Say You're Sorry, by Michael Robotham

Say You’re Sorry is another great book from Michael Robotham. I don’t know if there is anyone writing today who writes characters better. What makes them so special is that they face their own particular situations, no matter how horrifying, not with despair but with resignation. Almost as if they deserve it. It is not the physical scars that these characters bear, but the emotional ones that will wrench your heart. 

Alternating narration from O’Loughlin in the present and a victim in the form of a diary tethers the past to the present and keeps alive both a sense of hope and a sense of dread. Robotham doesn’t let you remain detached. You feel for these characters and you become emotionally invested. 

Joe O’Loughlin is a unique hero. His physical ailments prevent him from being a conventional action hero, but his powerful mind is wonderful to observe. He peels back layers and secrets with extraordinary observations and probes areas that most people would rather stay hidden. His intense sympathy for the victims or the wrongly accused give him a determination to succeed that often comes at great personal expense. He is an outstanding character.

A close reading isn’t necessary to thoroughly enjoy this book, but it is rewarded. Nearly everything is significant in one way or another. Saying that a book grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go has become cliche, but Micahel Robotham has a way of making you identify so strongly with his characters that you can’t help but care about them. 

Out of some 40 plus books I’ve read this year, I have rated three of them as 5 stars. Michael Robotham has written 2 of them. He’s moved to the top of my must read list. Highly recommended. I was fortunate to receive an early review copy of this book.