The novel opens in Longford secure children’s home in Nottingham. We are introduced to Guthrie the resident social worker as he leads a group session with residents Alana, Evie, Holly, Nathan, Cordelia, Rebekah and Serena. When a disagreement develops between Serena and Evia, Serena attacks!

‘Someone tried to strangle me’ ~ Evie

Evie has a bruised neck and states that she hopes to escape the facility.
The novel then jumps to Evie’s point of view and we learn there is much more depth to Evie than just a regular violent resident. Evie is consumed by self loathing and we learn of previous abuse. But who abused Evie and why has she remained silent about her abuser?

I have spent 10yrs of my career working mainly in secure setting with residents with mental health conditions and I can honestly say Evie’s character and background is incredibly accurate.

‘Nobody can hate like I can’

The novel then move to DS Alan Edgar and his investigation into the murder of a teenage girl Jodie Sheehan. Jodie has suffered a blow to the head, has DNA evidence on her body and is a case of intense public interest due to her professional figure skating. Eventually we learn about Jodie’s family background, strange brother, career/coach and on/off lover. It would seem Jodie’s life isn’t the perfect life the family would have people believe it is? So who would kill the local popular figure skater and why?

Via a series of files, ward notes, offences, assessments and escapes we finally learn the complexity of Evie’s character. As stated above the characterisation is intense and brilliant. Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven in an attempt to understand Evie further speaks to the special constable (Sacha Hopewell) who found Evie.

The investigation into Jodie’s murder reaches a new turn when £5/6K is found in her school locker. Where and how does a teenage girl acquire such cash and what did the need it for? Chief Superintendent Timothy Heller-Smith and PC Harry Plover suspect Craig Farley a previous hospital worker in the vicinity if the crime scene. But are they merely clutching at straws in an attempt to solve the case.

Evie’s anger and rage begins to unravel and in a bizarre and unethical attempt to help Evie, Cyrus agrees to foster her. But Cyrus has his own past, his own dark secrets he is trying desperately to contain. Will fostering Evie, unravel Cyrus’s coping mechanisms. Is he fully prepared for Evie…
‘She’ll find your weakness’

‘Victims of childhood abuse don’t associate kindness with trust’

DNA profile comes back and it is a match to Craig Farley…
‘People keep saying that Jodie was a normal teenager, who loved dancing and music and ice-skating, but there’s more to her than that’ ~ Cyrus

Overall this is a phenomenal novel! I sincerely hope this is a cracking new series to follow, devour and LOVE! 5*

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham. I am a big Fan of this author and I just loved his new book.

This book is the new series and I found it an excellent introduction to some complex and intriguing characters, that fitted in well in this new exciting series of Cyrus Haven.

A young Girl was discovered six years ago and was found half starved and in a bad way. She was found hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. She would not tell anyone her name, where she came from, her age etc. She did not appear to be reported missing and her DNA did not match anyone the local Police had on their files.

Who is she?

Six years went by and she is living in a secured children's home she had a new name Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, Cyrus Haven is a Criminal Psychologist who consults part-time for the Nottinghamshire Police, must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met—fascinating and dangerous in equal measure. Evie knows when someone is lying, and no one around her is telling the truth.

Now, what is Evie Hiding?

Cyrus has been called to an investigation of the murder of a 15 year old high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan. She was Pretty and very popular amongst friends and peers.
Jodie disappeared after going to the local fireworks advent with her close cousin and her body is found the next day on a lonely footpath close to her home. The local Police and Cyrus start to investigate what happened to Jodie. As Cyrus looks into Jodies life, a dark secret life emerges.

What is this dark secret?

Who murdered Jodie?

Are they going to strike again?

I highly recommend this new book by Michael Robotham and all his other books. They are just all an excellent read.

Big Thank you to the publishers Simon & Schuster, the author Michael Robotham and Edelweiss for the ARC.

Another superb offering from Michael Robotham. Featuring Forensic Psychologist Cyrus Cyrus Haven and the deeply disturbed girl of the title Evie Cormac, the plot revolves around her troubled past and how Cyrus attempts to resolve her past experiences.
As always this is beautifully written and showcases an author at the very top of his game.

What a promising start to a new series. As a long time fan of the author's Joseph O'Loughlin series, I can't wait to get to know Cyrus Haven better. He is an intriguing character whose own psychological damage puts him in a unique position when dealing with other vulnerable people. I simply couldn't put this down.

Great psychological thriller with an excellent cast of characters. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Cyrus Haven is a psychologist with a dark past of his own to contend with. As he assists colleague Lenny on the murder of a fifteen-year-old ice-skater Jodie, who has been raped and murdered, he is also asked to help with troublesome Evie Cormac. Evie is under the court’s protection and has spent the previous few years in a secure children’s home since being discovered shut in a secret room next to where her murdered abductor lies rotting.

