This novel addresses some serious issues, most notably domestic violence and abuse against women. It also shines a light on groups of men, in this case the police, protecting one of their own above and beyond what the law permits.

Philomena (Phil) McCarthy is the main protagonist. She is a police officer with the London Metropolitan police. She is in a good place, she has a partner on the force that she likes and she has just become engaged to the love of her life, Henry.

Phil comes from a rather dysfunctional family, her father is a known crime boss and he and her uncles are well known in the city. Phil has tried to distance herself from them. She has wanted to become a police officer ever since an incident when she was young involving a bombing on a bus she was riding. A police officer helped her and she has always wanted to become like her, helping others and doing the right thing.

PC McCarthy and her partner are called to the site of what appears to be domestic violence, reported screaming heard by a neighbor. When they arrive, the woman, Tempe, shows obvious signs of attack, bruising, a swollen eye, etc. The man is still there and states that her injuries are old and Tempe doesn’t want to file a report. While Phil is engaging with the man, he becomes enraged and swings at Phil, who takes him down and arrests him.

Turns out Darren Goodall, is a decorated police officer and Phil is almost immediately advised by her supervisor to forget about the incident, that she needs to back away from this case as Darren Goodall is almost “untouchable”, he has many friends in high places.

Phil, however, becomes determined to find out more about Goodall since rarely are such abuse cases isolated incidents. As she digs further she also finds herself befriended by Tempe. At first the friendship is casual but Tempe becomes more and more involved in Phil’s life. Her fiance Henry doesn’t trust Tempe and isn’t happy with her constant presence in their lives.

This novel starts at a run and the pace never lets up. This was a page turner where the tension never stops. I thought the characters were very well developed and shown from many angles.

Sometimes “bad” people can change, or evolve and friendships aren’t always healthy, SOMETIMES THEY CAN BECOME TOXIC !!!

This is the first book I’ve read by Mr. Robotham but I will definitely be watching for more from this talented author.

Thriller lovers will root for this strong female protagonist and enjoy this rollercoaster of a ride!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It is set to publish on June 24, 2021.

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

Philomena 'Phil' McCarthy had wanted to be a police officer ever since she was twelve years old and she watched a woman police officer tend to the aftermath of a bombing. From then on, Phil knew she wanted to help others the way that woman helped Phil and the other victims of the bombing. Now, at twenty seven, Phil is a young officer of the London Metropolitan police.

When Phil and her partner are called to an apartment building where a domestic violence is in process, Phil arrests the abuser, not realizing the man is a decorated detective, protected by his membership in a "good old boys" group that will prevent anything unsavory from sticking to him and his reputation. Phil is in the dog house, putting her job in jeopardy and attracting the derision and scorn of the very people who should have her back. 

Not one to back off from doing good, Phil goes out of her way to help the victim of the abuser, Tempe, and soon finds that Tempe repays her kindness by interweaving herself into almost every aspect of Phil's life. Even Phil's friends and fiancé notice Tempe's intrusion into all things to do with Phil, but isn't it just thankfulness for what Phil has done for Tempe? Aren't they overreacting?

Phil already had a big strike against her at work since her estranged dad was/is a crime boss with three brothers that spent ten years in prison for crime related business dealings. Now Phil wants her dad in her wedding and she needs help from her family as disaster seems to be squeezing Phil from all sides. Phil is generous and likeable to a fault and I can only want what is best for her but I also wished she had the insightfulness she would need as a cop, to recognize that not all people have others' best intentions in mind. 

