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Joseph O'Loughlin #2
The Drowning Man
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401 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
1063 people are currently reading
5260 people want to read
About the author
Michael Robotham
53 books7,307 followersTwo-times Gold Dagger winner (2015 and 2020), twice Edgar best novel finalist (2016 and 2020) and winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (2021), Michael Robotham was born in Australia in November 1960 and grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.
For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers and magazines in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first people to view the letters and diaries of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra, unearthed in the Moscow State Archives in 1991. He also gained access to Stalin’s Hitler files, which had been missing for nearly fifty years until a cleaner stumbled upon a cardboard box that had been misplaced and misfiled.
In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and showbusiness personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles have been bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.
His first novel 'THE SUSPECT', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries.
Since then, Michael's psychological thrillers have been translated into twenty-five languages and his Joe O'Loughlin series is are currently in development for TV by World Productions. A six-part TV series based upon his standalone novel THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS was aired on BBC1 in 2020, and a second series begins filming in 2021.
Michael lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers and magazines in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first people to view the letters and diaries of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra, unearthed in the Moscow State Archives in 1991. He also gained access to Stalin’s Hitler files, which had been missing for nearly fifty years until a cleaner stumbled upon a cardboard box that had been misplaced and misfiled.
In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and showbusiness personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles have been bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.
His first novel 'THE SUSPECT', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries.
Since then, Michael's psychological thrillers have been translated into twenty-five languages and his Joe O'Loughlin series is are currently in development for TV by World Productions. A six-part TV series based upon his standalone novel THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS was aired on BBC1 in 2020, and a second series begins filming in 2021.
Michael lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 891 reviews
March 5, 2022
Lost (Joseph O'Loughlin #2)
by Michael Robotham, Ray Lonnen (narrator)
Joe O'Loughlin redeems himself in this second book in the Joseph O'Loughlin series. When his friend, homicide detective Vincent Ruiz, needs help, Joe is there in more ways than one. Vincent wakes up from a coma, with a shotgun wound through his leg and a missing finger and Joe is there to help him deal with his transient global amnesia. Vincent is in big trouble with his superiors at work and they aren't going to help him figure out what he was doing during the time of his lost memory. In fact, they want him to leave it all alone and they are accusing him of murdering one or more people.
A few years back, Vincent had worked a missing girl case, and based on his work, a man was sentenced to prison for her murder. But, as Vincent and Joe work through his memories, which are slowly coming back, Vincent thinks the girl may be alive. Since Vincent has been told to back off of any investigation, he and Joe recruit volunteers to do the research and phone/feet on the ground investigation that needs to be done to track down the players in the old case. Sorry I was so hard on you in the last book, Joe. You've come far towards redeeming yourself in my eyes. This story is seen from the POV of Vincent and he's filled with guilt and remorse for many reasons. But he hopes he can do this one thing, find a missing girl that he thought was dead.
by Michael Robotham, Ray Lonnen (narrator)
Joe O'Loughlin redeems himself in this second book in the Joseph O'Loughlin series. When his friend, homicide detective Vincent Ruiz, needs help, Joe is there in more ways than one. Vincent wakes up from a coma, with a shotgun wound through his leg and a missing finger and Joe is there to help him deal with his transient global amnesia. Vincent is in big trouble with his superiors at work and they aren't going to help him figure out what he was doing during the time of his lost memory. In fact, they want him to leave it all alone and they are accusing him of murdering one or more people.
A few years back, Vincent had worked a missing girl case, and based on his work, a man was sentenced to prison for her murder. But, as Vincent and Joe work through his memories, which are slowly coming back, Vincent thinks the girl may be alive. Since Vincent has been told to back off of any investigation, he and Joe recruit volunteers to do the research and phone/feet on the ground investigation that needs to be done to track down the players in the old case. Sorry I was so hard on you in the last book, Joe. You've come far towards redeeming yourself in my eyes. This story is seen from the POV of Vincent and he's filled with guilt and remorse for many reasons. But he hopes he can do this one thing, find a missing girl that he thought was dead.
July 28, 2017
I have been wanting to read The Secret She Keeps and since that has been on hold at the library, I decided to go back to this series. This series is very well written. This was a buddy read with my friend Susan. Susan liked it, but wasn't a favorite since she read Say You're Sorry and really loved that one. She also wished there was more of Joe. The reviews on that book is what got me reading this series. I really did enjoy this one a lot. This story took me on a roller coaster of a ride and what a thrilling ride it was! It kept me guessing, and doubting and turning pages to see who was behind all of it!
I couldn't guess it and it was a very gripping and twisty read. Convincing, well rounded characters, a twisting plot, and a fast pace all combine to keep the pages turning; readers are likely to find it difficult to set this one aside before the final reveal.
Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz is back in this one, he was a character from the first book Suspect. Ruiz is found half dead after he is being fished out of the Thames. When he awakens from his coma, he has no memory of why he was in the river, almost dead from a bullet wound to his leg, nor can he remember anything from the week leading up to his injury. With the help of O'Loughlin, Ruiz begins piecing together details that show he was following up on the disappearance of eight year-old Mickey Carlyle. Mickey disappeared three years earlier, and a sexual predator has been convicted of her murder. As Ruiz retraces his steps, he relives several incidents from his past that are linked to his need to investigate a closed case. This is a fast paced thriller with plenty of adventure; Ruiz's hunt for answers takes him deep into the sewers below London and into the cold waters of the Thames.
I think what really makes a good series is how the characters are done. Ruiz and O'Loughlin are impressively created. Both suffer from life's miseries of one kind or another. I loved the interaction with one another. I wish Joe had a bigger part in this book. I really like him. This book is so well written and I am looking forward to book 3.
I highly recommend this book.
October 26, 2022
4.5★ (rounded up)
“‘Snipers have very little emotional investment in their victims. It's like playing a computer game.’
‘So he could be young?’
‘And isolated.’
True to form, the Professor is more interested in why than who; he wants an explanation while I want a face for my empty picture frame, someone to catch and punish.”
Loved it! (This is also titled The Drowning Man.) The Professor is Joseph “Joe” O’Loughlin, a clinical psychologist who was the main character in Suspect, the first book of this series that bears his name. The first-person narrator of this second book is Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz, who spent much of his time in the last story at odds with Joe, whom he considered the main suspect in the murder case.
This time, they’re on the same side, but the police are suspicious of Ruiz’s activities, and he can’t explain them. The book opens dramatically.
“‘He's been shotl’ Who are they talking about? People are shouting all over again, yelling for bandages and plasma. A black guy with a gold earring slides a needle into my arm and puts a bag over my face.”
This is very much Ruiz’s story, but he is so discombobulated when he doesn’t remember being shot or why he was at that place, that he turns to Joe for help. Joe plays a subsidiary role, and his Parkinson’s shakes are getting worse, but his mind is sharp and his curiosity is alive and well.
“Life is one big mystery to him, an ever-shifting puzzle. Most people don't stop to think. Joe can't stop himself from thinking.”
But when Joe asks seemingly irrelevant questions about his childhood, Ruiz gets impatient and angry.
“I look up at Joe and blink away the past. I've been talking all this time. His voice is softer than mine.
‘You're not responsible for your father's sins.’
Yeah, right! I'm angry now. Why did he start me out on this? I don't want any of his airy-fairy, touchy-feely, Pollyanna-pass-the-tissues psychological crap. We sit in silence. I'm through with talking. My nightmares march in jackboots and are best left alone.”