Her identity must be kept secret and her background is a mystery. No one knows her real name, where she comes from, or even how old she is. Evie is known as Angel Face to the public. Despite her lack of an education she can instinctively tell if someone is lying and has proved very hard to get to know. When the courts refuse to let Evie leave the home and make her own way in the world, Cyrus agrees to foster her until she is assumed to be eighteen. As they live in the same house he discovers quite how intelligent and complicated she really is.

While Cyrus delves deeper into murdered Jodie’s past, he discovers that she is not the person her controlling parents had imagined. The story kept me guessing as to who the good girl was and who was the bad but both girl’s lives were intensely claustrophobic in their own way.

I love Michael Robotham’s books and this was another book that kept my attention while I was reading it, as well as my thoughts when I had to put it down. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series. This is an intriguing thriller and well worth the five stars I’ve given it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sphere for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I am sorry to say..... not .... this was a bloody brilliant book! I did not know what to expect page to page, and just couldn't wait to finish it!! It was so riveting written, I just had to see what the girl's secret was, and how far her "power" reached. Recommended.

Interesting and atmospheric. The author captured the feeling of NY in the 60's perfectly. A little over-complicated but a good read. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this- I found it to be a gripping story. I really loved the character of Evie the most, a damaged girl trying to piece her life back together. Really well written, equally worrying and hopeful, a brilliant read.

# Good Girl, Bad Girl # Netgalley
Wow I touched with many emotions whilst reading this novel. It actually brings into prospective no matter how bad we sometimes feel when growing up. It makes you think really was it so bad after all, it’s a truly mind blowing novel. I was so gripped by this book I could not put it down. It brought back the reality of a era where things didn’t matter, people didn’t mater, people could do whatever they wanted to children and if or when they reported it, their just wasn’t anyone their for them. Not only was it mind blowing. It felt like you where so much living Evie. The author has written a absolutely amazing touching heartbreaking in parts novel. With so much care about Evie. Ok knowing when someone is lying is not as impossibly as it seems, I genuinely understand Evils story. The strength of survival, her power to knowledge that she well never really fit into anyone place.. what a extremely well written book. With Evie being true to herself to best of her ability.

I loved this book, well written with enough of a bite in the tale to make the reader sit up and take note. My first book by this author hopefully not my last!!

Good Girl, Bad Girl is the first book in a fresh new series featuring forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven and I definitely cannot wait to read the next installments particularly as I feel, some areas were left unfinished.

There are two stories being told alongside each other - one is the story of Jodie Sheehan, a 15-year-old figure skater found dead and the other is about Evie, a girl of unknown age, living in a secure children’s home. The fusion of complex characters and how their relationships evolve throughout the story further draws you in. There were so many twists & turns in this fascinating thriller that the ending was a complete surprise and very unexpected.

It is the first I've read by this author but I am definitely sure to read more and highly recommend this book to my fellow readers, particularly crime buffs.

This was my first novel by this author, so I can’t compare it to any of his previous work. Good Girl, Bad Girl was suspenseful and dark and the flawed characters were both wonderful and fascinating with a richness to them that really drew me in. There was a fantastic flow to Michael Robotham’s writing in this book which was extremely appealing. The pacing was perfect allowing me to fully appreciate the story with no dips in concentration. The story itself highlighted some very uncomfortable issues, but nevertheless, it was a thoroughly compelling and compulsively readable thriller and one of the best of the year, so far.

I was so glad that this is the start of a new series and I will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
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A fast paced tale told alternatively between a teenager and a psychologist, both of whom have a turbulent past. I got involved with both the main characters, who were realistically portrayed.
Think I need to check out any other of Michael Robotham's books I have yet to read

I enjoyed this book.

I did find it a little confusing at the start and struggled to get into it, but once I was invested in the book, I found myself really enjoying it.

The two storylines that were going on eventually intertwined together and I loved the way that they did come together.

The ending was great.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Michael Robotham has not disappointed - a 5 star read. The pages turn themselves, the pace of the story is fast..
Evie has a deeply buried past, she is mentally blocking it from her mind, she is approaching her eighteenth birthday, has been a ward of the court since she was found by a female police officer, hidden in the house of a murder victim, her true identity is not known, no birth record, no name.
She has applied to the court to be released and live independently, her application is refused, but psychologist Cyrus Haven steps outside his comfort zone and offers to be her guardian, he has spent time talking to her, he can see she has a special gift for reading people. Cyrus and Evie understand one another, Evie needs to find an adult she can trust, Cyrus understands and empathises with her situation.
This is a roller coaster read as the story unfolds, high school student Jodie Sheehan is found murdered, Cyrus finds himself as the link between two girls, one with a past unknown and the other her future taken away..
Brilliantly written, great story definitely his best book yet, another bestseller ,