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK/Sphere and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little,Brown Book Group UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
I’m a fan of Michael Robotham and this new book is fabulous, the pages turn themselves. A gripping psychological thriller, starts with a new friendship and quickly becomes an obsession!
Phil is a young policewoman, full of enthusiasm, courage and determination, she follows her instincts which can land her in trouble. She constantly feels she needs to prove to her colleagues that she is different from her father and uncles who often operate on the wrong side of the law.
Phil arrests a male senior colleague of hers for domestic violence against his girlfriend and sets a train of events in motion. She befriends the victim Tempe, Phil can’t see that Tempe seems obsessed with her, she constantly seems to know where Phil will be, does little errands for Phil, is planning her wedding for her, but Phil’s fiancé Henry is suspicious of her behaviour.
It’s a rollercoaster read, full of drama, which is hard to put down and what an ending.
Well done to Michael Robotham on another outstanding book for his fans.

Thank you to the publisher and to net galley for a review copy. I have read a few books by this author previously from his Joseph O" Loughlin series but this is a stand-alone novel. The story follows a short period in the life of Philomena a female police constable in the Met whose life is turned upside down after a call out to a domestic disturbance. The woman being abused turns out to be someone she remembers from school who then attaches herself to Philomena with a drastic effect on her life.
It examines the ways in which one person tries to exercise control over the life of another. The plot and writing are both excellent. This is a very good book which I found difficult to put down and one which I can recommend

If the police force really is so keen to protect fellow officers who abuse women then we really are in dire straits. DC Phil McCarthy arrests a fellow officer for beating up his extra marital girlfriend but it appears she is the one they don't believe not the abuser. In fact nobody believes her and she is the one disciplined for trying to do her job. moral to women? Don't report if it's a police officer doing the beating. Phil is the daughter and niece of various gang land criminals so her getting into the police force was no mean feat. This particular storyline I tended to skim through as not a fan.
Curious mix of USA terminology and UK terminology in a book supposedly set in UK
Altogether unbelievable. I did like Phil as a character and feel she deserved a better story

Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law.

After loving the author’s recent two books; Good Girl Bad Girl and When She Was Good, I hopped on the bandwagon for this advance copy and was excited to be granted.

Detective Constable Philomena arrests a fellow cop for domestic violence and sets a chain of events in motion. Her take-down suspect is a decorated hero owning a collection of I.O.U’s which are quickly called in. Phil is suspended before she can download her body cam and the issue is squashed.

However, Philomena wants to help people which is why she applied to the police. When she reaches out to the victim while off the job, she complicates matters even more by befriending her.

This caught my interest from the first page. It began as a police procedural but veered down the psychological thriller route with some intriguing and colorful characters. I don’t want to expound more since I enjoyed the un-spooling experience wondering where this was going.

I really loved this and want to thank UK NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group, and the author for my electronic reader’s copy.

It is not easy being a police officer when you are the daughter of one of the biggest criminals in London. Philomena McCarthy has not seen her father for years and is trying to move on with her life as a Police Constable and fiancée. Problems arise both at work and in her personal life when she is called to a flat for a domestic disturbance and uses her karate to subdue the accused who happens to be a decorated police officer himself and she befriends the victim who has secrets of her own.
Another excellent standalone novel by Michael Robotham. A master story teller he keeps the narrative moving with plenty of twists along the way. An author whose books I have always enjoyed. Highly recommended.

