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The Suspect / The Night Ferry
- GenresThrillerMystery Thriller
992 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2010
4 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Michael Robotham
53 books7,306 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2016
My all-time favourite thriller - superb pacing, characters and plot.
October 5, 2015
Thought this would be a good read about a person, a thoughtful and interesting person, mistakenly under suspicion for a murder. Read and read. Tried to get involved in the plot, which seemed to meander a fair bit. I liked Julianne and her daughter Charlie... but the narrator? he's a whiny self-serving arrogant x%#*@....
So, I am halfway through. And I am stopping. because this is a poorly-written book, with a central character who can't account for himself.
So, I am halfway through. And I am stopping. because this is a poorly-written book, with a central character who can't account for himself.
September 24, 2017
Wonderful. Another, please.
July 15, 2022
This review is for 'The Suspect', as my audiobook did not offer 'The Night Ferry'.
It’s hard to believe that this is Michael Robotham’s first book. The writing is assured, the similes and humour are advanced and the narrative moves with such deliberation that it feels as if it is coming from a much more experienced author. I liked the audiobook I ‘read’ immensely; the story and the performance were both excellent.
The story is built around a happy, successful forty-two year old psychiatrist whose world begins to crumble, not just because he’s recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but also because he goes from a consultant aiding the police in a murder enquiry to the prime suspect. Someone is setting him up but, even after he realizes this, Joe is many steps behind whoever is planting clues and diverting attention. How Robotham manages to make the byzantine plot and his many characters credible is a testament to his deft writing and pacing.
As Joe begins to unravel the tangle of evidence he begins to piece together a far more complicated set of circumstances and motives than he can comprehend. There are chases, mysteries, gruesome depictions of violence but also witty dialogue and situations so convoluted and puzzling that they are really humourous. Of course, there are a few choices made by characters that I found a little bit hard to buy into completely but, on the whole, everything seemed to hang together pretty well for me. At least I didn’t find myself having to make notes in order to follow the narrative.
Both Joe the psychologist and Joe the detective are realistic and likeable. He and the other characters move from a bit bad to a bit good -- or at least sympathetic to some degree -- in a very natural way, as people do in real life crises. The way Robotham presents both Joe and Ruiz, the detective who is after him, is very clever. They're shown as two people following the same steps for different reasons; they gather information and build towards a conclusion. This is a welcome slant on the on the traditional procedural. Even the evil manipulator has a valid role and story to tell and it’s done much better than in your average Bond film.
It’s hard to believe that this is Michael Robotham’s first book. The writing is assured, the similes and humour are advanced and the narrative moves with such deliberation that it feels as if it is coming from a much more experienced author. I liked the audiobook I ‘read’ immensely; the story and the performance were both excellent.
The story is built around a happy, successful forty-two year old psychiatrist whose world begins to crumble, not just because he’s recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but also because he goes from a consultant aiding the police in a murder enquiry to the prime suspect. Someone is setting him up but, even after he realizes this, Joe is many steps behind whoever is planting clues and diverting attention. How Robotham manages to make the byzantine plot and his many characters credible is a testament to his deft writing and pacing.
As Joe begins to unravel the tangle of evidence he begins to piece together a far more complicated set of circumstances and motives than he can comprehend. There are chases, mysteries, gruesome depictions of violence but also witty dialogue and situations so convoluted and puzzling that they are really humourous. Of course, there are a few choices made by characters that I found a little bit hard to buy into completely but, on the whole, everything seemed to hang together pretty well for me. At least I didn’t find myself having to make notes in order to follow the narrative.
Both Joe the psychologist and Joe the detective are realistic and likeable. He and the other characters move from a bit bad to a bit good -- or at least sympathetic to some degree -- in a very natural way, as people do in real life crises. The way Robotham presents both Joe and Ruiz, the detective who is after him, is very clever. They're shown as two people following the same steps for different reasons; they gather information and build towards a conclusion. This is a welcome slant on the on the traditional procedural. Even the evil manipulator has a valid role and story to tell and it’s done much better than in your average Bond film.
October 27, 2022
This is my introduction to Michael Robotham...and I'm hooked. Set in London this police thriller puts the reader on the rooftop of a multistory building with a young man contemplating suicide and a clinical psychologist on a cold, winter day just before Christmas. In that short scene, Robotham masterfully introduces the reader to the protagonist and then builds the story blending in a rough, bull-headed honest detective inspector and a diabolical killer whose identity isn't revealed until deep into the story. Extremely well written, suspenseful and entertaining.
February 13, 2020
It was a good read .... the build up was excellent. Keeps you guessing what’s happening !
But like most mysteries this ended too quick and easy !
I’d still recommend it.
Looking forward for the next in edition !
But like most mysteries this ended too quick and easy !
I’d still recommend it.
Looking forward for the next in edition !
April 8, 2022
Michael Robotham has earned himself a new fan, even if Joseph O'Loughlin hasn't, thoroughly enjoyed this. About to read another of his now, different series. Potentially a new world of fiction opening up here.
June 25, 2018
I loved this book (only read The Suspect as it was a book club choice) it kept me guessing right to the end. Can’t wait to read the next one!
May 13, 2021
If you want to kill time and are happy with something interesting happening every 50 pages then this is for you.
November 17, 2022
I have read other MR books and I love them. Not a fan of this book. It was very slow but I finished it because it is the first in a series. Hoping the rest of the series is better.
April 26, 2024
Fantastic, couldn't put it down
May 24, 2018
This was the first time I introduced myself to this author and although it was a slow start, by the end I was a fan. I don't know why but most of his books are like that to me, slow to get going but captures you bye making you want to solve the mystery.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews