Title: CLOSE YOUR EYES
Author: Michael Robotham
ISBN: 978 0751 5528 74
Publisher: Sphere Publishing
Pages: 392
Source: Private Copy
I close my eyes and feel my heart begin racing
Someone is coming
They’re going to find me
A mother and her teenage daughter are found brutally murdered in a remote farmhouse, one defiled by multiple stab wounds and the other left lying like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her Prince. Reluctantly, clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin is drawn into the investigation when a former student, calling himself the ‘Mindhunter’, trading on Joe’s name, has jeopardised the police inquiry by leaking details to the media and stirring up public anger.
With no shortage of suspects and tempers beginning to fray, Joe discovers links between these murders to a series of brutal attacks where the men and women are choked unconscious and the letter ‘A’ is carved into their foreheads.
As the case becomes ever more complex, nothing is quite what it seems and soon Joe’s fate, and that of those closest to him, become intertwined with a merciless, unpredictable killer . . .
Official Summary
20 January 2023
Michael Robotham is one of my favourite authors. I always enjoy his books and Close Your Eye was a brilliant read. I have not read the Joseph O’Loughlin series in order, yet I adore this character. If you have followed the series you will know that this one is the eighth book. There are nine books in total and I have only read five of them – needless to say 2023 will have to be the year I rectify that. I have just added the other four to my TBR.
If you are not familiar with this series here are the books in order:
- The Suspect (2004)
- Lost (The Drowning Man)(2005)
- Shatter (2008)
- Bleed for Me (2010)
- The Wreckage (2011)
- Say You’re Sorry (2012)
- Watching You (2013)
- Close Your Eyes (2015)
- The Other Wife (2018)
Close Your Eyes will keep you on the edge of your seat as Dr O’Loughlin pieces together who murdered a mother and daughter while he in his personal life he is reconnecting with his wife, only to find out that she is ill. This book is a gripping mystery with a sad touch. It is a brilliant read.
Michael Robotham writes a brilliantly intriguing story. While his character is trying to solve a murder he includes a back story dealing with the character’s personal life and the struggles he faces on the home front. This leaves you feeling as if you are part of the story, while you get to know the character on a personal level. I always find myself lost to the world around me when I reach for a Robotham book.
Dr Joseph O’Loughlin no longer consults with the police on murder cases. His involvement in the past has put his family at risk and her does not want to do that again. However, when he hears that someone has used his name to get involved in a case and then leaked information to the press, he cannot walk away.
While trying to uncover the truth behind the murder of a mother and daughter Joseph O’Loughlin is reconnecting with his wife, who he finds out is ill and his teenage daughter is determined to follow in her dad’s footsteps. This is not good news because Joe knows how dangerous the world can be. Can he convince Charlie to change her mind, and solve the mystery behind the murdered mother and daughter while keeping his family safe?
I love the detail about the characters the author includes. You are given the chance to get to know each one intimately. I always find myself completely engrossed when reading a Michael Robotham book.
While I have missed some of the books in this series, I love Dr Joseph O’Loughlin. This man is determined to protect his family, even if he is separated from his wife. He is a devoted father and he tries his best to keep his work and family separate, even if they always end up intertwined. Joe’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease makes him a realistic character with limitations. I am determined to read the books I have missed in this series this year – just so that I can complete the Joseph O’Loughlin story.
You guessed it, this one will be added to my loved list. This is a brilliantly engrossing read that will keep you entertained right to the end.
This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller with a strong, realistic lead character. Even if you haven’t been following the series, I highly recommend Close Your Eyes. You can read these books as stand-alone novels and still keep up with what is happening.
Also By Michael Robotham
Life or Death
Why would a man serving a long prison sentence escape the day before he’s due to be released?
Audie Palmer has spent ten years in a Texas prison after pleading guilty to a robbery in which four people died and seven million dollars went missing. During that time he has suffered repeated beatings, stabbings and threats by inmates and guards, all desperate to answer the same question: where’s the money?
On the day before Audie is due to be released, he suddenly vanishes. Now everybody is searching for him – the police, FBI, gangsters and other powerful figures – but Audie isn’t running to save his own life. Instead, he’s trying to save someone else’s.
Michael Robotham has created the ultimate underdog hero, an honorable criminal shrouded in mystery and ready to lead readers on a remarkable chase.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Two-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
Thank you for visiting the blog and reading my review. Are you a Joseph O’Loughlin fan? Which is your favourite book in the series? Leave a comment below. Keep an eye out for my reviews on the other books in the series coming during the year. Until next time…Happy Reading!