I have only ever read one other book by this prolific writer, a stand alone, and it was okay. This book, especially as the first in a new series, has made me determined to read more by Michael Robotham. Cyrus Haven is a psychologist with a past of his own and he is helping the police to track down the killer of a young girl while trying to help Evie Cormac, a young girl with a troubled past and present. The characters are very well drawn, the plot(s) well paced and the writing engaging.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Michael Robotham/Little, Brown Book Group UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A troubled girl, a forensic psychologist who gets too involved, murder, sexual assault, family secrets - Michael Rowbotham weaves his latest new character into an engrossing debut, full of twists and turns. Having read his books in the past I was looking forward to reading Good Girl, Bad Girl and he didn’t disappoint. Looking forward to seeing Cyrus in further instalments.

https://lynns-books.com/2019/07/25/good-girl-bad-girl-by-michael-robotham/
3.5 of 5 stars
Good Girl Bad Girl was a very good read, clever in concept and a great introduction to two characters that I strongly hope are going to feature in more novels. Part murder mystery, part unsolved child abduction case the two threads are brought together by the central character, Cyrus Haven. Cyrus is a Forensic Psychologist who works with the police on occasion and also assists at a Children’s Home.

So, how to break this one down quickly, concisely and without spoilers.

First, the central focus of the story revolves around the assault and murder of a young woman called Jodie. Jodie is a figure skater with a great deal of promise. Cut down in her prime the case garners a lot of media attention and Cyrus is called in to assist the police with profiling.

Secondly we have a young woman called Evie Cormac who lives under the care of the Children’s Facility that Cyrus works for. Evie is something of a conundrum. Abrasive and very secretive. She never answers any questions with a straightforward reply, she tells blatant untruths and can be aggressive to anybody who she thinks has done her a disservice. Unbeknownst to most people Evie is actually ‘Angel Face’. Years ago a body was found, tortured in an abandoned house. Living secretly in the house was a young girl who was discovered weeks after the discovery of the murder victim. Malnourished and a little bit wild she was, in the face of no other identifying information, dubbed ‘Angel Face’. A few years down the line her identity is a closely kept secret – but Evie, as she is now known, wants to be allowed to live as an adult, free from care. Of course some of her carers believe she won’t be able to handle the responsibility and so a court case is pending to decide her fate, with Cyrus called in for his professional judgement. The most surprising thing about Evie is that she has a disconcerting knack of determining whether somebody is telling the truth or not and she is never wrong.

In a rash move, during the court case, Cyrus agrees to foster Evie as a compromise when the court determines she is not yet 18. This allows Evie a certain amount of freedom and a halfway return to the world. Of course, Cyrus hasn’t really thought this through. He’s lived on his own for a good number of years. His own situation being quite extraordinary in itself. Most of his family were murdered a number of years ago by his own brother – in fact Cyrus returned from football practice to find the slaughter. He has a strong friendship with the police woman who helped him at the time and this in turn led to his desire to train as a psychologist.

I enjoyed this, I thought it was really well written and it had plenty of intriguing elements that kept me pretty much glued to the page. I would just mention that this isn’t a particularly fast read in fact the pacing felt a little slow in the first half but just stick with it because things do pick up in the second half. I guess, in fairness to the author, he has a lot of work to do setting up all these characters in a way that makes them relatable and likable at the same time as displaying their flaws and hang ups and to be fair, I feel like the introduction to the two central characters is more important to the story than the actual murder mystery.

The world building is easily achieved. This is a modern setting involving a police investigation at the same time as following Cyrus as he finds himself a guardian for a young woman who he knows next to nothing about. Basically, both of these characters are dealing with their own issues so you might imagine things are not always straightforward.

In terms of the characters. I found myself liking both Cyrus and Evie. Evie can be a little bit abrasive to say the least, she gives away very little about herself and it’s not always clear if this is deliberate or whether she simply doesn’t recall the details of her early life. I guess you could say, on the face of it, that Cyrus is easier to like, he really does try to do the best for Evie but you have to recall he has lived alone for a long time with his own miserable past. Evie, like I said, she has a wall of thorns around her heart but, two things, firstly, she starts to melt a little bit and realises the chance that Cyrus is giving her, not to mention the recognition that it isn’t easy for him and secondly – she loves dogs. Enough said.

So, overall, I found this a really good read. I think the only criticisms that I could make would be the pacing, which didn’t really make me want to put the book down more than that it surprised me that I didn’t seem to be moving forward with the book as I expected. I think maybe I was reading this slower myself for some reason although I was very keen to know what was going on. And, there is definitely an element of left open threads – which personally I’m hoping means that this won’t be the last we see of Cyrus or Evie.

A good read and one that I hope will have a sequel or sequels.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This book draws my attention from the blurb to the ending.
It's my first read by the author and after I finished this one, I'll read other books because I liked the writing and the plots are very interesting.
I liked the growing of the characters, especially Evie, she's such a mysterious and flawed young woman, adding her "curse" it's adding a new layer to this story that makes it even more captivating.
Now, I don't agree with the outcome of fostering between the doctor and patient but I also know that it happens more often than we know and that's ok.
Apparently, this is the first book in the series so I am looking forward to more cases for Cyrus.