It’s an exciting story involving an old case of a missing girl, a bad guy, Aleksei Kuznet, and diamonds, none of which is making any sense to the confused detective. We learn the facts only as he does, and although Joe is an important feature, he serves more as a coach and a backdrop to Ruiz’s persistent and dangerous hunt for the truth.
It is a fast, scary, intriguing mystery which I found believable. I have a friend who’s had a couple of episodes of transient global amnesia, and it certainly scared her, even though she didn’t have bad guys and snipers to worry about.
I always enjoy Robotham’s writing. No wonder he wins awards. Plenty of action but also plenty of description to distinguish his characters from each other. Even some of the minor players get a mention.
“Cedric, the guy in charge, is a Jamaican with impossibly tight curls and a laugh that sounds like someone cracking nuts with a brick.”
And some of the minor settings get a little coat of paint.
“We perch on the edge of sofas looking at a room full of crocheted cushion covers, lace doilies and photographs of overweight grandchildren. This is how sitting rooms used to look before people started buying up warehouses full of lacquered pine from Scandinavia.”
I was thoroughly absorbed in this one, enjoyed learning Ruiz’s background (not at all what I’d imagined), and watching Joe work his diligent magic.
Robotham is a firm favourite on my bookshelf, and I’m glad I’ve got more in the series to read before he retires Joe. (But I refuse to think about that now.)
( Link to my review of SUSPECT )
“‘Snipers have very little emotional investment in their victims. It's like playing a computer game.’
‘So he could be young?’
‘And isolated.’
True to form, the Professor is more interested in why than who; he wants an explanation while I want a face for my empty picture frame, someone to catch and punish.”
Loved it! (This is also titled The Drowning Man.) The Professor is Joseph “Joe” O’Loughlin, a clinical psychologist who was the main character in Suspect, the first book of this series that bears his name. The first-person narrator of this second book is Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz, who spent much of his time in the last story at odds with Joe, whom he considered the main suspect in the murder case.
This time, they’re on the same side, but the police are suspicious of Ruiz’s activities, and he can’t explain them. The book opens dramatically.
“‘He's been shotl’ Who are they talking about? People are shouting all over again, yelling for bandages and plasma. A black guy with a gold earring slides a needle into my arm and puts a bag over my face.”
This is very much Ruiz’s story, but he is so discombobulated when he doesn’t remember being shot or why he was at that place, that he turns to Joe for help. Joe plays a subsidiary role, and his Parkinson’s shakes are getting worse, but his mind is sharp and his curiosity is alive and well.
“Life is one big mystery to him, an ever-shifting puzzle. Most people don't stop to think. Joe can't stop himself from thinking.”
But when Joe asks seemingly irrelevant questions about his childhood, Ruiz gets impatient and angry.
“I look up at Joe and blink away the past. I've been talking all this time. His voice is softer than mine.
‘You're not responsible for your father's sins.’
Yeah, right! I'm angry now. Why did he start me out on this? I don't want any of his airy-fairy, touchy-feely, Pollyanna-pass-the-tissues psychological crap. We sit in silence. I'm through with talking. My nightmares march in jackboots and are best left alone.”
It’s an exciting story involving an old case of a missing girl, a bad guy, Aleksei Kuznet, and diamonds, none of which is making any sense to the confused detective. We learn the facts only as he does, and although Joe is an important feature, he serves more as a coach and a backdrop to Ruiz’s persistent and dangerous hunt for the truth.
It is a fast, scary, intriguing mystery which I found believable. I have a friend who’s had a couple of episodes of transient global amnesia, and it certainly scared her, even though she didn’t have bad guys and snipers to worry about.
I always enjoy Robotham’s writing. No wonder he wins awards. Plenty of action but also plenty of description to distinguish his characters from each other. Even some of the minor players get a mention.
“Cedric, the guy in charge, is a Jamaican with impossibly tight curls and a laugh that sounds like someone cracking nuts with a brick.”
And some of the minor settings get a little coat of paint.
“We perch on the edge of sofas looking at a room full of crocheted cushion covers, lace doilies and photographs of overweight grandchildren. This is how sitting rooms used to look before people started buying up warehouses full of lacquered pine from Scandinavia.”
I was thoroughly absorbed in this one, enjoyed learning Ruiz’s background (not at all what I’d imagined), and watching Joe work his diligent magic.
Robotham is a firm favourite on my bookshelf, and I’m glad I’ve got more in the series to read before he retires Joe. (But I refuse to think about that now.)
( Link to my review of SUSPECT )
December 15, 2016
My delight with Michael Robotham's books continues!
We met Joe O'Laughlin and DI Vincent Ruiz in the first book. O'Laughlin plays only a supporting role in this book. Here we get an in depth look at Ruiz. His ancestry is German/Gypsy, and his mother pretended to be Jewish to escape the Nazis. He can't keep a wife, is estranged from his kids, and visits his mother irregularly in the retirement home where he placed her. He carries a lot of self-inflicted guilt in his soul. He is tenacious and sometimes hardheaded. He and Joe are now good friends.
As in the first book, the story is well told with lots of background information about the characters. The plot is not complicated or convoluted, but it is involved. Ruiz has suffered a trauma leading to memory loss, and with some help from Joe, tries to reinvestigate the incident. There are several scenes in this book that made me cringe!
I think this is going to be a great series and I love the characters. I'll be reading the third book soon.
We met Joe O'Laughlin and DI Vincent Ruiz in the first book. O'Laughlin plays only a supporting role in this book. Here we get an in depth look at Ruiz. His ancestry is German/Gypsy, and his mother pretended to be Jewish to escape the Nazis. He can't keep a wife, is estranged from his kids, and visits his mother irregularly in the retirement home where he placed her. He carries a lot of self-inflicted guilt in his soul. He is tenacious and sometimes hardheaded. He and Joe are now good friends.
As in the first book, the story is well told with lots of background information about the characters. The plot is not complicated or convoluted, but it is involved. Ruiz has suffered a trauma leading to memory loss, and with some help from Joe, tries to reinvestigate the incident. There are several scenes in this book that made me cringe!
I think this is going to be a great series and I love the characters. I'll be reading the third book soon.
November 27, 2024
In the opening sequence DI Vincent Ruiz is plucked from the River Thames with a serious bullet wound in his leg and near critical blood loss.
He has no memory of the events leading up to his near death.
He eventually recalls that they were somehow connected to the disappearance of a young girl, Mickey Carlyle, from a case three years ago.
Despite a suspect being convicted of her kidnapping and murder, Ruiz is convinced that Mickey is still alive.
Once out of hospital he tries to backtrack to work out what happened with the help of his friend, psychologist Joe O'Loughlin.
Gradually flashes of memory return to Ruiz.
There are lots of twists and turns that lead you to an ending that... It’s just are you willing to be patient to get to it?
I love this series, so this was difficult to be impatient with this one.
He has no memory of the events leading up to his near death.
He eventually recalls that they were somehow connected to the disappearance of a young girl, Mickey Carlyle, from a case three years ago.
Despite a suspect being convicted of her kidnapping and murder, Ruiz is convinced that Mickey is still alive.
Once out of hospital he tries to backtrack to work out what happened with the help of his friend, psychologist Joe O'Loughlin.
Gradually flashes of memory return to Ruiz.
There are lots of twists and turns that lead you to an ending that... It’s just are you willing to be patient to get to it?
I love this series, so this was difficult to be impatient with this one.
January 22, 2016
An interesting and unusual way to write a book in a series when the main character takes a very subordinate role and the story is totally based on and about someone else! Still it did not matter as it was still a great story, fast paced and action packed and everything a good crime thriller should be. Joseph O'Loughlin still had an interesting role to play even though the book was written entirely from someone else's point of view. I enjoy the way Michael Robotham writes and look forward to continuing this series.
