What do you think?
Rate this book
Tell Me Something True
Not yet published
Expected 29 Sep 26'My book of the year. A compelling, intriguing and entertaining masterpiece' LIZ NUGENT
'Emotional, startling, beautifully crafted' VAL MCDERMID
'Most writers would be proud to produce a book half as good as Tell Me Something True' LINWOOD BARCLAY
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 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.
'Emotional, startling, beautifully crafted' VAL MCDERMID
'Most writers would be proud to produce a book half as good as Tell Me Something True' LINWOOD BARCLAY
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 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.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 29, 2026
3 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Michael Robotham
58 books7,380 followersTwo-times Gold Dagger winner (2015 and 2020), twice Edgar best novel finalist (2016 and 2020) and winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (2021), Michael Robotham was born in Australia in November 1960 and grew up in small country towns that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.
For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers and magazines in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first people to view the letters and diaries of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra, unearthed in the Moscow State Archives in 1991. He also gained access to Stalin’s Hitler files, which had been missing for nearly fifty years until a cleaner stumbled upon a cardboard box that had been misplaced and misfiled.
In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and showbusiness personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles have been bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.
His first novel 'THE SUSPECT', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries.
Since then, Michael's psychological thrillers have been translated into twenty-five languages and his Joe O'Loughlin series is are currently in development for TV by World Productions. A six-part TV series based upon his standalone novel THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS was aired on BBC1 in 2020, and a second series begins filming in 2021.
Michael lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
For the next fourteen years he worked for newspapers and magazines in Australia, Europe, Africa and America. As a senior feature writer for the UK’s Mail on Sunday he was among the first people to view the letters and diaries of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra, unearthed in the Moscow State Archives in 1991. He also gained access to Stalin’s Hitler files, which had been missing for nearly fifty years until a cleaner stumbled upon a cardboard box that had been misplaced and misfiled.
In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and showbusiness personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles have been bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.
His first novel 'THE SUSPECT', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries.
Since then, Michael's psychological thrillers have been translated into twenty-five languages and his Joe O'Loughlin series is are currently in development for TV by World Productions. A six-part TV series based upon his standalone novel THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS was aired on BBC1 in 2020, and a second series begins filming in 2021.
Michael lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Tell Me Something True is a haunting, deeply human story about guilt, memory, and the way a small town can hold on to its anger long after the facts have faded. From the moment Arlo Hackett steps back into Yulara after twelve years in prison, the air feels charged — heavy with old grudges, unspoken accusations, and the kind of silence that says more than words ever could. The image of people watching from doorways and windows, studying him like a returning ghost, sets the tone perfectly.
Arlo is a character who carries his past like a bruise, tender and unhealed. His return isn’t triumphant or hopeful; it’s raw, uncomfortable, and painfully honest. The town hasn’t forgotten what happened to his brother, and it certainly hasn’t forgiven Arlo for being part of the story, even if he was never the one on trial. That tension — between who he was, who he is, and who the town insists he must be — gives the novel a quiet, relentless pull.
The setting is beautifully rendered, full of dust, heat, and the lingering echoes of the goldrush era. Yulara feels both expansive and suffocating, a place where the landscape stretches for miles but the past presses in close. As Arlo begins to confront what really happened all those years ago, the narrative deepens into something tender and devastating. The truth that emerges is layered, surprising, and emotionally charged, reshaping everything you thought you understood about the crime, the town, and Arlo himself.
This is a story about the weight of reputation, the cruelty of collective memory, and the fragile hope of redemption. It’s gripping not because of twists, but because of its emotional honesty — the way it captures a man trying to reclaim his life in a place determined to deny him that chance.
A beautifully written, quietly powerful novel that lingers long after the final page, and one that will break your heart in all the right ways.
With thanks to Michael Robotham, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Arlo is a character who carries his past like a bruise, tender and unhealed. His return isn’t triumphant or hopeful; it’s raw, uncomfortable, and painfully honest. The town hasn’t forgotten what happened to his brother, and it certainly hasn’t forgiven Arlo for being part of the story, even if he was never the one on trial. That tension — between who he was, who he is, and who the town insists he must be — gives the novel a quiet, relentless pull.
The setting is beautifully rendered, full of dust, heat, and the lingering echoes of the goldrush era. Yulara feels both expansive and suffocating, a place where the landscape stretches for miles but the past presses in close. As Arlo begins to confront what really happened all those years ago, the narrative deepens into something tender and devastating. The truth that emerges is layered, surprising, and emotionally charged, reshaping everything you thought you understood about the crime, the town, and Arlo himself.
This is a story about the weight of reputation, the cruelty of collective memory, and the fragile hope of redemption. It’s gripping not because of twists, but because of its emotional honesty — the way it captures a man trying to reclaim his life in a place determined to deny him that chance.
A beautifully written, quietly powerful novel that lingers long after the final page, and one that will break your heart in all the right ways.
With thanks to Michael Robotham, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Tell Me Something True is the new novel by Michael Robotham that is one of the best books I have read this year. A haunting, emotional look at the “small-town justice” that thrives in the isolated waypoints of Australia’s Great Southern Road.
Arlo Hackett is returning to his hometown of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison. Arlo isn’t looking for forgiveness, he was sent away not for his own crime, but because he was found “guilty by association” when his brother, Luke, was charged with an unspeakable act.
The towns inhabitants are not going to forgive easily and the novel is full of tension. The town doesn’t just want Arlo to leave; they want him destroyed. Every insult and humiliation he endures becomes a catalyst, pushing him closer to the one thing the town wants to keep buried: the truth about what happened twelve years ago. This is a moving story that narrates Arlo’s internal struggle, haunted by memories of the people he loved and, more painfully, the ones he couldn’t save. Yulara is a place where the past isn’t just a memory, it’s a living, breathing entity that dictates who lives and who suffers.
This is a novel full of tension, emotion and plenty of atmosphere. A mystery that unravels to reveal what Arlo’s brother actually did, and why Arlo took the fall for it.
“Arlo Hackett went to prison to protect a memory, but he returned to Yulara to burn the lies to the ground.”
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Books Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Arlo Hackett is returning to his hometown of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison. Arlo isn’t looking for forgiveness, he was sent away not for his own crime, but because he was found “guilty by association” when his brother, Luke, was charged with an unspeakable act.
The towns inhabitants are not going to forgive easily and the novel is full of tension. The town doesn’t just want Arlo to leave; they want him destroyed. Every insult and humiliation he endures becomes a catalyst, pushing him closer to the one thing the town wants to keep buried: the truth about what happened twelve years ago. This is a moving story that narrates Arlo’s internal struggle, haunted by memories of the people he loved and, more painfully, the ones he couldn’t save. Yulara is a place where the past isn’t just a memory, it’s a living, breathing entity that dictates who lives and who suffers.
This is a novel full of tension, emotion and plenty of atmosphere. A mystery that unravels to reveal what Arlo’s brother actually did, and why Arlo took the fall for it.
“Arlo Hackett went to prison to protect a memory, but he returned to Yulara to burn the lies to the ground.”
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Books Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a fabulous read this is. Set in Australia and following two timelines this is a story about sacrifice, redemption, love and small town secrets.
A beautifully written vividly portrayed story exploring the murder of a child years earlier and its affect on the community and families affected. But, looking deeper we discover that assumptions can be wrong.
Thoroughly enjoyable!
A beautifully written vividly portrayed story exploring the murder of a child years earlier and its affect on the community and families affected. But, looking deeper we discover that assumptions can be wrong.
Thoroughly enjoyable!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I will be very surprised if I read a better book this year. Astonishingly good.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Absolutely loved this, best book of the year so far: first book by this author and off to get more. Everything you want in a mysterious thriller full of emotion and suspense
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews