Say You're Sorry

Now this is a psychological thriller! Twists, turns, fast paced and wonderful writing. I've been searching for an author who could trip me up and truly stump me or surprise me, and I've found him. As a lover of thrillers and mysteries since I could read chapter books, I often find myself solving as I read whether I want to or not, then being dissappointed when I'm proven right. That was not the case at all with this amazing book. First off, it is a definite page-turner. The pacing is right on, and the only thing that slowed me down was having to highlight many lines of poignant observations of human nature that I knew I'd want to write down in my book of quotes. In addition to the fast paced nature, this story nailed descriptions perfectly. The scenes and characters were thouroughly crafted without slowing the pace or being overly wordy.There is only one thing that upset me with this book. I didn't realize it was book 6! I saw it as a recommendation all over and jumped into it without even noticing it was a series. As the main character talked of his past I thought, that would make a great book too... then it dawned on me. I never read a book I know the ending to... but for the first time ever, I must go back and read this entire series despite knowing information before hand. Based on this book, I can't wait to see how the beginning of this series goes. I fully expect to enjoy the twists and turns and thrills awaiting me in his other works.Overall, best psychological thriller I've read all year. I've been searching for a new (to me) author who can really spin a story and I think I've found him in Michael Robotham. Five stars for sure.

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, although I wasn't jumping up and down about it. But I am interested in reading more from this author.

England is blanketed by a layer of snow from a recent blizzard, whilst Joseph O'Loughlin, the Parkinson's inflicted psychologist we got to know in Robotham's earlier novels, is looking forward to spending a few days with his teenage daughter Charlie in Oxford. His plans are rudely interrupted, however, when he is asked by local police to assist with the investigation into the brutal slaying of a middle-aged couple in a nearby farmhouse overnight. Joe quickly makes the connection between the murder and a crime-scene Charlie spotted from the window of their train on the trip to Oxford, that of a young girl found frozen in the thick ice of a nearby lake. Bur who is the girl and what is her connection to the murdered couple? When Joe digs deeper, he discovers that the daughter of the farmhouse's previous tenants was abducted several years earlier together with a friend from school, never to be seen again. Sensing a connection between the "Bingham girls" and some clues found at the crime scene, Joe must try to convince police to re-open the investigation into the girls' abduction. And if the dead girl was indeed on of the Bingham girls, is there a chance that her friend could still be alive?With Say You're Sorry, Robotham has once again delivered a well-plotted suspenseful murder-mystery in the style which has firmly cemented him on my list of favourite crime writers. From Robotham's first O'Loughlin novel Suspect I have been intrigued by psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin, a family man who not only has to fight against the obstacles brought upon him by the cruel disease Parkinson's, but who also brings a unique new perspective into the police investigations he is involved in. Following a growing trend of crime writers using protagonists from professions outside the police force to solve murder cases, Robotham uses his knowledge of psychology to pepper his novels with unique insights into the human psyche, which allow his character O'Loughlin to make headway in investigations where police efforts have failed. Although sometimes there is a danger of stereotyping human behaviour, I really enjoy O'Loughlin's characterisations of both the victims and the perpetrators in this case.Part of the story of Say You're Sorry is being told in the first person by Piper, one of the Bingham girls, an ordinary everyday teenage girl who has fallen victim to the twisted mind of a sadistical child abductor and murderer.My name is Piper Hadley and I went missing three years ago on the last Saturday of the summer holidays. Today I came home.The topic of abduction and keeping young girls prisoner for years in dank basements seems to have grown in popularity amongst crime writers and their audiences, undoubtedly fuelled by real-life events covered in the news in recent years. It is hard not to be deeply affected by events like the Natascha Kampusch imprisonment, for example, especially the fact that an unspeakable crime against human rights can happen right under our noses without anyone suspecting anything (or acting on their suspicions). Robotham not only delves into the dynamics of the crime and the mind of the perpetrator, but also its effects on the victims' families, friends and communities.There are enough red herrings amongst the investigations' clues to throw the reader off track, and I admit that the ending of the novel came as a complete surprise to me. And although the subject matter is as dark and chilly as Robotham's atmospheric description of the English winter, the author spares the reader some of the more unnecessarily gruesome and graphic scenes found in other novels with similar themes.As with Robotham's previous books in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed Say You're Sorry and highly recommend it to all lovers of contemporary crime fiction - especially those looking for a different kind of protagonist. Robotham's attention to detail and his well-plotted storylines where nothing is left to chance or coincidence make him one of the top English crime writers of our time. I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment in the Joseph O'Loughlin series!

Well written and very entertaining

Despite mindless sadism & gore, the language & underlying, heart- moving empathy for the victim/s, the ailing protagonist's valour in the rescue ops impresses. Language outstanding.

I’m running out of ways to say how much I love Michael Robotham and his books. I will admit the last Joe O’Loughlin I read, The Wreckage, was not my favourite but for Say You’re Sorry, number six in the series, he certainly got his mojo back.This time Joe, a psychologist who is semi retired due to his Parkinson’s Disease, helps out with a case of two missing teenage girls. As usual, he becomes far too involved in the case until his investigation threatens his already precarious relationship with his family.Apart from Joe’s point of view, we also get the first person point of view of Piper, one of the girls. This does mean we get quite a lot of detail of the girls’ kidnapping and imprisonment. Maybe too many depressing details for my faint heart.For a bit of comic relief from the relentless disturbing nature of the crimes committed in the book, my beloved Ruiz, Joe’s ex-police detective mate, makes a very welcome appearance again. He always gets the best lines.I have three more Joe books to read and I’m delaying them until next year. To quote Bill Adama, I don’t want it to end. Joe is one of those characters that you just can’t help but adore in just about every way. I like Robotham’s leads of his new books (Cyrus and Phil) but in the grand scheme of things they don’t hold a candle to Joe.Unlike some other books of series, this one can be read as a standalone, so if you do pick this up somewhere cheap (not in Australia, Robotham’s books are snapped up quick smart in second hand book shops) don’t feel like you must go back and read in order. However, I recommend you do as this series is ridiculously good.I’m obviously a Robotham fangirl 5 out of 5

Love Joe O'Laughlin stories!!

Ein sehr spannender Thriller aus der Reihe um den Psychologen Joe O'Loughlin. Besonders die Kapitel in Briefform aus der Sicht eines der Opfer fand ich spannend eingebaut. Die Charaktere sind sehr gut gezeichnet, Joe ist ein äußerst symptahischer Protagonist, der zwar viele "Macken" hat, die aber nicht so klischeebeladen sind, wie bei manch anderem Ermittler aus anderen Büchern. Die Parkinson Erkrankung macht ihn umso symptahischer, eben auch, weil er damit hin und wieder hadert und er in seinem Handeln und Denken sehr authentisch bleibt. Einziger Kritikpunkt an diesem Buch ist, wie schlussendlich der Täter gefunden wurde. Ich möchte hier nicht spoilern, für mich war das aber nicht ganz nachvollziehbar. Nichtsdestotrotz volle 5 Sterne, weil ich das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen konnte und gemessen an manch anderen Thrillern ist die Handlung nicht so abstrus oder an den Haaren herbeigezogen. Sehr empfehlenswert!