July 19, 2025
Solid mystery with a twist— the series’ main character is regulated to the background. Rather this book features the detective who pursued the doctor last time. This time, Ruiz is in the hot seat as an amenesiac who struggles to remember how an old cold case that has always haunted him is connected to a boatload (literally) of blood.
The good doctor serves as a strong support character. The mystery is first rate and combined with Ruiz’s elusive memory, I found myself turning pages faster and faster. Several great twists and an ending that was exactly what it should have been.
Looking forward to the next book in this well-written series.
(Reviewed 1/23/19)
The good doctor serves as a strong support character. The mystery is first rate and combined with Ruiz’s elusive memory, I found myself turning pages faster and faster. Several great twists and an ending that was exactly what it should have been.
Looking forward to the next book in this well-written series.
(Reviewed 1/23/19)
November 24, 2022
This, the second chapter in the Joe O’Loughlin series, whose main character is the flawed but likeable psychologist with Parkinson’s was a busy and quite long-winded tale. I missed Joe here; I assumed this was Detective Ruiz’s intro to the series. He didn’t get much of a look in.
Joe and Vincent butted heads in the first instalment, but this time we see they begin to form a comradery where clearly the troubled and ‘in trouble’ detective is seeking Joe’s help occasionally.
This is a harrowing case for Vincent, where a sweet young girl goes missing, all in the space of less than a hundred steps. Vincent needs to sift through seedy suspects to get to the bottom of a case that has haunted him for years.
He has a form of amnesia after a trauma – he almost lost his life after being shot and pulled from the Thames, being in a coma for almost two weeks. He ends up being the hunted and charged with the theft of the diamond ransom!
It really does come down to a cat and mouse game where ransoms are offered and lives are in peril. Joe can help him understand the memory side of things, and to support the disgraced detective link his own family trauma to the reason why he is so haunted by this case, and the missing girl and his inability to find the memories.
These are both troubled men who understand each other given their messy lives, but I did miss seeing Joe in this book, but there are more in this series, and the scene has been set for this duo and I look forward to seeing g what comes next.
My father got me onto this one, but he’s very keen to see me progress to https://www.goodreads.com/series/2674..., I hear I am in for a treat.
An excellent audio companion on an unexpected road trip and narrated well. It still intrigues me that an Aussie author has set this series in London, not that there’s anything wrong with that. A well written and solid continuation on an interesting series. Full of witty and clever moments and I love when crime and action books still make me giggle with the good stuff.
Joe and Vincent butted heads in the first instalment, but this time we see they begin to form a comradery where clearly the troubled and ‘in trouble’ detective is seeking Joe’s help occasionally.
This is a harrowing case for Vincent, where a sweet young girl goes missing, all in the space of less than a hundred steps. Vincent needs to sift through seedy suspects to get to the bottom of a case that has haunted him for years.
He has a form of amnesia after a trauma – he almost lost his life after being shot and pulled from the Thames, being in a coma for almost two weeks. He ends up being the hunted and charged with the theft of the diamond ransom!
It really does come down to a cat and mouse game where ransoms are offered and lives are in peril. Joe can help him understand the memory side of things, and to support the disgraced detective link his own family trauma to the reason why he is so haunted by this case, and the missing girl and his inability to find the memories.
These are both troubled men who understand each other given their messy lives, but I did miss seeing Joe in this book, but there are more in this series, and the scene has been set for this duo and I look forward to seeing g what comes next.
My father got me onto this one, but he’s very keen to see me progress to https://www.goodreads.com/series/2674..., I hear I am in for a treat.
An excellent audio companion on an unexpected road trip and narrated well. It still intrigues me that an Aussie author has set this series in London, not that there’s anything wrong with that. A well written and solid continuation on an interesting series. Full of witty and clever moments and I love when crime and action books still make me giggle with the good stuff.
December 17, 2016
The 4th Michael Robotham book I've read, and the 4th I've thoroughly enjoyed.
In the first of this series, London psychiatrist Joseph O'Loughlin, is the principle character who is dogedly pursued by DI Vincent Ruiz. In this 2nd book, Ruiz takes the spotlight, with O'Loughlin taking a supporting role. This made for interesting reading, and has hopefully set the stage for future books where these two, well-drawn characters, will share the limelight together.
A great story, with plenty of twists, and enough unanswered questions to keep this reader glued right through to the last few pages.
In the first of this series, London psychiatrist Joseph O'Loughlin, is the principle character who is dogedly pursued by DI Vincent Ruiz. In this 2nd book, Ruiz takes the spotlight, with O'Loughlin taking a supporting role. This made for interesting reading, and has hopefully set the stage for future books where these two, well-drawn characters, will share the limelight together.
A great story, with plenty of twists, and enough unanswered questions to keep this reader glued right through to the last few pages.
July 21, 2025
EXCERPT: Some bastard shot me! It should be etched in my memory. I should be able to relive it over and over again like those whining victims on daytime talk shows who have personal injury lawyers on speed dial. Instead, I remember nothing. And no matter how many times I squeeze my eyes shut and bang my fists on my forehead it doesn't change.
The really strange thing is what I imagine I remember. For instance, I recall seeing silhouettes against bright lights; masked men wearing plastic shower caps and paper slippers, who were discussing cars, pension plans and football results. Of course this could have been a near death experience. I was given a glimpse of Hell and it was full of surgeons.
Perhaps, if I start with the simple stuff, I may get to the point where I can remember what happened to me. Staring at the ceiling, I silently spell my name: Vincent Yanko Ruiz; born 11 December 1945. I am a Detective Inspector of the London Metropolitan Police and the head of the Serious Crime Group (Western Division). I live in Rainville Road, Fulham . . .
I used to say I would pay good money to forget most of my life. Now I want the memories back.
ABOUT 'THE DROWNING MAN': A lost child. A shattered past. A life going under ...
Vincent Ruiz is lucky to be alive. A bullet in the leg, another through the hand, he is discovered clinging to a buoy in the River Thames, losing blood and consciousness fast.
It takes six days for him to come out of his coma, and when he does, his nightmare is only just beginning. Because Vincent has no recollection of what happened, and nobody believes him. A mile away from his body, a boat was found covered in blood -- Vincent's and that of three others. Forensics say at least one of them must be dead.
Vincent, a police detective, had signed his service pistol out of the station armoury, despite being on leave. Many murder suspects fake amnesia, and the investigating team are not sure this case is any different ...The only clue is a picture in his pocket, a photograph of a young girl, Mickey Carlyle, who disappeared three years ago. And though Mickey is presumed dead, Vincent has the nagging doubt that she is alive and in terrible danger ...
MY THOUGHTS: The Drowning Man (Joseph O'Laughlin #2) by Michael Robotham has also been published as "LOST" in some parts of the world.
A fast-paced thriller mystery focusing on Vincent's obsession with a missing ten-year-old girl, Mickey Carlyle. Seven when she was abducted, a man convicted and imprisoned for her abduction and murder, and after waking up with a gunshot wound to his leg and a missing finger, Ruiz now believes her to be alive. If only he could remember why . . .
Told from Ruiz's first person POV, Joseph becomes his sounding board and ally in his search for Mickey and other people associated with her who also seem to be missing.
Filled with action, twist and turns, and an everchanging spectrum of suspects, Robotham has again held me spellbound with The Drowning Man.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheDrowningMan
MEET THE AUTHOR - MICHAEL ROBOTHAM was born in Australia in November 1960 and grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.
