Shatter (novel)

Shatter

First edition
Author	Michael Robotham
Language	English
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Sphere Books, London
Publication date	2008
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print Hardback & Paperback
Pages	466 pp
ISBN	978-1-84744-177-5 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC	176833215
Preceded by	The Night Ferry
Followed by	Bombproof

Shatter is a psychological thriller written by the Australian author Michael Robotham that was published in 2008.

Plot outline

Professor Joseph O'Loughlin (referred to as Joe throughout the novel) is tasked by the police with stopping a woman, Christine Wheeler, from committing suicide, only to fail. When Wheeler's teenage daughter appears onto his doorstep, she insists that her mother would not have jumped off a bridge as she did, for she was not suicidal and had a fear of heights. Haunted by his failure to save her and driven by a need to understand what caused her death, Joe searches for the truth, only to be caught up in a string of murders all while dealing with his own problems with Parkinson's disease and his marriage.

Awards

• Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Novel, 2008: winner
• Crime Writers' Association (UK), The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, Best Thriller, 2008: shortlisted

Dedication

"This is for Mark Lucas, a friend first."

Reviews

Sue Turnbull, in The Age, was impressed with the novel: "Thematically complex, artfully structured, beautifully written and observed, Shatter confirms Robotham's place in the front row of crime."

Reviewing the book in Dark Scribe magazine, Rick R. Reed compared the villain to Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lector and went on: "Shatter really has it all when it comes to the thriller genre: it’s fast-paced, has uniquely and wonderfully-drawn characters, contains a great mystery at its center, and makes you want to read more from Michael Robotham."