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Tell Me Something True
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, so Arlo Hackett doesn’t expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara. 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.
‘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, so Arlo Hackett doesn’t expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara. 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.
360 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2026
About the author
Michael Robotham
56 books7,673 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*4.5 stars *
Arlo Hackett doesn’t expect much of a welcome after his 12 year prison sentence, because the former goldrush town of Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road, is a community where memories are long and grudges even longer.
Twelve years ago, Arlo’s brother, Luke, was charged with a terrible crime, and Arlo was found guilty by association.
Yulara doesn’t want Arlo here, which leads to much animosity and violence, but the more he suffers, the more determined he is to get to the truth of what really happened on that tragic night, because he’s not totally convinced that the truth has been revealed.
This is a beautifully written, emotionally charged story, where the characters are so vividly portrayed that it’s difficult not to feel their emotions. Though something of a slow burn at times, it was nevertheless, tense and atmospheric, - it took 20 years for Mr Robotham to share this story with the world - I’m so glad he did!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Arlo Hackett doesn’t expect much of a welcome after his 12 year prison sentence, because the former goldrush town of Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road, is a community where memories are long and grudges even longer.
Twelve years ago, Arlo’s brother, Luke, was charged with a terrible crime, and Arlo was found guilty by association.
Yulara doesn’t want Arlo here, which leads to much animosity and violence, but the more he suffers, the more determined he is to get to the truth of what really happened on that tragic night, because he’s not totally convinced that the truth has been revealed.
This is a beautifully written, emotionally charged story, where the characters are so vividly portrayed that it’s difficult not to feel their emotions. Though something of a slow burn at times, it was nevertheless, tense and atmospheric, - it took 20 years for Mr Robotham to share this story with the world - I’m so glad he did!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
September 27, 2026
This is a slow-burn, tense and atmospheric mystery thriller that takes its time building the story and the tension.
We follow Arlo Hackett, who is released from prison after twelve years and returns to his home town of Yulara. His brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime, while Arlo was found guilty by association. He isn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome when he returns, but with his mother having suffered a stroke and the family home needing to be sold, he has no real choice.
But going back brings everything back with it.
Arlo wants to peel back the layers and find out what really happened on that fateful day when Saxon was killed. The story moves between the past and present through a dual timeline, slowly giving us more pieces of what happened and keeping plenty back along the way. I liked having the two timelines because it meant we were constantly learning something new about the characters and the events that led them here.
Arlo really stood out to me. After twelve years in prison, coming back to the place where everything fell apart was never going to be easy, and you can feel the weight of what he has been carrying. His relationship with Luke adds another layer to the story, while Saxon remains at the centre of everything, even when she isn’t there.
The writing is atmospheric without being overdone. Robotham takes his time with the setting and the characters, creating that feeling of a small town where everyone knows your business and the past is never quite left behind. There’s tension running underneath the story, even during the slower parts.
Although this is a mystery thriller, there is much more going on than simply trying to work out what happened. Family, guilt, loyalty, grief, love and the consequences of one terrible event are all woven into the story.
And I found the history of this book fascinating.
This was actually the first book Michael Robotham ever wrote. He started it when he was just twenty-two, and it then spent decades sitting in a drawer. He later went back to it and rewrote and reimagined it with all the experience he had gained as an established author.
I think that makes this book quite special. Imagine writing your first novel at twenty-two, putting it away, and then decades later deciding to bring those characters and that story back to life. There must have been something about this story that Michael Robotham never quite let go of.
What stood out for me was the atmosphere, the characters and the way the truth slowly comes together. This isn’t a fast-paced thriller where everything happens at once. It takes its time, builds the tension and lets the story unfold.
A slow-burn mystery with plenty of secrets, emotion and unanswered questions, Tell Me Something True is a story about the past, the people left behind by it, and finally trying to uncover what really happened.
And after decades in a drawer, it finally got its chance to be told.
Thank you, NetGalley, Sphere, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Michael Robotham for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: 29 September 2026
We follow Arlo Hackett, who is released from prison after twelve years and returns to his home town of Yulara. His brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime, while Arlo was found guilty by association. He isn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome when he returns, but with his mother having suffered a stroke and the family home needing to be sold, he has no real choice.
But going back brings everything back with it.
Arlo wants to peel back the layers and find out what really happened on that fateful day when Saxon was killed. The story moves between the past and present through a dual timeline, slowly giving us more pieces of what happened and keeping plenty back along the way. I liked having the two timelines because it meant we were constantly learning something new about the characters and the events that led them here.
Arlo really stood out to me. After twelve years in prison, coming back to the place where everything fell apart was never going to be easy, and you can feel the weight of what he has been carrying. His relationship with Luke adds another layer to the story, while Saxon remains at the centre of everything, even when she isn’t there.
The writing is atmospheric without being overdone. Robotham takes his time with the setting and the characters, creating that feeling of a small town where everyone knows your business and the past is never quite left behind. There’s tension running underneath the story, even during the slower parts.
Although this is a mystery thriller, there is much more going on than simply trying to work out what happened. Family, guilt, loyalty, grief, love and the consequences of one terrible event are all woven into the story.
And I found the history of this book fascinating.
This was actually the first book Michael Robotham ever wrote. He started it when he was just twenty-two, and it then spent decades sitting in a drawer. He later went back to it and rewrote and reimagined it with all the experience he had gained as an established author.
I think that makes this book quite special. Imagine writing your first novel at twenty-two, putting it away, and then decades later deciding to bring those characters and that story back to life. There must have been something about this story that Michael Robotham never quite let go of.
What stood out for me was the atmosphere, the characters and the way the truth slowly comes together. This isn’t a fast-paced thriller where everything happens at once. It takes its time, builds the tension and lets the story unfold.
A slow-burn mystery with plenty of secrets, emotion and unanswered questions, Tell Me Something True is a story about the past, the people left behind by it, and finally trying to uncover what really happened.
And after decades in a drawer, it finally got its chance to be told.
Thank you, NetGalley, Sphere, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Michael Robotham for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: 29 September 2026
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Oh my gosh I am still thinking about this book that I finished quite a while ago. I’m afraid that my review won’t do it justice - IT’S THAT GOOD!! Hard to believe that the draft for this book had languished in his desk drawer for years - apparently trying to convince himself and the publisher that people really do want to read books set in Australia!!
The novel is set in the small Australian town of Yulara. Arlo Hackett has served 12 years in prison for murder “by association”, he didn’t kill the victim but his brother Luke was charged with murder.
No one in the town wants him there, they don’t want to forgive him. He is there because his mother is ill and he needs to sell her house etc. He also wants to prove that Luke didn’t commit this crime and to clear his name and his own.
Arlo is haunted by memories of those that he loved that are dead and by those that he couldn’t save. He will suffer lots of anger and humiliation from the townspeople but it begins to be a driving force for him to discover what truly happened that fateful day.
The novel is taut with tension and alive with human feelings of grief, depression, sorrow but also in the end hope for the future.
Go into this one blind and you will be immersed in the atmosphere and this story in no time. In the end I didn’t want to let these characters go. The beginning is a bit of a slow burn but picks up quickly by 30% or so.
This was an exciting buddy read with Debra and Mary Beth. Be sure to check out their great reviews.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this title
The novel is set in the small Australian town of Yulara. Arlo Hackett has served 12 years in prison for murder “by association”, he didn’t kill the victim but his brother Luke was charged with murder.
No one in the town wants him there, they don’t want to forgive him. He is there because his mother is ill and he needs to sell her house etc. He also wants to prove that Luke didn’t commit this crime and to clear his name and his own.
Arlo is haunted by memories of those that he loved that are dead and by those that he couldn’t save. He will suffer lots of anger and humiliation from the townspeople but it begins to be a driving force for him to discover what truly happened that fateful day.
The novel is taut with tension and alive with human feelings of grief, depression, sorrow but also in the end hope for the future.
Go into this one blind and you will be immersed in the atmosphere and this story in no time. In the end I didn’t want to let these characters go. The beginning is a bit of a slow burn but picks up quickly by 30% or so.
This was an exciting buddy read with Debra and Mary Beth. Be sure to check out their great reviews.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this title
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Atmospheric, gripping, tension filled, and heartbreaking, Michael Robotham delivered a powerful and moving book with Tell Me Something True. This book builds slowly as readers are introduced to the characters and their plight. Small towns can be wonderful in that everyone knows your name. But small towns also come with long memories and at times can be harsh in their judgement. Man, this book sucked me in, spit me out, and broke my heart in the process. The characters in Tell Me Something True are fully fleshed out and wonderfully drawn. Michael Robotham did a wonderful job of creating characters that I cared about, that I rooted for, that I cried for, and those I loathed and despised. Plus, the vivid descriptions of the town, the river, the countryside, and Arlo's mother's home were outstanding.
Arlo Hackett has been released from a twelve-year prison sentence and has returned to his hometown to judgement, anger, hostility and finger pointing. Twelve years earlier his brother, Luke was charged with killing, Saxon, a teenage girl who had been staying with Arlo, Luke and their mother. Arlo was charged as an accessory to the murder which Arlo knew his gentle and loving brother; Luke would never commit. Luke arrives home to find that his mother is in a nursing home after having a stroke, and he gets busy fixing her home for sale. While fixing up his mother's home, he reunites with his former girlfriend, Helen, and tries his best to stay out of trouble. But that is hard when trouble comes looking for you! As Arlo tries to find out the truth about what happened in the past, readers are taken on a trip down Arlo's memory lane. I found this to be a nice and moving touch!
I loved how this book looks at love, family, friendship, misuse of power, secrets, and loss. This book is a coming-of-age story, a love story and a mystery crime novel. This book is beautifully written, well thought out, and moving. I was feeling all kinds of emotions while reading this book. I also liked how the author showed how blame is placed - both by an individual who feels guilty about not protecting those he loves and how a community can place blame on someone. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of this book.
*A Wonderful buddy read with Dorie - Cats&Books :) and Mary Beth! Please read their reviews to get their thoughts on Tell Me Something True!
Thank you to Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Crime and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Arlo Hackett has been released from a twelve-year prison sentence and has returned to his hometown to judgement, anger, hostility and finger pointing. Twelve years earlier his brother, Luke was charged with killing, Saxon, a teenage girl who had been staying with Arlo, Luke and their mother. Arlo was charged as an accessory to the murder which Arlo knew his gentle and loving brother; Luke would never commit. Luke arrives home to find that his mother is in a nursing home after having a stroke, and he gets busy fixing her home for sale. While fixing up his mother's home, he reunites with his former girlfriend, Helen, and tries his best to stay out of trouble. But that is hard when trouble comes looking for you! As Arlo tries to find out the truth about what happened in the past, readers are taken on a trip down Arlo's memory lane. I found this to be a nice and moving touch!
I loved how this book looks at love, family, friendship, misuse of power, secrets, and loss. This book is a coming-of-age story, a love story and a mystery crime novel. This book is beautifully written, well thought out, and moving. I was feeling all kinds of emotions while reading this book. I also liked how the author showed how blame is placed - both by an individual who feels guilty about not protecting those he loves and how a community can place blame on someone. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of this book.
*A Wonderful buddy read with Dorie - Cats&Books :) and Mary Beth! Please read their reviews to get their thoughts on Tell Me Something True!
Thank you to Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Crime and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
At last! A Michael Robotham book set in Australia instead of the UK. And doesn't he do it well! I hope he means to do more.
Arlo Hackett returns to his old home town after spending twelve years in prison. It is a small country town where the residents do not forgive easily and he finds trouble very quickly. The story is told in the two time periods of now and then when Arlo and his brother Luke were growing up. They are young men when a girl called Saxon comes into their lives.
Everything about this book is perfect - the descriptions of the countryside, the characterisation, the pacing, and the mystery. I found myself becoming totally absorbed by the characters and feeling so sad for Arlo, angry at the reactions of the residents, drawn towards Luke with his special outlook on life and as for Saxon - well you must read the book.
I believe I have read all of this author's books and this one is up there with the very best of them. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Arlo Hackett returns to his old home town after spending twelve years in prison. It is a small country town where the residents do not forgive easily and he finds trouble very quickly. The story is told in the two time periods of now and then when Arlo and his brother Luke were growing up. They are young men when a girl called Saxon comes into their lives.
Everything about this book is perfect - the descriptions of the countryside, the characterisation, the pacing, and the mystery. I found myself becoming totally absorbed by the characters and feeling so sad for Arlo, angry at the reactions of the residents, drawn towards Luke with his special outlook on life and as for Saxon - well you must read the book.
I believe I have read all of this author's books and this one is up there with the very best of them. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5★
"Silence on the drive home. Helen’s face lit by the headlights of oncoming cars. Pale. Smudged with mascara. She looks hollowed out. Exhausted.
‘It was a mistake coming back here,’ I say.
‘It’s only been a few days.’
‘Small towns have long memories.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘My prison shrink.’
‘You had a therapist?’
‘It came with the package.’"
Released on parole after 12 years in prison, Arlo Hackett is being driven home by Helen, his former girlfriend, after he's been beaten up in his old hometown. She is one of the few people in Yulara who hasn't either avoided him or wanted to punch him.
He was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder. Although the accusation itself wasn't true, he felt that morally he deserved the sentence. His younger brother was the one accused of the murder, and Arlo was his brother's keeper.
"You couldn’t tell by looking at him, unless you noticed the indentations. Luke had one of those faces you see in TV commercials – a little boy with big eyes and freckles, telling people he was a Weet-Bix kid.
‘Look after your brother,’ Mum always told me. ‘He’s different from everybody else.’
‘What do you mean different?’
‘A step behind.’"
This is Michael Robotham's first published novel set in his home country of Australia. The first draft was also the first novel he wrote, but it's been languishing in the bottom drawer for an awfully long time. He says all writers have one, don't they?
Years ago, publishers insisted the public wasn't interested in Australian books, so since he'd lived for a decade in the UK, he has set his many previous books there. I've just finished the last of his highly acclaimed 'Joe O'Loughlin' series, now also a major TV series.
Australia has had plenty of successful authors and crime writers (Peter Temple springs to mind), but I think it was Jane Harper's 2016 novel, The Dry, that caught readers around the world by surprise and launched a whole new genre of Outback Noir and Rural Noir, where the regional setting and landscape contribute another layer to the atmosphere.
Yulara is not the outback, but it is a typical small country town in regional New South Wales, similar to where Robotham grew up. It doesn't have much going for it at the moment.
"Yulara was a sleepy town, a conservative town, a town that flourished or faltered on the contents of a rainfall gauge."
It has the streets and landmarks I know well from so many country towns - historic buildings, churches, town hall, pubs, CWA (Country Women's Association) Hall, the showground – and an historic reason for its existence.
"The courthouse and the old jail date back to the gold-rush days, when an Italian prospector discovered a nugget at Spring Flat and the population of the town swelled from six hundred to five thousand. That boom only lasted eight years and left the surrounding hills pockmarked with mineshafts and red mounds of earth that broke more hearts than made men rich."
(We're still digging the place up, breaking hearts and making people rich who sell our raw materials overseas. But I digress.)
The book actually opens with a young man running, carrying a girl across his arms and stumbling through the rain into town and into the church, where he lays her on the step in front of the altar. Bit by bit, we learn who he was, who she was, and what the murder was to which Arlo was supposedly an accessory after the fact.
Arlo narrates in the first person, giving us not only his back story, but some of his mother's as well. Mary got pregnant to a fella on the train, but marriage was never an option. Married man? Arlo used to ask, but she never said.
Some years later, she marries a Vietnam vet and they have Luke. These characters, including Helen, revolve even later around 17-year-old Saxon Winacott, the independent and flirtatious daughter of a prominent local politician. She leaves home and is taken in by Mary, telling her sons (both working men now) they are to protect Saxon and help her finish high school.
Saxon is a wild character with eccentric traits that remind me of Robotham's other young women (Evie Cormac, Philomena McCarthy). The fact that he's got three grown daughters of his own may have inspired him to invent such lively girls.
Saxon's father is a formidable man, and one I'd know anywhere.
"Dressed in moleskin trousers, a chequered shirt and a battered Akubra, he was a big man, overweight, but muscled, like a sportsman gone to seed. Frank had played football in his youth and had a reputation as an enforcer, charging into every tackle, leading with a shoulder or knee or a forearm. Now he treated politics the same way."
He's not happy about Saxon leaving home, but she had her reasons. When tragedy strikes, people and the police are quick to judge what happened and why. "Witnesses" gossip about seeing a man rush into the church in the rain.
"These were snapshot memories, developed in the darkroom of their minds. Changeable. Unreliable."
Robotham is always a joy to read. I find his characters grow on me until I have to know what's going to happen to them, and what started as a simple story gets more complicated as new facts are discovered.
His descriptions are spot-on.
"His face is so pockmarked with acne scars that he looks like a chewed pencil.
. . .
a tall, gangly academic who seemed to be made from pipe-cleaners and tweed.
. . .
He weighs barely a hundred pounds, held together by phlegm and gristle." [a hospital patient]
It's so good to see him adding such an atmospheric Aussie story to his bookshelf… not that there's anything wrong with the other nineteen!
Thanks to #NetGalley and both Grove Atlantic and Little Brown/Sphere for the preview of #TellMeSomethingTrue.
[Quotes are from preview copy and may have changed in the final publication.]
"Silence on the drive home. Helen’s face lit by the headlights of oncoming cars. Pale. Smudged with mascara. She looks hollowed out. Exhausted.
‘It was a mistake coming back here,’ I say.
