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The Suspect: The white-knuckle thriller behind the TV series (Joe O'Loughlin Book 1)

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The first book in the Joe O'Loughlin series, from the multimillion-copy bestselling author. NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA STARRING AIDAN TURNER.

Liar, liar . . .

Joe O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life - a beautiful wife, a loving daughter and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only a loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient and the biggest lie of his life.

Caught in a complex web of deceit and haunted by images of the slain girl, he embarks upon a search that will take him from London to Liverpool and into the darkest recesses of the human mind. Ultimately, he will risk everything to unmask the killer and save his family.

The Suspect is the nerve-shredding psychological thriller that marked the debut of one of fiction's most compelling heroes, Joe O'Loughlin.

Can't get enough? The next book in the Joe O'Loughlin series is Lost.

And don't miss the #1 bestseller's nailbiting new thriller, Lying Beside You, out now.

PRIASE FOR THE SUSPECT:

'Believable and authentic from the first sentence . . . Robotham doesn't put a foot wrong in his plotting, pace or inventiveness' The Australian

'A truly classy thriller, beautifully crafted . . . a gripping finale that even the most seasoned mystery addicts won't see coming' The Australian Women's Weekly

'A gripping first novel . . . taut and fast-moving' Washington Post

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Praise for The Suspect

  • A white-knuckle ride and a powerful love story that kept me up half the night - ANDY McNAB

  • The best of the best... truly accomplished - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

  • Robotham is an absolute master - STEPHEN KING

  • THE SUSPECT is slick and classy, with a plot that sweeps the rug out from under your feet every time you think you're standing on firm ground - THE AGE

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Michael Robotham

Michael Robotham

Before becoming a novelist, Michael Robotham was a feature writer and investigative reporter working in Britain, Australia and America, and with clinical and forensic psychologists as they helped police investigate complex, psychologically driven crimes.

2024 marked the 20-year anniversary of the publication of his debut thriller, The Suspect, which introduced clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin, sold more than a million copies around the world and is now a major TV series starring Aidan Turner on ABC TV. Michael's standalone thriller The Secrets She Keeps was adapted for TV by Network 10 and the BBC.

Michael is the only Australian to twice win the UK's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel, for Life or Death and Good Girl, Bad Girl as well as the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for When She Was Good. Lying Beside You was shortlisted for the Australian Crime Writers Association's Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2023. Storm Child, his fourth novel in his globally bestselling Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series, was a No. 1 national bestseller in Australia. It was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 2025. The White Crow is the second book in his Philomena McCarthy series, following on from the internationally bestselling When You Are Mine.

Michael lives in Sydney.

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