Long before I started writing reviews here on Goodreads, I wrote reviews for a Dutch website. And as early as 2003 I reviewed books by Michael Robotham. Great books, all of them, but When You Are Mine would earn ten stars if the rating system would allow me to do that.
There are a lot of things happening in this book; Robotham weaves a story around a determined and intelligent Philomena, who constantly must prove she is different from her father, and two other women. One calls herself Tempe because she fled from a difficult past, the other is happily married with two children to a high-ranking police officer. Their life will be different after what the three of them are going trough in this book, alone, with two of them and with all three.
Philomena meets Tempe first, when neighbors call the police about a domestic disturbance. Sadly, it turns out that Tempe’s ‘boyfriend’ is Darren Goodall, a highly decorated police officer. We see immediately where the professional relationship between Darren and Philomena will go: nowhere. He is the exemplary abusive husband although we only later learn the specific details. He is also the exemplary bad cop and horrible boss. But Philomena wants to follow the rules, and that is apparently a no-no among her colleagues. Every time she tries to do the right thing, they will hold her family’s history against her. Her father and his brothers head up a criminal organization although nowadays they work more behind the scenes.
What made this book so special is that Robotham has a very clear way of telling things, or rather, have his characters tell us. The fact alone that Philomena is constantly named Phil, as if everybody is in constantly denial of the fact she is a woman. The way Darren talks to her, and the way her other superiors talk to her: as if she is a fraud, or a little child that doesn’t know better. Then there is Darren, who is absolutely a psychopath if you saw one. Very polite, friendly, well-mannered hero that he pretends to be, he is a predator. And then Tempe, who has lots of things to hide but has a whole very sad and serious side too. The way Philomena deals with her family is sometimes hilarious. My favorite part is chapter 12 in which she meets her family for the first time since almost a decade and introduces her fiancé Henry. Brilliant! Yes, they are a bunch of criminals (the man, not the women). But they are also loyal to each other and they loved Philomena even when she broke off al contact.
This is not a book with a great big happy ending. That wouldn’t be very realistic considering the story. But there are good things and things that could work out to be good.
So, great story, great characters, humor and even love, it’s all packed into this unforgettable book.

Philomena joined the police force despite her father's links to organised crime because she wanted to make a difference. However when she intervenes in an apparent domestic abuse, she is told in no uncertain terms by her superior officers to back off. The man she arrested for hitting his girlfriend is a highly respected police officer, and no charges will be brought against him. But when Philomena refuses to back down it is only the beginning of her troubles.

Like a cross between Line of Duty and a Martina Cole novel, this is a gripping and multi-layered story handling complex but very timely issues about domestic violence, the old boys' network, and toxic relationships. The characters are well drawn and memorable, particularly Philomena and Tempe, and although the book wraps up well as a standalone story, I would be interested in a series following Phil's experiences.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Michael Robotham never disappoints and his new standalone novel "When You Are Mine" is well up to his usual high standards.

Despite being the daughter of a notorious villain Philomena "Phil" McCarthy has a promising career in the Metropolitan Police ahead of her. That lasts until she's called to the scene of a domestic assault , the alleged perpetrator turns violent and ends up on the wrong side of Phil's martial arts skills. He also turns out to be a highly respected police officer with decorations for bravery. Refusing to turn a blind eye Phil finds the ranks closing and herself being ostracised among the ranks of the Met.
As the rogue Cop targets Phil she becomes friends with his victim,a young woman called Tempe,a friendship she come to regret.

Phil's life spirals out of control personally and professionally, with rogue policemen targeting her ,Tempe's friendship becoming smothering then allegations of her involvement in even more serious crimes leading her back to her estranged criminal family.

This is a great book with a lot of serious issues addressed by Michael Robotham without being "preachy", mental health and domestic abuse amongst them. The ending proves to be surprising,moving,sad and unexpected.

The daughter of an infamous crime family trying to make her way as a police officer would seem to have enough problems. But, Phil McCarthy isn’t one to back down from a fight and certainly isn’t willing to back off because of pressure from her superiors to stay away from the girlfriend and wife of a fellow officer accused of assaulting them.

She puts her career, and potentially her life, on the line to try and help both women escape from their abuser and to see the culprit brought to justice. She helps Tempe, the officer’s girlfriend find somewhere else to live and begins to give her martial arts training. But, Tempe has secrets, secrets which might put Phil at more risk, even as she turns to family connections in her bid for justice.

There’s a palpable sense of feeling trapped in this book. Phil is desperately trying to do the right thing, but the processes, the cultures which protect their own at the expense of the truth, and the presence of someone who simply won’t take no as an answer, wall her in at every turn. Fantastic writing meant that I felt every part of her frustration.