Michael now lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The really strange thing is what I imagine I remember. For instance, I recall seeing silhouettes against bright lights; masked men wearing plastic shower caps and paper slippers, who were discussing cars, pension plans and football results. Of course this could have been a near death experience. I was given a glimpse of Hell and it was full of surgeons.
Perhaps, if I start with the simple stuff, I may get to the point where I can remember what happened to me. Staring at the ceiling, I silently spell my name: Vincent Yanko Ruiz; born 11 December 1945. I am a Detective Inspector of the London Metropolitan Police and the head of the Serious Crime Group (Western Division). I live in Rainville Road, Fulham . . .
I used to say I would pay good money to forget most of my life. Now I want the memories back.
ABOUT 'THE DROWNING MAN': A lost child. A shattered past. A life going under ...
Vincent Ruiz is lucky to be alive. A bullet in the leg, another through the hand, he is discovered clinging to a buoy in the River Thames, losing blood and consciousness fast.
It takes six days for him to come out of his coma, and when he does, his nightmare is only just beginning. Because Vincent has no recollection of what happened, and nobody believes him. A mile away from his body, a boat was found covered in blood -- Vincent's and that of three others. Forensics say at least one of them must be dead.
Vincent, a police detective, had signed his service pistol out of the station armoury, despite being on leave. Many murder suspects fake amnesia, and the investigating team are not sure this case is any different ...The only clue is a picture in his pocket, a photograph of a young girl, Mickey Carlyle, who disappeared three years ago. And though Mickey is presumed dead, Vincent has the nagging doubt that she is alive and in terrible danger ...
MY THOUGHTS: The Drowning Man (Joseph O'Laughlin #2) by Michael Robotham has also been published as "LOST" in some parts of the world.
A fast-paced thriller mystery focusing on Vincent's obsession with a missing ten-year-old girl, Mickey Carlyle. Seven when she was abducted, a man convicted and imprisoned for her abduction and murder, and after waking up with a gunshot wound to his leg and a missing finger, Ruiz now believes her to be alive. If only he could remember why . . .
Told from Ruiz's first person POV, Joseph becomes his sounding board and ally in his search for Mickey and other people associated with her who also seem to be missing.
Filled with action, twist and turns, and an everchanging spectrum of suspects, Robotham has again held me spellbound with The Drowning Man.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheDrowningMan
MEET THE AUTHOR - MICHAEL ROBOTHAM was born in Australia in November 1960 and grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.
Michael now lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
April 15, 2017
Zum Glück habe ich die Bücher in falscher Reihenfolge gelesen... Band 8, 9 und 10 sind o super tolle Thriller, aber dieser hier, Teil 2, ist zum Sterben langweilig gewesen :D
November 22, 2020
So much better than the first book!
Honestly, I thought that the first book was terrible and Joe was such a grating character, but with him taking a backseat and letting the feisty DI Ruiz drive the story I was so much more entertained.
The plot: DI Ruiz is dragged out of the water, half dead and with a bullet hole in his leg. He's sure he was working on something related to the disappearance of 7yr old Mickey three years ago, but unfortunately he has no memory of what happened.
I think that set up of Ruiz having no idea what went down just made this entire book that much more thrilling. He's working a case from the tail end without knowing what came before, and the fact that he was working off book makes him suspect in the eyes of colleagues who won't back him up.
We're given the task of working out how everything connects to Mickey while dealing with Ruiz's frustration at not being able to remember anything. The frustration increases when he meets characters who could tell him everything but don't.
It kept me hooked the entire time. There were so many dots to connect but naturally they all seem random at first. You've got obvious things and the not-so-obvious, and you have to try and work out what fits and what doesn't. I had my guesses but there were enough twists that I was left firmly confused about which direction the conclusion would take.
Ruiz is a much more fun character than Joe. He's grumpy and sarcastic but at his heart he's still a good dude. I'm still a little confused about why he went rogue, but other than that he's a good cop doing good cop work. And because he brings Joe along for the ride, I liked Joe a lot more this time. Instead of having to deal with all his personal drama, we just get the wisdom. That worked just fine for me.
I hate the personal life drama of cops so Ruiz's lack of one worked quite well for me. I do find male authors writing male characters like to talk about women's bodies a lot but thankfully this wasn't too heavy-handed so I could grit my teeth and bare it.
All in all, this was a lot better than I expected it to be. I went into it expecting to hate it and it was actually an interesting, unique thriller that kept me guessing (and therefore hooked) the entire time.
Honestly, I thought that the first book was terrible and Joe was such a grating character, but with him taking a backseat and letting the feisty DI Ruiz drive the story I was so much more entertained.
The plot: DI Ruiz is dragged out of the water, half dead and with a bullet hole in his leg. He's sure he was working on something related to the disappearance of 7yr old Mickey three years ago, but unfortunately he has no memory of what happened.
I think that set up of Ruiz having no idea what went down just made this entire book that much more thrilling. He's working a case from the tail end without knowing what came before, and the fact that he was working off book makes him suspect in the eyes of colleagues who won't back him up.
We're given the task of working out how everything connects to Mickey while dealing with Ruiz's frustration at not being able to remember anything. The frustration increases when he meets characters who could tell him everything but don't.
It kept me hooked the entire time. There were so many dots to connect but naturally they all seem random at first. You've got obvious things and the not-so-obvious, and you have to try and work out what fits and what doesn't. I had my guesses but there were enough twists that I was left firmly confused about which direction the conclusion would take.
Ruiz is a much more fun character than Joe. He's grumpy and sarcastic but at his heart he's still a good dude. I'm still a little confused about why he went rogue, but other than that he's a good cop doing good cop work. And because he brings Joe along for the ride, I liked Joe a lot more this time. Instead of having to deal with all his personal drama, we just get the wisdom. That worked just fine for me.
I hate the personal life drama of cops so Ruiz's lack of one worked quite well for me. I do find male authors writing male characters like to talk about women's bodies a lot but thankfully this wasn't too heavy-handed so I could grit my teeth and bare it.
All in all, this was a lot better than I expected it to be. I went into it expecting to hate it and it was actually an interesting, unique thriller that kept me guessing (and therefore hooked) the entire time.
February 7, 2025
the setup…
Homicide Detective Vincent Ruiz suddenly gains consciousness, finding himself in the Thames, at night with a bullet in his leg, hanging onto a buoy. He has no memory of how he got there or what happened to him. He’s rescued, taken to the hospital and grilled by colleagues who don’t believe his amnesia. Ruiz reaches out to Joe O’Loughlin, renowned psychologist and friend who does believe him and works with him to remember what happened and why he had a photograph of Mickey Carlyle in his pocket. Three years ago he investigated the then 7-year old girl’s disappearance, now presumed dead and her supposed murderer convicted.
the heart of the story…
Vincent is the sole voice for this story, highly unusual though Joe has a major presence but still in the backseat. Together they work to piece together how Ruiz ended up in the Thames. I enjoyed Joe’s subtle methods in getting him to remember bits and pieces by scenes, drawing on the likelihood of normal behaviors in specific circumstances. But it was also frustrating a bit to be working backwards to get there as it was difficult to keep things coherent in my mind.
the narration…
Ray Lonnen was outstanding as Vincent Ruiz, sounding exactly as I’d imagined in my own head. His storytelling was wonderful as it felt like the way Ruiz would tell it.
