The fourth book in the Cyrus Haven series and although I did enjoy reading it, it was not my favourite so far.

Having loved the three previous books I was really looking forward to delving into Evie's past and I was not disappointed. Having experienced so much trauma over so many years it is only amazing that she is sane at all. I had a small issue with there being too many coincidences along the way though, and secretly wished the author had used some other approach than people smuggling to tie events together.

Overall a very readable book - always a certainty with anything written by Michael Robotham. I enjoyed the alternate chapters by Cyrus and Evie which gave me so much to understand about both of them. There is a whole heap of action, some interesting information about people smuggling in the UK, and of course lots of psychology and understanding of Evie. There's a hint there that Cyrus may be even more underlyingly disturbed than Evie is. Maybe another book in the making?

Storm Child is the 4th book in the Cyrus Haven series featuring the beguiling Evie Cormac, the young woman with the most disturbing of pasts. The forensic psychologist and the young human lie detector are back in another emotionally taut thriller that starts in England’s Lincolnshire before heading up to Aberdeen in Scotland.

The two friends are holidaying at the beach when a scream pierces the air. Someone has noticed a body floating to shore. When Cyrus looks out to sea he’s disturbed to find many other bodies are also in the water. A refugee boat has capsized and sunk and these are the victims. He springs into action, swimming out to bring them to shore.

<i>“That’s when I saw Cyrus, waist deep in water, carrying a child in his arms. I felt a surge of adrenaline and a sudden, overwhelming need to run. I couldn’t make my legs move. I couldn’t speak. It was as if somebody had hit the pause button and my life had stopped, frozen on that image of Cyrus holding a dead child…”</i>

Evie spots him carrying a child to shore and the sight triggers a memory from her past and she becomes catatonic, falling into a stupor which leads to her hospitalisation. Although she eventually recovers from the episode, the MRI that was performed has revealed some disturbing results.

Using his police connections, Cyrus is able to find out more about the smuggling operation that went wrong and resulted in so many deaths. Tracking down names of boats and then names of boat owners he is able to identify the possible identities of the smugglers. Of course, getting proof is another thing altogether and in order to do that it appears the trail is going to take them to Scotland.

Together, Cyrus and Evie travel north to Scotland hoping to learn more about Evie’s past and the illegal people smuggling trade that was part of it. Naturally, confronting people who are in the middle of a lucrative illegal activity is extremely dangerous, putting lives at risk and ramping the tension all the way up.

Evie’s past - her early life in Albania and how she came to the UK - is revealed in a series of recalled memories. With the help of Cyrus she manages to remember the boat on which she and her mother and sister were travelling when it ran into trouble during the crossing of the English Channel. Her memories of some of the crew from that trip, the smugglers themselves, start to return to her.

I really like how this series has progressed, particularly the relationship between Cyrus and Evie. Certainly, there are still some major mental challenges to overcome for each of them but their trust and acceptance of one another provides plenty of positive moments throughout what becomes a turbulent search into Evie’s past.

It would be my recommendation to read the earlier books (Good Girl Bad Girl, When She Was Good and Lying Beside You) before tackling this one to get a full appreciation of how far they’ve come together. It will also explain the catatonia and moments of uneasiness between the two.

Normally, it’s the crime aspect of a crime novel that is of the greatest importance - who did it and how, will they be caught and how. For me, the real strength of Storm Child is the character development that takes place. They are given tremendous depth and substance as three dimensional characters and that leads to them striking an emotional chord in me. I felt as though I had a greater stake in the outcome as a result.

This is yet another outstanding thriller from Michael Robotham filled with powerful emotion, insightful commentary on worldwide refugee problems and a gripping finale to round things off.

<i>My thanks to Hachette Australia & NZ via NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC, allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.</i>

Evie Cormac and Cyrus Haven were at the beach when the unthinkable happened - Cyrus raced into the surf to rescue the person he could see bobbing in the waves. But the person was dead. So were many others, and the horrors turned out to be victims from a migrant boat which had been brutally run down, with them all left for dead. Fortunately there was one young survivor - a teenage boy who was able to tell them they'd been deliberately rammed. The police were on the case, protecting the boy while he was in hospital, and Cyrus was recruited - as a psychologist - to help the police.

