Say You're Sorry in Aussie Readers

Jul 27, 2012 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-release, aussie-authors, borrowed-from-library, own-read, thriller

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 farm 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!! ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chcc-library, australian-author

5★
“‘We’re going to die,’ she whispered.’”

Well, what a treat this was! Michael Robotham has lived in some of the same places I’ve lived, and they say familiarity breeds contempt, so I admit I was foolishly expecting something less impressive.

My first hint of his popularity should have been that his books are never on the library shelves. This one was a lucky find. I reckon he's up there with the best of them.

It is about two teen-aged girls, one the town flirt, the other a bookish athlete, who dis 5★
“‘We’re going to die,’ she whispered.’”

Well, what a treat this was! Michael Robotham has lived in some of the same places I’ve lived, and they say familiarity breeds contempt, so I admit I was foolishly expecting something less impressive.

My first hint of his popularity should have been that his books are never on the library shelves. This one was a lucky find. I reckon he's up there with the best of them.

It is about two teen-aged girls, one the town flirt, the other a bookish athlete, who disappeared three years ago. We know from page one that they were kidnapped.

Who dunnit and why?

Professor Joe O’Loughlin is a clinical psychologist who’s been pulled back into harness to give his impression of a suspect with a history of mental illness who’s been implicated in a recent double murder.

Reference is made to a previous book in which O’Loughlin’s daughter Charlie was kidnapped, which is why he’s reluctant to give up his Christmas holiday time with her to waste on police business yet again. World-weary, he says:

“I used to want to know why things happened. Why would a couple murder young women and bury them in their basement . . . Not any more. I don’t want to be able to see inside people’s heads. It’s like knowing too much. It’s like living too long or witnessing too many events; experiencing things to the point of fatigue.”

Robotham puts us right smack in the middle of an uncomfortable, freezing English winter. He’s an excellent writer, and I liked his heartfelt descriptions of Joe’s frailties and insecurities (Parkinson’s and marriage bust-up) and chilling portrayal of the girls’ situation, much of which is described by Piper (the bookish writer) in her copious diaries and notes.

“Ever since George made her bleed, Tash had been acting differently. I don’t know if she tried to stab him with the screwdriver. She wouldn’t talk to me. Instead, she scratched at her wrists, biting her nails, sleeping all the time …I tried to talk to her…to make her eat, but she didn’t even have the energy to argue with me.

‘You’re scaring me’, I said, rocking her in my arms. ‘Please come back.’

‘We’re going to die,’ she whispered.

I knew she was right. It was like a message from God. A pretty disappointing message, but I didn’t blame him. That’s what everything comes down to – dying. Well, not literally everything, but most things.”

Piper sounds like a teenage girl –brazen, scared, naïve, and puzzled – while O’Loughlin sounds like an exhausted older bloke. Testimony to the skill of the author. Gotta look for more of his books now. ...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Josh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, read_2012, own

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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Apr 07, 2022 Melinda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another stellar addition to this series.

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Feb 01, 2015 Georgina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-crime

So glad I was introduced to this author thanks to my mother's Kindle, Professor Joe O'Loughlin is fast becoming a favourite character. This thriller was absolutely chilling, perfect for my train commute. I actually found myself unable to close the Kindle as I walked the last block from the station to the office one morning, I was lucky not to be hit by a car! ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Kathy rated it really liked it

4.5 stars. Say You’re Sorry, Michael Robotham’s latest novel starring psychologist Joe O’Loughlin is a riveting mystery with many unexpected twists and turns. To read my review in its entirety, please click HERE. ...more

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Jul 04, 2018 Sandi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, crime-mystery-thriller-suspense, read-2018

Not one of my favorite type plots, but I love the characters in this series and the ending was tense and well done. Listened to the audio version which was read by Seán Barrett who is always superb.

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Jun 04, 2016 Aimie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

This is in my opinion Robotham's best work - that I've read, anyway. I can't wait to sink my teeth into The next in the series which is thankfully say on my shelf waiting to be read. ...more

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