Book Review: Storm Child by Michael Robotham (Cyrus Haven #4)

Rating: 4.5+⭐️

The fourth installment in Michael Robotham’s Cyrus Haven is a dark, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and incredibly moving read and a worthy addition to the series.

Years ago, Evie Cormac, then a child of eleven/twelve, was rescued from a room in a home where she had been hiding, where she witnessed a man brutally tortured to death. No one knew who she was or how she came to be in that room. In the years since, Cyrus Haven, a forensic psychologist and profiler who works with law enforcement, has helped Evie in her efforts to deal with her trauma and has been a supportive presence. Her true identity and what she has endured are no longer a mystery, but there are memories of her earlier life and how she fell into the hands of her abusers that have yet to be recovered.

Evie is now twenty-two years and though she has been able to move forward, she is still haunted by the traumatic events in her past. Evie’s memories of certain events are vague, but she is triggered when she witnesses the horrific scene of the bodies of migrants washing ashore at Lincolnshire beach during a seaside trip with Cyrus. The sole survivor, a traumatized teenager, reveals that the boat carrying him and other migrants was deliberately rammed by a trawler, causing it to sink.

Cyrus who is asked to assist in the investigation into the incident, also tries to help Evie unlock her repressed memories as they search for the people responsible for the tragedy – a search that takes Evie and Cyrus to Scotland among people who know more than they are disclosing and would not hesitate to hurt them to protect their secrets. What awaits them in Scotland? Who is The Ferryman? Is he just a myth, or does this entity truly force migrants to pay for their crossing? Will Evie finally be able to remember what happened to her and her family, or will this lead to another dead end?

Intense and gripping, Storm Child by Michael Robotham is an exceptionally well-written novel. The narrative, presented from the first-person POVs of Cyrus and Evie, touches upon themes of trauma and healing, criminal conspiracy and human trafficking, kidnapping and sexual abuse of minors, murder and the refugee crisis. Evie’s memories are shared in flashbacks as the narrative progresses and the author deftly weaves past and present timelines, dual POVSs and several subplots into a well-paced, tension-filled and deeply immersive narrative with a satisfying ending. The author writes with depth and strong attention to detail. I’m glad the author ends the story on a positive note and I enjoyed following the narrative as the mysteries were unraveled with plenty of surprises that kept me hooked until the very end.

Given the subject matter, this is not an easy read. The dark themes are disturbing and might be triggering for some readers and descriptions of the migrant bodies washing ashore will remind you of the heartbreaking pictures we have seen in the headlines.

I loved how Evie has evolved over this series and I continue to appreciate the dynamic between Cyrus and Evie and how their connection has helped both of them explore their own tragic pasts. Both character arcs are well thought out and I’m curious to see what the future holds for both characters. I eagerly await the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Scribner for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Though this book could be read as a standalone , I would recommend reading the books in series order for a better understanding of the characters.