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.”
Meanwhile, World Productions’ head of drama Jake Lushington expressed his admiration for the source material.
He commented: “When I first read Michael’s brilliant unputdownable book I felt there was the huge potential for a must-watch television series and the creation of an iconic character.
“With Peter Berry adapting and James Strong directing the creative team couldn’t be stronger.”
View this post on Instagram
Writer Peter Berry on adapting The Suspect
Peter has indicated he was enthralled by Michael’s novel when he first encountered it.
He said: “I became so absorbed in Joe’s appetite for the struggle to answer what it means to be human, what causes us to love, hate, cherish, or kill, that I read Michael Robotham’s novel in just one sitting.
“And because I wanted to spend time with Joe I figured an audience might want to as well.”
Peter also went on to tease there might be differences between the original novel and his script.
He said: “I approach adapting a novel as if I’m writing an original screenplay. The novel is there to help – not to put me in a straitjacket. I have to be able to take the story where the characters lead.
“Working with Jake Lushington at World I knew I had that freedom. With the novel at over four hundred pages and written totally from Joe’s point of view there had to be fundamental changes.”
Peter went on: “The adaption needed the point of view of all the other characters: his wife, daughter, parents, friends, and the police.
“And then the most important point of view of all – the audience. Television audiences are experts. There isn’t a thriller plot they haven’t seen before.
“The challenge of taking them with you, for them not to get ahead of the story, is what makes thriller writing exciting.”
Hold off reading more while The Suspect is on TV?
Peter went on to tease a memorable ending for The Suspect on ITV.
He said: “All drama is about a lie, at the end the truth emerges. I too am living a lie. I’ve not revealed the reason behind my passion for writing this drama because I don’t want to give away the ending.
“Thrillers can be trojan horses, the writer’s motives are hidden until the truth emerges. When that truth explodes at the end of our five hours I hope it will leave an emotional resonance, that it leaves our audience thinking about The Suspect.”
What did The Suspect on ITV cast members make of the original book?
DI Vincent Ruiz star Shaun Parkes has noted he spoke with Michael about his novel “for a few hours”.
Shaun explained: “We talked about life and the character Vince Ruiz. That’s when I started to get excited, because what I love about a character is a back story, something to build on.
“A root, a psychological background that you can stand on the shoulders of when someone says ‘action’. In the end I decided not to read the book and focus on the scripts. I love not knowing.”
In the end I decided not to read the book.
And Adam James – who plays Dr Jack Owens – has also acknowledged how expectations are attached to the original novel.
“People love the novel by Michael Robotham so I felt initially a bit of pressure,” the actor said.
“But Peter Berry is such a fantastic screenwriter. His scripts were so tight and compact, full of urgency. You never know which way it is going to go. The story has all of those essential twists and turns that are paramount for TV to keep the audience guessing for as long as possible. Peter achieved that brilliantly. It’s an intense psychological thriller.”
Read more: ITV’s The Suspect: when does the new thriller start and who’s in the cast?
The Suspect begins on ITV on Monday 29 August at 9pm.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.