Michael Robotham calls Australia home, but as a former investigative journalist, he has traveled all over the world. This certainly has provided him with the unique perspective that drives his highly suspenseful crime fiction.

Robotham’s new release, THE WHITE CROW, is the second entry in his series featuring Philomena McCarthy, an officer with the elite Metropolitan Police in London. What makes her stand out is not her drive and determination to climb the ladder to the detective ranks, but that her father, Edward McCarthy, is the head of one of London’s most notorious crime syndicates.

Philomena has always sought to pave her own way, one that does not involve the shadow of her infamous family. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do that in her current position. The case at the heart of THE WHITE CROW will push her to the edge and beyond, forcing her to make tough choices.

"Michael Robotham is a first-rate plotter and master of suspense, and THE WHITE CROW features these qualities in unrelenting fashion."

One evening, while Philomena and her partner, Rowan Cooper, are on duty, they receive a call to head to a crime scene. Philomena remains behind as she swore she saw what looked like a young girl in her pajamas out in the dark and in inclement weather. Her instincts were correct, and she finds five-year-old Daisy hiding in the bushes. She takes Philomena to her house where the body of her mother, Caitlin, is discovered in the kitchen --- the victim of an obvious attack.

Philomena calls it in and learns that another police investigation is taking place at the jewelry store run by Russell Kemp-Lowe, who happens to be Daisy’s father and Caitlin’s husband. Russell appears to have been robbed and left in a chair that includes live explosives. He claims they were victims of a home invasion, and the perpetrators took him to his shop to rob him.

Detective Chief Inspector Brendan Keegan is running the case, and Philomena asks to get involved as she feels emotionally invested in the outcome. He agrees and allows her to tag along in interviews with possible suspects, like Caitlin’s best friend, Amber, who had a recent falling-out with her, and the family babysitter, Josie, whom Caitlin may have suspected of having an affair with Russell. Unbeknownst to Philomena and the police is the involvement that the McCarthy family may have had with both Russell and the case they are working.

Once Keegan is made fully aware of who Philomena’s family is, she is immediately suspended, arrested and questioned for her potential role as a police mole. Philomena knows she is innocent and wants nothing more than to escape the stain that her family name has put upon her. She is now in the worst position that an eager young police officer can ever be in and will have to find the answers to this complicated case on her own, clearing her name along the way. This is much easier said than done.

Michael Robotham is a first-rate plotter and master of suspense, and THE WHITE CROW features these qualities in unrelenting fashion. Philomena McCarthy is such a refreshing character with a complex lineage that will forever haunt her and presents challenges that not many other protagonists would be able to overcome.