‘It’s only been a few days.’
‘Small towns have long memories.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘My prison shrink.’
‘You had a therapist?’
‘It came with the package.’"
Released on parole after 12 years in prison, Arlo Hackett is being driven home by Helen, his former girlfriend, after he's been beaten up in his old hometown. She is one of the few people in Yulara who hasn't either avoided him or wanted to punch him.
He was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder. Although the accusation itself wasn't true, he felt that morally he deserved the sentence. His younger brother was the one accused of the murder, and Arlo was his brother's keeper.
"You couldn’t tell by looking at him, unless you noticed the indentations. Luke had one of those faces you see in TV commercials – a little boy with big eyes and freckles, telling people he was a Weet-Bix kid.
‘Look after your brother,’ Mum always told me. ‘He’s different from everybody else.’
‘What do you mean different?’
‘A step behind.’"
This is Michael Robotham's first published novel set in his home country of Australia. The first draft was also the first novel he wrote, but it's been languishing in the bottom drawer for an awfully long time. He says all writers have one, don't they?
Years ago, publishers insisted the public wasn't interested in Australian books, so since he'd lived for a decade in the UK, he has set his many previous books there. I've just finished the last of his highly acclaimed 'Joe O'Loughlin' series, now also a major TV series.
Australia has had plenty of successful authors and crime writers (Peter Temple springs to mind), but I think it was Jane Harper's 2016 novel, The Dry, that caught readers around the world by surprise and launched a whole new genre of Outback Noir and Rural Noir, where the regional setting and landscape contribute another layer to the atmosphere.
Yulara is not the outback, but it is a typical small country town in regional New South Wales, similar to where Robotham grew up. It doesn't have much going for it at the moment.
"Yulara was a sleepy town, a conservative town, a town that flourished or faltered on the contents of a rainfall gauge."
It has the streets and landmarks I know well from so many country towns - historic buildings, churches, town hall, pubs, CWA (Country Women's Association) Hall, the showground – and an historic reason for its existence.
"The courthouse and the old jail date back to the gold-rush days, when an Italian prospector discovered a nugget at Spring Flat and the population of the town swelled from six hundred to five thousand. That boom only lasted eight years and left the surrounding hills pockmarked with mineshafts and red mounds of earth that broke more hearts than made men rich."
(We're still digging the place up, breaking hearts and making people rich who sell our raw materials overseas. But I digress.)
The book actually opens with a young man running, carrying a girl across his arms and stumbling through the rain into town and into the church, where he lays her on the step in front of the altar. Bit by bit, we learn who he was, who she was, and what the murder was to which Arlo was supposedly an accessory after the fact.
Arlo narrates in the first person, giving us not only his back story, but some of his mother's as well. Mary got pregnant to a fella on the train, but marriage was never an option. Married man? Arlo used to ask, but she never said.
Some years later, she marries a Vietnam vet and they have Luke. These characters, including Helen, revolve even later around 17-year-old Saxon Winacott, the independent and flirtatious daughter of a prominent local politician. She leaves home and is taken in by Mary, telling her sons (both working men now) they are to protect Saxon and help her finish high school.
Saxon is a wild character with eccentric traits that remind me of Robotham's other young women (Evie Cormac, Philomena McCarthy). The fact that he's got three grown daughters of his own may have inspired him to invent such lively girls.
Saxon's father is a formidable man, and one I'd know anywhere.
"Dressed in moleskin trousers, a chequered shirt and a battered Akubra, he was a big man, overweight, but muscled, like a sportsman gone to seed. Frank had played football in his youth and had a reputation as an enforcer, charging into every tackle, leading with a shoulder or knee or a forearm. Now he treated politics the same way."
He's not happy about Saxon leaving home, but she had her reasons. When tragedy strikes, people and the police are quick to judge what happened and why. "Witnesses" gossip about seeing a man rush into the church in the rain.
"These were snapshot memories, developed in the darkroom of their minds. Changeable. Unreliable."
Robotham is always a joy to read. I find his characters grow on me until I have to know what's going to happen to them, and what started as a simple story gets more complicated as new facts are discovered.
His descriptions are spot-on.
"His face is so pockmarked with acne scars that he looks like a chewed pencil.
. . .
a tall, gangly academic who seemed to be made from pipe-cleaners and tweed.
. . .
He weighs barely a hundred pounds, held together by phlegm and gristle." [a hospital patient]
It's so good to see him adding such an atmospheric Aussie story to his bookshelf… not that there's anything wrong with the other nineteen!
Thanks to #NetGalley and both Grove Atlantic and Little Brown/Sphere for the preview of #TellMeSomethingTrue.
[Quotes are from preview copy and may have changed in the final publication.]
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I asked ChatGPT for recommendations and fed it my read books, it concluded that I have an affinity for character driven novels, where the mystery isn’t most important. I guess ChatGPT knows me better than I know myself, because it anticipated I would love Robotham’s coming novel.
This was such a complex, compelling and emotional journey, where I fell in love with the characters the more I got to know them. Luke was such an amazing man, with his intellectual disability and big heart. And the endless search for answers really drew me in, and I did feel the tragedy of the loss of the vibrant Saxon, as if she had been my friend. I liked how it all played out as well, and the blurred lines between good and bad were expertly navigated. The whole novel just pulled at all my emotional strings, and that is not a given.
Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my very honest opinion.
This was such a complex, compelling and emotional journey, where I fell in love with the characters the more I got to know them. Luke was such an amazing man, with his intellectual disability and big heart. And the endless search for answers really drew me in, and I did feel the tragedy of the loss of the vibrant Saxon, as if she had been my friend. I liked how it all played out as well, and the blurred lines between good and bad were expertly navigated. The whole novel just pulled at all my emotional strings, and that is not a given.
Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my very honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"You can't go home again." (Thomas Wolfe)
No Welcome mat at the door. No loving embrace. No familial gathering around the hearth.
Arlo Hackett faces the cold reality of what lies ahead for him. He's been recently paroled from prison after serving twelve years for a questionable crime. His train drops him off for the long walk to Yulara in the wilds of Australia. It's here that he will enter into an existence that tossed him out with not so much of a turn of the head. Setting foot in this town will only stoke those flames that never went out.
Arlo is determined to visit his mother, Mary, who now resides in a nursing home with dementia. He enters the family home that is in much decline. Arlo decides to fix it up and then sell the home in order to provide for his mother's long-term care. But this unforgiving town has other plans.
Arlo is chased through the town by men on motorbikes. Graffiti is splashed across the side of the house. A town gathering sets its eyes on eliminating Arlo. But Arlo's childhood friend, Helen, steps up to defend him. Arlo eventually gets a job as a handyman at the nursing home thanks to Helen. But the splinters are still there and the hatred still seeps in.
Michael Robotham takes us back to 1988 when Arlo's family lived in more peaceful times. Mary worked as a housekeeper at the local rectory. Arlo was a sought after jack-of-all-trades. Luke, the younger brother, worked at a horse ranch tending the horses. Luke had mental challenges, but he was a diligent caregiver for those horses.
And the direction of the wind will change by one individual. Arlo comes across a teenage girl by the name of Saxon. Her father is a political figure as well as the owner of a vast ranch. Saxon begs Arlo to let her stay with the Hackett family. She thrives there, but Arlo will be targeted by Saxon's father Frank. The threads of this situation begin to fray.
And one disastrous night, Luke will be accused of murder. Arlo tries to protect his brother, but the police are having none of that. What transpires during this time period will be gut-wrenching. As readers, we will definitely be hunched over these pages with shaky hands. And the inevitable does become the inevitable.
Tell Me Something True dates back in time for Robotham. It's an original manuscript that sat for years in a bottom drawer. But like a diamond in the rough, this novel demanded its time to shine. I must tell you that once you read this one, you'll need to sit quietly with it. It's simply impactful. I liken Robotham's writing style at the time as akin to that of the talented Michael Farris Smith who writes novels of the hardships of Southern living in the day. (And that is a compliment of the highest level.) Do yourself a favor and grab this one. Bravo, Michael Robotham, just bravo.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Grove Atlantic and to the talented Michael Robotham for the opportunity.
No Welcome mat at the door. No loving embrace. No familial gathering around the hearth.
Arlo Hackett faces the cold reality of what lies ahead for him. He's been recently paroled from prison after serving twelve years for a questionable crime. His train drops him off for the long walk to Yulara in the wilds of Australia. It's here that he will enter into an existence that tossed him out with not so much of a turn of the head. Setting foot in this town will only stoke those flames that never went out.
Arlo is determined to visit his mother, Mary, who now resides in a nursing home with dementia. He enters the family home that is in much decline. Arlo decides to fix it up and then sell the home in order to provide for his mother's long-term care. But this unforgiving town has other plans.
