Book Club Guide

Good Girl, Bad Girl

by Michael Robotham · 2019 · Mystery & Thriller

Key themes

The girl with no verified identity — and what it means to be unknowable
Forensic psychology as a way of seeing what others miss
Two investigations that mirror each other — the present murder and Evie's past

About this book

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven is asked to assess Evie Cormac, a teenage girl found hiding in a house with a murdered man years earlier, whose true identity has never been established — while investigating the murder of a teenage figure skater. Robotham's CWA Gold Dagger-winning novel launched a series built around Cyrus and Evie's relationship and the mystery of who Evie really is.

Published in 2019, Good Girl, Bad Girl won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel and launched the Cyrus Haven series. Robotham was previously a ghostwriter and journalist before becoming a crime novelist.

Discussion questions

Evie Cormac's true identity is unknown — she was found as a child hiding with a murder victim and has never revealed who she is. How does Robotham use this central mystery — and what does it suggest about identity, trauma and the limits of official systems?
Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist whose own past includes violence within his family. How does Robotham develop this — and what does his own history give him in understanding Evie?
The novel runs two investigations in parallel — the murder of a young figure skater and the ongoing mystery of Evie. How does Robotham connect these — thematically as well as plot-wise?
Evie has an unusual ability to detect lies. How does Robotham use this — as plot device, as characterisation, or as something that raises questions about what such an ability would actually do to a person?
Good Girl, Bad Girl won the CWA Gold Dagger and launched a series. What does the novel establish about Cyrus and Evie's dynamic that makes it sustainable across multiple books?