From Publishers Weekly
Joe O'Loughlin, a London psychologist, loves his job and loves his familywife Julianne and eight-year-old daughter Charlieeven more in Australian author Robotham's well-written, if somewhat convoluted, debut suspense novel. O'Loughlin's life takes two disastrous turns: first, he's diagnosed with Parkinson's disease; second, while helping Det. Insp. Vincent Ruiz on the case of a murdered nurse, Catherine Mary McBride, he becomes the primary suspect in the killing. The crime occurred close to O'Loughlin's London home, giving him opportunity, and it turns out that McBride had been his patient and had accused him of harassment, giving him plenty of motive. Vivid characters mostly avoid stereotype, while a fast and furious last section makes up for a wealth of asides and anecdotes that, however effectively done, slow the narrative. More seriously, the book can't decide whether it's a psychological mystery or a conspiracy thriller and strains credibility well past the breaking point. Still, Robotham shows real promise, putting a fresh spin on the familiar crime fiction trope of the falsely accused man.
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From Booklist
Starred Review Already a hit in the U.K., Suspect may do for psychological thrillers what Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent did for the legal variety. Joe O'Loughlin is a psychologist with secrets. He is trying to hide his Parkinson's disease from the world, and his wife suspects he's having an affair. And after a gruff detective asks the doctor for insights into the stabbing death of a young woman, we discover the nurse was an ex-patient who accused him of sexual assault. O'Loughlin has an alibi for the night of the murder, but he decides not to share it. That the psychologist consistently withholds key information from the police, his wife--everyone--makes this tightly plotted story even more compelling. To those who "think that the truth is real and solid," O'Loughlin counters, "The truth isn't like that. If I were to tell you this story tomorrow it would be different than today." This stance makes him a deliciously maddening character to root for, and it soon becomes clear he is a highly compartmentalized person. As a series of damning clues turn up to indict him, O'Loughlin takes flight. But then he taps a hidden reserve of cunning and pluck as he seeks to clear his name--and ultimately discovers just how easy it is to destroy someone's life while trying to figure out what's going on inside his or her head. Frank Sennett
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