Arlo is chased through the town by men on motorbikes. Graffiti is splashed across the side of the house. A town gathering sets its eyes on eliminating Arlo. But Arlo's childhood friend, Helen, steps up to defend him. Arlo eventually gets a job as a handyman at the nursing home thanks to Helen. But the splinters are still there and the hatred still seeps in.
Michael Robotham takes us back to 1988 when Arlo's family lived in more peaceful times. Mary worked as a housekeeper at the local rectory. Arlo was a sought after jack-of-all-trades. Luke, the younger brother, worked at a horse ranch tending the horses. Luke had mental challenges, but he was a diligent caregiver for those horses.
And the direction of the wind will change by one individual. Arlo comes across a teenage girl by the name of Saxon. Her father is a political figure as well as the owner of a vast ranch. Saxon begs Arlo to let her stay with the Hackett family. She thrives there, but Arlo will be targeted by Saxon's father Frank. The threads of this situation begin to fray.
And one disastrous night, Luke will be accused of murder. Arlo tries to protect his brother, but the police are having none of that. What transpires during this time period will be gut-wrenching. As readers, we will definitely be hunched over these pages with shaky hands. And the inevitable does become the inevitable.
Tell Me Something True dates back in time for Robotham. It's an original manuscript that sat for years in a bottom drawer. But like a diamond in the rough, this novel demanded its time to shine. I must tell you that once you read this one, you'll need to sit quietly with it. It's simply impactful. I liken Robotham's writing style at the time as akin to that of the talented Michael Farris Smith who writes novels of the hardships of Southern living in the day. (And that is a compliment of the highest level.) Do yourself a favor and grab this one. Bravo, Michael Robotham, just bravo.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Grove Atlantic and to the talented Michael Robotham for the opportunity.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Arlo Hackett returns to the small town of Yulara after serving a twelve year prison sentence for guilty by association, after his brother Luke is charged with a shocking crime. He does not expect to be welcomed home with open arms and indeed, he receives much hostility and some violence as his return has opened old wounds. It’s clear the town wants him gone. However, this has the opposite effect and spurs him on to confront the truth of what really happens years ago as his belief grows that it’s not what the authorities say. Is he right??
Michael Robotham effortlessly pulls me into this novel and makes me really care about Arlo and his brother Luke’s truth, whatever that may be. It’s a devastatingly emotional rollercoaster of a read and makes me angry and sad in equal measure. The storytelling effortlessly goes from the past to the present day (2001) and incorporates many themes, including love, family, guilt and redemption. Arlo tells the story and he does so with bravery and honesty and the end result is heart aching, heartbreaking and extremely powerful.
The author has written many excellent books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I hesitate to suggest that this might be his best one yet. It just goes to show that sometimes leaving something for 20 years, as he did with the initial manuscript, can in fact lead to something quite incredible.
It’s beautifully written and very moving as well as being atmospheric. The characterisation is exemplary and I can picture them all with ease. I root for some and despise others. It brims with tension emanating from a small town that is determined not to forgive or forget but which has more than its fair share of secrets which is which it is grimly holding onto.
Overall, I know it’s early days (April 2026) and I’ve read some amazing books so far this year, but I think this will be in my top five. It’s absolutely fantastic and one I can highly recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group/Sphere for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
Michael Robotham effortlessly pulls me into this novel and makes me really care about Arlo and his brother Luke’s truth, whatever that may be. It’s a devastatingly emotional rollercoaster of a read and makes me angry and sad in equal measure. The storytelling effortlessly goes from the past to the present day (2001) and incorporates many themes, including love, family, guilt and redemption. Arlo tells the story and he does so with bravery and honesty and the end result is heart aching, heartbreaking and extremely powerful.
The author has written many excellent books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I hesitate to suggest that this might be his best one yet. It just goes to show that sometimes leaving something for 20 years, as he did with the initial manuscript, can in fact lead to something quite incredible.
It’s beautifully written and very moving as well as being atmospheric. The characterisation is exemplary and I can picture them all with ease. I root for some and despise others. It brims with tension emanating from a small town that is determined not to forgive or forget but which has more than its fair share of secrets which is which it is grimly holding onto.
Overall, I know it’s early days (April 2026) and I’ve read some amazing books so far this year, but I think this will be in my top five. It’s absolutely fantastic and one I can highly recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group/Sphere for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
October 2, 2026
4.5 stars
‘My life had been worthless in prison and nothing has changed since my release. I'm a coward, a pariah and a marked man.’
Having never read Michael Robotham before, Tell Me Something True was not quite the crime novel I expected. While there is certainly a mystery at its heart, this is a story driven as much by emotion as investigation, exploring guilt, redemption and the long shadows cast by a single terrible night.
After serving 12 years in prison as an accessory after the fact to his brother Luke's crime, Arlo returns to the small town he once called home. Against everyone's advice, he hopes only to settle his affairs before leaving for good. But ‘Small towns have long memories’, and Arlo quickly discovers that although he has served his sentence, the people around him are unwilling to let him move on.
As Arlo spends more time back in the community, the events surrounding the crime begin to unravel. The more questions he asks about what really happened that fateful night, the clearer it becomes that no one is telling the complete truth.
‘...the message clear – until you see the whole picture, you only see part of the story.’
Arlo is a compassionate character whose unfailing decency sits in stark contrast to the reputation that now defines him. Although the suspense steadily builds throughout, this is far from a conventional procedural. Instead, the investigation becomes a vehicle for exploring grief, loyalty, family, and the danger of accepting a single version of the truth.
‘The greatest mysteries are sometimes hidden in the ordinary’.
‘My life had been worthless in prison and nothing has changed since my release. I'm a coward, a pariah and a marked man.’
Having never read Michael Robotham before, Tell Me Something True was not quite the crime novel I expected. While there is certainly a mystery at its heart, this is a story driven as much by emotion as investigation, exploring guilt, redemption and the long shadows cast by a single terrible night.
After serving 12 years in prison as an accessory after the fact to his brother Luke's crime, Arlo returns to the small town he once called home. Against everyone's advice, he hopes only to settle his affairs before leaving for good. But ‘Small towns have long memories’, and Arlo quickly discovers that although he has served his sentence, the people around him are unwilling to let him move on.
As Arlo spends more time back in the community, the events surrounding the crime begin to unravel. The more questions he asks about what really happened that fateful night, the clearer it becomes that no one is telling the complete truth.
‘...the message clear – until you see the whole picture, you only see part of the story.’
Arlo is a compassionate character whose unfailing decency sits in stark contrast to the reputation that now defines him. Although the suspense steadily builds throughout, this is far from a conventional procedural. Instead, the investigation becomes a vehicle for exploring grief, loyalty, family, and the danger of accepting a single version of the truth.
‘The greatest mysteries are sometimes hidden in the ordinary’.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When Arlo Hackett made his way back to his home town of Yulara after twelve years in prison, he knew things would have changed. He'd been advised (told) not to return, but it was where his mum was; where his memories were. Where Luke was. He didn't expect forgiveness - but he did expect to live his life. His mum was in a nursing home and the house was run down. Arlo wanted to repair and sell his old home to pay for his mum's care. But the anger and animosity was fierce. And it drove Arlo to begin a search for answers; answers that were different to the ones formed more than twelve years ago...
Tell Me Something True is a different style of crime novel by Aussie author Michael Robotham but it packs an incredible punch. I felt for Arlo and also for Luke, both characters who got under my skin and stayed there till the end. Arlo is kind, caring - especially toward Luke - but everything was stacked against them. When Saxon entered their lives, Luke fell in love while Arlo felt like a big brother. Atmospheric, heartbreaking and jaw-dropping, Tell Me Something True is one I recommend highly.
With thanks to NetGalley & Atlantic Crime for my digital ARC to read and review.
Tell Me Something True is a different style of crime novel by Aussie author Michael Robotham but it packs an incredible punch. I felt for Arlo and also for Luke, both characters who got under my skin and stayed there till the end. Arlo is kind, caring - especially toward Luke - but everything was stacked against them. When Saxon entered their lives, Luke fell in love while Arlo felt like a big brother. Atmospheric, heartbreaking and jaw-dropping, Tell Me Something True is one I recommend highly.
With thanks to NetGalley & Atlantic Crime for my digital ARC to read and review.
September 8, 2026
TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
By Michael Robotham
A Story That Crawled Into My Heart
This deeply emotional crime mystery captured my heart from the very beginning and held it right through to the end. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. It’s the kind of novel you want to remain in forever. The characters feel so authentic, and some will crawl into your heart and snuggle in forever. Robotham’s writing is beautifully crafted, with the skill of a seasoned storyteller who knows exactly how to draw you into his world.
Twelve years after being sent to prison, Arlo Hackett returns to his small hometown of Yulara, Australia, where the citizens have neither forgiven nor forgotten his connection to a horrifying incident. Arlo is determined to uncover what really happened all those years ago, when his brother, Luke, was blamed for the crime.
