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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
The White Crow is the second book in the Philomena McCarthy series, and continues the tale of a family falling on opposite sides of the law.
I flew through this in one day. Robotham’s writing is as sharp and confident as ever. The tension between Phil and her dad added such weight to the story, with love and loyalty clashing with values and morality. The chapters are packed with detail, but the writing feels effortless and flows easily.
I loved the various POVs, which felt seamless and gave me insights into the characters and their motivation. I empathised far more than I expected to with certain characters! Some of the twists are subtle, which made me feel like I was solving things alongside the detectives, which was hugely satisfying. There’s a lot of grey throughout the book, making for a thought provoking read, and the ending was chaotic and charged - perfection! I’m hanging out for the next book in the series. ⭐ 4.5 stars
Thanks to the publisher for the early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
dark
lighthearted
tense
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Will she put her trust in the law or her family?
PC Philomena McCarthy is an ambitious police office with the Metropolitan Police, newly married and working to juggle the demands of the job and her new home life. Her career is an unusual choice given that her family is the notorious East End gang the McCarthy Brothers, headed up by her father and his brothers. While on patrol late one night, she spies a young child in the street and stops the car to investigate just as there is a call over the radio for officers to respond to a major incident. Phil stays to look for the child while her partner responds to the emergency. She finds six year old Daisy, dressed in pajamas that have blood on the sleeves, who says she came outside because her mother wouldn't wake up. Phil returns the girl to her home and finds the mother Caitlin dead, tied to a chair in the kitchen. As she reports the situation, three miles away DCI Brendan Keegan is dealing with a jewelry store that has been robbed and its owner left behind with a bomb-laced vest on him. When it is discovered that the man in the jewelry store is Daisy's dad and the husband of the murdered woman, Phil finds herself involved indirectly in a high profile case, one that also has ties to her family (who are being pulled into a gang war). The murdered woman's husband, who was once an actor, comes under suspicion early on, but if the robbery and home invasion were staged for the insurance money why was Caitlin killed? Phil's career comes under fire because of her family's involvement in the case, her husband may be losing patience with her and her family, the rival gang is threatening the whole extended McCarthy clan if their demands aren't met...and somewhere Caitlin's killer may be getting away with murder.
The White Crow is a suspenseful thriller that features an assortment of fascinating and well-developed characters (first seen in When You Are Mine) with an intriguing plot. Phil is a great female protagonist, strong, stubborn and living with the conflict between her job in law enforcement and her family of gangsters, Said family...father Eddie and his brothers Daragh the enforcer, FInbar the mechanically inclined sibling, Clifton the technologically savvy one, Eddie's second wife Constance (a minor blue blood), and more... are engaging and frequently funny, but with a criminal streak a mile wide and completely comfortable with violence and flouting the law. As law enforcement tries to get to the bottom of what happened to Caitlin and the missing jewels from her family's store (including 11 million pounds worth of the McCarthys' uncut diamonds), Eddie and his crew are dealing with a significant threat to both their business enterprise and the family's health and well-being from a newly arrived gang that is as ruthless and amoral as they are (possibly more so) and are younger and hungrier to boot. The story is told from the perspective of several different characters, and the pace starts off strong and doesn't let up. There are plenty of plot twists and turns, more than a few of which as a seasoned reader of thrillers and police procedurals I suspected were coming, but for me the best part of the book was the array of characters (I have a fondness in particular for Daragh). Readers of Michael Connelly, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin should grab a copy of this book, as should anyone who enjoys strong female leads, moody London settings, and twisty police procedurals. My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Books for allowing me access to a copy of The White Crow in exchange for my honest review. Here's hoping that Phil and crew will be back in another adventure soon!
PC Philomena McCarthy is an ambitious police office with the Metropolitan Police, newly married and working to juggle the demands of the job and her new home life. Her career is an unusual choice given that her family is the notorious East End gang the McCarthy Brothers, headed up by her father and his brothers. While on patrol late one night, she spies a young child in the street and stops the car to investigate just as there is a call over the radio for officers to respond to a major incident. Phil stays to look for the child while her partner responds to the emergency. She finds six year old Daisy, dressed in pajamas that have blood on the sleeves, who says she came outside because her mother wouldn't wake up. Phil returns the girl to her home and finds the mother Caitlin dead, tied to a chair in the kitchen. As she reports the situation, three miles away DCI Brendan Keegan is dealing with a jewelry store that has been robbed and its owner left behind with a bomb-laced vest on him. When it is discovered that the man in the jewelry store is Daisy's dad and the husband of the murdered woman, Phil finds herself involved indirectly in a high profile case, one that also has ties to her family (who are being pulled into a gang war). The murdered woman's husband, who was once an actor, comes under suspicion early on, but if the robbery and home invasion were staged for the insurance money why was Caitlin killed? Phil's career comes under fire because of her family's involvement in the case, her husband may be losing patience with her and her family, the rival gang is threatening the whole extended McCarthy clan if their demands aren't met...and somewhere Caitlin's killer may be getting away with murder.