the bottom line…
I liked the story, just didn’t love it as it was difficult to keep pace. With that said, it was still a crafty piece of writing to thread this together so skillfully. I had a hunch and was sort of on the right track but not quite there. Not only did I learn a lot about the enigmatic detective but have a new respect for Joe O’Loughlin who I wasn’t that enamored with in the first story. I’m even more intrigued to continue the series. 3.5 stars
Posted on Blue Mood Café
Homicide Detective Vincent Ruiz suddenly gains consciousness, finding himself in the Thames, at night with a bullet in his leg, hanging onto a buoy. He has no memory of how he got there or what happened to him. He’s rescued, taken to the hospital and grilled by colleagues who don’t believe his amnesia. Ruiz reaches out to Joe O’Loughlin, renowned psychologist and friend who does believe him and works with him to remember what happened and why he had a photograph of Mickey Carlyle in his pocket. Three years ago he investigated the then 7-year old girl’s disappearance, now presumed dead and her supposed murderer convicted.
the heart of the story…
Vincent is the sole voice for this story, highly unusual though Joe has a major presence but still in the backseat. Together they work to piece together how Ruiz ended up in the Thames. I enjoyed Joe’s subtle methods in getting him to remember bits and pieces by scenes, drawing on the likelihood of normal behaviors in specific circumstances. But it was also frustrating a bit to be working backwards to get there as it was difficult to keep things coherent in my mind.
the narration…
Ray Lonnen was outstanding as Vincent Ruiz, sounding exactly as I’d imagined in my own head. His storytelling was wonderful as it felt like the way Ruiz would tell it.
the bottom line…
I liked the story, just didn’t love it as it was difficult to keep pace. With that said, it was still a crafty piece of writing to thread this together so skillfully. I had a hunch and was sort of on the right track but not quite there. Not only did I learn a lot about the enigmatic detective but have a new respect for Joe O’Loughlin who I wasn’t that enamored with in the first story. I’m even more intrigued to continue the series. 3.5 stars
Posted on Blue Mood Café
October 5, 2013
**3.5 stars** This is a favorite mystery/suspense author but I’ve enjoyed his other novels more than this one. I started reading these books at a later point in the series when the psychologist, Joe O’Loughlin was the main protagonist, which I prefer over the homicide detective Vincent Ruiz. Joe’s personal story was compelling and I found that missing in this story. It’s still one of my favorite mystery series and I look forward to reading other books by the author.
June 12, 2021
Although this is the second book in the Joe O'Loughlin series the central character this time is DI Vincent Ruiz, with Joe in a more peripheral role.
The book is told from the perspective of Ruiz who has been shot and suffering from amnesia. He knows something has happened and that it is possibly in relation to a missing child case he had worked on a few years earlier. But with no recollection of events, he is now suspected of being a rogue officer who has been involved in a shoot out. But where are the other bodies? Has Ruiz gone rogue or is he being framed?
With some help from Joe, Ruiz tries to recall the events that had occurred in the days prior but as some recollection starts to return Ruiz may wish he could forget all over again.
The book is told from the perspective of Ruiz who has been shot and suffering from amnesia. He knows something has happened and that it is possibly in relation to a missing child case he had worked on a few years earlier. But with no recollection of events, he is now suspected of being a rogue officer who has been involved in a shoot out. But where are the other bodies? Has Ruiz gone rogue or is he being framed?
With some help from Joe, Ruiz tries to recall the events that had occurred in the days prior but as some recollection starts to return Ruiz may wish he could forget all over again.
August 26, 2019
The Drowning Man by Michael Robotham is the second in the Joe O'Loughlin series to me this one wasn't as exciting as the first book but it definitely keeps you guessing and has a shocking twist of an ending 😨
There were many repetitive moments throughout this book which made it a long read for me.
This book was more about DI Vincent Ruiz and the case about a dead little girl which still haunts him after 3 years (or is she 🤔) we don't see much of Joe but when we do you see these two men's friendship grow which hints at more to come.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this series 📖
There were many repetitive moments throughout this book which made it a long read for me.
This book was more about DI Vincent Ruiz and the case about a dead little girl which still haunts him after 3 years (or is she 🤔) we don't see much of Joe but when we do you see these two men's friendship grow which hints at more to come.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this series 📖
April 26, 2015
When Detective Inspector Vincent Ruiz returned to consciousness, he had been in a coma for eight days; he hovered between life and death after a particularly harrowing event which left him with a severe bullet wound to his leg plus the loss of his ring finger, also from a bullet. When he was found he was clinging to a buoy in the filthy River Thames and it was only the freezing temperatures of the river which had stopped him dying before he was found. The only trouble was that Ruiz had no memory beyond picking up pizza sometime in the hours prior until he regained consciousness. He was diagnosed with Transient Global Amnesia; which meant a traumatic event or significant pain would shut down the memory section of his brain – the memory of those events when he was shot, and the boat which was found nearby with blood but no bodies – those memories might never return.
But no one, except his psychologist friend Dr Joseph O’Loughlin believed he had lost his memory – his colleagues believed he had become too involved in the three year old case of a young girl, presumed murdered but never found. His handgun was missing; he couldn’t explain the amount of blood on the boat, how he had been shot or why; many believed he was a crooked cop and was faking memory loss…
Ruiz was determined to find the truth – determined to regain those lost memories. And with Joe helping him by retracing his steps, slowly, painfully, he thought it might work. But there was evil lurking – others who didn’t want him to regain his memory. And when first one, then another person that Ruiz had in his sights was murdered, it seemed the danger was becoming more intense; was Mickey still alive? Ruiz thought so. Would he find answers before it was too late – for him as well?
I absolutely loved Lost by Aussie author Michael Robotham! A gripping thriller, intense and suspenseful with incredible twists and turns; the pace is electric. The characters are well developed and extremely likeable and I can’t wait to read the next novel in this series. (The diagnosis of the main character with TGA was significant as my husband suffered the same a few years ago; I completely understood what Ruiz was going through)
I have no hesitation in recommending Lost highly - a brilliant thriller.
But no one, except his psychologist friend Dr Joseph O’Loughlin believed he had lost his memory – his colleagues believed he had become too involved in the three year old case of a young girl, presumed murdered but never found. His handgun was missing; he couldn’t explain the amount of blood on the boat, how he had been shot or why; many believed he was a crooked cop and was faking memory loss…
Ruiz was determined to find the truth – determined to regain those lost memories. And with Joe helping him by retracing his steps, slowly, painfully, he thought it might work. But there was evil lurking – others who didn’t want him to regain his memory. And when first one, then another person that Ruiz had in his sights was murdered, it seemed the danger was becoming more intense; was Mickey still alive? Ruiz thought so. Would he find answers before it was too late – for him as well?
I absolutely loved Lost by Aussie author Michael Robotham! A gripping thriller, intense and suspenseful with incredible twists and turns; the pace is electric. The characters are well developed and extremely likeable and I can’t wait to read the next novel in this series. (The diagnosis of the main character with TGA was significant as my husband suffered the same a few years ago; I completely understood what Ruiz was going through)
I have no hesitation in recommending Lost highly - a brilliant thriller.
December 24, 2015
This novel has an interesting construction with the plot starting near the end of the story. In the opening sequence DI Vincent Ruiz is plucked from the River Thames with a serious bullet wound in his leg and near critical blood loss.When he regains consciousness he has no memory of the events leading up to his near death. He eventually recalls that they were somehow connected to the disappearance of a young girl, Mickey Carlyle, three years ago. Despite a suspect being convicted of her kidnapping and murder, Ruiz is convinced that Mickey is still alive. Once out of hospital he tries to backtrack to work out what happened with the help of his friend, psychologist Joe O'Loughlin. Gradually flashes of memory return to Ruiz as he chases down criminals and crooks across London.