Evie was traumatised by the whole event; it brought back images of her past and what had happened to her, her mother and sister. But there were large blank spaces in her memory. She couldn't remember the important parts - didn't particularly want to remember - but would this bring it all back to her? Cyrus was her support person, the one she could turn to for anything. He would help her find her memories...

Storm Child is the 4th in the Cyrus Haven series by Aussie author Michael Robotham and is another excellent addition to this addictive series. Set in England - Lincolnshire - and partly Scotland, Cyrus and Evie continue to be captivating characters, while Professor Joseph O'Loughlin received a couple of mentions as well. I'm really enjoying the series and hope it continues for a long time to come. Highly recommended (with a strong recommendation to start at #1)

With thanks to Hachette AU and NetGalley for my ARC to read and review.

4.5~5★
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a little voice that says, ‘run’, ‘hide’, ‘pray’, but mostly, ‘stay silent’, be as quiet as a mouse within the walls. Don’t let them find you.”

Evie knows that’s the strategy that has kept her, if not completely safe, at least alive. She remembers her family and that they fled Albania, but that’s about all. Cyrus Havens is the forensic psychologist who helped her recover (as much as she has) and in whose house she lives as a friend.

She is tiny for her age, now 22, but is usually taken to be a young teen. They are holidaying at a beach where Cyrus is swimming (she can’t swim), and she is trying out a new, more adult, look. He wants her to at least set foot in the water.

“‘It’s bracing.’

‘That’s another word for cold.’ I’m sitting in a deckchair, hiding under a wide- brimmed hat and the sunglasses I bought at Boots this morning. I think they make me look like a movie star. Cyrus says I look like a blowfly.”

Suddenly, Cyrus dives out into the ocean, and to Evie’s horror, struggles to walk out of the water carrying the body of a child. She is immediately stricken with fear and lapses into an almost catatonic state.

“I was fixated on the dead child, who looked exactly like me. How old? Four, maybe five.

They say that the first thing we lose is our baby teeth, but that’s not true. We lose our honest, unbiased memories. We begin to rewrite events, slowly altering the truth until we create a new, more acceptable story, one we can live with or tell others.”

In Evie’s case, she hadn’t rewritten the events so much as lived with a big hole in her memory. But this tragedy has dislodged something, and she can’t ignore the scenes of her own history playing in her mind. Instead, she has retreated, withdrawn: “stay silent”.

She was only nine when she arrived. At eighteen, after years of abuse, she was interviewed by forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven, who has helped her unearth a lot. But what about these new memories?

“The worst of them are buried just below the surface of her subconscious like landmines. One wrong step and they will cripple or maim. My job is not to dig them up, but to mark where they are with tiny flags so that Evie can cross the minefield safely. One of them has detonated and Evie has gone to her safe place. The question is – how do I get her back?”

She wakes up in hospital.

“ ‘I saw the bodies in the water. You were carrying a little boy and . . .’ I don’t finish. ‘I want to go home.’

‘After you’ve talked to the neurologist.’

‘The who?’

‘She’s a brain specialist. We need to find out what happened.’

‘I know what happened.’

He waits for my explanation, but I don’t have one.

‘Sleep,’ he says, turning off the light and leaning back in a chair, propping his feet on the bed.

‘You frightened me,’ he whispers.

‘I frightened myself.’ ”

Although Robotham doesn’t mince words, he doesn’t dwell on grisly descriptions. Evie’s terror is real and warranted. She is remembering her trip and is desperate to know what happened to her mother and sister.

As with gangland crime, the refugee operators run the full gamut from local toughs to the highest levels of power and influence. Everyone has an excuse. Nobody has a solution. It’s ‘the government’s fault’, of course.