As the story unfolds, Robotham slowly peels back the layers of truth, guilt, family secrets, and long-held resentment. Rumors spread throughout the small community as pieces of information are revealed, showing just how quickly assumptions can become accepted as truth. The mystery unfolds gradually, with pieces of the past coming to light and keeping me invested in finding out what really happened.
Amid the darker moments are touching acts of kindness, compassion, and grace that give the story so much heart. This is much more than a mystery—it’s a beautifully layered story about family, loyalty, forgiveness, and the lasting consequences of the past.
I became completely invested in these characters and their stories. Emotional, atmospheric, and wonderfully written, this is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters.
This was my first book by Michael Robotham, and I eagerly await what he does next.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the eARC. Publishing January 5, 2027.
By Michael Robotham
A Story That Crawled Into My Heart
This deeply emotional crime mystery captured my heart from the very beginning and held it right through to the end. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. It’s the kind of novel you want to remain in forever. The characters feel so authentic, and some will crawl into your heart and snuggle in forever. Robotham’s writing is beautifully crafted, with the skill of a seasoned storyteller who knows exactly how to draw you into his world.
Twelve years after being sent to prison, Arlo Hackett returns to his small hometown of Yulara, Australia, where the citizens have neither forgiven nor forgotten his connection to a horrifying incident. Arlo is determined to uncover what really happened all those years ago, when his brother, Luke, was blamed for the crime.
As the story unfolds, Robotham slowly peels back the layers of truth, guilt, family secrets, and long-held resentment. Rumors spread throughout the small community as pieces of information are revealed, showing just how quickly assumptions can become accepted as truth. The mystery unfolds gradually, with pieces of the past coming to light and keeping me invested in finding out what really happened.
Amid the darker moments are touching acts of kindness, compassion, and grace that give the story so much heart. This is much more than a mystery—it’s a beautifully layered story about family, loyalty, forgiveness, and the lasting consequences of the past.
I became completely invested in these characters and their stories. Emotional, atmospheric, and wonderfully written, this is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters.
This was my first book by Michael Robotham, and I eagerly await what he does next.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the eARC. Publishing January 5, 2027.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
EXCERPT: 'Have fun,' I said, but she had already gone, surrounded by girls who were dressed up and made up and excited for the night ahead. They looked so mature and so young at the same time, like they were playing dress-ups in their mothers' clothes.
That evening I sat on the veranda sipping a beer listening to the 'doof doof' of a bass beat as music drifted across the common and playing fields and the rooftops.
That was the last time I would ever feel truly happy.
ABOUT 'TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE': 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.
MY THOUGHTS: I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I even loved the heartache I felt as the truth was revealed. I felt angry. I felt sad. At the end I closed the covers and just held this book.
I think this is probably the most outstanding book Michael Robotham has written.
#TellMeSomethingTrue #NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
MEET THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL ROBOTHAM lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand via NetGalley for providing a Digital Review Copy of Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham. This review reflects my reading experience and all opinions expressed are my personal opinions.
That evening I sat on the veranda sipping a beer listening to the 'doof doof' of a bass beat as music drifted across the common and playing fields and the rooftops.
That was the last time I would ever feel truly happy.
ABOUT 'TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE': 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.
MY THOUGHTS: I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I even loved the heartache I felt as the truth was revealed. I felt angry. I felt sad. At the end I closed the covers and just held this book.
I think this is probably the most outstanding book Michael Robotham has written.
#TellMeSomethingTrue #NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
MEET THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL ROBOTHAM lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand via NetGalley for providing a Digital Review Copy of Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham. This review reflects my reading experience and all opinions expressed are my personal opinions.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Following a 12-year stint in prison, Arlo Hackett returns to his small hometown in Australia…ostensibly to care for his elderly mother who is struggling with Alzheimer’s. However, it’s clear early on that Arlo is actually there to find answers to the violent murder of a 17-year old girl, which resulted in his own prison sentence, as well as to the death of his autistic brother, who was blamed for the crime. Switching back and forth from the time of the crime a dozen years ago to the present day, the story also focuses on Arlo’s on-and-off again romantic involvement with a woman that he’s known since childhood.
All in all, Robotham’s gift for creating likeable and believable characters was definitely evident throughout the novel. For that matter, Arlo’s caring and protective nature for his large, gentle, and mentally challenged brother was quite touching, almost to the point that the story sometimes felt like an updated version of Steinbeck’s classic, “Of Mice and Men.” Even so, balancing off those moments of kindness and caring in the novel, the story also included the frightening and misogynistic attitudes towards women shown by several truly detestable characters. In any event, the book ended wth a very satisfying conclusion that did a wonderful job of tying up any loose ends.
While I would have opted to give this book a 4 ½ star rating, I’ve rounded upward to 5-stars. My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
All in all, Robotham’s gift for creating likeable and believable characters was definitely evident throughout the novel. For that matter, Arlo’s caring and protective nature for his large, gentle, and mentally challenged brother was quite touching, almost to the point that the story sometimes felt like an updated version of Steinbeck’s classic, “Of Mice and Men.” Even so, balancing off those moments of kindness and caring in the novel, the story also included the frightening and misogynistic attitudes towards women shown by several truly detestable characters. In any event, the book ended wth a very satisfying conclusion that did a wonderful job of tying up any loose ends.
While I would have opted to give this book a 4 ½ star rating, I’ve rounded upward to 5-stars. My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
April 26, 2026
Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me this free advance copy, and I’m writing this review honestly and without bias.
I know Michael Robotham can write a damn good series. I know Michael Robotham can write a very good standalone. But this book Blew. Me. Away. I was so invested in and connected to Arlo Hackett. What a truly amazing character. This is a powerful read as the author takes us on an emotional rollercoaster as Arlo tries to put together the truth.
The author captures the heart of a small Australian town in a way that is reminiscent of Garry Disher. Wonderfully written and the story flows effortlessly between past and present. It's heartbreaking, emotional, suspenseful and was absolutely flawless- one of those books that will stay with you long after reading
'Tell Me Something True'- this is my favourite read of the year and is going to take some beating
A trillion stars for this outstanding piece of storytelling and I am so glad the masterpiece came out of the bottom drawer!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A standalone tale, Tell Me Something True (2026) by Michael Robotham is a melodious family mystery read. After twelve years in prison, Arlo is released and returns to Yulara, a small rural highway, wayside town. He was sentenced as an accessory after the fact, when his younger brother Luke was charged with the murder of a teenage girl. Luke’s confession, then his escape from custody and subsequent death, still causes furore and resentment. The animosity towards Arlo’s presence leads the local police to advise him to leave town. Arlo decides to stay and undertakes repairing his mother’s house, who is in a local care home, after suffering a stroke. As Arlo tries to reconnect with his one teenage friend, he questions exactly what happened that fateful night. Switching back and forth in time, this riveting crime mystery, family tale and small-town saga is a delightful Robotham story. A powerful tale of past secrets, which have simmering tensions and consequences in the present, makes for a do not miss five star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.
July 21, 2026
Let me tell YOU something true. I knew this book would be a five star book from the first few chapters (although I’m new to this author and really had no idea what to expect going into this) I could just feel in my entire body that this would be the kind of book that would stay with me long after I’d finished it.
It left me feeling emotionally drained and just super sad in general but I’m still so honoured to have been able to read an early copy. Usually I’d summarise the plot here but I really think you’d be better off going in blind for this one and meeting the characters for the first time on page the same way I did.
If you’re a fan of thrillers that pack an emotional punch and rely on well placed key revelations instead of huge, shocking twists - definitely consider picking this one up when it hits shelves this September. Undoubtedly in my top ten reads this year for sure 👏🏼
It left me feeling emotionally drained and just super sad in general but I’m still so honoured to have been able to read an early copy. Usually I’d summarise the plot here but I really think you’d be better off going in blind for this one and meeting the characters for the first time on page the same way I did.
If you’re a fan of thrillers that pack an emotional punch and rely on well placed key revelations instead of huge, shocking twists - definitely consider picking this one up when it hits shelves this September. Undoubtedly in my top ten reads this year for sure 👏🏼
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This lives up to the hype. Heartbreaking, hopeful, beautiful, gripping. Toward the end, I could not put this book down.
Plot summary: Arlo Hackett just got out of prison after 12 years for being an accessory to murder after the fact. He did not dispute the charge at the time, but after some soul searching, he has come to believe that his brother, Luke, may not have committed the crime before he killed himself. He goes back home, where he is a hated man, to see if he can put the pieces together.
The story is told in dual timelines, which I don't usually like. But it's quite seamless here; it makes sense as it switches in each period and we get closer to uncovering what actually happened.
The characters are wonderful, fleshed-out people that burrow into your heart. You will cry and smile as you read Arlo's story and feel his kindness, and you will root for him and his relationship with Helen, who has been writing to him for 12 years.
