20 years and still going strong as an author - Mr Robotham, take a bow. The fourth book in the series about Cyrus and Evie sees their friendship grow to a new level, amongst other things.
We finally discover Evie’s story. Genius idea to blend a new investigation with an old one as a way for Evie (and us) to discover who she is and how she came to be the strong young woman we all love.
Bodies on a beach, illegal boat people, government officials and a small town all link together in this dramatic and horrifying tale of people desperate for a new, better life.

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, publishers Hachette Australia and New Zealand, and author Michael Robotham, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for June 26, 2024.

Author, Michael Robotham, has Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac returning in book #4 of the highly readable Cyrus Haven series - Storm Child.

🛑Like the other books in this series, there are some confronting themes within Storm Child. Trigger Warnings to consider: human trafficking, rape and child abuse.🛑

I was more excited than a three-year-old on Christmas morning (if that's possible) when I got my hands on a copy of this book. And, just like that, to paraphrase The Rolling Stones, 'It's All Over Now'.

Now I'm wishing that I could forget what I've just read, just so that I can read it all over again and experience that same simple enjoyment of a first read. [Starlight, Starbright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight.]

It all started with book #1, Good Girl, Bad Girl - when Adam Guthrie, the resident social worker at a secure children's home in Nottingham, calls his good friend, Forensic Psychologist, Dr Cyrus Haven to evaluate one of the residents. Evie Cormac. When Cyrus asks to see Evie’s historical records he’s faced with an enigma. There is no record of her date of birth, no hospital file, midwife report, or any records of school attendance. She’s the girl who was found by Detective Chief Inspector Lenore Parvel, living in a secret room in a house in north London. Who, when found, weighed less than a child half her age. She had been hiding out in a room that included the decomposing body of a man who had been tortured to death. Wild-eyed and feral-looking, she trusted no-one. At the court hearing for Evie's application for release (from Langford Hall), Cyrus makes an impulsive gesture. He offers to foster Evie until her eighteenth birthday. The court grants his application and the rest, as they say, is history.

To the present day, and Evie, who is now twenty-two years old, is still sharing a house with Cyrus. Evie has made valuable progress under Cyrus' watchful eye. She has a bank account, drives a car, attends courses, works at a local shelter helping with the surrendered animals and is still seeing a psychologist on a regular basis. As for Cyrus, he's still battling his own demons by pounding the pavement running and then lifting weights until he's exhausted.

The two are having a seaside break at the beach at Lincolnshire, but that quiet holiday time is interrupted when a boat capsizes on its way from France to England. As the bodies start floating towards shore, Cyrus swims out to try to rescue as many as he can. Most are already dead before Cyrus reaches them, but a teenage boy survives. Where did these people come from and where were they headed? The boy tells police that the boat (full of illegals) was deliberately sunk during the night. When Evie realises what's happening down at the shoreline, she's triggered by memories of her past.

These resurfacing memories take Cyrus and Evie on a journey to Scotland and reignites the mystery surrounding Evie's childhood. Now they have a chance to find out the truth about Evie's missing past. But will this knowledge heal her or break her?

This instalment gives the reader unfettered access to Evie's backstory. Every. Dark. Horrid. Element. And although we, as readers, could most likely guess what her early childhood was like, to be faced with the reality was a completely different scenario.

Highly charged and very emotional. This was the book that this series needed and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to read it.

I recommend you read this series in order:
A Good Girl, Bad Girl
A When She Was Good
A Lying Beside You

#StormChild #NetGalley

Cyrus continues to intrigue me and this book certainly tests him in new ways. This book is really full on with a lot of action and many, many very upsetting themes which are all too current. I feel this book shines a light on issues from which many wish to turn their heads away, and bravo for doing that. This author knows how to tell a horror story which relies solely on human nature for its horror and he has hit the mark once again.

It was great to learn more about Evie’s history, and in so doing also learn more about the nature of trauma and suppressed memories. Nice to see some references to Robotham’s characters in other books, too, making this part of a wider experience.

Without wishing to spoil anything, thank you, Michael Robotham, for not bringing a romantic element to the relationship. This would absolutely spoil it, for me anyway, and to stay true to the beautiful relationship and characters you have created is wonderful.

My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ love this series even when its a bit OTT and wild!!

Some memories are buried for a reason… The most painful of Evie Cormac’s memories have been locked away, ever since she was held a prisoner as a child - a child whose rescue captured hearts and headlines.

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven’s mission is to guide her to something near normality. But today, on a Lincolnshire beach, seventeen bodies wash up in front of them. There is only one survivor, with two women missing. And Evie’s nightmares come roaring back…

Whatever happened all those years ago lies at the core of this new tragedy. Because these deaths are no accident. The same dark forces are reaching out, dragging her back into the storm. Evie must now call upon Cyrus’s unique skills, and her own, in their search for the missing pieces of this complex and haunting puzzle.

But will that be enough to save them?
And who will pay for the past?

Ok first up…. I have been a fan of this series from the start, way back when Evie was Angel Face… and if you too have been a fan waiting for this book I think you will like it. If you are new here… and you haven’t read the books prior … this might be a bit meh… or a bit confusing.. there is a long story at play here and I do recommend reading from the start.

Having said that I did have some issues with this book…. BUT as a fan I overlooked almost all of them because I love this series… so take that as you will because if you read it and go WTF KARLY WHY 4 STARS… well… you were warned.

Now… I couldn’t put this down, its been ages since I’ve read a book that I kept thinking about while I was at work and couldn’t wait to get back to it. Its easy to read, told from Cyrus and Evie’s POV alternatively throughout which I love. I liked hearing this story play out in the interactions and inner monologues of both Cyrus and Evie. I felt that Cyrus was a little less of a know it all asshole in this book… Evie of course was not but thats all part of her charm… or lack thereof.

I think Michael Robotham skirted the edges of “woke” really well.. he mentioned a few things here and there that I thought were done really well… and it enhanced rather than took away from the story. I also did like the secondary characters but I missed Lenny… she is one of my favourites.

This is a pretty far fetched tale… there are a lot of things that happen where if you don’t suspend your disbelief you will be rolling you eyes until you are dizzy… but knowing that up front I was all fine with it.. I threw it out the window and lent hard into this one. There are some plot holes… when I was thinking back I was like what happened to… or what about… but again… I don’t actually care … I read it and loved it… I will definitely be reading the next one.

I really liked the ending I thought it was a really nice way to find out more information that we have been waiting for since book 1 and I really enjoyed that. I think Cyrus and Evie’s relationship is questionable but I think they too skirt the edges of what is appropriate and honestly… I am not going to complain about it because as I said I love this series and I don’t mind.

I did knock one star off just because it did get a little toooo far fetched in places and I thought 5 stars was super generous but I enjoyed it… I was so excited when I got approved by NetGalley that I abandoned what I was reading immediately and dove into it head first.

Overall, if you love this author or this series… definitely read it. If you haven’t the first idea about either then read the synopsis and some other reviews first. If you like mysteries where you need to throw your disbelief into the sea then again pick this up.. however I don’t recommend starting part way through I highly recommend starting at the start… book 1 and 2 were also by far my fave in this series so far. Although this was close behind it…

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.