Tell Me Something True

'This novel and its characters will stay with me forever. I ached, cried, and laughed and it felt like I bled right along with them. No one will ever forge a flawless novel, but with Tell Me Something True, Robotham has gotten as close to it as I've ever seen' DAVID BALDACCI The astonishing, emotional epic from Michael Robotham: a mystery, a coming-of-age tale and a love story wrapped into one, set against the simmering tensions of a small Australian town. I look along the road and notice how many people are standing outside their houses or watching from doorways and windows. Staring. Studying. 'Do you think this town will ever forgive me?' I ask. 'Not in a million years.' Small towns are quick to anger and slow to forgive, but Arlo Hackett doesn't expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road. The last time Arlo was home, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime and Arlo was found guilty by association. His return to the former goldrush town is like cracking open a time capsule full of hatred and violence, along with memories of the people he loved - the ones he couldn't save. Yulara wants Arlo gone, or worse, but every insult and humiliation pushes him to confront what really happened all those years ago. The truth will shock you, surprise you, and break your heart. 'A profoundly rich and heartbreaking novel about the singular endurance of love in all its forms, even through unthinkable and compounding tragedies. Michael Robotham demonstrates uncommon insight into the suffering and survival of a family devastated by murder and its myriad aftermaths. Here is a master storyteller reminding us that hope is more powerful than grief' JEANINE CUMMINS author of American Dirt 'A compelling, devastating story about family and the long shadows of the past. Tell Me Something True is unforgettable' KARIN SLAUGHTER 'My book of the year. This compelling, intriguing and entertaining masterpiece examines the conscience of a whole town and should win every award going. Genius' LIZ NUGENT 'Emotional, startling and beautifully crafted; it brings small town Australia into your living room' VAL MCDERMID 'Most writers would be proud to produce, in their entire career, a book half as good as Tell Me Something True. No one can touch him when it comes to infusing crime with character and heart' LINWOOD BARCLAY 'One of the best books I've read all year - beautifully written, moving and propels you to a devastating ending' AJAY CHOWDHURY 'Michael Robotham's masterpiece. An epic elegy of love, family, morality and justice. It is tender, heartbreaking, beguiling, enraging, exhilarating and triumphant' CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'A triumph. A gripping page-turner with a vivid sense of place, impeccably drawn characters, a plot you can't second guess, and real emotional punch. I loved it' CHRIS CHIBNALL creator of Broadchurch

Before becoming a novelist, Michael Robotham was a feature writer and investigative reporter working in Britain, Australia and America, and with clinical and forensic psychologists as they helped police investigate complex, psychologically driven crimes. 2024 marked the 20-year anniversary of the publication of his debut thriller, The Suspect, which introduced clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin, sold more than a million copies around the world and is now a major TV series starring Aidan Turner on ABC TV. Michael's standalone thriller The Secrets She Keeps was adapted for TV by Network 10 and the BBC. Michael is the only Australian to twice win the UK's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel, for Life Or Death and Good Girl, Bad Girl as well as the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for When She Was Good. Lying Beside You was shortlisted for the Australian Crime Writers Association's Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2023. Storm Child, his fourth novel in the globally bestselling Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series, was a No. 1 national bestseller in Australia. It was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2025. The White Crow, published in 2025, is the second book in his Philomena McCarthy series, following on from the internationally bestselling When You Are Mine. Arlo's story, at the centre of Michael Robotham's 20th novel, Tell Me Something True, has held a special place in his heart since he first dreamt of becoming a writer. Four decades later, he's ready to share it with readers for the first time. Michael lives in Sydney.