Another excellent thriller from Michael Robotham with many twists and turns as Ruiz and O'Loughlin unravel a three year old mystery. Seemingly effortless writing and great characters.
Another excellent thriller from Michael Robotham with many twists and turns as Ruiz and O'Loughlin unravel a three year old mystery. Seemingly effortless writing and great characters.
August 12, 2015
This is the 2nd book in the Joe O'Loughlin series of books by Michael Robotham. It is in fact the 3rd book in the series that I have read and felt a little disappointed with this one due to the fact that O'Loughlin barely features. Also I did feel that there were too many characters in it and this at times got confusing, perhaps that is why it is called 'lost'. I do intend to read more of this series in the hope that Michael Robotham reverts back to the stories being largely based around Joe O'Loughlin.
July 15, 2018
This was really very clever. In the first of the series we were introduced to the series’ main character Jo. So, early in the series Robotham takes a risk- not a big one certainly, talented as he is. This one is not told from Jo’s point of view. In fact he is in the background, or at least in the wings, to the main character, a DI with a total memory loss after a shooting. I’ve read a few thrillers that have been set in the sewers and waterways of London now and it really is amazing how much we take them for granted and what an enormous job it was to build them and what an enormous (and unpleasant) job it is to maintain them. An excellent and complicated case. I didn’t guess the answer.
November 18, 2022
Bermondsey is one of those areas that has been raped twice – once by the Luftwaffe and then by architects in the seventies who put up Stalinesque tower blocks and concrete housing estates. It’s like seeing a set of healthy teeth riddled with fillings.
Lost is the 2nd in the thriller series set in England starring psychologist Professor Joe O’Loughlin - "The Suspect” in the title of the first book who was investigated by DI Vincent Ruiz. Here the roles are reversed: opening with Ruiz being rescued, clinging to a buoy in the Thames, a bullet hole in his thigh, a second bullet having severed his ring finger, suffering from Transient Global Amnesia but obsessed with finding a young girl who disappeared three years earlier, a man jailed over her abduction, the body never found.
Perhaps this one should have a warning attached – “not to be read by hypochondriacs” as, in addition to bullet holes and amnesia, there is O’Loughlin’s Parkinson’s disease, broken vertebrae, a minor character (Stevie) suffering from Tourette’s syndrome shouting obscenities, and advice to cover any cuts on the skin before wading through London’s sewers to avoid Weil’s disease (leptospirosis), transmitted though rat’s urine.
Sometimes an author’s earlier works disappoint, but add in missing diamonds, a ruthless Russian-born businessman, a young Sikh police detective sidelined to the diplomatic protection squad, and you have Australian Michael Robotham, (former London journalist and ghost writer), at his best: riveting drama, clever dialogue, casting a jaundiced eye over the London landscape, and incidental characters.
Turning away from Stevie, I knock three times on the pub door. A chair scrapes and the door opens a few inches. A large woman with nicotine-coloured hair, lacquered to concrete, regards me suspiciously. She is wearing a furry yellow pullover and black leggings that make her look like an oversized duckling.
First published in 2005 - six years’ ahead of the debut of Ben Aaronovitch’s classic “Rivers of London” series, Ruiz is guided along “the final frontier” of London’s underground rivers and sewers by Weatherman Pete, “Moley” and other misfits as he searches for the truth and to fill gaps in his memory. Well recommended.
Lost is the 2nd in the thriller series set in England starring psychologist Professor Joe O’Loughlin - "The Suspect” in the title of the first book who was investigated by DI Vincent Ruiz. Here the roles are reversed: opening with Ruiz being rescued, clinging to a buoy in the Thames, a bullet hole in his thigh, a second bullet having severed his ring finger, suffering from Transient Global Amnesia but obsessed with finding a young girl who disappeared three years earlier, a man jailed over her abduction, the body never found.
Perhaps this one should have a warning attached – “not to be read by hypochondriacs” as, in addition to bullet holes and amnesia, there is O’Loughlin’s Parkinson’s disease, broken vertebrae, a minor character (Stevie) suffering from Tourette’s syndrome shouting obscenities, and advice to cover any cuts on the skin before wading through London’s sewers to avoid Weil’s disease (leptospirosis), transmitted though rat’s urine.
Sometimes an author’s earlier works disappoint, but add in missing diamonds, a ruthless Russian-born businessman, a young Sikh police detective sidelined to the diplomatic protection squad, and you have Australian Michael Robotham, (former London journalist and ghost writer), at his best: riveting drama, clever dialogue, casting a jaundiced eye over the London landscape, and incidental characters.
Turning away from Stevie, I knock three times on the pub door. A chair scrapes and the door opens a few inches. A large woman with nicotine-coloured hair, lacquered to concrete, regards me suspiciously. She is wearing a furry yellow pullover and black leggings that make her look like an oversized duckling.
First published in 2005 - six years’ ahead of the debut of Ben Aaronovitch’s classic “Rivers of London” series, Ruiz is guided along “the final frontier” of London’s underground rivers and sewers by Weatherman Pete, “Moley” and other misfits as he searches for the truth and to fill gaps in his memory. Well recommended.
January 17, 2016
This story started with great premise and could have been a really enjoyable who-dun-it.
As we meet our hero, Vincent Ruiz, he is lying in a London hospital in a coma of 8 days duration. He was shot in the front of the leg and has an "exit wound the size of a pie plate". We're told that several times throughout the endless saga. But as he begins to awaken from his coma, apparently, his Super Powers kick in and he charges out (against all admonitions) to find (1) his missing memory and (2) a missing girl who is now presumed dead after having been missing 3 years.
From time to time Ruiz' friends or boss reincarcerate him into the hospital as he has no business trying to solve the mystery in the physical condition he's in. Generally he simply pops another couple of morphine tablets (he has a collection in his pocket) and keeps going.
Then things get even more bizarre. Our author seems to have an obsession with the sewers of London. About 3/4 of the rest of the story happens with our hero traversing (swimming, gagging, slogging through, etc) the depths of the sewer system. We're told in great detail about the rats there and the feces and all sorts of unpalatable parts of this search ... oh, and let's not forget that our hero, while swimming through this muck, has an open wound "the size of a pie plate".
The whole thing is just too, too ridiculous. I would not have finished the book - it was really tedious - but I got caught up in the missing girl's mystery and wanted to see how that would play out. It wasn't worth it, let me tell you!
I picked up this book because I had just read "Life or Death" by this author and wanted to read more of his novels. I definitely will not read more in the Joseph O'Loughlin series. I dunno about the stand alone series. Maybe.
As we meet our hero, Vincent Ruiz, he is lying in a London hospital in a coma of 8 days duration. He was shot in the front of the leg and has an "exit wound the size of a pie plate". We're told that several times throughout the endless saga. But as he begins to awaken from his coma, apparently, his Super Powers kick in and he charges out (against all admonitions) to find (1) his missing memory and (2) a missing girl who is now presumed dead after having been missing 3 years.
From time to time Ruiz' friends or boss reincarcerate him into the hospital as he has no business trying to solve the mystery in the physical condition he's in. Generally he simply pops another couple of morphine tablets (he has a collection in his pocket) and keeps going.
Then things get even more bizarre. Our author seems to have an obsession with the sewers of London. About 3/4 of the rest of the story happens with our hero traversing (swimming, gagging, slogging through, etc) the depths of the sewer system. We're told in great detail about the rats there and the feces and all sorts of unpalatable parts of this search ... oh, and let's not forget that our hero, while swimming through this muck, has an open wound "the size of a pie plate".
