Shatter

Joseph O'Loughlin, Book 3

By: Michael Robotham

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

In "the most suspenseful book I read all year" (Stephen King), a psychologist faces off against a killer who destroys his victims from the inside out.

Joe O'Loughlin is in familiar territory--standing on a bridge high above a flooded gorge, trying to stop a distraught woman from jumping. "You don't understand," she whispers and lets go. Joe is haunted by his failure to save the woman until her teenage daughter finds him and reveals that her mother never would have committed suicide--not like that. She was terrified of heights.

What could have driven her to commit such a desperate act? Whose voice? What evil? Having devoted his career to repairing damaged minds, Joe must now confront an adversary who tears them apart.

With pitch-perfect dialogue, believable characters, and astonishingly unpredictable plot twists, Shatter is guaranteed to keep even the most avid thriller readers riveted long into the night.

©2012 Michael Robotham (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Pleasantly creepy...plotted with precision and narrated with real intelligence." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"The most suspenseful book I read all year." (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly)

How Far Would You Go?

This third installment was the best yet. I was immediately hooked from the first few words. Joseph O'Loughlin has become one of my favorite characters whom I like to revisit as I listen to this series.
I found myself confronted with the question of how far I would go to save someone I love. And then, would my actions save them anyway?
If you like psychological thrillers, this is a must listen. The narrator is excellent and I can't wait to listen to him again.
Another winner! Thanks Audible!!

This is a must read!

Here is another example of me giving a book I had returned a second chance. I listen several hours a day on average, often while I am doing other things. Sometimes I forget to set the app’s timer at night and cannot find my place. Fortunately I gave Robotham’s Shatter another chance.

Shatter contains possibly the most uniquely diabolical criminal acts in mysteries today. If it’s not unique, it is certainly the most believable and realistic version of sadistic manipulation. Regardless, like others I found the criminal‘s methods ingenious and horrifying. The police work, including political inner workings, was as good as any procedural I have read.

Most of all there is the character of Joe O’Glaughlin. A 45 year old psychologist who has contracted Parkinson’s, his brilliant mind is more handicapped by his insecurities about his health than the disease itself. It effects his marriage, exacerbates his paranoia and limits his objectivity. Yet it’s his brilliant mind and intuitive nature that wins me over here.

Please forgive my grammar, I am still posting on my iPhone!

Major problem

One major problem I have with all Robotham's books is, I can't put them down. This was no exception. Performance is EXCELLENT!

The dynamic duo does it again.

If you could sum up Shatter in three words, what would they be?

The title fits!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. Every sentence propels you to the next. The momentum consistently grows.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings the character to life. He is an extremely talented narrator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - but it took 2 days.

Any additional comments?

I love this series. He ranks very hight on my list of favorites. The stories are abstract, emotional and edgy. The characters are intriguing; both bad and good. I'm currently downloading his last book offered on Audible. Please ... we need more!

Robotham fan but too violent for me

Too creepy too violent too morbid for me. And I am a Robotham fan. Narrator is great though.

Scary

Kept me on the edge of my seat. Fast paced and surreal. Hard hitting commentary on use of torture on innocent civilians. Not for the faint of heart.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS

This author's books give you everything. original characters, fantastic plots and excellent writing. My mind never drifts. I fall deep into the story. One request: keep them coming and use the main characters again and again. I love them

A Shark Too Far

Michael Robotham almost writes well enough (and he reeeeely writes well) to make this improbable plot with more holes than a Spanish lace... work. Unfortunately craft didn't do it. I'll be more careful in pre-reading reviews of the next Robotham before I buy it. Maybe Sean Barrett could take a lesson or two in doing female voices? His cast sounded not only strongly male, but in a number of cases, it was difficult to differentiate between the speakers even when they were supposed to be differently gendered.

I'd say pass on this one.

Superb Suspense, Compelling Characters

Deep and compelling characters move through a riveting plot. Fear and suspense grip the reader throughout. One must read to the last action scene before the final outcome is known. All that plus an excellent narrator and I couldn't stop listening, beginning to end.

Implausible and Sexist

The narrator was great and kept us listening to the story much longer than we would have. The only likeable characters were the kids and the female police detective. Everyone else was irritating. This author did not miss a chance to objectify women sexually almost every chapter. He was constantly describing the bodies of female characters and the predominant element to his descriptions was sexual. Not so with his male characters who all seemed to be just fine if not just a little misguided. We were on a long road trip and we're excited about the good reviews this book got. We ended up rolling our eyes a lot and occasionally laughing at the implausiblibility of the story. This is the first review I have posted on audible because this book was so disappointing.