The Suspect, ITV’s thrilling new drama, takes inspiration from Michael Robotham’s debut book of the same name.
And fans of the psychological drama starring Aidan Turner may be keen to delve into more of the crime fiction writer’s work.
The Suspect’s protagonist Joe O’Loughlin features in more than one of Robotham’s novels.
Read on for all you need to know about The Suspect‘s original creator and his books…
Who is Michael Robotham, writer of The Suspect novel?
Aussie writer Michael Robotham began his career as a journalist down under. In his 20s, he moved to the UK and wrote for national newspapers as a feature writer.
By the 1990s, Michael had become a ghostwriter, assisting public figures in writing their autobiographies. His collaborators and subjects at this time included Geri Halliwell, Lulu and Ricky Tomlinson.
He later returned to Australia. And in 2002, The Suspect – his first novel – became hot property and the subject of a bidding war.
Is The Suspect on ITV based on a book or books?
When published, Michael’s novel went on to sell over a million copies globally. It was also eventually translated into 24 languages.
Including The Suspect, nine of Michael’s novels are considered to be part of a Joseph O’Loughlin ‘series’.
And six of those have already been adapted as films for TV in Germany.
Furthermore, his 2017 stand-alone novel The Secrets She Keeps was also the source material for a six-part TV Australian series that aired in the UK in 2020.
However, regarding The Suspect on ITV, it is indeed also adapted from Michael’s book of the same name.
What other books feature the Joe O’Loughlin character? In what order should they be read?
The Suspect was published in 2004 and is considered the first in the Joe O’Loughlin series of books.
Fans online seem to regard the order in which the books were published as the order in which they should also be read.
And so, the list in chronological order of publication date is:
The Suspect (2004)
Lost (2005) (aka The Drowning Man)
Shatter (2008)
Bleed For Me (2010)
The Wreckage (2011)
Say You’re Sorry (2012)
Watching You (2013)
Close Your Eyes (2015)
The Other Wife (2018)
However, fans might want to hold off on gorging on the books while the ITV series is still ongoing. And that’s because the writer of the TV adaptation has hinted there may be a big reveal towards the end of the five-parter…
Who adapted The Suspect for ITV?
The Suspect was made by World Productions. The production company includes Line of Duty and Bodyguard among some of its biggest previous successes.
Peter Berry (known for Gangs of London and Prime Suspect 6) wrote The Suspect for the screen. And it was commissioned for ITV by head of drama Polly Hill and drama commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones.
Huw reflected on the script: “Peter has combined an exciting narrative full of twists and turns with the exploration of a richly compelling character in Joe O’Loughlin. He has brought Michael Robotham’s much loved book brilliantly to life.”
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