The whole thing is just too, too ridiculous. I would not have finished the book - it was really tedious - but I got caught up in the missing girl's mystery and wanted to see how that would play out. It wasn't worth it, let me tell you!
I picked up this book because I had just read "Life or Death" by this author and wanted to read more of his novels. I definitely will not read more in the Joseph O'Loughlin series. I dunno about the stand alone series. Maybe.
April 22, 2024
Ruiz is London's very own Harry Bosch
Michael Robotham is definitely an author who bears watching!
DI Vincent Ruiz, debuted as a supporting cast member in Robotham's first novel, Suspect, is rescued from the Thames wounded, bleeding, hypothermic and a good deal more dead than alive. Suffering from transient global amnesia brought on by the trauma of the night's events, Ruiz is initially unable to recall anything at all about what he was doing on a motor launch cruising the Thames in the middle of the night. But it's clear that something very important was going down as he is immediately harassed by Internal Affairs who are treating him more like a criminal than a police officer wounded in the line of duty. With what few clues are available about the shooting and with the help of psychiatrist Joe O'Loughlin, Ruiz begins to painstakingly reconstruct his memories and to pick up the threads of his search for the truth about the kidnapping of seven year old Mickey Carlyle.
Ruiz quickly discovers he is the only detective who believes in the possibility that Mickey Carlyle is still alive despite the conviction and imprisonment of Harlan Wavell, a sexual predator convicted three years earlier for the kidnapping and murder. A blue wall of official obstruction is erected in the path of Ruiz's investigation as the department believes that Ruiz's efforts may lead to the possibility of the killer's release on a technicality. The painful Byzantine process of re-constructing the investigation and filling in the blanks of his memory loss piece by painful piece leads Ruiz on a tortuous path through London and Europe - down through the sewers of London and back into the river Thames; into the repulsive thoughts of a "grooming pedophile"; into a confrontation with Russian crime-lord, Alexei Kuznet, who is looking to recover a cache of diamonds worth over two million pounds; and even to London and Thailand's drug and sex sub-cultures.
Despite a plot with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending that very few readers will suspect before it actually arrives, much of the quality of Robotham's LOST is cerebral - atmosphere, characterization, dialogue and psychology - the scion of a loving marriage between a police procedural and a psychological thriller. Those readers searching for comparisons need look no further than Michael Connelly's successful Harry Bosch novels. Like Bosch, Ruiz is a dark, brooding, mature hero with an in-your-face attitude who's toting lots of mental baggage! But I was also pleased to find that Robotham did not neglect to fill in the story with some very interesting technical asides - transient global amnesia; the complex engineering of London's vast and ancient sewer system; the police treatment of kidnapping and ransom demands; some peeks into Sikh family culture, and more.
Most enjoyable and definitely recommended. One tiny tip - if you haven't yet read SUSPECT, go find it first and enjoy both!
Paul Weiss
Michael Robotham is definitely an author who bears watching!
DI Vincent Ruiz, debuted as a supporting cast member in Robotham's first novel, Suspect, is rescued from the Thames wounded, bleeding, hypothermic and a good deal more dead than alive. Suffering from transient global amnesia brought on by the trauma of the night's events, Ruiz is initially unable to recall anything at all about what he was doing on a motor launch cruising the Thames in the middle of the night. But it's clear that something very important was going down as he is immediately harassed by Internal Affairs who are treating him more like a criminal than a police officer wounded in the line of duty. With what few clues are available about the shooting and with the help of psychiatrist Joe O'Loughlin, Ruiz begins to painstakingly reconstruct his memories and to pick up the threads of his search for the truth about the kidnapping of seven year old Mickey Carlyle.
Ruiz quickly discovers he is the only detective who believes in the possibility that Mickey Carlyle is still alive despite the conviction and imprisonment of Harlan Wavell, a sexual predator convicted three years earlier for the kidnapping and murder. A blue wall of official obstruction is erected in the path of Ruiz's investigation as the department believes that Ruiz's efforts may lead to the possibility of the killer's release on a technicality. The painful Byzantine process of re-constructing the investigation and filling in the blanks of his memory loss piece by painful piece leads Ruiz on a tortuous path through London and Europe - down through the sewers of London and back into the river Thames; into the repulsive thoughts of a "grooming pedophile"; into a confrontation with Russian crime-lord, Alexei Kuznet, who is looking to recover a cache of diamonds worth over two million pounds; and even to London and Thailand's drug and sex sub-cultures.
Despite a plot with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending that very few readers will suspect before it actually arrives, much of the quality of Robotham's LOST is cerebral - atmosphere, characterization, dialogue and psychology - the scion of a loving marriage between a police procedural and a psychological thriller. Those readers searching for comparisons need look no further than Michael Connelly's successful Harry Bosch novels. Like Bosch, Ruiz is a dark, brooding, mature hero with an in-your-face attitude who's toting lots of mental baggage! But I was also pleased to find that Robotham did not neglect to fill in the story with some very interesting technical asides - transient global amnesia; the complex engineering of London's vast and ancient sewer system; the police treatment of kidnapping and ransom demands; some peeks into Sikh family culture, and more.
Most enjoyable and definitely recommended. One tiny tip - if you haven't yet read SUSPECT, go find it first and enjoy both!
Paul Weiss
April 15, 2020
3.75 stars
The sophomore effort of the series, this novel features the seasoned, impulsive, unpolished detective rather than the lightly flawed, intellectual, idealist psychologist consultant to the police who was the focus of the debut novel.
I preferred being in the world and story of the psychologist, who even in this second book where the detective is featured is the better detective, even aside from matters of psychological insight or profiling. He has a role in this story, but less than I hoped.
This novel centers on an amnesia story, a device that I expect to be either tiresome or courageous because of the cliche. Here, it’s maybe a little of both but mostly it works.
The fundamentals of the solution to the mystery weren’t hard to guess, but significant details were fresh enough in the end to make it not really disappointing.
As much as I seem to be downplaying this book, it held my attention and is better than average in the genre. I would call it a good book, and I’m definitely continuing the series.
The sophomore effort of the series, this novel features the seasoned, impulsive, unpolished detective rather than the lightly flawed, intellectual, idealist psychologist consultant to the police who was the focus of the debut novel.
I preferred being in the world and story of the psychologist, who even in this second book where the detective is featured is the better detective, even aside from matters of psychological insight or profiling. He has a role in this story, but less than I hoped.
This novel centers on an amnesia story, a device that I expect to be either tiresome or courageous because of the cliche. Here, it’s maybe a little of both but mostly it works.
The fundamentals of the solution to the mystery weren’t hard to guess, but significant details were fresh enough in the end to make it not really disappointing.
As much as I seem to be downplaying this book, it held my attention and is better than average in the genre. I would call it a good book, and I’m definitely continuing the series.
October 28, 2017
Michael Robotham is the real deal. Psychological thrillers at there best. His first book (Suspect) I could not put down, it was the same with this one. Whilst this book is part of the Joe O'Loughlin series Joe takes a back seat and DI Ruiz takes centre stage. Whilst DI Ruiz was one of Joe's protagonists in Suspect they have,over the years, formed a friendship. Scenario, DI Ruiz comes to with a bullet in his leg and no memory of how it happened. Ruiz finds himself in a heap of trouble as there are more bodies than you can poke a stick at, he was not on an official investigation and there are 2 million pounds worth of diamonds missing. As Ruiz has no memory of the events he is at a loss as to how to get at the truth. With Joe's help Ruiz starts with where his memory starts,which is at the end, and then works back to find what the hell is going on.
