case of two missing teenage girls and the changing public perceptions of the both the case and the two as individuals under the...more After the disappointment of my last crime read it was heartening to seek sanctuary in the criminal bosom of Michael Robotham. Robotham is a firm favourite of mine and once again provides a fine lesson in the craft of crime fiction with an utterly absorbing read. Drawing closely on real-life incidences of child abduction Robotham weaves a compelling tale focusing on the case of two missing teenage girls and the changing public perceptions of the both the case and the two as individuals under the glare of media scrutiny and the heightened sense of purpose the police investigation gains when one of the girls turns up dead. Once again clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin is called to assist in this troubling case and with the help of retired policeman Vincent Ruiz, seeks to determine the whereabouts of the remaining missing girl. The plot is taut and throws up many a quandary for our loveable duo as the investigation unfolds in different directions but what this book highlights more than most is Robotham’s consistently great characterisation.

This was particularly noticeable in Robotham’s portrayal of Piper Hadley a sporty and slightly ungainly teenager but who during her enforced incarceration is revealed as a very perceptive and thoughtful girl grappling mentally and physically with the challenges of the danger she finds herself in. The sections of the book where she narrates her day-to-day suffering at the hands of her abductor are truly moving and incredibly well-realised. I liked the way that her experiences are offset by the traumas caused by Joe’s own teenage daughter Charlie as she navigates her way through these difficult years, at times to the chagrin of her father, as she herself has been held captive in a previous criminal investigation involving Joe. Hence Joe draws on the feelings he had when his own daughter was abducted to aid his own mission to try and ensure the safe return of Piper to her family. On the theme of characterisation we are once again witness to the good-natured ribbing and heartfelt friendship and respect between Joe and Vincent. I adore Vincent despite his propensity for being an eminently unsuitable husband but totally counterbalanced by his mix of intuitive and ballsy approach to police work retired or not. Joe also finds himself involved in a little extra-curricular romantic action which added another facet to plot as well highlighting his slightly rusty skills with the fairer sex!

All in all this is a great read with a perfectly balanced plot, skilled characterisation and dialogue and just a twist or two along the way to add to the tense and thrilling denouement.

(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, australian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 12, 2013 Kerri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book started out okay with teenagers Piper and Tasha being kidnapped and still missing after three years. The story begins when Tasha's body is found frozen in water near the scene of a double murder. This reignites the investigation, with help from psychologist Joe O'Loughlin. Throughout the storey, several suspects emerge. I found the lack of character development weak. I cared about and wanted to know Piper as a kidnap victim, but I never felt like I knew her enough to empathize with her...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Merry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two teenage girls are missing, and after three years, a recent murder and the discovery of the body of one of them, reopens the case. I'm all about form and especially enjoyed the alternating chapters (one or two chapters would be voiced by the psychiatrist on the case, and then a chapter would be inserted, voiced by the missing girl). This allowed the present story as well as the past abduction to unfold nicely. It was very compelling and as the suspects piled up, the sustained mystery of the t...more

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About Michael Robotham

Born in Australia in November 1960, Michael Robotham grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped in 1979 and became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.

For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first p...more Born in Australia in November 1960, Michael Robotham grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped in 1979 and became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.

For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first people to view the letters and diaries of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra, unearthed in the Moscow State Archives in 1991. He also gained access to Stalin’s Hitler files, which had been missing for nearly fifty years until a cleaner stumbled upon a cardboard box that had been misplaced and misfiled.

In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and showbusiness personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles have been bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.

His first novel 'THE SUSPECT', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries. It has been translated into twenty-two, including some he's barely heard of.

His second novel 'THE DROWNING MAN' (first published as 'LOST') won the Ned Kelly Award for the Crime Novel of the Year in 2005, given by the Australian Crime Writers Association. It was also shortlisted for the 2006 Barry Award for the BEST BRITISH NOVEL published in the US in 2005.

Michael's subsequent novels 'THE NIGHT FERRY' and 'SHATTER' were both shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in the UK in 2007 and 2008. 'SHATTER' went on to win the 2008 Ned Kelly Award for Australia's best crime novel and was also shortlisted in the inaugural ITV3 Thriller Awards and for South Africa's Boeke Prize.

Michael has recently swapped his 'pit of despair' (basement office) on Sydney’s northern beaches for a 'cabana of cruelty' where he funds the extravagent lifestyles of a wife and three daughters. (less)

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Say You're Sorry (Joseph O'Loughlin #6)

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