A really strong psychological thriller delivered by a master of storytelling

4.5* I loved this book.
A stand a lone psychological thriller. Phil is a police officer. She gets called to a domestic abuse incident with the accused being a fellow police officer. It is buried because the accused officer has a record for bravery.
Despite being told to drop it,Phil decides to continue probing. This is in no way a police procedural. It’s a domestic/ psychological thriller. The story is told from Phil’s point of view.

I like the easy going writing style and gentle humour. It has a good steady medium pace.
I love Phil’s character, it is really well written. She is immediately likeable. She was doggedly determined to get accepted into the police force despite her father and Uncles having major criminal backgrounds.
She is kind and caring. There are characters to love, and ones that you love to hate.
The twists and turns begin immediately adding to the suspense and drama and continue right up to the ending.
I highly recommend this book.

When You Are Mine is a cleverly plotted thriller with numerous twists, turns and a willingness to address a difficult subject with compassion and kindness. Michael Robotham does not pull punches and the description of domestic abuse and some of the ongoing side issues are clearly shown.

Police Constable Philomena McCarthy, daughter of a notorious London gangster, has fought hard to get into the police force, and when she is called to a domestic dispute, she arrests the man who throws a punch at her. He is a decorated detective, and she finds her colleagues are not keen to help her with the conviction. She befriends Tempe Brown, the victim of the abuse who, herself, is a troubled individual. Tempe offers to help Philomena plan her wedding to Henry so the two of them spend a considerable amount of time together.

There a several plots and sub-plots which add to the tension and suspense making this a real page-turner. What an ingenious ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Michael Robotham for my ARC in return for my honest review.
Loved it. Highly recommended.

I am a fan of Michael Robotham's work and this one was not a disappointment.. Great storyline and characters both of which moved at a fast pace throughout. Would recommend.

I think there are two prongs to why I did not like this book. First off, I really dislike books where the goodie is a regular goodie but the baddie is an all-seeing, all-powerful type with friends everywhere who do as they say, and therefore everyone is against the aforementioned goodie and no one believes a word that they say regardless of evidence or proof. Breathes. I find these books so frustrating because it seems like the easiest way to create obstacles is to stick another pal in a high place to pervert justice, it's not overly clever or complex. When the whole of the police force from top level to PCs start fitting Phil up, I totally lost interest. Was Darren really that powerfully connected? Did these men really just all want to let him get away with beating women and children? The actual plot was super repetitive anyway. He attacks someone, they call Phil, she gets involved and then they back track. Goodall fits her up. There was no progression from this cycle for well over half the book.
That prong is on my personal tastes.

Second prong was that it did not seem to know what the main plot was even meant to be. Was it Goodall and his all-bad police crew and the war on Phil? Was it weird, lying Tempe? Was it Phil and Henry and the development of her relationship with her father and his family? It dithered between all three plots but didn't want to progress any of them until too late on when my interest had waned. There was even a murder thrown in in the first half which was raised like this massive plot event but then was barely mentioned again. Nothing seemed to have a focus and so I lost mine.

Annoyingly I was so hooked when I started reading but by about 25% in i was already struggling. Previous experience with this author was really the only reason that I forged on.