October 10, 2020
4,5 / 5
Bu kitapta Prof. O'Loughlin pek yer almasa da dedektif Ruiz'i okumak da çok keyifliydi. Kitabın başından sonuna kadar heyecan hiç dinmedi. Keşke seriyi devam ettirseymiş İthaki 😕
Bu kitapta Prof. O'Loughlin pek yer almasa da dedektif Ruiz'i okumak da çok keyifliydi. Kitabın başından sonuna kadar heyecan hiç dinmedi. Keşke seriyi devam ettirseymiş İthaki 😕
July 4, 2015
Pretty good. Some good twists and turns. I thought there were some good secondary characters. The author was good at making me feel like I "was there" which was gross when in the sewers of London! I will read the next one in the series.
December 12, 2021
Lost (previously published as The Drowning Man) is officially the second book in the Joseph O’Loughlin series, but the central protagonist here is actually DI Vincent Ruiz, who was an important secondary character in the first one. This is set a couple of years after the events of Suspect, and Joe, now good friends with Ruiz, does feature, but this could easily be read as a stand-alone. We listened to the audiobook, ably narrated by Ray Lonnen, and I reckon I enjoyed this more than the previous one, although a ten day gap in the middle didn’t help when trying to keep track of the rather complicated plot. Luckily The Cats’ Father is better than I am at remembering plot details so filled me in on the bits I had forgotten.
Ageing London police officer Ruiz is rescued from the Thames having been shot, but after waking from spending a week in a coma, finds he cannot remember anything about how he got there. With his psychologist friend Joe’s help, he learns he was working on the case of a young girl who disappeared three years earlier. Ruiz arrested a paedophile for the crime, but now a ransom demand has been made to the girl’s gangster father, and Ruiz believes she may still be alive after all. With his superiors warning him off the case, which has gripped him because of the echoes of his own family tragedy, and Internal Affairs investigating him, Ruiz must fight to regain his memory and find the truth before it costs him his life.
Grumpy detective Ruiz was the most interesting character in the first book of the series, so I was intrigued by the idea of him becoming the hero now. He’s gruff and impatient, unhappily divorced and has a difficult relationship with his elderly mother, but still manages to inspire the loyalty of his junior colleague Ali. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to avoid plot lines about amnesia and missing children, so was somewhat dismayed to discover after downloading this that it featured both, but the twisty mystery was well done and I didn’t work out what was going on. It’s yucky present tense narration, but I find this doesn’t bug me as much with listening compared to seeing it written; I’ve already got the audiobook of the next one downloaded and am curious to see whether Ruiz returns or if that will purely be a story about Joe. 3.75 rounded up.
Ageing London police officer Ruiz is rescued from the Thames having been shot, but after waking from spending a week in a coma, finds he cannot remember anything about how he got there. With his psychologist friend Joe’s help, he learns he was working on the case of a young girl who disappeared three years earlier. Ruiz arrested a paedophile for the crime, but now a ransom demand has been made to the girl’s gangster father, and Ruiz believes she may still be alive after all. With his superiors warning him off the case, which has gripped him because of the echoes of his own family tragedy, and Internal Affairs investigating him, Ruiz must fight to regain his memory and find the truth before it costs him his life.
Grumpy detective Ruiz was the most interesting character in the first book of the series, so I was intrigued by the idea of him becoming the hero now. He’s gruff and impatient, unhappily divorced and has a difficult relationship with his elderly mother, but still manages to inspire the loyalty of his junior colleague Ali. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to avoid plot lines about amnesia and missing children, so was somewhat dismayed to discover after downloading this that it featured both, but the twisty mystery was well done and I didn’t work out what was going on. It’s yucky present tense narration, but I find this doesn’t bug me as much with listening compared to seeing it written; I’ve already got the audiobook of the next one downloaded and am curious to see whether Ruiz returns or if that will purely be a story about Joe. 3.75 rounded up.
August 8, 2008
LOST (aka The Drowning Man) (Pol. Proc-Vincent Ruiz-England-Cont) – VG+
Robotham, Michael – 2nd book
Doubleday, 2006, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0385508662
First Sentence: I remember someone once telling me that you know it’s cold when you see a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
DI Victor Ruiz is pulled from the Thames, nearly dead, with a serious gunshot and transient global amnesia.
Three years previous, 7-year-old Mickey Carlyle disappeared from within her building. A neighbor was convicted and everyone assumed Mickey was killed. Victor never believed Mickey was dead.
With the help of his friend, clinical psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin, Victor’s memories return that he was shot helping deliver a ransom for Mickey’s return. Now convinced she is alive, not even those trying to kill him will stop Victor until he finds her.
Robotham set the hook with the first paragraph and kept me on the line until the very end. It is a gritty, fast paced psychological thriller, as well as a police procedural, but there is much more to it than that.
The characters are well developed; you learn the backgrounds of each as they story unfolds. I particularly enjoyed that Joseph O’Loughlin, the protagonist from Robotham’s first book, played a significant role in this book as well.
I learned about the London sewer system and underground rivers, and transient global amnesia, which was fascinating.
The plot was as twisty as the sewer system and kept surprising me all the way to the end. This was a great read and an author I’m so glad I found.
Robotham, Michael – 2nd book
Doubleday, 2006, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0385508662
First Sentence: I remember someone once telling me that you know it’s cold when you see a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets.
DI Victor Ruiz is pulled from the Thames, nearly dead, with a serious gunshot and transient global amnesia.
Three years previous, 7-year-old Mickey Carlyle disappeared from within her building. A neighbor was convicted and everyone assumed Mickey was killed. Victor never believed Mickey was dead.
With the help of his friend, clinical psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin, Victor’s memories return that he was shot helping deliver a ransom for Mickey’s return. Now convinced she is alive, not even those trying to kill him will stop Victor until he finds her.
Robotham set the hook with the first paragraph and kept me on the line until the very end. It is a gritty, fast paced psychological thriller, as well as a police procedural, but there is much more to it than that.
The characters are well developed; you learn the backgrounds of each as they story unfolds. I particularly enjoyed that Joseph O’Loughlin, the protagonist from Robotham’s first book, played a significant role in this book as well.
I learned about the London sewer system and underground rivers, and transient global amnesia, which was fascinating.
The plot was as twisty as the sewer system and kept surprising me all the way to the end. This was a great read and an author I’m so glad I found.
January 27, 2022
Setting: London, England. This is the second book in the series featuring psychologist Joe O'Loughlin but the book's main character is actually London cop Vincent Ruiz who is 'the drowning man' of the title, dragged from the Thames with a bullet wound in his leg and no recollection of the events leading up to the shooting. As Vincent starts to work with Joe to try to restore his memory, he is also obsessed with one of his previous cases involving a missing child, Mickey: a man has been convicted of her murder but a body was never found and Vincent has increasing doubts about the original verdict. As his memories gradually return, he learns that the shooting incident has much to do with Mickey's disappearance but his investigations are stymied by the resistance of his bosses, who don't want a convicted paedophile to be released from prison, and his inability to track down people involved in the previous investigation, including the girl's mother, who all appear to have gone missing.....
This was yet another rollercoaster ride from this author and, although I have been reading this series out of order, it doesn't detract from the gripping storyline and the unexpected twists and turns as the story progresses, right up until the shocking ending. Another great read from this author - 9/10.
This was yet another rollercoaster ride from this author and, although I have been reading this series out of order, it doesn't detract from the gripping storyline and the unexpected twists and turns as the story progresses, right up until the shocking ending. Another great read from this author - 9/10.
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