When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

 

Philomena McCarthy is a female police in London but she has baggage.  Besides the normal fight against her peers' misogyny, Phil comes from one of the biggest crime families in the city.  The McCarthy brothers are known for their organization, although these days they are into more stable and legal businesses.  Phil hasn't spoken with her family in years, not since her father walked out on her mother when Philomena was a teenager.  These days she lives with her boyfriend Henry, who is a fireman and weekends with his son.  

One night Phil and her partner get a domestic violence call.  They rescue a woman named Tempe but her boyfriend tries to intimidate them and ends up in a physical encounter with Phil.  She arrests him although he tells her that he is a DI in the police.  When they get to the station, he wins the encounter and Phil is sent home on suspension

But Tempe is still around.  Phil helps her find a safe place to stay and soon Tempe has wormed herself into Philomena's life.  She helps plan Phil and Henry's wedding, shows up on Phil's girls night out and meets her friends, does household chores.  Phil is uneasy at how dependent Tempe seems to be and the stories she tells about her background don't seem true.  

Phil finally reconciles with her family at her father's sixtieth birthday.  The timing is good as the DI she has issues with is found murdered and Philomena is the main suspect.  She will need all her wits and the help of her unique family to solve the murder and get out of trouble.  

Michael Robotham is an Australian author who spends time there and in London.  He was a ghostwriter for years with twelve of those books ending up on the bestseller lists.  I'm glad he moved on to mysteries and suspense as he is one of my favorites and the reader always knows they will be entertained with a riveting story when they open one of his books.  I'd love it if he created an entire series about Philomena and the McCarthy family.  There is a second one but I could read about her for an entire series.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.