A DARK DARK DARK STORY

[Michael Robotham]

MISSING AUTHOR FOUND

I’m back and I come bearing gifts, or at least a new book. Contrary to some of the wilder rumours floating about, I have not been in rehab with Amy Winehouse for the past six months (my Tipex sniffing is under control). Nor did I go ‘into the wild’ bedding down with Polar bears in Alaska. You can also rule out a mystery illness, cosmetic surgery, prison time or a sex change.

I have spent the past five months on a grand tour of Europe and North Africa with my better half and our daughters. I play the Chevy Chase role in the home movie which my eldest daughter directed and is now editing, ensuring maximum embarrassment for yours truly. My wife convinced me the grand tour was a good idea. She said we should do it before the girls get into big time exam mode. So we took them out of school and home tortured them for the duration. In return our seven year old tortured me through 7,500 miles of driving by never once falling asleep in the car and asking questions like, ‘What are apples made of, Daddy?’ and ‘What would happen if Whales could walk?’

Meanwhile, my eldest plugged herself into an iPod and slept her way through seven counties, waking only to declare, ‘I hate you. How could you take me away from my friends? I’ll never forgive you.’ By the time we flew home from London, she had changed her mind and decided that her mission in life was to go to university in Europe, preferably to a rock music academy where she can jam rather than do exams.

Enough of my travels - there were too many adventures to recount here, including getting snowed in to the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco by a blizzard and living off rice soup and stale bread (I’m not kidding either). I’m sure the highlights, or at least a blooper reel, will appear on U-tube soon enough.

Now to the book - SHATTER. It’s out in the UK and getting some really great reviews.

Peter Millar had this to say in The Times.

'SHATTER is a gripping journey into the weaknesses and strengths of the human psyche, a story of humanity and inhumanity - and of how one can become the other… [It] will have you turning the pages compulsively, desperate to get to the end, but not daring to miss a word.'

Jessica Mann in the Literary Review wrote:

'The reader is drawn inexorably into the story because the characters are very convincing as real people in a tragic situation...genuinely terrifying.'

On-line Reviewer Chris High wrote:

SHATTER is without a doubt, from first to last, a book to cherish…the author whips the reaer along at breakneck pace to places they would rather not be on almost every page. SHATTER is truly exhilarating stuff…

The Daily Record

'Michael Robotham's outstanding debut THE SUSPECT was so inventive and raw it caused a tremor of excitement among thriller fans. Now again he proves he is becoming a master at making the earth move.'

The Daily Mirror

'This is Robotham's fourth and best psychological thriller, proving what a home grown talent he is.'

Mike Stotter, Shotsmag Confidential

'My tip for 2008 is Michael Robotham's SHATTER...it's superb, powerful stuff.'

Crimesquad.com

‘SHATTER is a highly contemporary, yet strangely gothic story that grips you and keeps you super-glued to those rapidly turning pages. Robotham is not merely a name to watch out for in the future, he is a dazzling and established name to look for right now.’

Cosmopolitan Magazine

'Brilliant.'

****************************************

SHATTER is out in Australia and New Zealand in early April and should be available in Canada and South Africa a little before then. The Dutch language edition will also be out in April.

As for the US, I have good news, bad news and better news. The good news is that after much debate, SHATTER will be called SHATTER in the US and not THE SLEEP OF REASON. (It’s always better to have the same title in different territories.) The bad news is that US readers will have to wait until the Spring of 09 to read SHATTER. The best news is that the lovely people at Doubleday, my US publishers, are very excited and have big plans.

Originally, the idea was to publish in the US this August, but I’m busy that month touring in Australia and couldn’t devote myself to an American tour . Altering the pub date gives us more time to work on the jacket and a full publicity program.

Happy reading guys. Look out of SHATTER. It’s a dark, dark, dark story.

Michael