While the plot and storyline keep moving, it’s the characters who hold our attention. Cyrus knows Evie has a crush on him, but he attracts his own share of lady friends, and Evie quite likes the current one. Evie was also beginning to date and feel teenaged flutters before this disruption.

They are evolving into an interesting family, and I hope to see some of them again. I think Robotham has left the possibility that we may. 😊

This is most enjoyable as part of the series, but there is enough back story here that it could be read as a standalone. Many readers of series start in the middle because that is the only book available at the library or that was shouting at us from a second-hand bookstall. Start wherever you can!

Thanks to #NetGalley and Hachette for the review copy of #StormChild from which I’ve quoted. (A few quotations may change, but you get the idea. The man knows how to write!.)

I finished this book and was absolutely speechless. It was absolutely amazing! Right from the beginning the story had a grip on me and I couldn't put it down. Michael Robotham is an absolutely tremendous writer as I found out today. This is technically book 4 of a series but I didn't realise and it held up perfectly as a standalone.

The plot was both heart-warming and heartbreaking, suspenseful and cosy. Topics that can be hard to write about realistically - mental health, refugees/trafficking, PTSD etc - were beautifully described and I honestly cried multiple times.

At times it felt like I was reading a life story.

I know I've given 5 stars multiple times, but I may need to reevaluate my rating system, otherwise this will have to be a 6 star.

I 100% recommend this!

Storm Child is the fourth book in the Cyrus Haven series by award-winning Australian author, Michael Robotham. A relaxing Sunday at the seaside in late August takes an awful turn when the bodies of refugees begin washing up. The sight of Cyrus Haven carrying a dead child from the water dredges up memories that Evie Cormac has been avoiding, sending her into a catatonic state that requires hospitalisation

Of the twenty souls aboard the little boat, seventeen are dead, two young women are missing, and the only known survivor is a fourteen-year-old Albanian boy. While Cyrus is busy chatting to an angry black lawyer in motorcycle leathers, a recovered Evie happens upon the teen in his hospital room and is able to communicate in her native language. Both he and the lawyer claim this isn’t a tragic sinking of an inadequate vessel, but a deliberate act by men on a fishing trawler who rammed the boat multiple times. And one of the missing women is the teen’s older sister.

The whole situation triggers Evie’s recall of her own experience entering the UK, but Cyrus is wary of pushing it too far. When they are apprehended, Evie’s vague recognition of one of the men on the offending fishing trawler sends Cyrus to Scotland to learn more about this man. And naturally Evie refuses to be left behind. That turns out to be no picnic: they encounter some very nasty types intent on serious harm; there are guns and someone almost drowns.

Exploring the refugee situation, philanthropy, and modern slavery, this instalment is topical and thought-provoking. Robotham delivers a tightly plotted story sprinkled with enough misdirection to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning right up to the heart-thumping climax. There’s plenty of dark humour and the banter is often entertaining, but there are also characters with a jaw-dropping disregard for human life.

Once again, the narrative alternates between Evie and Cyrus: the situation brings back many of Evie’s memories that provide readers with her backstory, while Cyrus has several occasions recalling the wise words of his teacher, Joseph O’Loughlin. With most questions answered by the final pages, and one or two surprises, it feels like their story might be complete, but more of Cyrus and Evie will always be welcome. Unputdownable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand

This series just keeps getting better and better. Robotham shows here why he is a master of his craft. I just adore both Cyrus and Evie and their relationship and growth is at the heart of this incredible series. This installment delivers up an emotionally-wretching, trauma-filled and thrilling mystery story which will grip you from the first page. There were some incredibly captivating reveals that left me thinking long after I finished the book. I shed a few tears along the ride. Highly recommend this series.

Amazon review to follow after release day.

