The Wreckage

By: Michael Robotham

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

In London, ex-cop Vincent Ruiz rescues a young woman from a violent boyfriend but wakes next morning to find that he’s been set up and robbed. As he tracks down the thieves, he discovers the boyfriend’s tortured body and learns that powerful men are looking for the girl. What did Holly Knight steal that is so important to them? Meanwhile in Baghdad, the bank robbery capital of the world, billions of dollars in reconstruction funds has gone missing and Pulitzer prize-winning Journalist Luca Terracini is trying to ‘follow the money’. The dangerous trail will lead him to London where he teams up with Vincent Ruiz and together they investigate the disappearance of an international banker and a mysterious ‘black hole’ in the bank’s account.

©2011 Michael Robotham (P)2011 Hachette Digital

Robotham delivers again

Michael Robotham delivers again. This time the roles are reversed with the story centred around Ruiz and Joe coming in as support. Another well crafted page turner in this series and well read by Sean Barret. Look forward to the next one.

Ootstanding Book

Michael Robotham knows how to keep a reader engrossed. Moving between characters in London and Baghdad, the story is fast paced and action filled. In Baghdad, we are introduced to a reporter and an auditor following the trail of a number of bank robbers. In London we welcome back Vincent Ruiz, the detective from previous stories. Ruiz assists a young girl, only to find himself being the victim of a crime. While in pursuit of the criminal, he uncovers a much larger conspiracy which is eventually linked to the missing Baghdad money. Also in London, a banker is missing under suspicion circumstances. Even while it seemed fairly obvious that the three threads would eventually collide, the means by which it would be done was not obvious and was masterfully done. The characters in each of the threads are likeable and are easy to get to know and while each story is strong enough to stand on its own, they become even more powerful as they start to intersect with one another creating a single mystery from the original engrossing mysteries.

The suspense throughout the book is real and not drawn out unnecessarily which means I was never bored but instead found myself hard pressed to lay this one down. My only complaint, which is easily discounted and in no way detracts from the book, is the minimal inclusion of the Professor, a character that I genuinely like and appreciate from previous books. Also, the last "twist" at the end I figured out pretty soon in the story so it was no real surprise. It may have been wiser to play more on the actual consequences of the final play as opposed to simply mentioned the possibility of repercussions. I for one would have liked to find out what the final consequences were and was expecting some sort of closure. Even so, the story was a great, easy, fast read which I highly recommend to mystery lovers.

Sean Barrett was outstanding with the delivery of the story

Robotham and Barrett are now on my Watch List.

This one almost got away. Good story well read.
The description of the novel had me thinking it was a bit of a risk. Not so at all.
It took little time to engage and hold my interest. I felt the frustration of the daughter at her Dad's odd behaviour, and 'tut tutted' at risky choices and wondered how an old pro could be caught like that, and was in short engaged with the different personalities as the story unfolded. Sean Barrett was the perfect narrator.

Another excellent Michael Robotham thriller

Would you consider the audio edition of The Wreckage to be better than the print version?

I have to drive long distances every day, for me, there is no more written word.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I love the way Michael keeps changing his main characters between books but keeps the environment familiar. In this way we get to know the characters but the story stays gripping and fresh.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love Sean's narration as much as the books. He is excellent!

Who was the most memorable character of The Wreckage and why?

It would be the "Courier". He is a dark and mysterious psychopath using war as a backdrop to satisfy his murderous needs.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book, well done Michael.

not as good as the previous books

I was a little disappointed with this book - big question is why is this considered one of the Joe O'loughlin stories if he is hardly there....
other than that, the book is not bad