after almost being crippled by a murder suspect. Now on her feet again she receives a desperate plea from an old school friend, who is eight months pregnant and in trouble. On the night they arrange to meet, her friend is run down and killed by a car and Alisha discovers the first in a series of haunting and tragic deceptions.
Determined to uncover the truth, she embarks upon a dangerous journey that will take her from the East End of London's to Amsterdam’s murky red light district and into a violent underworld of sex trafficking, slavery and exploitation.
Download the first chapter of The Night Ferry• Shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award 2007
• Shortlisted UK Crime Writers Association Steel Dagger in 2007
'A vibrant and utterly contemporary new mystery... THE NIGHT FERRY is an altogether superior thriller: intelligent, morally concerned, skillfully told and deeply respectful of both its readers and its characters. It is what Graham Greene used to call "an entertainment," which is a fairly serious compliment.'
'Michael Robotham's THE NIGHT FERRY is wonderfully assured, with a pell-mell plot, smart prose and a strong, complex narrator...'
'In keeping with the opening sentence's invocation of Graham Greene, the author's terse, resonant prose hides more than it reveals. Readers will hope Robotham has many more books of this calibre in him.'
'...a mystery as twisted and slippery as an umbilical cord.'
'THE NIGHT FERRY is all about the human heart -- heart-stopping, heart-breaking and heart-wrenching.'
'It is more than Michael Robotham's characters that leap off the page; he writes in a voice with a haunting sense of soul that stays with you long after you have finished. He rightly deserves to be classed among the very best of British thriller writers.'
'A classic "noir" detective story...With its tight pace and such contemporary social themes as prostitution, infertility and trafficking, as well as an adrenaline-packed narrative, Robotham has crafted an enduring and unusual thriller.'
‘THE NIGHT FERRY is a big and complex crime novel. It is certainly an entertainment though it is hardly just that. It takes us deep into a set of humanitarian concerns by making us care about the characters involved. It is also deeply moving.'
‘In any tense he (Robotham) would rate as a writer with an eye for detail and great storytelling skills.'
THE NIGHT FERRY involves the murky world of sexual slavery and child brokering and possesses the qualities that readers are coming to expect from Robotham: an intricate plot, complex and interesting characters and a moral issue at the heart of the story.'
Chess seems an entirely appropriate metaphor for Robotham's outlook on fiction. He has not made a false move with THE NIGHT FERRY. As much as we anticipate what we think are his intentions, his beguiling capacity to lead us on results in us being checkmated - albeit ever so satisfyingly.'
'A woman's desperate desire to have a baby lies at the heart of this stunning runner-up Great Read, by an Australian author whose classy thrillers are earning him an international reputation.
‘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.'
'Robotham's third novel is a masterpiece of plot and character, of tension and ambiguous morality. How far should one go to create a family?'
(Book of the Month)
'Robotham pulls out all the stops on this one, with brilliant characters and a plot that grips you. Doesn't let go of you till you read the final chapter, either. First class.'
'Robotham's books are relentlessly fast-paced and he has a gift for fleshing out the character of a likeable and multifaceted protagonist in the midst of a narrative that starts at a sprint from the first line and doesn't flag until the last. If excellent characterisation, deft plotting and a light touch count for anything, Michael Robotham is a name that should be on all of our lips.'
'Michael Robotham continues his 'almost series' with a third thriller that simply reeks class... THE NIGHT FERRY is a thriller of tremendous depth and a triumph of emotion... that succeeds in making you think long and hard about the essential difference between legally right versus morally right.'
'Robotham did a great job giving a trustworthy description of Amsterdam with all it's dark sides. The main character Alisha gives colour and spirit to this great story. THE NIGHT FERRY has all the qualities to become a bestseller.'
'Robotham's research has really paid off... He takes his readers seriously and has written a book that is thrilling to the last page.'
