Bombproof    by Michael Robotham Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2010 (2008) Softcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson I'd been searching bookstores for this elusive new thriller by one of my favorite authors in the genre, Michael Robotham, and saved it as a grand finale to my holiday reading - the only disappointment was that it was over too fast. Though Robotham is never easy on his protagonists, he is particularly hard on young guitarist Sami Macbeth in Bombproof - later, after he becomes 'the most wanted man in Britain', Sami is told that he has 'the unfortunate ability to turn a desperate situation into a hopeless one' and the shoe fits. The novel begins with Sami's release from almost three years in jail for a diamond heist he didn't do. Unfortunately certain villains believe he 'had broken into the biggest, baddest safe in the world' and need the same skill set. So they addict Sami's beautiful nineteen-year-old sister Nadia to crack and, holding her hostage, demand that Sami do a job for them. In the meantime, the young man's parole officer, Miranda Wallace, asks her ex (with whom she's on good terms) Vincent Ruiz (a retired Detective Inspector who's starred in previous Robotham thrillers) to help find Sami's sister. As Sami careens from one desperate crisis to an even more hopeless one, Ruiz follows the trail, trying to help and collecting evidence, especially after he finds a connection to his old nemesis Ray Garza. All through the novel, it seems impossible that this will end well for Sami and the addicted Nadia, and it erupts in a crescendo of violence with Sami sought as an Islamic terrorist, after a London bombing and a hostage standoff in which he is involved. Fortunately, he has help from his girlfriend Kate and, as Ruiz muses, 'The kid is like Lazarus with a triple heart bypass.' Peter James calls Michael Robotham 'Among the very best of British thriller writers'. I agree and can't understand what delays his superb novels in reaching this side of the Atlantic. Bombproof is not to be missed by any thriller fan. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews