Tell Me Something True
the astounding book club mystery from the No.1 bestseller
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Tell Me Something True
Narrated by:
Stephen Shanahan
Pre-order for $29.74
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Shanahan
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By:
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Michael Robotham
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.
'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
'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
'A masterpiece. Not only my favourite Australian crime novel, but one of my favourite all-time books' J. P. POMARE
'This is the book Michael Robotham was born to write' MICHAEL CONNELLY©2026 Bookwrite Pty Ltd
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Critic Reviews
A compelling, devastating story about family and the long shadows of the past. Tell Me Something True is unforgettable (KARIN SLAUGHTER)
Tell Me Something True is 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)
This is Michael Robotham's masterpiece. From the first chapter, you know you are in the hands of a storyteller at the peak of his powers. It is tender, heartbreaking, beguiling, enraging, exhilarating and triumphant, sometimes all on the same page. An epic elegy of love, family, morality and justice that deserves to be showered with awards (CHRIS BROOKMYRE)
This is the book Michael Robotham was born to write. Tell Me Something True is a skilled anthropologic dig into the heart of the small town, its characters and motivations. In Robotham's hands the small becomes big in terms of showing how the ripple effects of crime move through us no matter where and how we live. This is a universal story (MICHAEL CONNELLY)
Emotional, startling and beautifully crafted; it brings small town Australia into your living room (VAL MCDERMID)
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)
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)
Tell Me Something True is 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)
A small town setting with an utterly absorbing atmosphere, unforgettable characters, a multi-layered mystery, beautiful prose - a flawless novel and my favourite book this year (ANDREA MARA)
Michael Robotham has at last turned his gift for psychologically complex crime novels on his own homeplace, and the result is a riveting, and chilling, look into the dark niches of Australian small-town life (GERALDINE BROOKS)
Most writers would be proud to produce, in their entire career, a book half as good as Tell Me Something True. I felt the same sense of excitement reading this book as I did when I picked up Michael's first novel, The Suspect. No one can touch him when it comes to infusing crime with character and heart (LINWOOD BARCLAY)
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