Storm Child is the fourth book in Australian crime writer Michael Robotham multi-award winning Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac. And in some ways it feels like a little like a finale, or at least an opportunity to reset if he is going to continue with these characters. Given this is the fourth book in an ongoing series this review is likely to contain spoilers.
Storm Child opens with what can only really be described as a contrivance. Cyrus Haven and his friend/ward and human lie detector Evie Cormac are on a beachside holiday but their idyll is interrupted when bodies of illegal immigrants start to wash up on the shore. This is a contrivance only in so far as Evie herself was trafficked into Britain as an illegal immigrant and the one survivor of this tragedy happens to come from the same country as her. When Evie recognises one of the people who may well have caused the tragedy, she and Cyrus are put on a path that will expose a ring of people traffickers and reveal secrets about Evie’s entry into Britain.
While previous books in this series have dealt with the mystery of who Evie is and what happened to her after she came to Britain, this book allows Robotham to explore Evie’s distant past. And so fair amount of the narrative is told in flashback to Evie’s early life and her harrowing journey to Britain. This, and the investigation itself, places the focus squarely on issues of migration, exploitation of migrants and anti-migration feeling. All of which gives Storm Child plenty of thematic resonance and interest. But in doing so, Robotham sacrifices some of the page turning pace of the previous entries in this series. Readers, likely to be deeply invested in his protagonists by this time, are unlikely to worry about this particularly Robotham builds to a poignant and cathartic ending.
Over the course of the four books of the Cyrus and Evie story, Robotham has built great crime stories that revolve around not only Evie’s history but also Cyrus’s own tragic backstory. By the end of Storm Child it feels like all of these stories have been explored. But that still leaves two unique characters for Robotham to return to in future instalments.

This year marks 20 years of my all-time favourite author, Michael Robotham, and his latest psychological thriller, The Storm Child, shows exactly why Stephen King calls him "an absolute master." The newest instalment in the Evie Cormac and Cyrus Haven series is a thrilling conclusion, finally uncovering the secrets of Evie’s dark past, her family, and how she ended up in England.

The story begins with Cyrus and Evie on a beachside holiday, which takes a dark turn when bodies of asylum seekers start washing up on the shore after their boat overturns. This tragedy triggers Evie’s traumatic memories, and as Cyrus dives into the investigation, he discovers Evie’s unsettling connections to the people smugglers involved.

Michael Robotham’s brilliance lies in his nuanced, complex characters. Now in the fourth book of the series, Evie and Cyrus are so vividly real, they leap off the page. The plot is taut and smart, weaving through dark themes as it unravels Evie’s disturbing past. I was gripped from start to finish, unable to put the book down.

For thriller enthusiasts who haven’t yet delved into this author’s books, you need to. All is his books are a masterclass in suspense and character development including this new one. I eagerly anticipate more adventures with Cyrus and Evie, but even if their journey concludes here, I can't wait to see what Michael Robotham has in store for readers in the next 20 years.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @hatchetteau for an ARC of Storm Child for honest review.

A few years ago, after a long hiatus from reading psychological/mystery/thriller books I came across Good Girl, Bad Girl and I knew I would have to keep reading everything this author gave us in this series. I was not disappointed by the next instalment of the Cyrus Haven/Evie Cormack books.

I love how this series continues the character development for both Cyrus and Evie. He has become harder, more investigative, just more, and Evie has become better at accepting her softer side, at participating in society/as part of a community, yet you know she has overcome so much, and still has further to go.

The plot moves at a breakneck pace, I did not want to put it down.

It is darker than the previous books, but I really enjoyed getting more of Evie’s backstory. In each book we are given more and more and always the perfect amount to make us want to read the next book.

This book had a real impact on my emotions, I was moved by this story.

What can I say about Michael Robotham books that I haven’t said before? This year marks 20 years of books from this wonderful author, here’s to another 20 at least I say.

Fans of the Cyrus and Evie series are going to love Storm Child. Finally we get some answers about Evie’s past. We learn about her childhood with her parents and sister, her travels to England and beyond as she starts to remember. She is on holidays on the coast with Cyrus when a boatload of migrants is overturned. This is triggering for Evie, and starts her quest for information. She recognises men from her past and Cyrus will do anything for Evie, even putting his life in serious danger.

