The Night Ferry Book

Michael Robotham’s first literary successes were not in the thriller field. The autobiographies of such celebs as Ricky Tomlinson and Geri Halliwell would be rendered in considerably less impressive English if Robotham had not been the ghost-writing conduit for these non-writers. He spent time with these personalities, absorbing their stories and converted them into books that showcased sometimes very slender talents in the best possible light. As one of publishing world’s most acclaimed ghost writers, Michael Robotham could have continued to make a comfortable living, but (fortunately for we crime fans) he turned to the field of the psychological thriller, and with some sharply written and assured novels, he has moulded a career as a crime novelist of real accomplishment – all the while doing this under his own name. The Night Ferry is possibly Robotham’s most striking novel yet, recapturing the adrenalin rush of his first novel, The Suspect. Here, DCI Alisha Barber agrees to attend a school reunion, even though she knows such occasions are often grisly ones. Alisha has received a letter from someone she hasn’t heard from in quite a while, Cate Beaumont, asking for help. Cate is pregnant and in danger – and before the two women can talk, she is hit by a speeding car (which also kills her husband). Alisha is there as she dies – and learns the pregnancy is a fake. But why the deception – and the death? With the help of an ex-associate, DI Vincent Ruiz, Alisha soon finds herself investigating a dark world of slavery and sexual trafficking. It’s possible that Michael Robotham might be tempted back into ghost-writing, but aficionados of strong and acerbic thrillers will hope that he isn’t. --Barry ForshawRead More