When You Are Mine

Starred review from November 22, 2021
In this nail-biter from Edgar finalist Robotham (When She Was Good), Police Constable Philomena McCarthy’s devotion to duty and empathy for victimized women threaten to make her time with the Southwark Police short after she and her partner, Anishi Kohli, respond to a report of a domestic disturbance. After conferring with a woman who says she could hear her neighbor screaming, McCarthy and Kohli go to the neighbor’s door, which is answered by a battered young woman who calls herself Tempe and claims that her injuries are accidental—and that she’s alone. Behind the door, McCarthy finds Tempe’s abusive boyfriend, a decorated detective sergeant, Darren Goodall. When Goodall assaults McCarthy, she arrests him. Later, Goodall’s male allies on the force make both assault cases go away. Though she’s warned to distance herself from Goodall, McCarthy pursues her suspicions that he may also be abusing his wife, while also trying to find a refuge for Tempe. Those unauthorized endeavors jeopardize her job and her life. Robotham tightens the screws on his sympathetic lead incrementally as the action builds to a satisfying climax. Lisa Unger fans will be riveted. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management.