This book is just fantastic. I didn’t want to stop reading it. I was there for it all. It is dark one, her memories are not all happy ones as you would expect from what we already know. I do hope that there will be more Cyrus and Evie to come.

Thanks so very much to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes in Australia on June 26th.

When Cyrus Haven first met Evie Cormac she was a damaged and troubled teenager who had been through horrific childhood trauma. Found at the age of twelve hiding in a house with the body of a murdered man, she had been raped and abused repeatedly by paedophiles. After being rescued, she wasn’t able to cope in a foster home and was placed in a secure children’s unit under a new name to protect her from those who want her dead for what she knows about them.

After her release from the unit, forensic psychologist Cyrus took her under his wing and taught her how to navigate the world while she finishes growing up. Now at twenty two, she lodges in Cyrus’ house in Nottingham and has made great progress, finishing school and working part time at an animal shelter. She still suffers from PTSD and has never been able to tell Cyrus much about her childhood or how she came to the UK from Albania.

At the start of the novel, Cyrus has talked Evie into joining him for a few days at Cleethorpes Beach in Lincolnshire, even though she can’t swim. As they are relaxing and eating ice cream, bodies start to wash up on the beach. Seventeen refugees died trying to make their way from France to the UK in a boat that has been deliberately hit and sunk. Two women are still missing and only a young boy has been found alive, clinging to some wreckage. The sight of the bodies throws Evie into a state of extreme shock, triggering her to start remembering the past she thought was long buried.

Evie’s memories of her childhood and how she came to be on a boat seeking refuge in the UK with her mother and sister lead her and Cyrus to travel to Scotland in search for answers. Cyrus knows it’s important for Evie to find out as much as she can about her past if she is to heal and move on with her life. What they find is a dark and evil network of power and privilege and little regard for the lives of helpless people. But there is also a surprise revelation in store for Evie which will give her some closure and makes for a very pleasing ending.

Well paced with a slow tension filled build to a gripping climax, this is a terrific addition to the series. Although this could be enjoyed as a stand-alone, the series really deserves to be enjoyed from the beginning to understand the background and the relationship between Evie and Cyrus. A totally engrossing and captivating read from a master storyteller.

Cyrus and Evie are back in this page-turning delight.

The book begins on a British beach with seventeen immigrant bodies washed up dead. There is only one survivor, with two women still missing. And Evie's memories start flowing back.

Storm Child delves deeper into Evie’s background and her journey from her home country of Albania.

Michael Robotham writes in such a detailed, yet easily flowing manner. I love reading his books and this was no exception. It was great to pick back up with Evie and Cyrus. I really didn’t want it to end.

5⭐️ from me. Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Robotham for allowing me this preview copy to review. Please get writing the next one very soon!

Another brilliant book from Michael!

This new book in the Cyrus Haven series is not only a good mystery/thriller in its own right about human trafficking and illegal immigrants, but also expands Evie's story as the reader discovers more about her past as a young child.

Highly recommended!

If you have followed this wonderful series, you will thoroughly enjoy this book the fourth and you will finally receive answers to questions you have from the previous three books.

The series started with Evie who has had a very horrific and tragic past when Cyrus, a forensic psychologist meets her in a children’s home. Cyrus feels an immediate connection to her and believes he can help her begin to deal with what has happened to her. Evie now shares a house with Cyrus and in this book, they are both now on a quest to find out answers as to the full extent of her past and to see if Evie is able to remember what really happened to her so she can finally deal with what she has suffered and move forward with her life.

Evie and Cyrus are on a short holiday in Lincolnshire when they become aware of illegal immigrants drowning from a capsized boat. One of the only survivors is Arden and Evie straight away feels a bond with him, they are soon to find out that this boat was hit purposely, and Cyrus becomes involved with the police investigation. This is a very intense story that will keep you turning the pages very quickly, very well constructed, and totally engrossing.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough and have to say how pleased I was with the way the author answered the many questions I have had regarding these characters for a very long time. I hope there may still be future books that feature Evie and Cyrus, if not I am really going to miss them. Five stars.

