Storm Child

May 13, 2024
Robotham’s stirring fourth mystery featuring forensic psychologist Haven (after Lying Beside You) is the best yet. Four years earlier, Haven was called in to interview teenager Evie Cormac, whom Nottinghamshire police had found hiding in a house with the corpse of a murdered man. After Haven learned that Evie was trafficked into the U.K. from Albania, he informally adopted her, and now occasionally leans on her skills as a human lie detector to help him crack cases. During a visit to the beach one afternoon, Haven and Evie witness the bodies of 17 migrants wash ashore. Most are dead, but the lone survivor suggests that their boat was deliberately rammed. The incident sends Evie into shock, rendering her unable to speak or move, and Haven wonders if the tragedy might somehow be connected to her past. Seeking answers, Haven learns of a master criminal called “the Ferryman,” a trafficker one of his National Crime Agency contacts calls “a Keyser Söze or a Lex Luthor or a Moriarty.” Soon, Haven discovers that the Ferryman is even more powerful than the rumors suggest. Robotham adds moving new dimensions to the dynamic between his well-developed leads, and shrewdly connects the central mystery to Evie’s backstory. This series continues to impress. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management.