GOOD Girl, BAD Girl (a 2019 novel)
by
Michael Robotham
A forensic pathologist-cum-psychologist, Dr.
Cyrus Haven, is currently helping the Nottingham police as a consultant in two cases.
One of them involves Angel Face, or Evie, who
wants to be freed of the secured facility she is forced to live in after she
was rescued from a crime scene six years ago. Evie was found cohabiting with
the rotten corpse of her kidnapper , and hence considered to be a fit for help.
Now she has applied to be treated as an adult, and Cryus must analyse if she is
good to go.
Another case pertains to the murder of a champion
skater, Jodie, whose corpse was recovered from nearby woods. Police are in a
hurry to wrap the case, and arrests a degenerate, but Cyrus is not so sure
about his culpability.
Dr. Haven himself has underwent quite some trauma
in his life, considering that he was the one who discovered his brother sitting
with the corpses of his slain parents and other siblings he had killed Now
Haven lives in a huge, dilapidated
family mansion which he doesn’t have time, inclination or money to get
repaired, and helps the cops in various criminal investigations.
Evie is quite special in the way that she can
instinctively tell if someone is lying. She wants to lead a normal life, but of
course has difficulties in adjusting .
Dr Haven becomes her ward and takes her home. In the meantime , he is also able
to solve the murder case and uncovers the underlying incest in the family of
deceased as the reason for it.
That said , forensic investigations,
psychological speculations, police inquests and media reports can never fully
establish what has actually happened, and how. There is always a case for
rethink and second –guesses. Police work within a framework of rules and
pressures of time. Media has news to sell. Psychoanalysis also has its limitations.
Even forensics, the most reliable of them all, cannot look through planted or physically
removed evidences. Every case is different in details , but institutions and
investigators look for similarities and patterns. The motives and circumstances
vary wildly. Besides, combinations and chances can never be determined
objectively. Logical thinking can only take us to a certain step, but most
criminals act illogically and yet might take care to cover their tracks.
Therein lies the devil, and hence any crime reporting or investigation must be
considered with a pinch of salt.
I picked up the novel on Stephen King’s
recommendation on twitter. Michael Robotham’s writing is quite fluid. His
characters are compulsive and their motives strong. This is a novel I thoroughly
enjoyed. The details of crimes are quite graphic. Murder, rape, incest as well
as beatings can be hard for the weak-hearted ones to digest.
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