The story is layered and nuanced, and the characters and their arcs feel real and believable. It was hard to read about how the townspeople were so hateful, and it was brutal to read about corrupt law enforcement. I shudder to think how these things can happen in real life.
Ultimately, this is a story that stays with you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Michael Robotham for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.
Plot summary: Arlo Hackett just got out of prison after 12 years for being an accessory to murder after the fact. He did not dispute the charge at the time, but after some soul searching, he has come to believe that his brother, Luke, may not have committed the crime before he killed himself. He goes back home, where he is a hated man, to see if he can put the pieces together.
The story is told in dual timelines, which I don't usually like. But it's quite seamless here; it makes sense as it switches in each period and we get closer to uncovering what actually happened.
The characters are wonderful, fleshed-out people that burrow into your heart. You will cry and smile as you read Arlo's story and feel his kindness, and you will root for him and his relationship with Helen, who has been writing to him for 12 years.
The story is layered and nuanced, and the characters and their arcs feel real and believable. It was hard to read about how the townspeople were so hateful, and it was brutal to read about corrupt law enforcement. I shudder to think how these things can happen in real life.
Ultimately, this is a story that stays with you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Michael Robotham for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.
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
'Tell Me Something True' by Michael Robotham caught my eye after being compared to one of my all‑time favorites, 'All the Colors of the Dark' by Chris Whitaker. The US cover is stunning to complement a perfect title. I went in sans‑synopsis and was pulled in right away. The characters are so well drawn, including one who shone with the same gem‑like brilliance I felt in Chris Whitaker’s novel.
The opening is intriguing, and each chapter adds new characters, layers, and tension. I had a feel for the mystery’s direction, but the suspense came from the surprises and seeing how everything unfolded.
A few turns weren’t what I expected, and I might’ve preferred a slightly different direction in places, but overall this was a genuine page‑turner — emotional, engaging, and steadily building in suspense. The ending wasn’t exactly what I predicted, but it was beautifully executed and satisfying.
It’s already a strong contender for one of my 2026 favorites, though it’ll have competition from Brian Freeman’s upcoming Stride novel 'Where the Road Ends'.
Finding a book that captures even a bit of the magic of 'All the Colors of the Dark' felt special. It’s not quite on that level for me — as that audiobook is still unmatched — but I’m eager to see who narrates this one because I’ll definitely be listening.
Reading the acknowledgements and understanding what this story meant to the author added even more impact.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended!
The opening is intriguing, and each chapter adds new characters, layers, and tension. I had a feel for the mystery’s direction, but the suspense came from the surprises and seeing how everything unfolded.
A few turns weren’t what I expected, and I might’ve preferred a slightly different direction in places, but overall this was a genuine page‑turner — emotional, engaging, and steadily building in suspense. The ending wasn’t exactly what I predicted, but it was beautifully executed and satisfying.
It’s already a strong contender for one of my 2026 favorites, though it’ll have competition from Brian Freeman’s upcoming Stride novel 'Where the Road Ends'.
Finding a book that captures even a bit of the magic of 'All the Colors of the Dark' felt special. It’s not quite on that level for me — as that audiobook is still unmatched — but I’m eager to see who narrates this one because I’ll definitely be listening.
Reading the acknowledgements and understanding what this story meant to the author added even more impact.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended!
July 12, 2026
A Masterpiece. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Arlo and his story. A beautiful character driven, emotional story about a man who tries to clear his brother’s name. The dual timeline was perfect. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I cannot believe that Michael Robotham has been hiding this absolute gem of a story in his bottom drawer for 20 years. I have seen Michael Robotham speak about his books and writing many times and he has teased us with stories about this book, his first set in Australia and I have been eagerly awaiting it to see the light of day and it is finally here,
This is a crime epic that will give you all the feels. It will make you cry, it will make you smile, it will make you angry. Take your time with it, don’t rush and just enjoy being in Arlos world. A journey back to 2001 where he has just been released from prison after 12 years for a questionable charge. He returns to his home town of Yulara, but the townspeople don’t want him there, they cannot forgive and forget. In a dual timeline, we go back 12 years to the late 80s and see the building up and what happened that changed Arlo and his family’s lives forever.
It really is difficult to put into words how much I loved this book and how it made me feel.i have always enjoyed this authors way of writing and building characters and stories but this is another level. This book is like nothing else I have read, and certainly very different from Michael. Luke and Arlo have a wonderful relationship and they are characters that I won’t forget. I cried and felt intense anger and how these boys were treated.
A wonderful book that will be a year end as well as an all time favourite for me. Now I look forward to hearing the author talk more openly about this in incredible story. Do yourself a favour and buy this book, you will not be sorry
This is a crime epic that will give you all the feels. It will make you cry, it will make you smile, it will make you angry. Take your time with it, don’t rush and just enjoy being in Arlos world. A journey back to 2001 where he has just been released from prison after 12 years for a questionable charge. He returns to his home town of Yulara, but the townspeople don’t want him there, they cannot forgive and forget. In a dual timeline, we go back 12 years to the late 80s and see the building up and what happened that changed Arlo and his family’s lives forever.
It really is difficult to put into words how much I loved this book and how it made me feel.i have always enjoyed this authors way of writing and building characters and stories but this is another level. This book is like nothing else I have read, and certainly very different from Michael. Luke and Arlo have a wonderful relationship and they are characters that I won’t forget. I cried and felt intense anger and how these boys were treated.
A wonderful book that will be a year end as well as an all time favourite for me. Now I look forward to hearing the author talk more openly about this in incredible story. Do yourself a favour and buy this book, you will not be sorry
March 10, 2026
Wonderful heartfelt story. Quickest read ever, loved it. First read of Michael’s book, won’t be my last.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Let Me Tell You Some Things That Are True About This Book…
True: Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham tells the story of Arlo Hackett, who has returned to the small Australian town of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison as an accessory to a crime. Unfortunately, Yulara has a long memory—and very little forgiveness.
True: Arlo’s younger, autistic brother, Luke, was charged with the rape and murder of Saxon Winacott, a teenager who had been living with the Hackett family. Luke dies before the trial, leaving many unanswered questions. Arlo resolves to find out what really happened, despite the consequences from the powerful people who are covering up the truth.
True: This is a poignant, impactful, character-driven story that gets under your skin. It is heartfelt without becoming sentimental and suspenseful without sacrificing the characters who make the story matter.
True: Michael Robotham is a masterful storyteller. He has created characters who feel remarkably real and a story that kept me completely invested. Despite the mounting tragedies, Arlo manages to hold on to hope.
True: Five stars don't seem like enough. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And finally, one more thing that is true: You should put this book on your To Be Read list. The Australian publication date is September 29, 2026, followed by the U.S. publication on January 5, 2027.
So, if you take only one thing away from this review, let it be this:
Tell Me Something True is a book worth believing in.
True: Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham tells the story of Arlo Hackett, who has returned to the small Australian town of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison as an accessory to a crime. Unfortunately, Yulara has a long memory—and very little forgiveness.
True: Arlo’s younger, autistic brother, Luke, was charged with the rape and murder of Saxon Winacott, a teenager who had been living with the Hackett family. Luke dies before the trial, leaving many unanswered questions. Arlo resolves to find out what really happened, despite the consequences from the powerful people who are covering up the truth.
True: This is a poignant, impactful, character-driven story that gets under your skin. It is heartfelt without becoming sentimental and suspenseful without sacrificing the characters who make the story matter.
True: Michael Robotham is a masterful storyteller. He has created characters who feel remarkably real and a story that kept me completely invested. Despite the mounting tragedies, Arlo manages to hold on to hope.
True: Five stars don't seem like enough. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And finally, one more thing that is true: You should put this book on your To Be Read list. The Australian publication date is September 29, 2026, followed by the U.S. publication on January 5, 2027.
So, if you take only one thing away from this review, let it be this:
Tell Me Something True is a book worth believing in.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The greatest mysteries are sometimes hidden in the ordinary
I wanted to love this book because I felt so lucky 😍 receiving the ARC from NetGalley
I have read a number of books by Robotham and loved all of them.
But this one did not hit for me for many reasons
It had everything that makes a small-town suspense work...but having the good ingredients does not make them work together by default.
In 2001, The story opens with Arlo leaving prison after 12 years and we learn that he has been there for assisting to a rape and murder allegation done by his younger brother Luke.
Arlo comes back to his hometown in Australia to take care of his mother's house after she had a stroke and was admitted to an elderly home.
Arlo is hated in his town. He is harassed, stalked and attacked. But he insists on staying because he wants to know what exactly happened to his brother.
The story follows a non-linear structure where Robotham takes us back and forth between past and present to be introduced to all parties involved until we reach to the final revelation.
What I liked was how autism was represented and how little people were aware of it, especially in small towns. Back in the 90s, they would have been labeled dumb. Because of that, Luke was targeted.
I loved Arlo and Luke's relationship and their strong brotherly bond.
