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

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. This post review his latest series, featuring PC Philomena McCarthy, a London Metropolitan police officer with a dodgy at best criminal at worst 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 again October 2025

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. She responds to a domestic violence call with her partner and ends up 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, Tempe ramps up her entanglement with Phil and her fiance, firefighter Henry, and Goodall will do whatever it takes to protect himself.

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! I must admit that 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. Phil and her bonkers family have grown on me.

There's a lot of backstory in book 1 as would be expected in a series opener. Phil has wanted to be a police officer since she was 12. She was caught up a London bus bombing and is inspired to join the police after the way a female police officer sensitively handles the traumatised victims. In book 1, Phil is estranged from her father, Edward, in an attempt to shrug off his criminal dealings so she can make a career out of policing. Phil and fiance, Henry, are planning on getting married, and we see Phil attempt to reconnect with her family. 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!

There's a lot going on in When you are mine. Aside from Phil's family, there's Tempe, a sad victim of Goodall's violence whose fragile mental health makes her life challenging. Tempe repays Phil by overdoing the kindness, and it soon becomes apparent that Tempe has a lot of issues to be dealing with in addition to Goodall. 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, attempting to use her family to discredit her, and it's hard to read the bits where the readers knows they 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. That said, I absolutely loved being immersed in Phil's world and 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

Book 2 sees Phil married to Henry and determined to make a go of things with the London Metropolitan police, despite her notorious family and constantly-tested loyalties. On patrol early one morning, Phil comes across a young girl, barefoot and covered in blood who 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. She is again under suspicion for complicity, her career and her safety in jeopardy.

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 absolutely love Phil. 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 juxtaposition of Phil's police work with family allegiances test her values and make her life complicated on the daily.

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. The book sure is a wild ride, 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. Bravo, Michael Robotham, I can't wait for the next Phil instalment!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