and frozen in shock, psychologist Joe O'Loughlin finds himself drawn deep into her world, trying to unearth the dark secrets her mind has buried. The police find a major piece of the puzzle at Sienna's house: her father, a retired cop, is face-down in a pool of his own blood, his throat slashed and his skull caved in. The blood covering Sienna was his. The 14-year-old can't remember what happened that night but, at the same time, Sienna doesn't mourn her father's death. What was going on behind closed doors in the Hegarty household? Is Sienna guilty of brutal murder? And what part has her charismatic teacher Gordon Ellis played in this blood-soaked event?
Download the first chapter of Bleed for Me• Shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award 2010 - Best Crime Novel
• Channel 4 Book Club selection (UK)
Crime rarely gets as rewarding as this (The Australian)
'Robotham writes with grave tenderness about unhappy people caught in terrible situations.'
'When it comes to writing formidable mysteries, this man is at the top of his game.'
'Robotham is a first-class storyteller, delivering a novel that, although melancholy, appeals as both a thriller and literary read.'
'In this taut thriller, the fifth in the UK series...O'Loughlin continues to be an appealingly flawed hero.'
Robotham is one of our subtler thriller writers, preferring the frissons of psychology to all-out action. BLEED FOR ME is a disquieting, often moving, dissection of the layers of hypocrisy that protect the wicked.
Robotham has once again created a chillingly clever storyline for the most compelling fictional shrink since Cracker. TV Chiefs, are you paying attention?
...as intense and intelligent as its predecessors...
'This is Robotham's sixth thriller and proves he's a British writer of the highest class who can create terror from the commonplace and crush the breath out of you.'
'It's the sheer good writing that impresses... He is simply one of the most pleasing crime writers to read.'
'BLEED FOR ME is another exceedingly good crime thriller from Robotham, who seems unable to put a foot wrong. From the opening pages he grabs the reader's attention and keeps a tight grip on it until the final sentence.' 'Bleed for Me is another trerrific crime novel by Robotham, who has created in O'Loughlin, a clinical pyschologit who is every bit as complex and engaging as Val McDermid's Tony Hill. Highly recommended.
'BLEED FOR ME is Robotham at his best, balancing fine character development, domestic melodrama and a plot that throws the spotlight on the festering sores of British society.'
'BLEED FOR ME succeeds thanks to Robotham's ability to keep the plot moving at a cracking pace. We can believe the narcissistic schoolteacher, his waif-like wife, the luscious lush and other desperate characters because we know people just like them. Live near them. And that's truly scary.'
'For those of us who devoured SHATTER the wait has been long but the wait has been worth it. Robotham, In the just published BLEED FOR ME makes it plain he is at the top of his game.'
'This is a taut, fast-paced thriller which neatly twists two plot lines together. One is the search for a serial sexual predator and the other a trial for a criminal gang with a racist agenda...Robotham has written this fine tale with an explosive conclusion.'
'After SHATTER which topped the charts for me two years ago, I wondered whether Michael Robotham could ever do as well or better. These days I rarely read a book in one sitting, but BLEED FOR ME just kept me reading.'
'Few thriller writers rival Robotham for plot and pacing. BLEED FOR ME thrums with electricity and the rhythm, always tricky in such plot-driven works that build to a big pay-off, is pitch-perfect.'
'This is 'intelligent' crime-writing at it's best, where all is most definitely not as it seems and the reader is forced to examine their own values and judgements about what really constitutes a crime?'
'This is an intelligent psychological thriller that is compelling and multi-layered...Michael Robotham is a fantastic writer!'
'Nor is BLEED FOR ME anything like perfect, despite being well plotted and enjoyable reading. The flaw is there is just too much of a good thing...Less can be more, Mr Robotham.'
A novel that is not only thrilling, but also outshining the linguistic and stylistic borders of conventional thrillers.
The silent horror of the dark depths of the human soul is unsettling and captivating to the last page.
This book is overwhelming – enthralling from beginning to end. Complex, sometimes confusing, but always thrilling – this book is just as fascinating as 'Shatter'.
It was a great pleasure to read 'Bleed for me'. It was a suspenseful plot peppered with a lot of wit and charm that captivated me till the very end.
My favorite thriller for the spring season! Michael Robotham allows the reader to get so close to the life of Joe O'Loughlin – his sickness, his family and job – that you think it's happening right around you. I hope that Joe O'Loughlin will stick around for a long time.
'BLEED FOR ME is a page-turning adrenalin rush of a thriller with a great well-rounded cast of characters.'
'From his first thriller, Robotham staked out his territory. Every novel since then has added to his reputation as a writer at the peak of his craft.'
'Inspired by a true story BLEED FOR ME confirms and crystallises Robotham's talent and anoints him as one of the most influential players on the international crime scene.'
