Shatter

Shatter by Michael Robotham is a physiological thriller about driving people to the breaking point. Frightening and mind-bending, Robotham intertwines "cop" drama with terrifying real-life circumstances. It truly is suspenseful and dramatic and incredibly scary.

Joseph O'Loughlin, a college physic professor is reluctantly drawn into a world of twisting, suspense filled drama when he tries to coax a naked woman from jumping off of a bridge. Yet there's something about her suicide that just doesn't line up. Following clues, O'Loughlin finds himself wrapped into the frightening head games of a sadistic killer who finds joy in "shattering" people's minds.

This novel truly does play head games on you, and though I normally dislike detective novels, I was drawn into Robotham's world of frenzied and fractured lives. Each character is presented as a real human being, the reader can tell that they aren't just "side" characters, but all are important to the story.

Although I found this book very intriguing, there were a couple aspects that I did not enjoy. 1. The prose were sometimes short and choppy--I'm all for succinct, but one or two word phrases don't cut it in a novel. However, I do understand that they create a feeling of suspense in such a thriller, but I don't think Robotham was there just yet. 2. In this same line, several of the reviews claimed that the dialog was especially good; perhaps I expected too much, but I did not think that the dialog was very convincing. Well written and thought out, the dialog was either too choppy or too long winded. 3. Language. I don't care if a novel swears in it once or twice, but once every couple lines, I find it tiresome and detracting from the plot. The overuse of the F-word did not add any suspense to this novel, it only made me feel sad for people in the world who must listen to it. 4. The wife was not convincing and neither was O'Louhlin's reaction to her!

Other than those four complaints, I found that Shatter was probably the best detective novel I have ever read, for it created suspense along with terrifying twists. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, it nevertheless caught my attention.

I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Other Reviews:

“Shatter will have you turning the pages compulsively, desperate to get to the end, but not daring to miss a word.” —The Times (London)

“Thematically complex, artfully structured, beautifully written and observed, Shatter confirms Robotham’s place in the front row.” —Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)