NEW YORK — Bestselling author John Grisham will release his new book SHAKEN: The Rush to Execute an Innocent Man on June 9, 2026. The nonfiction account centers on Texas death row prisoner Robert Roberson’s controversial conviction and impending execution, according to a press release from Doubleday.
The announcement was made Wednesday by Grisham’s publisher, Suzanne Herz, who confirmed a printing of more than one million copies.
While best known for his legal thrillers, Grisham has also been a longtime advocate for social justice. He has worked with organizations dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people, such as the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries. Doubleday said this work inspired him to share stories of people unfairly accused of crimes.
Grisham’s new book follows the case of Roberson, a father who has spent years on death row after being convicted of killing his daughter. “SHAKEN: The Rush to Execute an Innocent Man exposes the many failures that led to a blameless man’s death sentence, and a justice system more eager for a conviction than the truth,” Doubleday said in its release.
Despite medical and scientific evidence showing that Roberson’s daughter’s 2002 death was not caused by abuse, he remains scheduled for execution in Texas under the discredited “Shaken Baby Syndrome” hypothesis, the publisher said.
The release also stated that Nikki’s death was linked to illness and improperly prescribed medications, “none of which were Mr. Roberson’s fault.”
At the time, Roberson’s 2-year-old daughter Nikki was chronically ill, running a high fever, and suffering from undiagnosed pneumonia. After falling from her bed, she was prescribed Phenergan and Codeine.
According to Doubleday, Phenergan is a powerful medication no longer approved for young children because of its respiratory-suppressing effects, while Codeine is not recommended for anyone under 18.
Roberson, who has autism spectrum disorder, was perceived by hospital staff as showing insufficient emotion during his daughter’s medical emergency, the release said. Law enforcement officers made the same judgment during their investigation, which led to Roberson’s prosecution, conviction and death sentence under the SBS theory.
The diagnostic process used in Roberson’s case is now outdated under standards set by the American Academy of Pediatrics. More than two decades later, he remains on Texas death row despite mounting evidence pointing to his innocence.
The press release emphasized that courts continue to refuse to reconsider the evidence that could exonerate Roberson, stating that “there is still time for them to prevent an irreparable justice.”
Roberson’s execution was originally scheduled for October 2024 but was halted after a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers intervened. He now faces a new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025, according to Doubleday.
The publisher also cited data from the National Registry of Exonerations, which shows at least 41 people in the United States have been cleared after wrongful convictions under the SBS theory. Roberson remains at risk of execution despite broad support for his exoneration both nationally and internationally.
Organizations like the Innocence Project continue to demand that courts stop Roberson’s scheduled execution, arguing that his conviction rests on discredited medical assumptions.
“The wrongful conviction of Robert Roberson has been an ongoing tragedy for over twenty years. If it now becomes a wrongful execution, it will live in infamy,” Grisham said. “We don’t know its final chapter, but I’ll be there to record the outcome.”
Grisham’s upcoming book not only recounts Roberson’s story, but also raises broader questions about how many others may face execution despite compelling evidence of innocence. Because the book is set for release in June 2026, months after Roberson’s execution date, it may serve either as an intervention or as a record of a tragic injustice.
Whether or not the courts intervene, Grisham’s book underscores the urgency of confronting wrongful convictions and the systemic failures that perpetuate them.
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