The Other Wife (Joseph O’Loughlin #9)
Michael Robotham
Hachette Australia
ISBN: 9780733637933
Description:
A secret wife. A secret life. A killer who knows.
Childhood sweethearts William and Mary have been married for sixty years. William is a celebrated surgeon, Mary a devoted wife. Both have a strong sense of right and wrong.
This is what their son, Joe O’Loughlin, has always believed. But when Joe is summoned to the hospital with news that his father has been brutally attacked, his world is turned upside down. Who is the strange woman crying at William’s bedside, covered in his blood – a friend, a mistress, a fantasist or a killer?
Against the advice of the police, Joe launches his own investigation. As he learns more, he discovers sides to his father he never knew – and is forcibly reminded that the truth comes at a price.
Fresh from the highest selling book of his career, The Secrets She Keeps, multi-million-copy bestselling author Michael Robotham returns to his beloved Joe O’Loughlin series in this compelling psychological thriller that delves into the consequences of a tragedy, exposing a lifetime of shocking cover-up that is too close to home for the famous psychologist.
My View:
I love the Joe O’Loughlin series – I am invested in the main characters, their stories and the crimes they solve. This episode centres on Joe and his family as suspects, victims and villains, what a read! And despite this book being number nine in the series it can just as easily be read as a standalone for those who are catching up with this series and author.
My enjoyment of this read was enhanced when I recently saw Michael Robotham at our local Readers and Writers Festival – what a great natural story teller he is.
Reading, Writing and Riesling 
Just love his writing and O’Loughlin and Ruiz. I wanted to ask a question at that panel about his choice to make O’Loughlin an older protagonist and with Parkinson’s, but I chickened out. I’m interested in whether at any stage in the series he wishes he’d made him a bit more able-bodied, not with Parkinson’s. The only story I’ve read where I thought it wasn’t feasible that a man afflicted with Parkinson’s (I know Robotham stresses Joe takes his meds and it’s reasonably early stages I think) but I think it was Say You’re Sorry – in the climax – and that was the first time I thought, hey, hang on there… this guy has Parkinson’s could he really do all this?
Just brilliant characters, I agree. I’m a bit behind with him. The last book I read was the one where that you-know-what-terrible thing happened to Joe’s wife (don’t want to leave a spoiler).
xx Lily
I get a sense you are a big fan Lily🙂
oops – did I go on a bit much? wax too lyrical? yes – I’m a big fan. 🙂
Not too much at all 🙂 he is deserving of all accolades.