The Suspect

By: Michael Robotham

Narrated by: Crispin Redman

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only one loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient - and the biggest lie of his life.

© Michael Robotham; (P) W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"There are twists and turns in this plot enough to challenge most thriller readers....Gripping stuff." (Publishing News)
"Believable and authentic from the first sentence....Robotham doesn't put a foot wrong in his plotting, pace or inventiveness." (The Australian)
"A truly classy thriller, beautifully crafted....a gripping finale that even the most seasoned mystery addicts won't see coming." (Australian Women's Weekly)

Just lovely

This is a wonderful story and had me on the edge of my seat on many occaisions. i had tears in my eyes as the dialogue centered on beautiful Maggie

Top of the class

This is the first Michael Robotham book I have listened too, this after reading Bombproof.
This book holds you in suspense until the end. Fast paced with characters fleshed out so they become almost real. The reader Crispin Redman deserves a lot of praise for his portrayal of the various characters in the book and in no small way adds to the listening pleasure. Well worth the purchase.

A Psychologist Becomes a Sleuth

This was a rewarding accidental discovery for me. The good news is that there are eight more books to look forward to in this series that is not driven by another flawed detective. (I'm following a few of those) Instead we have Joseph O'Loughlin who is a flawed psychologist. He makes some bad choices and they come back to haunt him tenfold in this mystery/thriller set in England.

Although imperfect, this psychologist is capable of some deep insights into human nature giving us a different perspective than the traditional hard ass cop protagonist. It is refreshing to join along with Mr O'Loughlin who has a credible background in something different than detective science as he attempts to unravel the strands of a perplexing murder. In the process, there are enough twists in this book to keep mystery fans engaged.

The narrator, Cripsin Redman does an excellent job with the voices for the various characters. I especially liked how he portrayed the Scottish friend who had designs on our hero's wife.

I am looking forward to the next book in the Michael Robotham Joseph O'Loughlin series and if you are looking for something where a professional detective or policeman isn't driving the story - we get a lot of those - give this one a try.

High expectations, but a bit of a let-down

Michael Rowbotham has been extravagantly praised, so I approached this novel with eagerness. However it seemed to unravel for me as it went along, especially after a strong beginning. I found the protagonist more and more irritating, and the motives of the killer not credible. The introduction of a second 'baddie' just before the end was a cop out. The performance, apart from a few idiosyncracies, was excellent.

An above average thriller...

What did you love best about The Suspect?

The story was well thought out. Almost formulaic, but a reasonable listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character was Julieanne, his wife. She was independent, gorgeous and long-suffering.

Have you listened to any of Crispin Redman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

This is an above average thriller. Worth a listen, but not worth shouting about. Well plotted, but following a fairly standard police/suspect/murderer pattern. I would persoanlly prefer something a little more edgy.

Brilliant. Should be a film.

Riveting. Absolutely loved it. Will try this author again. Would make a dam good movie.

Twists and Turns

The twists were unexpected and well drawn out throught the entire book. The last two "books" were intense!

unengaging

I couldn't get past the first few chapters - the narration was so diabolically bad that I couldn't get engaged in the story.

So slow!

A great performance by the narrator, but oh my gosh, the story was so slow in developing and the author went into so much unnecessary detail, which I found so boring. I gave up! I just couldnt bear listening to half an hour of what the guy was eating for breakfast, or what his wife was wearing...