Introduction to the Case
A month out from his third execution date, Robert Roberson is not ready to die. John Grisham is embarking on his next legal thriller — and he’s leaving its ending up to the state of Texas to decide.
In what will be the third nonfiction project of Grisham’s decades-long career, “SHAKEN: The Rush to Execute an Innocent Man,” is set to publish June 9, 2026. The book will chronicle the story of Robert Roberson III, an East Texas man at the center of a contentious “shaken baby syndrome” case, who, for the third time, faces execution on Oct. 16.
The Story Behind the Book
“We’re watching in slow motion as the clock ticks, as this disaster unfolds,” Grisham, 70, told The Dallas Morning News last week in a sit-down interview. “I’m just here to tell the story, and I’m doing it because we know right now what’s about to happen and we’re trying to get it stopped.
Crime in The News
“Who knows if we’re going to be successful?”
Novelist John Grisham, who is working on a book about Robert Roberson, poses for a photo at Onalaska First United Methodist Church in Onalaska, TX on Sept. 3, 2025. Rev. Brian Wharton, the former lead Palestine detective on Roberson’s case back in 2002, leads the church.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
The Case of Robert Roberson
Roberson, 58, formerly of Palestine, was condemned in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki. His prosecution, in part, relied on proving Nikki showed a triad of symptoms associated with “shaken baby syndrome,” a medical determination that has since been heavily scrutinized by experts.
Roberson’s attorneys have long maintained that no crime occurred, arguing a multitude of evidence gathered since trial proves Nikki died of natural and accidental causes, including severe, undiagnosed pneumonia and a fall from bed.
Previous Attempts to Execute Roberson
Roberson was previously scheduled to be executed in June 2016, and again in October 2024. The latter gained national attention when a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers intervened by subpoenaing him to testify before a House committee.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ultimately thwarted two attempts to bring Roberson to the state Capitol to testify, while others, including Grisham, spoke on Roberson’s behalf.
“Robert’s trial was grossly unfair,” Grisham said then. “The science was terrible. The science has been debunked and discredited and disproven now for the past 15 years — we know it’s bad science.”
Robert Roberson, an East Texas man facing execution for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, poses for a photo at the TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston, TX on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Grisham’s Hope for the Book
In “SHAKEN,” Grisham plans to explore “the many failures that led to a blameless man’s death sentence, and a justice system more eager for a conviction than the truth.”
He said he hopes the exposure will encourage those “who have the power” to look over Roberson’s case again.
“He has a very strong legal team, a very strong medical and scientific team, with plenty of new proof to get back into court and, maybe one day, have an exoneration and walk out of prison,” he said.
“That would be the perfect ending, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