We are introduced to Saxton...a ...free spirited teenager who is abused by her stepfather. She forces her way into Arlo's family and starts to live with them. Luke falls in love with her but she loves Arlo. Her story ends tragically with Luke accused of raping and murdering her.
and here are the reasons this did not work for me:
1- The main female leads
Saxton: The book tried so hard to make me like and sympathize with her..and I do feel sorry for her ..I really do..No woman/girl deserves that end... but she reminds me of those bratty, bitchy girls in the vertical dramas who cause trouble and expect her crush to bail her out every time. She is trouble incarnate. She wants everyone to bend to her will. She leeches on Arlo's family and instead of behaving to avoid any trouble to that poor family trying to get by, she runs wild and free. I would go so far as to say she is the reason for their tragedy.
Helen: she is past-Arlo's girlfriend. She is a pick me girl who is so in love with him but at the same time jealous of how close Arlo is to Saxton. I dont blame her tbh, but still, she had not self-worth. After Arlo went to prison, she kept writing to him for 12 years. I found that strange but later we know why.
And Arlo NEVER READ ANY OF HER LETTERS.
2- The slow pace
The first couple of chapters were very gripping, but then the book proceeds with a VERY slow telling. Arlo does a lot of things, and a lot of things are done to him, until we reach the last 30% when the real investigation happens. if you read the first 20% and the last 30%, I swear you will understand everything. The middle is just filling.
3- The reveal and closure
there will be spoilers here
.
.
.
.
We do know that Luke did not do it. Poor Saxton was attacked thrice that night....I think
She went to blackmail her priest because that was her best way to get money ...i think he tried to drown her but couldnt do it
poor Saxton escapes only for her stepbrother to find her and rape her. He leaves her in the barn. Luke finds her and tries to help by calling for someone. While he was away, her Pedophilic teacher finds her and strangles her to death because she has incriminating pictures on him. And of course, Luke is blamed.
The whole crime felt messy and coincidental.
but it was the lack of justice for Luke that I did not like.
The punishment for the perpetrators was private and personal.
Luke's name was not cleared 💔
I understand the overall aim of the book. The "self-blame" for the failure to protect your loved one, so you guilt yourself into receiving punishment
For Luke, he feels he failed to protect Saxton so he accepted the accusations
Arlo, he failed to protect Luke so he went to prison for 12 years.
But still, Arlo did not set out to clear Luke's name. He just wanted revenge
and after all that, he still remained in the town that hated him!!!! how???
I was disappointed reading this book because that was not the level I know from Robothom
but then I read the Acknowledgment and found out that this book was his first and was just in his drawer...what they call shelf-books. Mystery solved.
Review of advance copy
Tell Me Something True by Michael Robothman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
I saved this book to read on my birthday because I knew it would be a ripper. Oh my heart 😥. I didn't expect it to be such an emotional roller-coaster of grief, loss, grit, secrets, lies and a tale of injustice and sorrow.
This was a beautifully written medium paced story with such rich character development. I adored and feel in love with Arlo, Luke and Saxon. At times I left restless wanting resolve of the injustices that had occurred as the book moved from past to present painting a colourful and painful tapestry of how unfair and difficult some people's lives are.
The plot had depth and mystery of the crimes that had occurred. This book touched my soul and is an unforgettable story. Highly recommend. 👏👌
"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 in 1988, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime, and Arlo was found guilty by association.
His return to Yulara 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.
The small town 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."
#aussiebookbloger #aussiebookreviewer #aussieauthorappreciation #aussiebookreviews #aussiebookstagram
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
I saved this book to read on my birthday because I knew it would be a ripper. Oh my heart 😥. I didn't expect it to be such an emotional roller-coaster of grief, loss, grit, secrets, lies and a tale of injustice and sorrow.
This was a beautifully written medium paced story with such rich character development. I adored and feel in love with Arlo, Luke and Saxon. At times I left restless wanting resolve of the injustices that had occurred as the book moved from past to present painting a colourful and painful tapestry of how unfair and difficult some people's lives are.
The plot had depth and mystery of the crimes that had occurred. This book touched my soul and is an unforgettable story. Highly recommend. 👏👌
"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 in 1988, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime, and Arlo was found guilty by association.
His return to Yulara 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.
The small town 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."
#aussiebookbloger #aussiebookreviewer #aussieauthorappreciation #aussiebookreviews #aussiebookstagram
July 29, 2026
My third 6⭐️ read of 2026!!
Michael Robotham, take a bloody bow. What. A. Book!!
This isn’t the twistiest thriller you’ll read this year, and it doesn’t need to be. Tell Me Something True is a character-driven, flawlessly written literary crime masterpiece that completely got under my skin.
Arlo Hackett returns to his small Australian hometown of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison, only to discover that while his sentence may be over, the court of public opinion has never moved on. Watching him return to a town that had already decided exactly who he was was both heartbreaking and infuriating. More than once I found myself on the verge of tears because I genuinely felt like I was right there beside him.
What truly sets this book apart, though, is the character work. Michael Robotham doesn’t just create memorable characters - he creates people. Arlo, Luke, Saxon and Helen felt so authentic, so layered and so beautifully developed that I stopped thinking about them as fictional characters altogether. I became completely invested in every one of them, and by the end I cared far more about these people than I did solving the mystery itself.
This book got under my skin in all the best ways. I struggled to put it down, not because I was racing towards the next twist, but because I simply couldn’t stop thinking about these characters and desperately wanted to know where life would take them. The dual timeline was flawlessly executed, with every reveal arriving exactly when it needed to and making each emotional moment land even harder.
Despite tackling some incredibly confronting subject matter, Michael Robotham writes with remarkable empathy and compassion. Every difficult topic is handled with such care and authenticity that nothing ever feels sensationalised.
After finishing, I discovered this story had been forty years in the making. Honestly? It feels like forty years spent perfecting it. This book is full of heart, blissfully Australian and one that’ll stay with me for a very, very long time.
Michael Robotham, take a bloody bow. What. A. Book!!
This isn’t the twistiest thriller you’ll read this year, and it doesn’t need to be. Tell Me Something True is a character-driven, flawlessly written literary crime masterpiece that completely got under my skin.
Arlo Hackett returns to his small Australian hometown of Yulara after serving twelve years in prison, only to discover that while his sentence may be over, the court of public opinion has never moved on. Watching him return to a town that had already decided exactly who he was was both heartbreaking and infuriating. More than once I found myself on the verge of tears because I genuinely felt like I was right there beside him.
What truly sets this book apart, though, is the character work. Michael Robotham doesn’t just create memorable characters - he creates people. Arlo, Luke, Saxon and Helen felt so authentic, so layered and so beautifully developed that I stopped thinking about them as fictional characters altogether. I became completely invested in every one of them, and by the end I cared far more about these people than I did solving the mystery itself.
This book got under my skin in all the best ways. I struggled to put it down, not because I was racing towards the next twist, but because I simply couldn’t stop thinking about these characters and desperately wanted to know where life would take them. The dual timeline was flawlessly executed, with every reveal arriving exactly when it needed to and making each emotional moment land even harder.
Despite tackling some incredibly confronting subject matter, Michael Robotham writes with remarkable empathy and compassion. Every difficult topic is handled with such care and authenticity that nothing ever feels sensationalised.
After finishing, I discovered this story had been forty years in the making. Honestly? It feels like forty years spent perfecting it. This book is full of heart, blissfully Australian and one that’ll stay with me for a very, very long time.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Tell Me Something True follows Arlo Hackett, who returns to his small Australian hometown of Yulara after serving a twelve-year prison sentence. The last time Arlo was home was in 1988. His brother Luke was charged with a horrific crime, and Arlo was found guilty simply by association.
NO ONE in Yulara wants to see Arlo EVER AGAIN. His plan is to fix up the abandoned house he grew up in, sell it, and get out of Dodge! I can't imagine living in a small town like that and being hated by nearly everyone there. Rather than running away, every insult and act of humiliation drives Arlo to discover what really happened all those years ago.
My heart hurt for Arlo, so I appreciated the bit of levity provided by his mom, who is now in a retirement home and dealing with memory issues. I also loved the dog named "Dog."
I enjoyed Tell Me Something True and highly recommend it!
Thank you, #AtlanticCrime, for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Tell Me Something True has an expected publication date of January 5, 2027 .
#MichaelRobotham #Mystery #Crime #Suspense
NO ONE in Yulara wants to see Arlo EVER AGAIN. His plan is to fix up the abandoned house he grew up in, sell it, and get out of Dodge! I can't imagine living in a small town like that and being hated by nearly everyone there. Rather than running away, every insult and act of humiliation drives Arlo to discover what really happened all those years ago.
My heart hurt for Arlo, so I appreciated the bit of levity provided by his mom, who is now in a retirement home and dealing with memory issues. I also loved the dog named "Dog."
I enjoyed Tell Me Something True and highly recommend it!
Thank you, #AtlanticCrime, for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Tell Me Something True has an expected publication date of January 5, 2027 .
#MichaelRobotham #Mystery #Crime #Suspense
May 27, 2026
5⭐️
An Australian standalone character driven mystery.
Arlo returns to his small town home after completing a 12 year prison sentence. Such towns are slow to forgive.
This is a beautifully written character driven story with a mystery. It’s quite slow paced but I was so drawn in by the characters, I absolutely adored both Arlo and Luke. They are both kind genuine people. The story is told in a good split between the present and the past. Some of the reminisces are heartwarming others heart wrenching, some funny.
I love the Cyrus books, but the characterisation here was just delightful. I would love more of this style of book, I’m glad that the author finally shared it with the world. If I get the opportunity to listen to it on audio I’ll grab it with both hands.
This is into my books of the year
I had this book for free
An Australian standalone character driven mystery.
Arlo returns to his small town home after completing a 12 year prison sentence. Such towns are slow to forgive.
This is a beautifully written character driven story with a mystery. It’s quite slow paced but I was so drawn in by the characters, I absolutely adored both Arlo and Luke. They are both kind genuine people. The story is told in a good split between the present and the past. Some of the reminisces are heartwarming others heart wrenching, some funny.
I love the Cyrus books, but the characterisation here was just delightful. I would love more of this style of book, I’m glad that the author finally shared it with the world. If I get the opportunity to listen to it on audio I’ll grab it with both hands.
This is into my books of the year
I had this book for free
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Michael Robotham’s Tell Me Something True may surprise readers who come to it expecting the taut machinery of his celebrated psychological thrillers. While elements of mystery and menace certainly pulse beneath the narrative, this novel distinguishes itself less through velocity than through emotional excavation. It is, at heart, a deeply humane and melancholic meditation on guilt, exile, forgiveness, and the corrosive nature of communal judgment. In many ways, it stands among Robotham’s most affecting works precisely because it resists sensationalism and instead lingers in the bruised interior lives of its characters.
The novel follows Arlo Hackett, a man returning to his small Australian hometown after serving twelve years in prison for his role as an accessory to a murder committed — or believed to have been committed — by his younger neurodivergent brother. Arlo emerges from incarceration not hardened but softened, almost painfully gentle in his manner. He returns carrying the quiet dignity of someone who has suffered deeply yet still wishes to believe in goodness. Robotham renders him with extraordinary tenderness. Arlo’s humility, restraint, and instinctive kindness make the hostility directed toward him feel all the more devastating.
What makes the novel especially compelling is its portrayal of small-town moral pettiness masquerading as righteousness. Robotham understands that communities often preserve themselves not through compassion but through exclusion. The town has long since decided who Arlo is, and no amount of patience, decency, or hard work can fully erase the stain of collective memory. Rumor calcifies into truth; suspicion becomes a civic pastime. The residents cling to grievance because it grants them a sense of moral superiority. In this world, redemption is not merely difficult — it may be structurally impossible.
This is where the novel acquires its deeper resonance. Robotham does not offer the sentimental reassurance that suffering inevitably ennobles people or that communities ultimately choose grace over cruelty. Instead, he suggests something far sadder and perhaps more truthful: that people often prefer familiar scapegoats to uncomfortable self-examination. The town’s treatment of Arlo exposes how easily fear and resentment become inherited traditions, passed from one generation to another under the guise of “protecting” the community.
Into this emotionally charged landscape arrives Saxon, a young girl fleeing abuse from her politically prominent father. She is one of the novel’s greatest triumphs. Saxon could easily have become a stock “troubled child” figure, but Robotham imbues her with astonishing vitality. She is sharp-tongued, fiercely intelligent, wounded yet defiant. Her sassiness and emotional candor inject moments of levity and electricity into an otherwise sorrow-laden narrative. Through Saxon, the novel explores how trauma can produce not only fragility but also resilience and wit. Her growing relationship with Arlo becomes the emotional backbone of the story — two damaged souls recognizing safety in one another.
Equally poignant is the rekindled connection between Arlo and his former girlfriend. Their love story is not written in grand declarations but in hesitations, silences, and accumulated regrets. Robotham excels at depicting the ache of lost time: the unbearable awareness of what life might have been had fate, circumstance, and human weakness not intervened. Their relationship carries the emotional weight of years stolen by imprisonment and judgment, making every gesture between them feel fragile and precious.
Stylistically, the novel is beautifully restrained. Robotham abandons the relentless pacing typical of crime fiction in favor of a slow-burning emotional intensity. The prose never calls attention to itself, yet beneath its simplicity lies remarkable precision. He allows tension to accumulate gradually, not merely through plot revelations but through emotional stakes. The reader becomes invested not just in uncovering truths, but in whether these battered characters can survive the crushing weight of other people’s perceptions.
What ultimately elevates Tell Me Something True is its refusal to simplify human nature. There are acts of kindness in the novel, certainly, but they exist alongside cowardice, prejudice, and vindictiveness. Robotham paints a world where redemption is elusive because society itself often resists allowing people to change. The title itself becomes quietly profound: to tell someone something true is an act of vulnerability, but truth alone may not be enough to free people from the narratives imposed upon them.
This is not merely a crime novel; it is a compassionate and unsettling study of how communities remember, punish, and deny mercy. Robotham has written a story filled with sorrow and grace, one that lingers long after the final page. Far from disappointing, the novel may indeed stand as one of his most mature and emotionally resonant achievements.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review
The novel follows Arlo Hackett, a man returning to his small Australian hometown after serving twelve years in prison for his role as an accessory to a murder committed — or believed to have been committed — by his younger neurodivergent brother. Arlo emerges from incarceration not hardened but softened, almost painfully gentle in his manner. He returns carrying the quiet dignity of someone who has suffered deeply yet still wishes to believe in goodness. Robotham renders him with extraordinary tenderness. Arlo’s humility, restraint, and instinctive kindness make the hostility directed toward him feel all the more devastating.
What makes the novel especially compelling is its portrayal of small-town moral pettiness masquerading as righteousness. Robotham understands that communities often preserve themselves not through compassion but through exclusion. The town has long since decided who Arlo is, and no amount of patience, decency, or hard work can fully erase the stain of collective memory. Rumor calcifies into truth; suspicion becomes a civic pastime. The residents cling to grievance because it grants them a sense of moral superiority. In this world, redemption is not merely difficult — it may be structurally impossible.
This is where the novel acquires its deeper resonance. Robotham does not offer the sentimental reassurance that suffering inevitably ennobles people or that communities ultimately choose grace over cruelty. Instead, he suggests something far sadder and perhaps more truthful: that people often prefer familiar scapegoats to uncomfortable self-examination. The town’s treatment of Arlo exposes how easily fear and resentment become inherited traditions, passed from one generation to another under the guise of “protecting” the community.
Into this emotionally charged landscape arrives Saxon, a young girl fleeing abuse from her politically prominent father. She is one of the novel’s greatest triumphs. Saxon could easily have become a stock “troubled child” figure, but Robotham imbues her with astonishing vitality. She is sharp-tongued, fiercely intelligent, wounded yet defiant. Her sassiness and emotional candor inject moments of levity and electricity into an otherwise sorrow-laden narrative. Through Saxon, the novel explores how trauma can produce not only fragility but also resilience and wit. Her growing relationship with Arlo becomes the emotional backbone of the story — two damaged souls recognizing safety in one another.
Equally poignant is the rekindled connection between Arlo and his former girlfriend. Their love story is not written in grand declarations but in hesitations, silences, and accumulated regrets. Robotham excels at depicting the ache of lost time: the unbearable awareness of what life might have been had fate, circumstance, and human weakness not intervened. Their relationship carries the emotional weight of years stolen by imprisonment and judgment, making every gesture between them feel fragile and precious.
Stylistically, the novel is beautifully restrained. Robotham abandons the relentless pacing typical of crime fiction in favor of a slow-burning emotional intensity. The prose never calls attention to itself, yet beneath its simplicity lies remarkable precision. He allows tension to accumulate gradually, not merely through plot revelations but through emotional stakes. The reader becomes invested not just in uncovering truths, but in whether these battered characters can survive the crushing weight of other people’s perceptions.
What ultimately elevates Tell Me Something True is its refusal to simplify human nature. There are acts of kindness in the novel, certainly, but they exist alongside cowardice, prejudice, and vindictiveness. Robotham paints a world where redemption is elusive because society itself often resists allowing people to change. The title itself becomes quietly profound: to tell someone something true is an act of vulnerability, but truth alone may not be enough to free people from the narratives imposed upon them.
This is not merely a crime novel; it is a compassionate and unsettling study of how communities remember, punish, and deny mercy. Robotham has written a story filled with sorrow and grace, one that lingers long after the final page. Far from disappointing, the novel may indeed stand as one of his most mature and emotionally resonant achievements.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review
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