The forth book in the Cyrus Haven series and another well written book. I was looking forward to this addition and it didn’t disappoint.

Told from both Cyrus and Evie’s POV which is an easy read, which I loved. Another dark intriguing book and we finally get to learn Evie’s backstory. A lot of upsetting themes and at times rather far fetched in some places but that’s fine in the whole scheme of the series! I love the series and wasn’t deterred by this.

I feel you need to really start from book 1 and 2 to get a real love for this series. A highly emotional thriller which will keep you turning the pages. If you love Michael Robothams books you will need to add this to your collection.

Thankyou NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for this eArc

Cyrus and Evie return in their fourth outing with Storm Child. This is a series I feel that you cannot just jump in anywhere and start the series. To appreciate the full back story of both characters you must start at book one. The basis of the series is that Evie was discovered hiding in the walls of a house where a terrible crime had occurred. She was starving and filthy and seemed to be around 12 years of age, forward six years later and she is insisting she be released from a children’s home and be able to live on her own. This is where Cyrus is called in, as a forensic psychologist he must determine whether she can live on her own. Evie is like no one he has ever met, fascinating, unpredictable and also dangerous. She can also tell with 100% accuracy if anyone is lying.
So Storm Child, Evie is now living with Cyrus so he can keep an eye on her
While at the beach one day they witness bodies wash up on the shore. They appear to be refugees. The sight of them sends Evie into a breakdown and she becomes withdrawn and uncommunicative. This has brought back memories of her own harrowing journey in similar circumstances. Now both Cyrus and Evie want to find out who is responsible for the death of these people and who was responsible for what happened to Evie and the death of her family.
As the story unfolds we learn more about Evie’s background as does Cyrus to whom Evie has been a closed book.
Like all this authors books it is a page turning, well written tale.

#StormChild. #NetGalley

However many novels Michael Robotham writes in his Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series, “Storm Child” will be remembered as essential to the canon. Since her introduction in “Good Girl, Bad Girl,” when Cormac was first

called to evaluate Evie, we’ve had only hints at her tragic past. This is the book that reveals her backstory.

It begins on a Lincolnshire beach, when bodies of migrants start washing ashore after their boat was deliberately sunk, leaving only one teenage survivor. This confronting scene triggers memories from Evie’s past, compelling her to piece together the broken shards of her mind, while Cyrus aids the police investigation into the premeditated catastrophe. Because what happened today, all those needless deaths, is connected to Evie’s trauma.

At this point I think I’ve used every superlative in the dictionary for Robotham’s work. This is a guy who writes suspense fiction rooted in character rather than pyrotechnics, and whose thrillers rarely rely on gunplay or exaggerated violence. He’s a master manipulator, who always plays fair with his readers. There’s never any unearned misdirection, just an author who knows how to build tension and keep the pages turning. “Storm Child” is another fine example of his mastery. Nobody does it better.

Though this could be an endcap to the series, I get the feeling there are more Cormac and Evie stories to tell. There is knowing the truth, and living with it.

Another sensational novel by the author!
Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac are back and this time, we get some answers to Evie's past. As Cyrus and Evie are present when the bodies of seventeen migrants wash ashore, with only one survivor, they are drawn into a mystery and Cyrus is helping to investigate. Evie begins to unlock her childhood memories but as the ghosts return, it is clear they may both be in danger.
Another dark and suspenseful novel that finally provides some resolution to Evie's past and helps pathe the way for the future novels. As always, I cannot wait for more by this author. 4.5*
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted copy.

Despite my eagerness to dive into "Storm Child," the latest installment in Michael Robotham's captivating "Cyrus Haven" series, I found myself unable to fully engage with the story. As a dedicated fan of the series, I had high hopes for this novel, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. Despite the author's skillful writing and the intriguing premise, I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot. While I appreciate the effort that went into crafting this installment, it simply didn't resonate with me as much as previous entries in the series.