Mystery Scene Review

Night Ferry by Michael Robotham
Doubleday, July, 2007

Robotham takes us on a wild ride in his third novel, following Suspect and Lost. Each of the three books is told after the first-person perspective of a different series character. This time, it's Ali Barba's turn. She's on the road to recovery from a spinal injury when she gets a surprising note from an old friend, one who stopped speaking to her eight years ago after a betrayal. Now Cate's pregnant, and someone wants to take her baby. But before Ali can find out what it all means, Cate and her husband are killed in a road accident.

More mysteriously, Cate isn't pregnant after all. The bump under her dress is a fake. In spite of years of fertility treatments, she has been unable to conceive and appears to have arranged for a surrogate through dubious channels. With the assistance of her old mate, Inspector Ruiz, Ali plunges into a shadowy world of human trafficking, prostitution, and surrogate motherhood turned into a cold-hearted business. In the process, she runs afoul of the brass and puts her professional life at risk. Before long, it's not just her job at risk, but her life.

Ali Barba is a wonderful character, with a distinctive voice and a winning combination of toughness and vulnerability. Robotham excels at braiding together gut-wrenching issues, strong characters, and page-turning action without resorting to clichés. Night Ferry is a beautifully written adventure, offering an emotionally astute voyage well worth taking.

- Barbara Fister

This review appeared in the Summer 2007 issue (#100) of the magazine