I have been focusing on blog tours this year, so I have had little time to reach for books by any of my favourite authors this year so far. When I saw this title on NetGalley I could not resist. I am a huge Michael Robotham fan and always enjoy his work. When You Are Mine did not disappoint.
The author has a knack for creating very realistic damaged women. In When You Are Mine he looks at domestic abuse, and a woman with psychological problems that make her obsessive.
Michael Robotham stories are all different, whenever you reach for one of his books you are never sure what you will find. I love the way he draws you into his fictional world, allowing you to get to know his characters and end up empathising with the bad guy. Reading this book I was reminded how much I enjoyed his writing style. This is the seventh book by Michael Robotham I have read and each one has been a brilliant read. I wish I had more time to add more of his books to my TBR.
Philomena McCarthy is called to a domestic disturbance call where she finds a woman who has clearly been abused by her partner. When the partner takes a swing at McCarthy she has no problem arresting him. However, the man she arrests turns out to be a decorated police officer himself and her superiors quickly cover up the arrest.
McCarthy, taking her duty very seriously is determined to ensure that the young woman, Tempe is taken care of. She becomes involved with this young woman and soon starts digging deeper into Darren’s life. When strange things start happening and bodies begin to appear McCarthy is not sure who she can trust, or who to turn to.
This story looks at friendship, family relationships and professional loyalty. When You Are Mine is a gripping tale that quickly leaves you doubting everyone in Phil McCarthy’s life. As the piece slowly start fitting together you are left with a jaw-dropping conclusion that you never saw coming. This book had me hooked from the start and I could not get to the last page fast enough.
I put this story up there with The Secrets She Keeps, one of my favourite Robotham books.
The author did not disappoint with his character’s. Philomena McCarthy is a determined young woman who is eager to break away from her gangster father, not wanting to live in his shadow and be judged by his actions. She is caring, hard-working and loyal. Tempe is a damaged woman who never seems to tell the truth. AS you read the book you move from liking to disliking her and as her true story emerges you cannot help but feel compassion for her.
I always enjoy Michael Robotham’s books but this one is a real page-turner that had me hooked from page one. No doubt, this one is added to my loved list for 2021. The only thing I did not love about this book was the name of the main character. Philomena? That name did not work, but that is just me, it did make the character unique. (Apologies to anyone named Philomena.)
If you enjoy a book that is full of mystery, and characters with psychological problems you will love this book. Michael Robotham has a marvellous talent for creating women you are forced to love. If you enjoyed The Secrets That She Keeps then you have to read this book! When You Are Mine is almost better.

I really enjoyed this book and the ending was although slightly predictable worked very well. There were bits that I wanted more depth and resolution but can live with that for a great story and well developed characters.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I have read and enjoyed all of Michael Robotham’s previous novels, including the Joe O’ Loughlin and Cyrus Haven series so I was excited to receive this review copy of his latest book which is a stand alone.
Philomena McCarthy is a police constable who is very dedicated and doing well in the force, despite a difficult start. She is actually the daughter of a gangster so the police were not keen on her joining their ranks and she has had to fight hard to be accepted.
When she is called to a domestic dispute she meets Tempe, an old school friend, who has been attacked by her boyfriend. Unfortunately her boyfriend turns out to be a violent and corrupt, though highly decorated senior police officer and once Philomena decides to help Tempe she runs into all sorts of difficulties, not only by trying to get justice for her friend but also, Tempe herself seems to have some very strange ideas and obsessive behaviours.
This is a novel which combines many strands: it examines police corruption and conspiracy as well as obsession, coercive control, wife abuse and mental illness.
Philomena’s father runs his “ building firm” which appears to be a front for criminal activities and she has therefore been estranged from him for many years. However despite his career choice he loves his daughter unconditionally and is willing to do anything for her as are her uncles who are part of the firm.
Philomena herself is a great character and an excellent first person narrator. She is strong and focused, unwilling to give up investigating Police Officer Darren, even when she is warned off by her superiors. Tempe is hard to read and I wasn’t really sure what she was capable of nor what she had actually done, right until the final pages of the book when the last twist is revealed.
This is a fist class five star book which I highly recommend. It is an addictive read and I just couldn’t put it down.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant book. I really enjoyed Michael Robotham’s latest offering. Great plot line - Philomena McCarthy comes from a notorious family with links to organised crime. Yes she is a police officer with the Met. When she comes across a corrupt police officer who she believes has assaulted his mistress she is not prepared to let things lie. Twists and turns a plenty - highly recommended.

This is a really good read from Michael Robotham. it's full of interesting and strong characters, it's edgy and is well plotted. Set in London, the main character Philomena, is a serving police officer who develops a friendship with an abused woman and the abuser just happens to be a decorated police officer. It's about friendship, loyalty and obsession and overall, a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.