June 2022 Newsletter

ONCE UPON A TIME, a long time ago I promised that readers who signed up to my newsletter wouldn’t be bombarded with missives from me. Given that my last newsletter was in March 2017, I think I’ve kept my word.             Some of you may actually have forgotten even signing up, or will wonder, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ That’s why we have Google – you can look me up.             A lot has happened since I last wrote.  We’ve been through a pandemic, a war in Europe, surging inflation, closed borders, and three more series of Stranger Things. I have also written five books – and let’s face it – you’d all rather I write books than newsletters.             Let’s get on with the latest.   BOOK NEWS   HERE IT IS - The latest in the Cyrus and Evie series. Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven's family was murdered and only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer. Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood. As he prepares for the homecoming, Cyrus is called to a crime scene in Nottingham. A man is dead and his daughter, Maya, is missing. When a second woman is abducted, the only witness is Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with a gift for knowing when people are lying. Both missing women have dark secrets that Cyrus must unravel to find them - and he and Evie know how the past can come back to haunt you . . . Published in the UK (June 23), Australia (June 29), New Zealand (June 29). I don’t have the exact dates for other territories, but here are some of the other likely release dates. Germany – December 2022 Netherlands - September 2022 Canada –  January 2023 USA – January 2023 (More translations will follow.) PRE-ORDER IT HERE   And some early praise:   'Michael Robotham is one of the most accomplished thriller writers in the world right now. Superbly paced, intricately plotted and packed with characters that leap off the page. Sensational'   M.W. CRAVEN (Author of The Puppet Show)   'The sort of thriller that pins you to your seat until you've finished it: a proper heart-pounding mystery with unforgettable characters and compelling twists'  JANE CASEY (Author of The Cutting Place)   'I loved Lying Beside You. Michael Robotham is such a wonderfully perceptive writer; rich, real characters who are constantly surprising . . . I could read about these two forever' ALEX MARWOOD (Author of The Wicked Girls)   ‘When are you going to write a romance?’ AUTHOR’S MOTHER   ‘Have you cleaned the gutters?’ AUTHOR’S WIFE   TOURING DATES After two years of being trapped in the Cabana of Cruelty (my writing room), I’m finally be allowed out to tour LYING BESIDE YOU. The full details are available here (and will be updated as more dates are finalised.) Australia There will be events in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra and many places in between.   New Zealand In September, I’ll be touring in New Zealand with the incomparable Val McDermid and the young gun J.P Pomare. The dates to be announced.   United Kingdom And I’ll be appearing at Capital Crime in London on September 30, with more UK dates to be announced.   Europe Dates to be confirmed. FILM AND TV NEWS   THE SUSPECT It is now twenty years my first novel THE SUSPECT triggered a bidding war at the London Book Fair. In the space of three-hours, the partial manuscript, sold into more than twenty translations and I fulfilled my life-long dream of becoming a full-time writer. The TV writes were also snapped up and since then there have been multiple attempts to bring clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin to the big or small screen. That wait is now over. In September (or thereabouts) the five-part adaption of THE SUSPECT will screen on ITV in the UK and on networks and streaming services around the world. Written by Peter Berry and produced by Jake Lushington, the series has been made by World Productions whose track record is phenomenal. They were the team behind LINE OF DUTY, BODYGUARD, VIGIL, THE BLETCHEY CIRCLE and SHOWTRIAL.  THE SUSPECT stars Aidan Turner as you've never seen him before. Aidan set hearts aflutter as Ross Poldark in the POLDARK series and as Kili, the handsome dwarf in THE HOBBIT movies, but as Joe O’Loughlin he plays a darker, more troubled character, whose perfect world begins to unravel when a young woman is found buried in a shallow grave.  And in case you’re wondering – here are a few of the other lead actors in the series. VINCENT RUIZ is being played by Shaun Parkes (SMALL AXE) and Sian Clifford (FLEABAG) will play Julianne, Joe's wife.   THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS (PART 2) By now, hopefully most of you will have watched this gripping six-part psychological drama about two pregnant women, both due at the same time, whose lives collide in the most dramatic of ways.   The series proved hugely popular, streaming around the world, and became one of the most watched shows on the BBC in 2020.  As a result, there is now a second series made for Network 10 by Lingo Pictures. Given that I only wrote the one novel featuring Agatha and Megan, the new series had to be created from scratch. I was involved in story-boarding and have dipped my toe into the screenwriting pool. Season two of THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS kicks off from where we left these captivating characters in last year’s finale; after kidnapping baby Ben and passing him off as her own, Agatha was arrested after Meghan bravely confronted her to retrieve her newborn. But what about Meghan’s own secret? Who is Ben’s father? And what of Jack’s infidelity? This story is only beginning.       TEASER And I will have news soon about the TV rights for WHEN YOU ARE MINE, which created big interest in the UK and Australia.   WHAT I'VE BEEN READING The supremely talented Don Winslow has announced his shock retirement from writing having written a brilliant new trilogy that begins with CITY ON FIRE. Painted on a huge canvas, this is Godfather meets The Illiad in a gangster love story that sends criminal dynasties to war with each other. Can’t wait for books two and three.   WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING   The fourth series of STRANGER THINGS. Silly and escapist and much scarier than the earlier outings.   WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO   LIAR, LIAR. Australia’s finest investigative journalist, Kate McClymont, takes a deep dive into the mind and murky dealings of serial con-artist Melissa Caddick, who stole millions from friends and family.   The brilliant singer-writer Ben Abraham has finally released an album FRIENDLY FIRE. What a voice!!