Any time a book is advertised in the Wall Street Journal, I make an effort to check it out. This has led to some real treasures (including Finder’s Paranoia, which I need to review on of these days) and this book, which as far as I can tell is Robotham’s first novel. The protagonist is Joe O’Shaughnessy, a British psychiatrist with Parkinson’s disease, a beautiful wife, an adoring daughter, and a problem: the police think he killed a former co-worker.
Robotham spins an extremely complicated plot, but does it so effortlessly that it seems very natural as circumstances unfold. Of course, O’Shaughnessy’s not the real killer, but finding out who is– in time to stay out of jail– takes Joe through a very rapid series of plot twists and turns, including a couple of additional murders for which he’s blamed too. The first third of the book moves slowly, but after that the pace picks up steadily. O’Shaughnessy is a smart and acerbic self-observer, which makes him far more interesting than the typical ordinary-guy-turned-detective. I’ll be looking forward to Robotham’s next book– but this one is highly recommended.
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