When She Was Good (Cyrus Haven #2)

WHEN SHE WAS GOOD is the sequel to GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL and is thus the second novel in the Cyrus Haven series. Cyrus is a forensic psychologist. He is protecting a young woman known to him as Evie Cormac. Evie was hiding behind a panel in a house when a young man who was either abusing or protecting her was tortured to death. Readers should check out GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL before reading the current novel. (Aside: making one novel dependent upon a reading of the other is a risk for a novelist, for obvious reasons. Michael Robotham has the chops to carry it off.) In WHEN SHE WAS GOOD we have several goalsfirst and foremost to protect Evie from the murderers of the individual (Terry Boland) with whom she was living. We would then, presumably, learn the nature of their relationship. The corollary is our learning who Evie Cormac actually is. Why was her abuser or protector killed? How did she get to Nottingham? What is her real name? What is her personal backstory? This is all complicated by the fact that while Evie trusts Cyrus she is also a feisty survivor in her mid-late teen years (her actual age is another part of the mystery). Hence she can be snarky and difficult. If she were not, at least to some degree, she would probably be dead by now. The chapters shift between \’Cyrus\’ chapters and \’Evie\’ chapters, with each speaking in their own first-person voices. With the murderers still out there, the tale is one of escape/investigation. This makes for a dynamic story line. Bottom line: Michael Robotham is now one of our modern masters, holding his own in the Kellerman, Connelly, Child league and, at moments, in the James Lee Burke rank. His sense of setting has always been strong but now we have additional killer one-liners, often philosophic reflections on the human condition. The plotting is superb, the characters very memorable. There is some adult language, some violence but no explicit sex. The ending is satisfying, the novel a 5-star success. If you have not yet discovered Michael Robotham (he lives in Sydney, though he knows England like the back of his hand) you have a great treat ahead of you. Actually you have 15 treats ahead of you. Relish them.

At the end of \’Good Girl, Bad Girl\’, Michael Robotham left us with many questions about how Evie Cormac came to be found as the young, ragged child hiding in a house with the body of a man tortured to death. In this sequel, Im pleased to report that he gives us many of those answers. Now seventeen and living in Langford Hall, a secure unit for children, Evie knows it is her anonymity that keeps her safe and has always reused to give the police her real name or talk about what happened to her. Criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven first met Evie some months before when he was asked to assess her and although they have become friends, she has still refused to talk to him about her past. However, called in to an investigation of the death of a retired detective, Cyrus discovers a connection with Evie in an old case the detective was re-investigating and as serious danger arrives on Evies doorstep, she reluctantly starts talking to him about her past. While readers will all have an inkling of what happened to Evie as a young child, the details are harrowing and even the police cant protect Evie against the criminals now looking for her because of the secrets she possesses. Robotham ramps up the tension as Cyrus tries to find the criminal ring involved in Evies past with the help of his friend DI Lenny Pavel and best mate, Badger. His plotting is tight and makes for an addictive and suspenseful read. Along the way Evie fills in some details of her childhood and family and we also learn more of Cyrus tragic past. Evie and Cyrus are both such interesting and complex characters that I hope we\’ll be seeing more of them in the future as I\’m really looking forward to seeing what Robotham has next in store for them.

OCTOBER 2020 : 4 STARS Criminal Psychologist Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac return. Who is Evie, the girl with no past, running from? She was discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Her ability to tell when someone is lying helped Cyrus crack an impenetrable case in the first book, Good Girl, Bad Girl. Now the closer Cyrus gets to uncovering answers about Evie\’s dark history, the more he exposes Evie to danger, giving her no choice but to run. Book 1 – Good Girl, Bad Girl (2019) I gave 4 stars and was looking forward to book 2. Another book by this author, not in the series, The Secrets She Keeps received 4 stars too. TRIGGER ALERT : This book does focus on a pedophile ring but its not graphic or descriptive but happened in a main characters past. Right away this author\’s writing style is just so smooth. The first book is coming back to be slowly (@25%) but you can still enjoy this book without remembering. Enjoyed learning so much more about Evie\’s past, even though not all good. Love the connection between Cyrus & Evie that is getting stronger in this book. Hoping for a book 3.

I have all of Michael Robotham\’s books and have enjoyed each and every one. The Joe O\’Loughlin series is great and The Secrets She Keeps was recently made into a telly miniseries, which was very good. I read \”Good Girl, Bad Girl\” and fell in love with Cyrus Haven and Evie Comer. I eagerly awaited the second in the series and \”When She Was Good\” exceeded my expectations. I had longed to know all the truth surrounding Evie and this book delivered. It is so hard not to give too much of the plots of these two books away, but it does present a view of a broken girl who survives horrendous treatment and the forensic psychologist who tries to put the pieces of her life back together and find justice for those who caused such horrific trauma. It is beautfully written, heart-breaking and utterly compelling. Please, please Mr Robotham, carry us forward on Evie and Cyrus\’s journey. I can\’t bear to part with them.

I really enjoyed this – you need to have read the first book in the series, Good Girl Bad Girl, first or you wouldn\’t understand the relationship between the two main characters, Cyrus Haven, forensic psychologist and Evie Cormac, an eighteen year old in witness protection, just coming to the end of her time in care. It\’s a hard read in many ways, and tough going on characters I came to love in the previous book, also possibly a little far fetched, but definitely good escapism if that\’s what you\’re looking for. Written in the first person, alternating fairly short chapters from Cyrus\’ and Evie\’s points of view, Cyrus\’ efforts to dig deeper into Evie\’s past do not go well, to say the least. There are people who have been looking for her since she was discovered hiding in the wall of a house seven years ago and they will stop at nothing to silence her. It was good to find out more about her past and I look forward to the next episode as I\’d love to see where this goes. TV series material.

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