The White Crow

His books have sold 8.5 million copies. Now the No. 1 bestseller returns with a nail-biting PC Phil McCarthy novel

As the daughter of a London crime boss, Police Constable Philomena McCarthy walks a thin blue line keeping the two sides of her complicated life apart.

On patrol one night she discovers a child in pyjamas, wandering alone. Taking Daisy home, Phil uncovers the aftermath of a deadly home invasion, as three miles away a prominent jeweller is found strapped to an explosive in his ransacked store.

The crimes are linked, and all the evidence points to Phil’s father as the mastermind.

Phil’s two worlds are colliding, trapping her in the middle of a vicious gang war that will threaten her career and everyone she loves.

Who can she trust – the badge or her own blood?

‘It’s a rare treat to read crime fiction and adore the entire ensemble of characters. Everyone from PC Philomena McCarthy to Detective Keegan to Eddie McCarthy and his three old-school criminal brothers is so beautifully drawn – you tear through the pages praying they can be trusted. The pace clips along and the plot is full of lovely jinks and twists’ LAINIE ANDERSON

‘I raced through The White Crow. It’s another tour de force from Michael Robotham. He is so good at humanising his characters – even the nasty ones’ LINWOOD BARCLAY

Praise for Michael Robotham’s books, including When You Are Mine:

‘As the expertly paced first-person narrative accelerates, the reader is drawn into Phil’s personal life . . . Sidestepping all the cliches, the novel is as psychologically nuanced and emotionally engaging as it is suspenseful’ Kirkus Review

‘There’s a relatable darkness to Aussie author Michael Robotham’s thri­llers that pulls you in – every time’ The Australian Women’s Weekly

‘A heart-clutching psychological thriller’ People

‘Robotham’s bri­lliant ability to render complex characters, both good and bad, keeps readers unsure of whom to trust, maintaining an air of excruciating suspense until the very last page’ Washington Post

‘A brilliant book from an absolute master of the craft. Deeply felt, utterly memorable and sharp as a razor’ DERVLA MCTIERNAN

‘A brilliant, propulsive writer of crime. Pick this one up’ STEPHEN KING

Author Biography

Before becoming a novelist, Michael Robotham was a feature writer and investigative reporter working in Britain, Australia and America, and with clinical and forensic psychologists as they helped police investigate complex, psychologically driven crimes.

2024 marked the 20-year anniversary of the publication of his debut thriller, The Suspect, which introduced clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin, sold more than a million copies around the world and is now a major TV series starring Aidan Turner on ABC TV. Michael’s standalone thriller The Secrets She Keeps was adapted for TV by Network 10 and the BBC. Michael is the only Australian to twice win the UK’s prestigious Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel, for Life or Death and Good Girl, Bad Girl as well as the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for When She Was Good. Lying Beside You was shortlisted for the Australian Crime Writers Association’s Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2023. Storm Child, his fourth novel in his globally bestselling Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series, was a No. 1 national bestseller in Australia. It was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2025. The White Crow is the second book in his Philomena McCarthy series, following on from the internationally bestselling When You Are Mine. Michael lives in Sydney.