The White Crow is a suspenseful thriller that features an assortment of fascinating and well-developed characters (first seen in When You Are Mine) with an intriguing plot. Phil is a great female protagonist, strong, stubborn and living with the conflict between her job in law enforcement and her family of gangsters, Said family...father Eddie and his brothers Daragh the enforcer, FInbar the mechanically inclined sibling, Clifton the technologically savvy one, Eddie's second wife Constance (a minor blue blood), and more... are engaging and frequently funny, but with a criminal streak a mile wide and completely comfortable with violence and flouting the law. As law enforcement tries to get to the bottom of what happened to Caitlin and the missing jewels from her family's store (including 11 million pounds worth of the McCarthys' uncut diamonds), Eddie and his crew are dealing with a significant threat to both their business enterprise and the family's health and well-being from a newly arrived gang that is as ruthless and amoral as they are (possibly more so) and are younger and hungrier to boot. The story is told from the perspective of several different characters, and the pace starts off strong and doesn't let up. There are plenty of plot twists and turns, more than a few of which as a seasoned reader of thrillers and police procedurals I suspected were coming, but for me the best part of the book was the array of characters (I have a fondness in particular for Daragh). Readers of Michael Connelly, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin should grab a copy of this book, as should anyone who enjoys strong female leads, moody London settings, and twisty police procedurals. My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Books for allowing me access to a copy of The White Crow in exchange for my honest review. Here's hoping that Phil and crew will be back in another adventure soon!
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
medium-paced
Philomena “Phil” McCarthy is a twenty-nine-year-old police constable with the London Metropolitan Police. She is married to Henry, a firefighter. Until recently, she was estranged from her father and her two uncles, who are notorious gangsters now claiming to be property developers. When Phil rescues Daisy, a five-year-old girl she finds wandering the streets at night with blood on her nightgown, she becomes entangled in a case that involves a high-stakes jewelry heist and a murder. When some clues lead to her family, the situation gets complicated. Despite her commitment to the law, Phil's loyalties are challenged as the police suspect that she may be connected to the crimes.
Michael Robotham first introduced Philomena in When You Are Mine. I was pleased to see the author bring back this very likable, highly moral character in The White Crow. (You can easily read this book as a standalone.) Phil is not the only strong character. Henry is quite a fabulous husband, and it is impossible not to find some goodness in the McCarthy brothers. Dimitar Popov, head of a rival gang of Bulgarians, is one of the meanest villains I've come across in a while. If you enjoy smart crime thrillers, this is one to check out. It's a well-crafted nail-biter.
Michael Robotham first introduced Philomena in When You Are Mine. I was pleased to see the author bring back this very likable, highly moral character in The White Crow. (You can easily read this book as a standalone.) Phil is not the only strong character. Henry is quite a fabulous husband, and it is impossible not to find some goodness in the McCarthy brothers. Dimitar Popov, head of a rival gang of Bulgarians, is one of the meanest villains I've come across in a while. If you enjoy smart crime thrillers, this is one to check out. It's a well-crafted nail-biter.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The white crow by Michael Robotham is the 2nd book in the Philomena Mc Carthy series. I wasn’t aware of this, but you can easily read this as a standalone as I have not read the previous one.
Philomena McCarthy is a young, dedicated Police officer and she is also the daughter of a mob boss. She tries to stay clear from her family and their notorious past. But it’s hard.
She currently on night duty when she come across a little girl wondering the streets on her own. The little girl is covered it blood. When she takes the girl home, she finds her mother tied up on a chair and has been murdered. Further investigation she finds out that the little girl escaped while her mother was taken hostage. While her father has had to open his jewellery shop and the perpetrators rob the shop.
When the detectives take over, they discover links to The McCarthy family as they think that Philomena might be involved. But she needs to prove them wrong.
I really enjoyed this outing of Micheal Robotham’s work, and I am surprised I have not read more. The is an exciting tense thriller, with a great plot and likeable characters. Especially Philomena who is conflicted between doing what’s right and wrong. Doing a job as a policewoman and being part of the McCarthy family. I can’t wait to delve into his back log. 5 stars from me.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Michael Robotham could write a list of groceries & I’d probably rate it 5 stars - he’s just that good. He’s the master of edge-of-your-seat thrillers, & has yet to let me down with any of his books.
White Crow is the second book featuring Philomena McCarthy - it can be read as a stand alone, but the first book does provide some insight into her challenges balancing her life as a police officer, & the daughter of a gangster.
White crow starts with Phil on shift when she spots a little girl in the middle of the road in the middle of the night covered in blood. From there, expect lots of twists & turns, & Phil herself becoming entangled in a web of crime she’s tried so hard to remain free from.
Please give us more Philomena - she’s a national treasure that must be protected.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect amount of mystery and suspense. Philomena is a young police officer in London with ties to a notorious crime family. One night while patrolling, her and her partner and dispatched to a jewelry store bombing. Before she can respond she glimpses a young child wondering the streets alone and stays back to search the area. Everything from that point on is a wild ride. Definitely add this to your TBR!
mysterious
medium-paced