Philomena McCarthy on how to be straight when your family is crooked

A little bit of background📃

If you've read my other Michael Robotham reviews, you'll know that I am a diehard fan of his books. I am continually in awe of his masterful storytelling and character building. Robotham is an Australian author and I love seeing creatives from the big, brown land at the bottom of the world do well on the world stage.

This post reviews Robotham's latest series, featuring PC Philomena McCarthy, a London Metropolitan police officer who also happens to be part of a notorious local crime family. I absolutely love Phil! Read on for my thoughts on books 1 and 2 of the series. You can also read my reviews of Robotham's two other series, Joe O'Loughlin and Cyrus and Evie, and his standalone novels.

When you are mine | Book 1 | Published June 2021 | Read April 2022 and again October 2025

The story📖

We first meet Phil in When you are mine aged 27, newly graduated from Hendon Police College and now part of the London Metropolitan police. The story opens when Phil responds to a domestic violence call with her partner that sees her eventually tangled up in a complicated case. The victim, Tempe Brown, is a young woman with mental health issues who befriends Phil and infiltrates her life in alarming ways. The man who is abusing her is Darren Goodall, a decorated Scotland Yard detective who seems untouchable. Phil wants to do the right thing, but is thwarted by her colleagues who are determined to stand by Goodall. Phil must do battle with the Met while simultaneously fighting her family's legacy as a powerful East End crime family. Things get even more complicated for Phil as her father gets involved in the case and Goodall will do whatever it takes to protect himself and his reputation. Phil must also deal with Tempe's increasing entanglement with her and her fiance, firefighter Henry. Phil has a lot on her plate!

My thoughts on the book💭

Michael Robotham has created a fascinating new series with Philomena McCarthy at the helm. It's such a cool idea to have an honest cop come from a crime family! Phil's father, Edward and his criminal brothers - Clifton, Daragh and Finbar - are introduced in the book. Robotham somehow manages to paint them as a bunch of lovable rogues and honestly, it's hard to dislike them despite their criminal dealings.

There's a lot of backstory in book 1 as would be expected in a series opener. Phil had long dreamed of being a police officer, from the time she was was 12 and caught up in a London bus bombing. Phil is inspired to join the police because of the sensitive way a female police officer handles the traumatised bombing victims. In book 1, Phil starts out in the book estranged from her father in an attempt to shrug off his criminal dealings so she can make a career out of policing. As the story progresses, Phil attempts to reconnect with her family as she and her fiance, Henry, are planning on getting married.

There's a lot going on in When you are mine. Aside from Phil's family, there's Tempe, a woman with fragile mental health and a powerless victim of Goodall's violence who latches onto Phil. The domestic violence theme is further explored through Phil's involvement with Goodall's wife, a victim of his hideous controlling behaviour and abuse. The senior police officers around Phil close ranks, using her family to discredit her. It's hard to read the bits where the readers knows the police are protecting a Very Bad Guy. As it turns out, the colourful McCarthy brothers are the only ones Phil can trust and rely on as the story progresses.

Like some other reviewer comments I have read, I've given the book 4 stars as Phil is a little frustrating at times, making poor decisions that affect her career prospects and her relationship with Henry. Reading about Goodall's victimisation of vulnerable women and his protection by the police was frustrating to read, too. These are only minor niggles, though. I read When you are mine not long after it was published in 2021 and read it again to write this review. I liked the book much better the second time around so it might take a second read to appreciate it. Phil and her bonkers family have grown on me, for sure.

In sum📝

I absolutely loved being immersed in Phil's world and I admire her for her dogged commitment to the truth. Her dysfunctional family is hilarious, even though they are criminals. Robotham has written a cracking thriller in When you are mine with lots of parts to the puzzle that come together nicely in the end.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The white crow | Book 2 | Published July 2025 | Read September 2025

The story📖

Book 2 sees Phil married to Henry and determined to make a go of things with the London Metropolitan police, despite her constantly-tested loyalties. On patrol early one morning, Phil comes across a young girl, barefoot and covered in blood. The little girl tells Phil she cannot wake her mother. Meanwhile, a London jeweler has a bomb strapped to his chest, his store is ransacked, and millions of pounds are missing. These two events are connected, and soon Phil finds herself tangled up yet again in a complicated case that may involve her father, Edward, head of the notorious McCarthy crime family. Phil is again under suspicion for complicity, and her career and her safety are in jeopardy.

My thoughts on the book💭

I gave book 1 in the series four stars but the second book is easily a 5-star read. It's one of Robotham's best recent works, I think, and I am so happy and relieved to see him back to form after the disappointing fourth book in my beloved Cyrus and Evie series.

The fascinating main cast is back in full swing in The white crow. I loved Phil even more after reading the second book. She's fearless and strong, smart, and empathetic, but also self-aware and vulnerable. Hot firefighter husband Henry is a strong supporting player and the notorious McCarthy brothers are a colourful band of criminals that you just can't help but love. Robotham handles the tightrope that Phil constantly walks with authenticity and the right amount of humour, showing how the juxtaposition of Phil's police work with family allegiances test her values and make her life complicated on the daily.

I gave the book a top rating and a can't really fault it. The white crow sure is a wild ride, though, especially the final part when Henry and Phil's uncles save the day. It's such a clever ending albeit a bit bonkers, but I ran with it and was thoroughly entertained. The bonkers-ness isn't unbelievable, just a bit mad-cap, but totally in keeping with the tone of the book.

In sum📝

The white crow is a cracking story. It has multiple layers to it and is masterfully told by Robotham, drawing me in from page 1 to the very end. I read the whole thing on my Kobo in one sitting on a flight from Brisbane to Perth, finishing it just as the plane touched down. There are so many characters to love, but Daisy, the little girl Phil finds wandering the streets, Phil's husband, and her lovable rogue uncles are the standouts. The book keeps you on your toes but once again, Robotham does a bang up job of bringing all the threads together. Bravo, Michael Robotham, I can't wait for the next Phil instalment!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